Alfred Jodl in the Nuremberg Trials (1946)

Generaloberst Alfred Jodl, former Chief of the Operations Staff of the Armed Forces High Command, at the Nuremberg Trials in 1946. Jodl was arrested by British forces on 23 May 1945 along with the remnants of the Flensburg Government, he was transferred to Nuremberg and became one of the 24 major defendants tried before the International Military Tribunal (IMT) starting in November 1945, facing charges of conspiracy to commit crimes against peace, planning, initiating, and waging wars of aggression, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. The prosecution's case against him centered heavily on his personal responsibility for issuing or transmitting directives such as the Commando Order, which mandated the summary execution of captured Allied commandos, and the Commissar Order, which called for the shooting of Soviet political commissars, alongside his central role in planning aggressive campaigns including the invasions of Poland, France, the Soviet Union, and Yugoslavia, as well as reprisals and scorched-earth policies in occupied territories. During the trial, Jodl mounted a vigorous defense, testifying at length about his duties, claiming he had often acted as a professional soldier merely following superior orders while sometimes attempting to moderate Hitler's more extreme demands, and asserting his personal opposition to certain violations of international law, yet the tribunal rejected these arguments, emphasizing his high-level involvement and knowledge in the criminal enterprise. On 1 October 1946, Jodl was convicted on all four counts and sentenced to death by hanging; he was executed on the morning of 16 October 1946 at Nuremberg Prison, where, showing visible nervousness as he ascended the gallows in his Wehrmacht uniform, he uttered his final words, "My greetings to you, my Germany," before his body was cremated and ashes scattered. His conviction and execution remain subjects of historical debate, particularly regarding the application of superior orders as a defense and the tribunal's judgment of military leaders for state-directed policies.

Source :
https://pixpast.wordpress.com/?query-10-page=3&cst&str=428&id_parent=7898&items=12&vd=downloaded&category=7902&flow=1

Walther Lucht cleaning his Shoes

Walther Lucht cleaning his shoes outside his bunkhouse in a POW camp, 24 November 1945. Ritterkreuzträger Walther Lucht (26 February 1882 – 18 March 1949), a General der Artillerie of the Wehrmacht, spent the final years of his life as a prisoner of war following Germany’s defeat in the Second World War. After serving as commander of LXVI. Armeekorps and later briefly leading the 11. Armee during the desperate final campaigns of 1945, Lucht surrendered to American forces in May 1945. As one of Germany’s senior generals and a holder of both the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes and Eichenlaub, he was placed in Allied captivity during the occupation period. Unlike many German officers captured by the Soviet Union, Lucht remained in Western Allied hands, where conditions were generally less severe and where he was subjected primarily to interrogation and administrative detention rather than long-term punitive imprisonment. During his captivity he witnessed the collapse of the military system to which he had devoted more than four decades of service, beginning in the Imperial German Army and continuing through the Reichswehr and Wehrmacht. Released from American captivity in 1948, he returned to civilian life in post-war Germany, but his freedom was short-lived. On 18 March 1949, less than a year after his release, Lucht was killed in a motor vehicle accident near Heilbronn.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Walther_Lucht_cleaning_his_shoes_outside_his_bunkhouse_in_POW_camp_(cropped).jpg

The Headstone of Wilhelm Bach

Ritterkreuzträger Wilhelm Bach is one of two men who have more than one headstone located at Woodland Cemetery, Canada.

As a final sign of respect for a fallen comrade, Bach’s fellow POWS took great care in hand carving a solid wood headstone for his grave in Gravenhurst, Ontario.

The men who skillfully carved the headstone would not have been aware that the Major had been posthumously promoted to Oberstleutnant. Consequently his rank of Major at his capture was used for the marker.

When Bach’s remains were exhumed from the Gravenhurst Cemetery and relocated to Woodland, the original headstone was moved too. However, that headstone no longer marks the location of Bach’s grave. Instead, a regulation, German-spec stone cross is now used in its place.

Placed in a prominent position within the cemetery’s alcove, the original marker now serves as a monument to Wilhelm Bach.

The wood marker has suffered over the years: Much shorter now, some of its original length has been cut off, presumably because of wood rot. Far more disturbing, it was defaced in April 1978, solely because of one reactionary Canadian Legion member.

The highest honour bestowed to Major Bach during his military career was the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes (Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross), which understandably had been carved into the headstone. This medal includes a swastika, which is integral to the Knight’s Cross design.

