German soldiers in a trench, holding sawtooth bayonets with their forehead plates pushed down to their necks. Photograph from the First World War (1914–1918).

The photo shows German soldiers next to an MG-34 machine gun during military training (1940).

German soldiers march across a field during the first months of Operation Barbarossa (1941).

You can see that they are wearing M-36 and M-40 model uniforms.

The photo shows German children examining the equipment of a German paratrooper.

The photo shows a German soldier, marked by the fighting on the Eastern Front (1941).

It can be seen that he is armed with the Karabiner 98k and is carrying M-24 model wooden grenades on his belt.

The photo shows mountain troops next to a 7.5 cm Pak 40 anti-tank gun in the mountains of Yugoslavia.

The photo shows German soldiers next to a Sturmgeschütz III (StuG III) as they advance towards the Battle of Stalingrad (1942).

German soldiers next to an MG 08/15 machine gun (1940).

In the photo: German soldiers next to an MG-34 machine gun during a training exercise.

In the photo: A German soldier reports the number of received wooden hand grenades of model M-24 (1943).

In the photo: Sailors of the Kriegsmarine next to a 20 mm MG FF cannon at an observation post.

In the photo: German soldiers marching to the Eastern Front (1942).

It can be seen that they are armed with the Karabiner 98k.

In the photo: A Panzer III on a test site (May 1937).

In the photo: Air Force soldiers next to an 88mm anti-aircraft gun.

The enormous 88mm projectiles are clearly visible.

In the photo: German soldiers next to a 50mm PaK-38 anti-tank gun.

In the photo: German soldiers, exhausted from the intense fighting on the Eastern Front, await new orders to launch Operation Spring Awakening (1945).

It can be seen that the soldier in the foreground is armed with an MG-42 machine gun.

In the photo: A German soldier next to a 5-cm grenade launcher 36 on the outskirts of Leningrad (1943).

In the photo: A German soldier digs out a Zündapp KS-600 motorcycle with sidecar that was stuck in the mud (1943).

In the photo: German soldier Fritz Reidel returns to his wife and three children on May 21, 1945.

According to German statistics, most prisoners of war were released more quickly than the Allied soldiers: Of the 2 million prisoners held by the Soviets, 900,000 were released in 1946, 300,000 in 1947 and 1948, and another 400,000 in 1949. Thus, 45% returned within one year, 60% within two years, and 75% within three years. Only 5% remained prisoners of war until the 1950s.

In the photo: A German soldier in the “Presenting the Rifle” pose (1939).

It can be seen that he is armed with a Karabiner 98k.

In the photo: German soldiers next to a 15-cm Nebelwerfer 41 multiple rocket launcher.

This powerful weapon was primarily used to support infantry and was known for its characteristic howling sound when fired, which often caused panic among opponents.

In the photo: German soldiers with an MG-34 machine gun in firing position.

This reliable weapon was used by both infantry and as onboard armament in vehicles and was considered one of the most advanced machine guns of its time.

In the photo: German soldiers cross a bridge in Polish territory that was bombed by Polish troops to stop the German advance (September 8, 1939).

Such scenes were part of the early phase of World War II, when the Wehrmacht implemented its Blitzkrieg strategy, which relied on speed and surprise, and occupied Poland within a few weeks.

Fallen German soldiers are buried under US supervision by German prisoners of war in Manche, Normandy – July 1944. LIFE Magazine Archives – Photographer: Ralph Morse – WWP-PD

The photo shows an exhausted German officer after heavy fighting in Stalingrad (1942).

A German soldier carries an MG-42 machine gun on his shoulder.

The photo shows a German soldier on horseback (1940).

The photo shows a Waffen-SS soldier with an ammunition belt for an MG-42 on the Eastern Front (1943).

The photo shows a highly decorated German soldier.

Awards:

• Iron Cross 1st Class

• Iron Cross 2nd Class

• Wound Badge

• Infantry Assault Badge

• Medal for the Winter Battle in the East 1941/42

• Close Combat Badge

• Sudetenland Medal

• 4 Tank Destruction Badges

The photo shows a German soldier with an MG-34 machine gun during the Battle of France (1940).

The photo shows a young German soldier with an MG-34 machine gun during the Battle of France (1940).

German paratrooper with an MG-42 machine gun.

The photo shows a German paratrooper carrying an MG-34 machine gun on his shoulder.

The photo shows German soldiers of the Afrika Korps (DAK) with an MG-34 machine gun (1942).

German soldier with an MG-34 machine gun.
The iconic Eiffel Tower is clearly visible in the foreground (1942).

In the photo, a German sergeant major observes potential targets through a trench with his MP-40 during the Battle of the Bulge (1944).
His comrade can be seen armed with a Karabiner 98k.

The photo shows young German soldiers with an MG-42 machine gun on the Eastern Front (1943).

The photo shows a mountain infantryman during military training (1940).
The insignia of the Kriegsmarine (German Navy) can be seen on his left sleeve.

German soldiers with an 8-cm Granatwerfer 34 (80 mm mortar).

Hallo Community,

Today our page received another warning from this social network, which is why we are addressing the issue again. We were informed that one of our posts violates their guidelines – which, in our view, is completely untrue.

This is primarily because we were told that the post, in the context they provided, would appear as a form of praise and show something inappropriate for the network. In reality, however, the offending photo simply shows a German soldier next to an MG-34 machine gun and some children. There is no symbolism whatsoever, nor anything to suggest that the image is unsuitable. In other cases, it might be interpreted that way, but in this instance, we believe the social network is completely wrong.

