Friday, August 26, 2022

I Often Wonder ...

Bundesarchiv
... who were those guys?

I've been doing this historical fiction thing for well over a year now, I've used a lot of pictures to help not only tell the story, but to set the mood for the story. That mood-setting thing is kind of for me, the writer, not necessarily for you, the reader. It helps me visualize the story (time, place, and weather - sometimes) and often sets the direction for a particular story thread.

Every now and then something in a photo will hit me, usually it's a person in that photo. I wonder, "Who was this person, what was he¹ like

I used that opening photo above just the other day for The Eve of Barbarossa, the photo is early in that conflict (you can tell by the uniforms and the equipment), so it helped set the scene for me. It was only later that the photo really hit me.

There are 29 men visible in that photo, one (partially obscured see next photo) is the commander of the tank, the other 28 men are on foot. Add in the other four crewmembers of that tank and there are 33 men within 100 feet of the camera. Five in the tank, 28 on foot. Not long after posting that, I began wondering about the men in that photo, especially in light of Rob's observation on the post "I wonder how many who started there came back?"

I zoomed in on the tank commander, chilling in his hatch. Guy looks pretty relaxed!
Ibid
I wondered that as well.

But first off, what are we seeing in that photo?

The first thing that struck my eye were the men in the foreground carrying the long tubes. At first I thought "spare machine gun barrel container," then I realized that it was too big. Second thought was "mortar tube." Bingo!

Ibid
The yellow arrows point to the mortar tubes, the orange arrows are the tripods for the mortars, and finally the green arrows point to the mortar baseplates.

So Sarge, what kind of mortar is that?

Glad you asked, it's the 8cm Granatwerfer 34, or GrW 34 for short. And of course, it's an 81 mm mortar, not 80. For whatever reason the Germans called it an 8cm mortar. (Probably the same reason we refer to their rifle ammunition as 8mm, when it's actually 7.92mm. Technically speaking it's 7.92x57mm, often referred to as 7.92x57mm Mauser.)

Where did these mortars fall in the Table of Organization & Equipment of the German infantry battalion?

Glad you asked ...

German infantry battalions in the early part of the war came in two types. Both types consisted of a Battalion Headquarters, three Rifle Companies, and a Machine Gun Company. The difference between the two battalion types was the composition of their Machine Gun Companies.

For both battalions the Machine Gun Company had three Platoons, each of four weapons (the ubiquitous MG 34, later the MG 42). In the type "a" battalion, the Platoons all fielded machine guns, in the type "b" battalion, one of the Platoons had six mortars rather than four machine guns. (Source, Page 7). That mortar being the GrW 34 which those guys in the photo are carrying.

According to the Kriegsstärkenachweisung² (KStN) the crew of a GrW 34 consists of six men. Three of the men are equipped with pistols as their personal weapon, they get to schlepp the mortar tube, the tripod, and the baseplate. The others schlepped ammunition for the tube. No doubt the guy in charge of the mortar team didn't "have to" schlepp ammo, but probably did if he was smart.

The ready ammunition for the tubes were stored in metal boxes like these -

Ammunition box for the GrW 34
(Source)
In the photo below you can see two of these cases (orange arrows), no doubt there are more that you can't see. More ammunition would be carried in the munitions wagons, see the image below the next one for the complete TO&E for the 3rd Platoon of the type "b" Machine Gun Company.

Ibid

Click to embiggen, but you get the idea, the German Army of WWII had a lot of horses.
(Source)
Now the three guys who had to haul around the heavy pieces of gear also got to load and fire that bad boy.

For lots of good info on this weapon and its use, chase the link.
(Source)
The guys schlepping the ammunition also carried rifles, once the mortar was set up and firing, they would provide security for their comrades firing the mortar. The guy in charge would do guy in charge type things: observe fall of shot, adjust fire, etc.

Back to the photo. It looks to me that there are two mortar teams in the picture, which makes sense, often the mortar platoon would be broken into three sections, one being assigned to each of the three Rifle Companies in the battalion. So here we have one section from the mortar platoon along with some other chaps that I'm betting are infantry. Might even be part of the company headquarters behind the tank.