At one person’s behest, a person incapable of differentiating between politics, war crimes, and the bravery of common men whose only offense was to answer their country’s call during a time of war, a cemetery worker took a chisel to the wood marker and removed the swastika.

The original headstone for Bach's grave as it stood in Gravenhurst, Ontario. The photo was taken by one of Bach's men who also survived Halfaya Pass, but had been interred in Alberta. On the back of the photo, which shows his children at Bach's grave, is written "Hannelore brightens up the grave of my Major." The reverence held for Bach by the men he commanded is exemplified in this touching photo.

The original headstone as it looks today (2013). Shorter, and defaced as a result of ignorance, it no longer marks the location of Bach's grave.

The regulation, German government issued two-name.headstone now used to mark Bach's grave.

Source :
https://www.vorg.com/home/german-war-graves-in-canada/pow-history/oberstleutnant-wilhelm-bach/

Jochen Peiper Interview at Malmedy War Crimes Trials

MALMEDY WAR CRIMES TRIALS, DACHAU, GERMANY(MUNICH 250), 20 June 1946.

Malmedy War Crimes Trials, Dachau, Germany, June 20, 1946. Former German Colonel Joachim Peiper (#42) reading notes on witness stand about his treatment while being held as a prisoner by the Poles. CU, Peiper reading notes. MS, two German attorneys for the defense whispering to each other during trial. (Part of film showing Peiper testifying is out of focus.) MS, Lt. Col. Dwinell, counselor for the defense, as he conducts a cross-examination of Peiper (latter not in scene). MS, Peiper, back to camera, pointing to area on map which he covered during his encounter with US troops in Buelliagen, Belgium.

Source :
https://www.oorlogsbronnen.nl/bron/https%3A%2F%2Fportal.ehri-project.eu%2Funits%2Fus-005578-irn1001445
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-fphwzQ4AE

NKFD 14th Session in Moscow

NKFD (National Committee for a Free Germany) 14th session in Moscow, October 1944. Minute of silence to honour the deceased Wilhelm Florin. From left to right: Generalleutnant Kurt-Jürgen Freiherr von Lützow, Erich Weinert, Generalleutnant Edmund Hoffmeister, General der Artillerie Walther von Seydlitz-Kurzbach, unknown, Generalfeldmarschall Friedrich Paulus, and Generalleutnant Vincenz Müller. The National Committee for a Free Germany (German: Nationalkomitee Freies Deutschland, or NKFD) was a German anti-Nazi organisation that operated in the Soviet Union during World War II.

Source :
https://www.topfoto.co.uk/asset/1869725/
https://waralbum.ru/390124/

Friedrich Paulus in the Cover of 'Front Illustrierte'

Generalfeldmarschall Friedrich Paulus in the cover of "Front-Illustrierte" no. 13 (86), August 1944. This Soviet propaganda leaflet targeting German soldiers, written in German, was scattered by hand, airplane, and bombs. It included photomontages, illustrations, captions, and short texts. This issue consists of four pages printed on a single folded sheet, magazine format. It is titled "Generalfeldmarschall Paulus, der ehemalige Oberbefehlshaber der deutschen Truppen vor Stalingrad, klagt Hitler an!" (Field Marshal Paulus, former commander in chief of the German troops on the Stalingrad Front, accuses Hitler!)

Generalfeldmarschall Friedrich Paulus (Oberbefehlshaber 6. Armee) after captured.

Generalleutnant Dr.rer.pol. Friedrich Franek (Kommandeur 73. Infanterie-Division) after captured.

Generalleutnant Eberhard von Kurowski (Kommandeur 110. Infanterie-Division) after captured.

Generalmajor Gerhard Lindemann (Kommandeur 361. Infanterie-Division) after captured.

Source :
https://www.blavatnikarchive.org/item/8538?page=1

Parade of German POWs in Moscow after Operation Bagration (1944)

17 July 1944, Moscow residents were shocked by the appearance of a column of Nazis in the city. “Operation Big Waltz” - this code, apparently, the unofficial name of this indicative action in the NKVD.

Its participants are generals, officers and soldiers of the German Heeresgruppe Mitte, utterly defeated in the summer of 1944, in the Belarusian strategic offensive operation Bagration. The losses of the enemy turned out to be much higher than in the “Stalingrad catastrophe”. However, the allied press expressed great doubt in such an impressive defeat of the Nazis. The information war has already gained momentum...

