Destroyed tanks

Or even a knocked out StuH?

The caption for that picture from the US national archive says it shows men of the 2nd AD viewing that poor bastard's broken body in Normandy 1944.
What makes anyone think it's staged? The men may have been asked to pose for the camera but I can't see any reason why that crew member wasn't just blown there, it's as likely as any other grim scene from the period where what at first looks like a tattered tarpaulin in a photograph often turns out to be a shredded man hanging from a tree or somesuch.
I can't see any indication that his uniform couldn't be appropriate to a stuG or stuh crewman of that period either? He appears to be wearing the short jacket and perhaps even camo trousers that would be far from uncommon by then.

Despite the awful subject, it is a remarkable quality photograph, even with the interference of digital technology you can make out the criss-cross pattern Zimmerit on the vehicle, but by that time B+W photographic technology had been pretty much perfected for 50 years and 35mm & larger format films common at the time were more than capable of capturing that kind of detail.
I'd assume it was taken by an official photographer rather than a passing squaddie.
I'm certain it's part of a set I've seen that shows more of the grim detritus of the crew scattered around the same vehicle but now can't find the series.
I'll keep digging.

Cheers,
Adam.

 

Heh, it looks like they think that it's nothing more then a drunken idoit who woundered out of his base and somehow died on the tank.

 

The photo quality is amazing, but then the old plate cameras and large-format Speed Graphics could deliver that sort of definition (note the limited depth-of-field - I'd doubt this is a 35mm image ).

As for the casual attitude - probably fairly typical of front-line combat soldiers ( whose thoughts would probably have been along the lines of 'It's one less...' )

 

Most likely medium format, 1620 or something, if it were full or even quarter plate we'd probably be able to see their nostril hairs. I've got glass plates from the 1890's that you can blow up any tiny 35mm size segment of and still get a perfect image, the detail can be phenomenal, nothing's ever come quite close to my eye.

Errrrm... To stop myself really getting started on cameras etc.... there's some excellent wrecked vehicle shots further down this page:
La bataille de Rânes-Fromentel

Cheers,
Adam.

 

Nice find VP!

 

Got to love technology!!

Oh and a nice site!

 

...

 

Could be the M-32 Armoured Recovery Vehicle that was used.

M4 Sherman variants - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

Ward La France M1 Wrecker seems quite likely.
Recover tanks, lift engines, leap tall buildings in a single bound etc...
8.2 litres of Military classic, and in my opinion one of the finest vehicles of WW2.
Widely used both during and after the war.

Cheers,
Adam.

 

I saw this and it would fit the bill of a 'wrecker' but it did not look like it could be used to recover tanks. Then again, who am I to question the great von Poop. :bow:

 

Makes sense to me. Sorry I could never get more details.
Thanks

 

I was thinking the same, but I found this...........
WARD LA FRANCE / KENWORTH WRECKER M1 AND M1A1

 

What tank is that?
Looks like Soviet T-34/85 only modernized by Germans?

 

Looks like a T34/76 (D?) with the later style of cupola fitted.

Cheers,
Adam.

 

That would be the T-34 76F with commanders cupola.

"As T-34 76D but with cast instead of welded turret. Mechanical improvements including five-speed gearbox. Production terminated after 100 vehicles in favor of T-34/85. Details as T-34 76D."

from tanks of the world, Chamberlain & Ellis.

Unknown how many units had the cupola. (the Germans did attach cupolas to some captured models, and that one is "German" looking, (instead of the "roundier" looking top edge in the picture I have.)(then again perhaps not, since the vision ports are the same)

 

Nice study of a 231.
In as much as I can read Czech it may be from the Kolmar pocket:

 

Another of my favorites bites the dust.

 

I like this thread.



Hey PzJgr! Guess what the burning vehicle is!

 

Cruiser Tank