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A German soldier in 'Drag' with his comrades in Verdun, France 13.9.1916  Via Flickr: The Battle of Verdun (French: Bataille de Verdun; German: Schlacht um Verdun) was fought from 21 February to 18 December 1916 on the Western Front in France. The battle was the longest of the First World War. The battle lasted for 302 days, one of the longest and costliest in human history. In 2000, Hannes Heer and Klaus Naumann calculated that the French suffered 377,231 casualties and the Germans 337,000, a total of 714,231 and an average of 70,000 a month. In 2014, William Philpott wrote of 714,000 casualties suffered by both sides during the Battle of Verdun in 1916 and that about 1,250,000 casualties were suffered in the vicinity of Verdun in the war. A YouTube video on The Battle of Verdun: www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5iz3uZA6Co ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Homosexuality in the German Army during World War I was characterized by a complex tension between strict military discipline and the intimate realities of trench warfare, significantly impacting post-war LGBTQ+ rights movements. While Paragraph 175 criminalized male homosexuality, military authorities did not aggressively investigate or prosecute homosexual acts during the conflict, often prioritizing manpower and morale over moral policing, despite official propaganda condemning such behavior. Key dynamics included: Frontline Intimacy: The extreme stress and isolation of trench warfare fostered deep emotional and physical bonds between soldiers, leading to widespread homosocial and homosexual relationships that many veterans described as emotionally liberating. Political Mobilization: Homosexual activists, including over half the membership of the Scientific Humanitarian Committee (WhK), served in the military, using their patriotic service to argue against Paragraph 175 and counter stereotypes of effeminacy. Post-War Legacy: Returning veterans contested the "exclusively heterosexual" ideal of militarized masculinity, with some embracing a "third sex" theory (Magnus Hirschfeld) and others promoting a hyper-masculine warrior identity (Adolf Brand, Ernst Röhm) to demand social integration and legal reform in the Weimar Republic. Good photographic material for historians.

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Kampfzeit Era SA and SS circa 1932  Via Flickr: Notice the very rare swastika belt buckle being worn by an SA-Mann. Good photographic material for historians and militaria collectors.

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A soldier in the American USAAF feeding swans in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England 1944 Via Flickr: From the estate of an American sergeant in the 31st Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron (USAAF). He was an aircraft camera mechanic with the Camera Repair Section of this reconnaissance unit. This squadron was part of the 10th Reconnaissance Group, IX Tactical Air Command, Ninth Air Force. Until July 1944, he was with his squadron in England; on July 20, 1944, he flew in Normandy (Cherbourg). Afterward, he served at various airfields, mostly in France and Germany, from 1944 to 1945. Good photographic material for historians.

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Luftwaffenhelferin during WW2  Via Flickr: Luftwaffenhelferin was the term for female auxiliaries who served in the German Luftwaffe during World War II, primarily operating searchlights, listening equipment, and anti-aircraft defenses. Initially recruited from the Bund Deutscher Mädel (BDM), these women were often referred to as "Blitzmädchen" and faced significant danger as anti-aircraft batteries became primary targets for Allied forces. Service and Duties Roles: Women served in message centers, operated searchlights and acoustic locators, and handled clerical tasks within anti-aircraft units. Conscription: By 1944, approximately 450,000 female helpers were serving in the Luftwaffe's auxiliary anti-aircraft defense. Combat Status: Although initially restricted from armed duty, by 1945, Flakhelferinnen were trained and permitted to carry weapons for self-defense. Notable Cases: Some, like Erika Larsen, died in action, such as during the April 1945 air raid on Hamburg’s Altona district, where she was killed while sheltering in a basement. Good photographic material for historians.

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USAAF Victory in Europe and the Pacific 1945  Via Flickr: Location unknown. The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army during and immediately after World War II, existing from 1941 to 1947. Established on June 20, 1941, as the successor to the Army Air Corps, it grew to become the direct predecessor of the independent United States Air Force (USAF). During its peak in March 1944, the USAAF comprised approximately 2.4 million airmen and operated nearly 80,000 aircraft from over 783 domestic bases and more than 1,600 airfields worldwide. It remained part of the U.S. Army until the passage of the National Security Act of 1947, which disbanded the USAAF and transferred its personnel and assets to the newly created USAF on September 18, 1947.

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A large Junkers Ju 52 model airplane in Germany circa 1934  Via Flickr: The Junkers Ju 52, best known in its Ju 52/3m form (nicknamed Tante Ju ("Aunt Ju") and Iron Annie) is a transport aircraft that was designed and manufactured by German aviation company Junkers. First introduced in 1930 as a civilian airliner, it was adapted into a military transport aircraft by the Luftwaffe. The Ju 52 was in production between 1931 and 1952. In a civilian role, it flew with over 12 airlines, including Swissair and Deutsche Luft Hansa, as both a passenger carrier and a freight hauler. In a military role, large numbers flew with the Luftwaffe, being deployed on virtually all fronts of the Second World War as a troop and cargo transport; it was also briefly used as a medium bomber. Additionally, the type was deployed by other nations' militaries in conflicts such as the Spanish Civil War, the Chaco War, the First Indochina War, and the Portuguese Colonial War. During the postwar era, the Ju 52 had a lengthy service life with numerous military and civilian operators; large numbers were still in use by the 1980s. Even in the 21st century, several aircraft have remained operational, typically used for heritage aviation displays and aerial sightseeing.

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Thomas Meagher’s photostream

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A silhouette of German Artillery winter night training in Ulm, Germany 1938  Via Flickr: Good photographic material for historians.

