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Neat Photo of US Jeep Used by SS on Eastern Front


billmunny
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Here's a neat photo of a Jeep presumably issued to the Soviets by the US, subsequently captured by the Germans and being used by the 2nd SS "Das Reich" Division..also note the captured Soviet submachine gun held by the SS trooper...

post-53648-0-80700100-1359396333_thumb.jpg

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The year must be either wrong or something else..the divisional symbol for the Das Reich division depicted I believe is '43 and after...

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maybe whoever wrote the photo caption on the back just got it wrong?

I've been going through a lot of old family photos recently and have been amazed at how many have incorrect information written on the back at some point in time. Could have happened years later. We'll probably never really know for sure.

A neat photo, at any rate!

Terry

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Maybe it's a re-enactment picture....... Just kidding...

Could be one.

I've heard of fake WW2 pictures made by reenactors in Poland, Russia, Ukraine...

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Cobrahistorian

thats an M-38 or M-40 hand screened smock not oaK .

 

 

OWEN

 

Heh, cool, I learned something new. I didn't realize they had camo that early. Thanks Owen!

 

The date is definitely wrong, but this has been a pretty cool thread!

 

Jon

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Cobra ,

They invented their first pattern in 1937.

By 1941 they had it down to an art and by the end of the war had printed at least 25 different patterns ........including one that had carbon in the black to defeat night scopes !!!

The US did not have this until 1981 .......they were only 40 years advanced !!!!

owen

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Cobrahistorian

Owen,

 

Awesome! I knew about their IR defeating camo pattern, but didn't realize they were producing camo uniforms prior to 1942. I suppose I should expand my TR reference library, but I just feel dirty doing so...

 

Back to the jeep. Looks like at the earliest a 1942 MB to me. Messing with the brightness and contrast, it seems that there are hood numbers in blue drab, but I can't make out what they are.

 

Jon

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vostoktrading

Maybe they brought it with them? Das Reich was in Yugoslavia in March and April 1941 just before participating in Barbarossa.

Did British & Commonweath forces from Egypt in 1941 have jeeps? If so, maybe it was picked up from the fighting in Greece when the British, Australians and New Zealanders went in to help the Greeks. I think 1st SS (Liebstandarte) was in Greece but maybe somehow the 2nd SS got a hold of this one from them... Just a thought.

Jon.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Elements of Das Reich Division were sent to Italy immediately after Kursk. which would also explain the "Kursk" division insignia being applied to the Jeep. The Division seems to have largely gone back to their traditional insignia by 1944.

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