It was then that in the leadership of the USSR the idea was ripe to demonstrate to the world the successes of the Red Army and to carry a huge mass of German prisoners led by their beaten generals through the streets of Moscow.

“Show them to the whole world.”

In the epic “Liberation: the direction of the main attack” there is a short but apparently historical episode: Stalin, after hearing the report of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Army General Alexei Antonov (“MIC”, No. 17, 2017) about the defeat of the German troops in Belarus, in its characteristic manner, says quietly: “You take prisoners, and neither enemies nor allies believe you. Do not hide your prisoners, show them, let everyone see. "

Why was the operation called the Great Waltz? Maybe because the main element of this ballroom dance is spinning in a circle? After all, the movement of the column of prisoners of the Nazis was also planned in a large circle - along the Garden Ring ...

Whatever the case, the chief “choreographer” of an unprecedented dance was the People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs of the USSR, specifically, Deputy Commissar Colonel-General A. N. Apollonov. Directly for the "waltzing" of the Germans on the streets of the capital was the responsibility of the commander of the Moscow Military District, Colonel-General P. Artemyev, the former head of the NKVD operational troops. The order on that day was ensured by the head of the Moscow Directorate of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the commissioner of the police of 2 rank V. N. Romanchenko. By his order, the capital's law enforcement officers were transferred to an enhanced duty regime. Patrol outfits from the 2 Motorized Rifle Division of the special mission of the NKVD troops under the command of Major-General V.V. Lukashev were sent to help the law enforcement officers.

Under the strict secret

At the beginning of July, in the Belarusian camps for German prisoners of war, under the strict secret, the selection of relatively healthy and able to move on foot order of the Nazi soldiers and officers began in the Belarusian camps. Under the guard of the guards from the convoy troops of the NKVD, they were concentrated at the railway stations of Bobruisk and Vitebsk. Here they began to hastily train the trains with wagon-cars, into which they loaded the bewildered prisoners and under the escort of 1944 motorized rifle and 7 convoy divisions of the NKVD troops sent to Moscow. In total, according to some estimates, it took more than a thousand cars (about 36 echelons) and not one hundred escort soldiers.

Parade of the vanquished

In the first half of July, 57 600 people, including 19 Nazi generals, were delivered to Moscow. The prisoners were concentrated on the Moscow hippodrome field and at the Dynamo stadium. These territories were cordoned off by guards from the 36 Division of the NKVD escort troops under the command of Colonel I. I. Shevlyakov. But several thousand "special contingent", according to the memoirs of a participant in the operation, lieutenant colonel of the police in retirement V. D. Vasilenko, for some reason, placed on the exit field of their cavalry regiment of the division named after F. Dzerzhinsky. Years later, the veteran, meeting with young Dzerzhinsky warriors, said: “On the field there were loudspeakers, transmitting news from the fronts. When the announcer spoke about the next city repulsed from the enemy, the Fritz shouted: “Hurray!”. They rejoiced that, being in captivity, they saved their lives ”...

"So you got to Moscow"

Early in the morning of July 17, all prisoners were divided into two unequal groups and people were built into the 20 convoy along the front: the first — about 42 thousands — must proceed along Gorky Street, then clockwise along the Garden Ring to the Kursk railway station. The second route - 15 of thousands of people - also ran along Gorky Street, and further along Sadovoi, but counterclockwise, to the station Kanatchikovo District Railway.

At the head of the first column were 19 broken German military leaders in uniforms and with orders left to them under the terms of surrender. Among them, Hitler's "favorite" is the commander of the 78 Sturm-Division, Generalleutnant Hans Traut (in the newsreel he is with an image cane in his hand). In the German army, he was told about him as a “master of defense,” for which he was dubbed the “iron general.” He himself boastfully declared: “While I am under Orsha, Germany can be calm!” I didn't live up to my promises ...

Next to him were two infantry generals - the commanders of the 27th and 53rd army corps Paul Völckers and Friedrich Gollwittser, and also the acting commander of the 4th army, Generalleutnant Vincenz Muller. Following the "bloody commandants" of the cities: Mogilev - Generalmajor Gottfried von Erdmansdorf and successively Orel, Bryansk, Bobruisk - Generalmajor Adolf Hamann. Once groomed and self-confident generals were quietly talking, they didn’t look around. Some people sometimes cast indifferent glances at Muscovites, pretending that they were not mentally broken by captivity. Colonels stomped on the generals, then a huge number of officers descending in ranks. Then came the gray mass of soldiers in frayed uniforms. For many, cans used to eat food instead of pots were rattled over their shoulders on ropes. The soldiers, unlike the top ranks of the Wehrmacht, looked at the Muscovites with curiosity, looked in surprise at the beautiful buildings towering along the streets: after all, they repeated so much that after the raids “valiant” aviation Goering "the Bolshevik capital lies in ruins."