Ibid

Those guys inside the yellow box in the photo, gotta be an infantry squad. There is an MG 34 in the bunch, not on a tripod so it's a squad-level asset. Also there's nine of them (the tenth guy is no doubt outside the camera's field of vision - or he could be a casualty). Inside the green box is what could be a command element, I say that because one of the men has something on his back which looks a lot like a German backpack radio . (See below.)

(Source)
Okay, that covers the men on foot, now the tank.

My guess is that's a Panzerkampfwagen III, I can't tell which Ausführung³ but fit has to be a III as they were much more common than the Panzerkampfwagen IV which looked very similar from astern.

Why just the one tank?

Glad you asked. German tank platoons typically had five tanks at this stage of the war, normally all of the same type for logistical reasons. Unlike Hollywood, these vehicles tended to keep a lot of space between each other, 50 yards or more when deployed. Of course in restricted terrain they'd be closer together for mutual support. As you can see in the photo, the terrain is pretty open.

So the other tanks, like the rest of the infantry company, are not within the camera's field of vision. Or it could indeed be a Panzerkampfwagen IV assigned to support the infantry surrounding it. The early versions of that vehicle carried a short-barreled 7.5cm gun meant for infantry support.

Panzerkampfwagen IV, Ausf. C
Bundesarchiv
Now that I've bored you with all the minutiae in the photo ...

The area looks like the steppes of southern Russia, you can see other vehicles in the distance climbing a slight rise in the open terrain. Is that smoke or a low-hanging rain cloud above that rise? I'm thinking it's a combination of both, to the left of the photo I can see what appears to be a smoke plume, from something burning in the far distance.

But imagine this (I did) those men are about to advance, across open fields. Sure they have tank support, but when the bullets start flying, unless you're directly behind the tank, there's really nowhere to hide in that terrain.

You can only see two men's faces in that group in the foreground.


The guy in the yellow circle looks like a sergeant, he has that sergeant look about him. He's got his eyes on his men, the look says "do your jobs, don't think of anything else."

The guy in the blue circle, carrying the mortar tube, looks rather apprehensive. The look of a man about to go into combat. He either knows what to expect, and it terrifies him, or he's not quite sure what to expect, and that terrifies him as well.

An interesting photo, it has set the stage for the chapters in the parts of our story set on the Eastern Front. It inspired me in many ways.

One thing I can't stop thinking about - How many of the men in that photo survived the war? Of those men, for how many of them was the last photo ever taken of them? Knowing the Hell that was the war in Russia, my bet is that not many of those men survived to old age. 

War sucks.




¹ Invariably it's a "he," in the days of which I write, very few women served in combat. Russia was definitely an exception so perhaps the ladies will be better represented in the days to come.
² The Kriegsstärkenachweisung (KstN) is a chart which shows the theoretical organization and composition of a certain unit in the German Army.
³ Make of model. For instance, Willi Hoffmeister commands a PzKw II Ausf H, the H model of that tank.

48 comments:

  1. War sucks, aye, Sarge.
    Mortars are.mounted on bipods with the base plate serving as the third support. The bipod typically has the traverse and elevation mechanisms for fine adjustments in range and deflection.
    Yeah, I find myself wondering the same things. The odds aren't good; though perhaps some random (insert lucky or destined if you please) guy gets a Heimatschuss, but otherwise...
    Boat Guy

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    1. A bit of luck is always good, but in such a titanic struggle ...

      Is it enough?

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    2. I beg your pardon its 7.92x57 not 55. At least from my Gun Digest Treasury.

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    3. Gun Digest seems incorrect in this instance.

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    4. Sorry, Sarge, it is indeed 7.92 x 57. Perhaps you are conflating the excellent 6.5 x 55mm Swedish into your typing, but the German round is 7.92 x 57mm.
      John Blackshoe

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    5. Oh eyes that will not see. I could have sworn I typed 57, but indeed I typed 55. Dyslexic and blind is no way to go through life ...

      My apologies. (Throws eyeglasses against the wall, vows to start using larger fonts ...)