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Kampfzeit Era NSDAP enjoying a day at the beach in Prerow, Germany 1928  Via Flickr: Julius Streicher standing forth from the left? Prerow is a municipality in the district of Vorpommern-Rügen in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. This Baltic seaside resort on the Darß peninsula is located about halfway between the historic Hanseatic towns of Rostock and Stralsund. It is one of three main settlements on the Darß, the others being the villages of Born and Wieck. Prerow has fine, sandy beaches and a picturesque landscape. It is hard to say where the forest ends and the village begins. The primeval Darß Forest has over 50 km of footpaths and cycle ways, a bridleway and tracks for horse-drawn carriages. West of the forest is West Beach with rugged terrain formed by wind and waves. South of Prerow is the bodden countryside. Visitors can take trips on a steam paddle boat and experience wildlife first-hand, nesting areas and various birds as the seasons change. Good photographic material for historians.

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A young girl on a motorcycle in Germany circa 1930's  Via Flickr: Anyone know the make, model and year of this motorcycle? Good photographic material for historians.

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A vintage amateur photograph of a beautiful young woman in Germany circa late 1970's  Via Flickr: Late 70's or early 80's. Notice the miliary bayonet mounted on the wall, stereo and records.

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Roman Catholic Benedictine monk Alban Schachleiter who was a close friend of Adolf Hitler circa 1932  Via Flickr: Alban Schachleiter (20 January 1861 – 20 June 1937) was a Roman Catholic Benedictine monk and musicologist. He was closely associated with the NSDAP, and with Adolf Hitler personally. Schachleiter first became closely associated with the NSDAP, and with Hitler, in late 1922. Originally from Mainz, he served as the long-time abbot of the Emmaus monastery in Prague before being forced out of that position in late 1918 following the establishment of the new Czechoslovak state. After brief stays at several Austrian monasteries, including St. Florian near Linz, by early 1920 he was at Munich's St. Boniface's Abbey. By September 1922 he was noticed for the radicalism of his anti-Semitic agitation and his involvement with groups like the volkisch Bund Bayern und Reich. He cultivated connections with members of Munich's Catholic elite, including Karl Alexander von Müller, professor of history at the University of Munich, and Helene Raff, whose father was the composer Joachim Raff. With Muller he discussed politics and Gregorian chant. Through these connections he first met Hitler in late 1922; the pair were observed by both Muller and Ernst Hanfstaengl engaging in lively and lengthy conversation. It was the beginning of a relationship that ended only with Schachleiter's death in 1937. The meeting opened the way for Schachleiter to play an important propagandist role on behalf of the NSDAP in the summer of 1923. Following the commemorative activities of 10 June 1923—which included a massive rally in honour of Albert Leo Schlageter, staged on Munich's Konigsplatz and attended by 20-30000 activists—a Catholic memorial Mass was held immediately after the rally in St. Boniface Abbey, organized exclusively by the NSDAP, which was presided over by Schachleiter. Hanfstaengl had sketched out for Hitler the symbolic impact a related Catholic-Nazi Mass for Schlagater would have on Munich's Catholic population—Schachleiter could also consecrate the standards of the SA. Hitler quickly agreed. Schachleiter delivered a eulogistic sermon that was remembered as having a powerful impact—a young and devoutly pious Heinrich Himmler joined the NSDAP in the wake of Schachleiters eulogy. A year later however, Schachleiter was writing to Oswald Spengler lamenting the impact of Erich Ludendorff and his anti-Catholic followers on the movement: following the refounding of the NSDAP in early 1925 the stronghold of the Nazi movement in Bavaria would no longer be Munich but rather the Protestant regions of Mittel- and Oberfranken. Schachleiter increasingly distanced himself from the NSDAP in the mid-1920s, although he maintained an idealised image of Hitler personally. Schachleiter continued for years to be angry at Ludendorff's anti-Catholic crusade following the putsch of November 1923. After maintaining his weekly Schola Gregoriana at the Allerheiligen-Hofkirche in Munich until 1930, he then moved to a newly built country house in Bad Feilnbach where he was still living when Hitler came to power in 1933. In late spring Schachleiter wrote to Cardinal Faulhaber: "It seems to me to be a catastrophe that the Holy Church stands aloof from the new freedom movement, whose triumph I foresaw, and that the massive uprising of the volk, which is now lifting our poor fatherland out of its misery and shame, may well go down in history as a triumph of Protestantism." Faulhaber forbade Schachleiter from performing Masses within the archdiocese, and Schachleiter reluctantly refused Hitler's request for him to come to Berlin on 20 March 1933 to perform a personal Mass for the fuhrer. Hitler visited in mid-May to personally congratulate Schachleiter on his 50th anniversary as a Benedictine. Schachleiter died on 20 June 1937 at Feilnbach in Upper Bavaria. Hitler ordered a state funeral for him. Good photographic material for historians.

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A German soldier during WW1

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A German soldier standing next to a Trench Periscope and whistle in snowy France during WW1 Via Flickr: The WW1 German trench periscope was an essential optical device used by German soldiers to observe enemy positions from the safety of their trenches without exposing themselves to sniper fire. These periscopes typically featured a simple design with two mirrors or prisms set at 45-degree angles inside a wooden box or metal tube, allowing soldiers to see "over the top" of the trench while remaining protected. German trench periscopes varied in design and complexity. Some were basic handheld models, while others were more advanced, such as the telescopic periscopes manufactured by Carl Zeiss Jena, a leading German optics company. A nice video on YouTube about WW1 Periscopes: www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVZ_7fYsDOo

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A boy poses with a giant shoe outside a shop window in Germany on New Year's Eve 1932