On both sides, the convoy was accompanied by riders of the Cavalry Regiment of the F. Dzerzhinsky division with naked swords, soldiers of the 236 regiment of the NKVD convoy troops and outfits from other parts of the internal troops with rifles at the ready with bayonets. The entire convoy service was led by an experienced colonel Shevlyakov in such matters, who was ordered not to allow acts of violence to the captives by the population.

The once brave legionnaires, having marched past Europe almost solemnly, now represented a pitiful sight. “So you got to Moscow!” - rushed from the crowd of citizens who filled the sidewalks to see with their own eyes the Nazi warriors who dreamed of entering the Soviet capital as winners.

Fair retribution

The “parade of the vanquished” was completed by seven o'clock in the evening. After that, all the prisoners were again placed in wagons and guarded by the guards from the NKVD convoy troops were taken to camps, where for several years they were engaged in the restoration of the national economy of the country, which they intended to wipe off the face of the earth. The generals under special guard were sent to the cells of the Butyrskaya and Lefortovo prisons. There they were waited for interrogations in Lubyanka, the investigation and the court ...

It was noted that the entire event passed without incident, only four German soldiers had to provide medical assistance. USSR People's Commissar of Internal Affairs Lavrenti Beria in a written report to the State Defense Committee reported that during the passage of columns of prisoners of war the population behaved in an organized manner, there were no accidents in the city, however during the march from the population there were a large number of shouts: “Death to Hitler!” And "Death to fascism!"

What happened to the above mentioned beaten German commanders? Hamann and Erdmannsdorf for their bloody crimes suffered a well-deserved punishment - the military tribunal sentenced them to death. Traut was given 25 years of imprisonment. But in October, the 1952 th war criminal was suddenly released and sent to the Fatherland, where he lived safely in the family's neighborhood and died only in December of the 1974 th at home - in Darmstadt.

Gollwitz got his quarter. However, he served only about 10 years. All in all, by the year 1955 they released about a dozen Hitler generals captured in Belarus and handed them over to the authorities of the Federal Republic of Germany. And the infantry general Paul Völckers died in 1946 in a high-ranking prisoner camp near Vladimir, which cannot be called a camp — the former rest home under guard from the NKVD troops.

The fate of Vincenz Müller, who from the moment of his captivity began to actively participate in anti-fascist activities, turned out to be quite strange. Already in 1947, he returned to Germany, later the GDR, was the first chief of the General Staff of the National People’s Army. But by the end of 50's, there was evidence of his involvement in the massacres of Jews and executions of Soviet prisoners of war, as a result of which Müller ended up in a hospital diagnosed with schizophrenia. In May, 1961 th he jumped out of the balcony of his own house in a suburb of Berlin, crashed to death...

To whom the resignation, and to whom the nuclear project

The fate of the Soviet generals who conducted the Great Waltz also took shape in different ways. Colonel-General Apollo, who took the post of Deputy Minister of State Security (USSR Ministry of State Security) for the management of troops, at the end of 1953 in his only 46 was retired. He died in 1978 year, was buried in Moscow at Kuntsevo Cemetery.

After the death of Stalin, the commander of the Moscow Military District troops, Colonel-General Artemyev, was demoted and sent away from the capital by the deputy commander of the Urals Military District. Since 1960-th was retired. He died in 1979 year, rested at the Novodevichy cemetery.

The main escort of the “parade of the vanquished” Shevlyakov at the end of 1944 was awarded the rank of major general. After the war, he was involved in the implementation of the "atomic project", because of which his biography was covered with a dense veil of secrecy. It is only known that in 1948 – 1960, the general headed the Main Directorate of military construction units, who built secret objects on which the “nuclear missile shield” of the Motherland was forged.

