These American soldiers likely stumbled into a German machine gun ambush when they crossed a road at the wrong moment. They found themselves at a crossroads, a favorable location for an ambush against an advancing army. This photo was taken in the early morning hours of the Battle of the Bulge in 1944.

Pen marks indicate things that the army censors edited after the film was shot. The censorship on the photo was merely an initial clue, which the publishers would later thoroughly remove. They didn’t want people to be able to tell where the picture was taken.

Therefore, only those elements that would identify the location were crossed out, even religious symbols (such as the crucifix in the corner of the image). This was likely the result of routine censorship.

The Battle of the Bulge concentrated the German military’s best units and equipment for the westward push. The battle was Hitler’s final attempt to divide the Allies on their advance into Germany and destroy their ability to supply supplies. This was Germany’s last significant mobile reserve and ultimately compromised Germany’s ability to defend itself against the Soviet winter offensive that began in January 1945.

The image suggests that the German supply line must have collapsed for the dead man to be able to take his boots. Besides, it’s not a good sign when an advancing army has to stop and steal shoes.

The soldiers’ boots were most likely not in very good condition, especially at this point in the war. At that time (late 1944), German boots were of inferior quality.

They stopped issuing “combat boots” and introduced ankle-high boots made of inferior material, while the Americans had higher-quality leather boots with rubber soles.

During and after the Battle of the Bulge, German prisoners caught with American equipment were usually summarily shot. Images like this likely encouraged the Americans to react this way.