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  2. For a good portrayal of a mortar team in action, see Eugene Sledge's book "With the Old Breed"
    BG

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  3. Oh, and humping the base plate is the worst deal; suckers are heavy. As with MG's, the gunner humps the bipod and the loader humps the tube -least in USMC
    BG

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    1. I think it was the same with the Germans, the arrangement makes sense.

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  4. Read reports that five and a half million dead for the Germans in WWII so surviving from the onset of Barbarossa to war's end on that front.....not good. Excellent post Sarge.

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  5. Sarge, I always wonder the same thing as well when I see the pictures. The amount of life experience represented in the early to mid twentieth Century in that picture is amazing. Some of them likely remember back to The German Empire; others lived through the Weimar Republic and the Great Depression. Who knows what unsung geniuses from all sides lay dead or effectively destroyed after it was all over, their potential contributions unknown and unrealized?

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    1. A lot of history for the Germans between 1870 and 1940. A lot of it not so good!

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  6. Putting a human touch to an inhumane activity.

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  7. In the first photo, the arrows showing the tripods appear to be yellow.

    If you want to read about life as a mortarman, I highly recommend the wartime chapters of Tony Hillerman's autobiography Seldom Disappointed. The chapters before that (life as a kid in the Depression) are worth perusing. The chapters after he resumed civilian life are only worth the time if you're interested in his career. (So, get it from the library.)

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    1. Yes, a poor choice of palette on my part. (I have corrected that, also the green didn't stand out as well as I would prefer, fixed that as well.)

      I might have to find a copy of that, I like Mr. Hillerman's work.

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    2. Off Topic, I was driving south on I-19 today and I had some spare time. So I exited at Springfield, Vt and crossed the river to the re-creation of the Fort at No.4. Interesting place. It was quiet, no events going on. I was the only visitor.

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    3. Awesome, I had a "job" there one summer, firing a cannon. Great fun.

      The old homestead is never off topic. 😊

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    4. “I-91”. Aaaarghh! (Something with iOS won’t let me log in.)

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    5. I knew what you meant, having driven that way many times.

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  8. I'm glad you pointed out the guy in the blue circle. To me I looks like he's screaming at his buddy to the left,"Hey! How come you're not carrying anything? Waddya mean you left the ammo back at the depot; wadda y' some sort of dumb pig farmer?

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  9. Never even touched a mortar but did hump M-2 components (receiver, tripod, spare barrels, tool box). 122 lbs of awkward dead weight distributed among three men. War isn't just hell, it is a lot of hard labor.

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  10. "Who were those guys"? A question seldom asked and more rarely answered. Question is foremost whenever viewing photos of Ike taking extra time with men of the 101st the evening of 05 June '44.

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    1. A great photo, one which if contemplated too long gives me a feeling of immense sadness.

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  11. "81mm Mortars - A Battalion Commander's Personal Artillery"

    Fine Business. Opening view of "Eve of Barbarossa" immediately got my attention. Once an 81's guy, I pretty much had a busman's holiday comparing-critiquing their gun and my '60's version. Informative to learn a bit of nuts & bolts operation of a German mortar section. Your detail struck me as something of an analyst's view of base information.
    No question their base-plate was more functional than our old 2-piece clunker. Also a step up was their load-bearing gear for humping the bi-pod - back in the day, gunners just slung it over their shoulder. Some a-gunners used a similar web-sling for carrying the tube. No clear indication of an aiming device - a sight. Our's was carried in a small toolbox like case - ideal aiming point for the more astute bad guy. And in the nothing changes because nothing changes, ammo humpers are still sucking wind.

    '81's Aweigh

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    1. The Germans had a similar setup for their mortar sights. I couldn't find one in the photo, but I should have mentioned it.

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  12. The photos do help me get a feel for what's going on in the story, especially the location photos.

    As a side note yesterday I was watching my kids & grands kids in kayaks on the river and though back to your story of the French & Indian war times... I had to think for a minute about where I'd read that story before I recalled that you did it!

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    1. I will finish that one someday. Not too long from now one hopes.