In the foyer of the Central Management Club of the Russian National Guard troops (during the war years, the headquarters of the 36 Division of the NKVD convoy troops were located here) a painting canvas entitled “German convoy in Moscow” was displayed. He painted the picture in 1947 from memory and from photographs by famous artist Irakly Toidze (the author of the poster “Motherland Calls!”) And presented to the commander of the convoy unit Major General Shevlyakov, with whom he was on friendly terms. Now, this work reminds young soldiers and officers of the Rosguard about the participation of law enforcement troops in a unique event of the Great Patriotic ...

At least 19 Wehrmacht generals and 6 Oberst/Oberstleutnant were paraded along the main road of Moscow, especially Sadovoye Koltso (Garden Ring). They were as follow:

1. Generalleutnant Rudolf Bamler (12. Infanterie-Division)
2. Generalleutnant Hermann Böhme (73. Infanterie-Division)
3. Generalmajor Joachim Engel (45. Infanterie-Division)
4. Generalmajor Gottfried von Erdmannsdorff (Kommandant Festung Mogilev)
5. Generalmajor Gustav Gihr (707. Infanterie-Division)
6. General der Infanterie Friedrich Gollwitzer (LIII. Armeekorps)
7. Generalleutnant Adolf Hamann (Kommandant Festung Bobruisk)
8. Generalleutnant Walter Heyne (6. Infanterie-Division)
9. Generalleutnant Alfons Hitter (206. Infanterie-Division)
10. Generalleutnant Edmund Hoffmeister (XXXXI. Panzerkorps)
11. Generalmajor Günther Klammt (260. Infanterie-Division)
12. Generalleutnant Kurt-Jürgen Freiherr von Lützow (XXXV. Armeekorps)
13. Generalmajor Herbert Michaelis (95. Infanterie-Division)
14. Generalleutnant Vincenz Müller (XII. Armeekorps)
15. Generalmajor Aurel Schmidt (Höherer Pionierführer 10/9. Armee)
16. Generalmajor Friedrich-Carl von Steinkeller (Panzergrenadier-Division "Feldherrnhalle”)
17. Generalleutnant Hans Traut (78. Sturm-Division)
18. Generalmajor Adolf Trowitz (57. Infanterie-Division)
19. General der Infanterie Paul Völckers (XXVII. Armeekorps)

Parade of high ranking Wehrmacht officers captured by the Red Army during Operation Bagration (also known as "Parade of the Vanquished" or "Operation Big Waltz"), which was held on the streets of Moscow on Monday, 17 July 1944. Approximately 57,000 German soldiers and officers from Heeresgruppe Mitte (most of whom were captured by Soviet troops from the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Belorussian Fronts) were ordered to march through the Sadovoye Koltso (Garden Ring) and other main streets of the Soviet capital. This photo shows the parade starting point at Begovaya railway station. From left to right: 1.Generalmajor Joachim Engel (Kommandeur 45. Infanterie-Division), 2.unknown, 3.Generalmajor Günther Klammt (Kommandeur 260. Infanterie-Division), 4.unknown, 5.unknown, 6.Generalmajor Herbert Michaelis (Kommandeur 95. Infanterie-Division), 7.Generalmajor Aurel Schmidt (Höherer Pionierführer 10 / 9.Armee), and 8.Generalmajor Gottfried von Erdmannsdorff (Kommandant Festung Mogilev).

Parade of high ranking Wehrmacht officers captured by the Red Army during Operation Bagration (also known as "Parade of the Vanquished" or "Operation Big Waltz"), which was held on the streets of Moscow on Monday, 17 July 1944. Approximately 57,000 German soldiers and officers from Heeresgruppe Mitte (most of whom were captured by Soviet troops from the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Belorussian Fronts) were ordered to march through the Sadovoye Koltso (Garden Ring) and other main streets of the Soviet capital. This photo shows the parade starting point at Begovaya railway station. From left to right: 1.Generalmajor Günther Klammt (Kommandeur 260. Infanterie-Division), 2.Generalmajor Herbert Michaelis (Kommandeur 95. Infanterie-Division), 3.Generalmajor Aurel Schmidt (Höherer Pionierführer 10 / 9.Armee), and 4.Generalmajor Gottfried von Erdmannsdorff (Kommandant Festung Mogilev). The DKiGträger (Deutsches Kreuz in Gold holder) between Klammt and Michaelis is possibly Oberst im Generalstab Hans Schmidt (Chef des Generalstabes LIII. Armeekorps).

