M24 Chaffee Tank Prison Camp Liberation Color Pic

[Charlie Flick]

Gentlemen:

 

I ran across this photo and was impressed by the clarity and quality of the image. The caption to it reads:

"US soldiers liberate a concentration camp for Chetniks in Germany 1944."

 

The unit markings appear to be 3rd Armored Division. Does anyone know the details surrounding this event? The pic is so good that it almost looks to me like a staged pic from a Hollywood movie. I also doubt that any prison camps in Germany were being liberated in 1944, more likely it was 1945 if this is legit.

 

Regards,

Charlie Flick

 

[General Apathy]

Hi Charlie, I did save the photo and tried to blow it up some so that it might be more possible to see what was being worn.

 

It certainly looks a posed photo, the tanks don't look battle cluttered the crews are in dress uniform with standard

M-1's and not tank clothing or crew helmets. As for the guy in the overcoat on the left side I cannot make out what he has on his head, looks more like a leather flight helmet with ear phone pads ???, and also his boots are hard to define, look closest to paratroop boots and don't appear to be two buckle or ankle and leggings.

 

So left with an official photo and posed for the occasion, or maybe some film clip photo. I know this is not helpful but maybe other forum members may have seen this elsewhere or other frames from a series shot at the same time.

 

Cheers ( Lewis )

[37thguy]

Looks as if it has been colorized. Started as a b&W. 1944 could have been a typo. Will be interesting to see what follows.

Good Luck!

[72newport]

Yup...looks colorized to me..

[Charlie Flick]

I think you guys are right. On further exam the pic looks like it was colorized or whatever the heck that is called.

 

Charlie

[37thguy]

Therefore throw out any kind of Identification based on color. I think the tanker or whatever he is that's in the overcoat on top of the nearest tank has on leggings but they were colorized the same as his boots. Also notice a whole lot of tanks in the background.

[72newport]

Looking closer at this picture, I would swear on my collection that those are the same barracks I was stationed at on Rivers Kaserne in Giessen, Germany! I'll dig some pics out to verify!!

[Johan Willaert]

Markings are not 3rd Armored but 3rd Army

 

3A42C means 42nd Cavalry attached to 3rd Army

[Charlie Flick]

Markings are not 3rd Armored but 3rd Army. 3A42C means 42nd Cavalry attached to 3rd Army.

 

Johan:

 

Yes, you are of course correct. Thanks for clearing up my error. New glasses needed, apparently!

 

Charlie

[disneydave]

What's in the extreme upper right hand corner of the picture...looks like part of a word printed on the image?????

[gwb123]

I think this caption is full of holes.

 

First of all the Chetniks were Serbs in what was then Yugoslavia. They fought for the Axis, so why would they be in a concentration camp to begin with?

 

Also, unless I am mistaken, the Third Army did not advance that far west.

 

More likely this is related to the Third Army's incursion into Czechoslavakia.

 

See the following article from Military History Online:

 

http://www.militaryhistoryonline.com/wwii/...ration1945.aspx

 

I don't believe this is a moment of liberation. It looks more like a formation at a military barracks. Notice there is a row of neatly parked tanks on the far side of the photo. And as with the previous comments, these are very clean looking tanks. Also note the flag pole in the center has been decorated with some type of pine garland. And finally, you do not see the foreign nationals wildly celebrating... looks more like they are organizing into ranks.

[El Bibliotecario]

I. too, wondered about why Chetniks would be prisoners.

 

While I've been to Geissen, I don't recognize the barracks, but they look like an authentic kaserne--which leads one to ask why the Germans would house slavic prisoners whom they would consider at the bottom of the human pecking order in the same quality barracks as used by German troops.

 

According to WEAPONS OF WW2 (MG G M Barnes, 1947) the M24 tank wasn't introduced until the spring of 1945; on VJ day units were still being re-equipped.

 

As fishy as this photo obviously is to everyone who's commented, I'm wondering if someone needed a picture of a specific event and simply found a photo of occupation GIs with some scroungy looking civilians and said, 'this is good enough.' I daresay everyone with an interest in military trivia who's watched film documentaries has seen footage identified as being from a specific date but because of the equipment, etc shown, obviously isn't. I'd further speculate the civilians in the photo are more likely DPs.

[Mr-X]

As fishy as this photo obviously is to everyone who's commented, I'm wondering if someone needed a picture of a specific event and simply found a photo of occupation GIs with some scroungy looking civilians and said, 'this is good enough.' I daresay everyone with an interest in military trivia who's watched film documentaries has seen footage identified as being from a specific date but because of the equipment, etc shown, obviously isn't. I'd further speculate the civilians in the photo are more likely DPs.

 

I agree, I dont think the pic is what the caption says it is.

[Charlie Flick]

You guys have convinced me that this pic is screwed up on a number of levels. Thanks for all of your input.

 

Charlie

[Bob Hudson]

Markings are not 3rd Armored but 3rd Army

 

3A42C means 42nd Cavalry attached to 3rd Army

 

The 42nd Cavalry Recon Troop was the first unit to discover the Dachau concentration camp.

[gwb123]

The 42nd Infantry had organic to it the 42nd Reconnaisance Troop.

 

However, I believe that there was also a 42nd Cavalry Squadron, which was assigned to Third Army. I believe the tanks in the photo are part of that unit.

 

I don't have a WWII Order of Battle... perhaps someone can confirm this.

[tredhed2]

The 42nd Cavalry Recon Troop was the first unit to discover the Dachau concentration camp.

 

The 42nd ID was trying to get into Dachau at the back gates while the 45th ID (157th IR) was shooting the locks off the front gates, and then shooting the guards. There is a thread on that somewhere on the Forum.

[Jeeper704]

42nd Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron is correct.

They were in 3rd Army and liberated those famous Lippizaner horses in Vienna (if I remember correctly).

 

I seem to have seen that photo before, but can't remember where.

 

 

Erwin

[Tom Dinackus]

42nd Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron is correct.

They were in 3rd Army and liberated those famous Lippizaner horses in Vienna (if I remember correctly).

 

I seem to have seen that photo before, but can't remember where.

Erwin

 

The 42nd Cavalry Squadron was one of two squadrons that was part of the 2nd Cavalry Group, which became the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment after the war.

[Stuart GI]

This picture is published in the official Army Historical Series book titled 'The US Army in the Occupation of Germany 1944-1946.' It is captioned as "Tanks move in to keep order in a Yugoslav DP camp."

 

Mike

[Andrei]

First of all the Chetniks were Serbs in what was then Yugoslavia. They fought for the Axis, so why would they be in a concentration camp to begin with?

 

Cetniky fought for the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. At first they sided with Tito's commie partisans against the Nazis then they chose to fight alone against both German Army and Commies.

They have been betrayed by the Allies at the end of the war.

 

[gwb123]

This picture is published in the official Army Historical Series book titled 'The US Army in the Occupation of Germany 1944-1946.' It is captioned as "Tanks move in to keep order in a Yugoslav DP camp."

 

Mike

 

That actually makes sense for the equipment, the markings, and what appear to be uniforms in the crowd.

[artillerydan]

No much to add to all the rest except the M24s pictured are post October 1944. So they had to be made in at the earliest Nov 44 soooo. Also it is a colorized picture.