We filed an appeal because of this incident. After waiting almost eight hours – a response could have been received in less than 15 minutes – we were finally informed that it was an error on their end. The problem arose from the algorithm, which incorrectly classified our image as problematic.

In summary, we, as administrators, would like to inform you: While it may seem excessive to some, it is necessary for us to edit the images. Even if you follow the network’s guidelines, we can still receive a warning. And please note: We have been extremely careful when posting photos – and yet this network sometimes classifies them as problematic. With this minor incident, we want to make our community aware that this social network no longer simply views a photo as a photo, but sometimes interprets it in a double sense.

We ask for your understanding if some photos are not published in their full original form.

The photo shows a German soldier on a BMW R-75 motorcycle.

The photo shows the fuselage of a Heinkel He-111 bomber flying through the village of Loye in France (1939).

The photo shows German soldiers on a BMW R12 motorcycle .

Cheng, the League of German Girls (BDM), presents flowers to officers of the Condor Legion in Hamburg on May 31, 1939 .

The photo shows German soldiers ready to open fire with an MG-34 machine gun mounted on a BMW R-75 motorcycle .

Soldiers of the $$ buy ice cream in the warm and sunny center of Amsterdam (June 1940).

The photo shows German paratroopers on a BMW R-75 motorcycle.

In the photo, German paratroopers are posing with a small baby eagle owl , presumably the mascot of their unit.

The photo shows Gerardus Mooyman , the first foreign volunteer to be awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross – as indicated by the child pointing at the medal.

He received the award for destroying 13 enemy tanks at Krasny Bor . Mooyman survived the war, was arrested several times and escaped before being sentenced to six years in prison in 1946 and released in 1949.

Later, he led a quiet life as a businessman, husband, and father. In an interview in the 1960s, he distanced himself from National Socialism and explained that he had given his Knight’s Cross to a collector.

In the photo, Colonel General Ernst Busch is inspecting a position with an anti-aircraft gun .

Two German soldiers rest in front of the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Lille (early June 1940).

Stalingrad is hell on earth, it is Verdun, red Verdun, with new weaponry.

We attack every day. If we advance 20 meters in the morning, the Russians drive us back again in the afternoon.

• Letter from Private Walter Oppermann.

The photo shows a German machine gunner with an MG-34 machine gun on the outskirts of Stalingrad (December 22, 1942).

Army Group Don , under the command of General Erich von Manstein , launched an offensive to relieve the encircled 6th Army at Stalingrad. Despite being incomplete, the army group displayed remarkable fighting spirit and broke through the Soviet siege on December 20 , advancing 62 kilometers from Stalingrad.

The 4th Panzer Army under General Hermann Hoth managed to get within 35 kilometers of the city, but further advances were hardly possible.

Manstein urged General Friedrich Paulus , commander of the 6th Army, to attempt a breakout from Stalingrad. Paulus, however, hesitated, declaring that he could not retreat without a direct order from Hitler . This indecisiveness led to the failure of Army Group Don’s rescue efforts.

In the end, Army Group Don had no choice but to retreat 100 kilometers .

The photo shows Private Gerhard Paul Kurt Stendke together with his wife Martha Pauline Auguste Stendke and their little daughter in a field hospital (February 28, 1943).

In the photo, Joseph Goebbels awards the Iron Cross to 16-year-old Willi Hübner in Luban, Silesia on March 9, 1945 .

Willi served as a dispatch driver during the fighting to recapture the region from the Soviet Army . He survived the war and later became a politician in the former GDR .

A staged photograph of German soldiers in a trench around an MG 08 Maxim machine gun, 1916.

In the photo: Panzergrenadiers of the Waffen-SS await orders for the start of “Operation Spring Awakening” against the Soviet army in Hungary (March 1945).

The photo shows a Tiger tank and a Zündapp motorcycle side by side, presumably during a German training mission.

In the photo: A sailor of the Kriegsmarine poses with an abandoned Churchill tank in Dieppe, France (1942).

In the photo: Panzergrenadiers of the 5th SS Panzer Division “Wiking” and a Panzer V in Kovel, Russia (1944).

In the photo: A German soldier in a trench with his MP40.

In the photo: A German soldier in a bunker on the northern coast of France in the city of Étretat as part of the so-called “Atlantic Wall” (June 1944).

In the photo: A German soldier on the Eastern Front, with a bullet hole in his M35 helmet – presumably the target of an enemy sniper.

In the photo: Lieutenant Hans-Herbert Landry (1940).

In the photo: Not a Fokker, but a Focke-Wulf Fw 190! The pilot poses next to his aircraft, which was able to return safely despite a direct hit on the fuselage from flak fire.

🛩️Focke-Wulf Fw 190.

In the photo: A Panzer VI of the 502nd Heavy Panzer Battalion during Operation Citadel (1943).

In the photo: Erwin Rommel in Libya (1942).

In the photo: Captain Hans-Joachim Marseille in the cabin of his Messerschmitt Bf 109 in Libya (June 1, 1942).

In the photo: A German paratrooper smiles as he proudly displays his Bren light machine gun.

A Tiger I tank in front of the Altare della Patria in Rome (1944).

A German MG-34 gunner.

A German Messerschmitt Bf 109 with desert camouflage flies over the Libyan desert (1942).

In the photo: Waffen-SS soldiers firing an MG-34 machine gun on the Eastern Front (1941).