Parade of high ranking Wehrmacht officers captured by the Red Army during Operation Bagration (also known as "Parade of the Vanquished" or "Operation Big Waltz"), which was held on the streets of Moscow on Monday, 17 July 1944. Approximately 57,000 German soldiers and officers from Heeresgruppe Mitte (most of whom were captured by Soviet troops from the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Belorussian Fronts) were ordered to march through the Sadovoye Koltso (Garden Ring) and other main streets of the Soviet capital. This photo shows the parade starting point at Begovaya railway station. From left to right: 1.Generalmajor Joachim Engel (Kommandeur 45. Infanterie-Division), 2.Generalmajor Günther Klammt (Kommandeur 260. Infanterie-Division), 4..Generalmajor Herbert Michaelis (Kommandeur 95. Infanterie-Division), and 4.Generalmajor Aurel Schmidt (Höherer Pionierführer 10 / 9.Armee).

Parade of high ranking Wehrmacht officers captured by the Red Army during Operation Bagration (also known as "Parade of the Vanquished" or "Operation Big Waltz"), which was held on the streets of Moscow on Monday, 17 July 1944. Approximately 57,000 German soldiers and officers from Heeresgruppe Mitte (most of whom were captured by Soviet troops from the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Belorussian Fronts) were ordered to march through the Sadovoye Koltso (Garden Ring) and other main streets of the Soviet capital. This photo shows the parade starting point at Begovaya railway station. From left to right: 1.Generalleutnant Vincenz Müller (Kommandierender General XII. Armeekorps), 2.Generalleutnant Rudolf Bamler (Kommandeur 12. Infanterie-Division), 3.General der Infanterie Paul Völckers (Kommandierender General XXVII. Armeekorps), 4.Generalleutnant Walter Heyne (Kommandeur 6. Infanterie-Division), 5.Generalleutnant Adolf Hamann (Kommandant Festung Bobruisk), 6.Generalmajor Friedrich-Carl von Steinkeller (Kommandeur Panzergrenadier-Division "Feldherrnhalle”), 7.General der Infanterie Friedrich Gollwitzer (Kommandierender General LIII. Armeekorps), 7a.Generalleutnant Hermann Böhme (Kommandeur 73. Infanterie-Division), 8.Generalmajor Gustav Gihr (Kommandeur 707. Infanterie-Division), 9.Generalleutnant Kurt-Jürgen Freiherr von Lützow (Kommandierender General XXXV. Armeekorps), and 10.Generalmajor Gottfried von Erdmannsdorff (Kommandant Festung Mogilev).

Parade of high ranking Wehrmacht officers captured by the Red Army during Operation Bagration (also known as "Parade of the Vanquished" or "Operation Big Waltz"), which was held on the streets of Moscow on Monday, 17 July 1944. Approximately 57,000 German soldiers and officers from Heeresgruppe Mitte (most of whom were captured by Soviet troops from the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Belorussian Fronts) were ordered to march through the Sadovoye Koltso (Garden Ring) and other main streets of the Soviet capital. This photo shows the parade starting point at Begovaya railway station. From left to right: 1.Generalleutnant Adolf Hamann (Kommandant Festung Bobruisk), 2.Generalleutnant Hans Traut (Kommandeur 78. Sturm-Division), 3.Generalmajor Joachim Engel (Kommandeur 45. Infanterie-Division), 4.Generalmajor Adolf Trowitz (Kommandeur 57. Infanterie-Division), 5.Generalmajor Günther Klammt (Kommandeur 260. Infanterie-Division), 6.Generalmajor Gustav Gihr (Kommandeur 707. Infanterie-Division), 7.Generalmajor Herbert Michaelis (Kommandeur 95. Infanterie-Division), 8.Generalmajor Gottfried von Erdmannsdorff (Kommandant Festung Mogilev), and 9.Generalmajor Aurel Schmidt (Höherer Pionierführer 10 / 9.Armee).

Parade of high ranking Wehrmacht officers captured by the Red Army during Operation Bagration (also known as "Parade of the Vanquished" or "Operation Big Waltz"), which was held on the streets of Moscow on Monday, 17 July 1944. Approximately 57,000 German soldiers and officers from Heeresgruppe Mitte (most of whom were captured by Soviet troops from the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Belorussian Fronts) were ordered to march through the Sadovoye Koltso (Garden Ring) and other main streets of the Soviet capital. This photo shows the parade starting point at Begovaya railway station. From left to right: 1.3.Generalmajor Joachim Engel (Kommandeur 45. Infanterie-Division), 2.Generalmajor Günther Klammt (Kommandeur 260. Infanterie-Division), 3.Generalmajor Gustav Gihr (Kommandeur 707. Infanterie-Division), 4.Generalmajor Herbert Michaelis (Kommandeur 95. Infanterie-Division), 5.Generalmajor Gottfried von Erdmannsdorff (Kommandant Festung Mogilev), and 6.Generalmajor Aurel Schmidt (Höherer Pionierführer 10 / 9.Armee).



