Nazi astrophotographers?

[LewisM]

Preparing for a night of AP on the Eastern Front :)

"Ach Fritz, let go of ze tripod leg, you are shaking it dummkopf! Gott in himmel!"

[noeyedeer]

They look more Wehrmacht then Nazi. still a funny caption nevertheless :)

matt

ps... have you tried googling ww2 era astrophotography?

[leon]

Wow Lewis, that certainly is an interesting image.

Leon

[multiweb]

Yeah definitely Wehrmacht. They're probably relaying targetting information to the panzer in the background.

[mithrandir]

Pretty big telephoto lens. Is that a Leica camera hung off the back?

[glend]

Hahaha...and I had assumed this thread was about astrophoto nazis (as in Christmas Nazis, etc).:lol:

[LewisM]

Yeah, it's a Leica on the back. Maybe Zeiss telephoto up front (Gary will drool)

I KNOW they are Wehrmacht... ya know, "Wehrmacht astrophotographer" just does not have the same headline "pow" as "Nazi astrophotographer" - indulge me SOME journalistic license please :)

[graham.hobart]

maybe they are artillery spotters for a big "canon"!
ouch!
Graz:P

[von Tom]

This is probably a photo taken by the Soviets through their own big lens (the man on the left probably just spotted it and probably saying "Hey, I think the Russians have one bigger than ours!")

[LewisM]

Da, Russkii's using LZOS lenses... so, if you put the LZOS lenses in the Zeiss, does this make it an early APM? :P :D

[N1]

Nice one, though it's funny how you seem to distinguish between Nazis and Wehrmacht. All the same to me...

[GeoffW1]

Well,

I suspect that much of the WWII German Army - the Heer - were just conscripted farm boys who knew little of Nazism. So that would be the distinction in my mind.

Cheers

[ReaPerMan]

Towards the end of the war the germans were known for their advanced weapon systems...

[noeyedeer]

I wasn't taking away your "pow" but some people might be offended by it and turn a simple photo into a political debate.

GeoffW1 sums up what I mean by distinguishing the two. thanks Geoff

matt

[Stardrifter_WA]

I agree Geoff, most of those guys would have just been doing their duty, as they saw it, and just like the allies, most of them would rather have packed up and gone home. To simply call all German soldiers Nazis is simply wrong.

I think the following passage from Herman Goring's diary (1947 entry) sums it up nicely:

"Why, of course, the people don't want war. Why would some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best that he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece? Naturally, the common people don't want war; neither in Russia nor in England nor in America, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy or a fascist dictatorship or a Parliament or a Communist dictatorship."

He went on to say "the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country." ............. And that is a scary thought.

[Larryp]

My father was one of "The Rats of Tobruk", and also fought at El Alamein. He never said anything bad about the Wehrmacht , in fact he often said they were honourable soldiers. He certainly didn't feel that way about the Waffen SS, which of course, was the Nazi military.

[LewisM]

Let's not turn this tongue in cheek post into something WAY off tangent, please :)

[ReaPerMan]

Absolutely ! Have another...

You thought the American's invented breakdancing.

If your wondering where I'm getting these from its
http://worldwartwozone.com/forums/index.php?/topic/9611-rare-odd-and-funny-wehrmacht-photos/

[noeyedeer]

lol at both the donkey and the break dancers

[Kevnool]

Point that big thing up at the sky.

[GeoffW1]

agreed

[04Stefan07]

+1