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  13. Crusty Old TV Tech here. And yeah, guess what, I comment on the comm gear. That far-off pic would tend to indicate some sort of comm gear as you note being carried by one of the soldaten. The next image of the troop with a backpack comm set in the snow looks like a Torn.Fu.g, with the side-opening control panel. https://www.kriegsfunker.com/radios/Torn_Fu_g.php The linked article indicates this set is used by Panzergrenadiers to talk to command vehicles. HF, 2-3.5 MHz, and batteries etc. all in one. Earlier Wermacht backpack gear was two-piece, with one troop carrying the transceiver, another carrying the batteries and headset, connected by a long cable. The Torn.Fug.g was a decided improvement!

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    1. Agree. So this picture might be of dismounted Panzer Grenadiers, which makes more sense.

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  14. Your photo selections are ALWAYS superb and really set the scene and bring the reader into the scene visually as well as by written words.

    Your explanation is a superb introduction to the realities of modern warfare, and brings home the combination of blood, sweat and tears as men do the unenviable jobs of humping gear into the even worse job of combat. Strategy, logistics and tactics all merge at the point of the foot soldier on the ground, the person who ultimately determines victory by their conquering presence on the enemy's ground by force of arms.

    The insight into German forces, their equipment, organization and utilization is exceptionally clear and concise, masterfully exploiting the image. Those men are not just there, but there for very specific reasons, each with a role to play, each a potential "nail lacking in a horseshoe at a time of need" responsible for success or failure of a mission. Still, the thought of humping mortars by hand hundreds of miles into Russia in not at all appealing, even if not being shot at.

    Indeed, how many returned? Damn few. Was it worth it for the German or Russian soldiers, or the peasants and workers of those countries? Or, was it a price paid to satisfy the lust for power and legacy and egos of politicians and generals? The guys in the photo were not fighting for der Fuehrer politics, but for themselves and each other, and perhaps for Deutschland.

    We MUST understand history in order to deal with today's issues. Will we sacrifice future generations in order to preserve shifting borderlines on a map?
    John Blackshoe

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    1. Thanks JB. Never sacrifice for the feckless, faithless, and corrupt politicians. Of any stripe.

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    2. There is an eerie passage in Geoffrey Perret's "There's a War to be Won. Before a battle began, Graves Registration would perform their own discreet recon selecting sites for a dozen or more shallow graves and marking each with an inconspicuous stone. "You may well have seen where you'd be buried and never realized it"...

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  15. That last photo the guy highlighted in yellow is the only one with stuff on his helmet. So I do think he's the leader. Wonder if marking leader helmets was a thing and wonder how quickly that disappeared (if it was a thing) once Barbarossa started? Hmmm....

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    1. I'm not sure what's on that guy's helmet but it's not a leader marking. The Germans didn't do that. Now I'm intrigued as to what it might be. My gut says something to attach foliage/grass to his helmet for camouflage reasons.

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    2. Could be a cloth helmet cover. Looked up German uniforms and saw a picture from the side of a cloth cover, it had a horizontal band near the bottom edge as in your picture..

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    3. Not sure, the Germans had a number of helmet covers. Later in the war for the Army, from the beginning for the Waffen SS. But they did use any number of ad hoc attachments on the helmet for camouflage, even chicken wire. It's very unusual for only one man to be wearing a helmet cover. Research continues ...

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    4. The straps are often breadbag straps, repurposed to hold foliage.

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  16. Uncle Jim recounted the following mortar story from WWII:
    During his government sponsored trip to Europe ca. 1944 there was a burned out railroad station.
    Inside the station a mortar unit had set up and were firing our the holes in the roof. They were providing "harassing fire" on the Germans.
    Aiding in the effort was a boxcar (guterwagen) full of German 81mm mortar rounds. Alas, Uncle Jim spent too much time looking and a sergeant noticed him. Rest of the night was spent carry German ammo to US mortars to be returned to the original owners.

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  17. It's kind of interesting that when you search for photos to support your story, sometimes these pictures help you tell a story in themselves. I guess pictures really are worth a thousand words! I like the breakdown of the photo. Maybe you missed your calling as an imagery analyst!

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    1. Not sure I would have been any good at it, but that would have been an interesting job.

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