From left to right: Generalleutnant Rudolf Bamler (Kommandeur 12. Infanterie-Division) and Generalmajor Gottfried von Erdmannsdorff (Kommandant Festung Mogilev). This picture was taken during the parade of high ranking Wehrmacht officers captured by the Red Army during Operation Bagration (also known as "Parade of the Vanquished" or "Operation Big Waltz"), which was held on the streets of Moscow on Monday, 17 July 1944. Approximately 57,000 German soldiers and officers from Heeresgruppe Mitte (most of whom were captured by Soviet troops from the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Belorussian Fronts) were ordered to march through the Sadovoye Koltso (Garden Ring) and other main streets of the Soviet capital.


Parade of high ranking Wehrmacht officers captured by the Red Army during Operation Bagration (also known as "Parade of the Vanquished" or "Operation Big Waltz"), which was held on the streets of Moscow on Monday, 17 July 1944. Approximately 57,000 German soldiers and officers from Heeresgruppe Mitte (most of whom were captured by Soviet troops from the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Belorussian Fronts) were ordered to march through the Sadovoye Koltso (Garden Ring) and other main streets of the Soviet capital. This photo shows the parade starting point at Begovaya railway station.
First row, from left to right: Generalleutnant Vincenz Müller (Kommandierender General XII. Armeekorps), General der Infanterie Paul Völckers (Kommandierender General XXVII. Armeekorps), and General der Infanterie Friedrich Gollwitzer (Kommandierender General LIII. Armeekorps).
Second row, from left to right: Generalleutnant Rudolf Bamler (Kommandeur 12. Infanterie-Division), Generalleutnant Walter Heyne (Kommandeur 6. Infanterie-Division), Generalleutnant Alfons Hitter (Kommandeur 206. Infanterie-Division), and Generalleutnant Kurt-Jürgen Freiherr von Lützow (Kommandierender General XXXV. Armeekorps)
Third row, from left to right: Generalmajor Friedrich-Carl von Steinkeller (Kommandeur Panzergrenadier-Division "Feldherrnhalle”), Generalleutnant Edmund Hoffmeister (Kommandierender General XXXXI. Panzerkorps), Generalleutnant Hermann Böhme (Kommandeur 73. Infanterie-Division), and Generalleutnant Hans Traut (Kommandeur 78. Sturm-Division)
Fourth row, from left to right: Generalleutnant Adolf Hamann (Kommandant Festung Bobruisk), Generalmajor Adolf Trowitz (Kommandeur 57. Infanterie-Division), Generalmajor Gustav Gihr (Kommandeur 707. Infanterie-Division), and Generalmajor Gottfried von Erdmannsdorff (Kommandant Festung Mogilev)
Fifth row, from left to right: Generalmajor Joachim Engel (Kommandeur 45. Infanterie-Division), Generalmajor Günther Klammt (Kommandeur 260. Infanterie-Division), Generalmajor Herbert Michaelis (Kommandeur 95. Infanterie-Division), and Generalmajor Aurel Schmidt (Höherer Pionierführer 10 / 9.Armee)
Sixth row consist of four Oberst / Oberstleutnant: Oberst Theodor "Theo" Preu (Führer 197. Infanterie-Division) and Oberst im Generalstab Hans Schmidt (Chef des Generalstabes LIII. Armeekorps), Lippmann and Eckert.

Parade of high ranking Wehrmacht officers captured by the Red Army during Operation Bagration (also known as "Parade of the Vanquished" or "Operation Big Waltz"), which was held on the streets of Moscow on Monday, 17 July 1944. Approximately 57,000 German soldiers and officers from Heeresgruppe Mitte (most of whom were captured by Soviet troops from the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Belorussian Fronts) were ordered to march through the Sadovoye Koltso (Garden Ring) and other main streets of the Soviet capital. This photo shows the parade starting point at Begovaya railway station. From left to right: 1.Generalmajor Joachim Engel (Kommandeur 45. Infanterie-Division), 2.Generalleutnant Adolf Hamann (Kommandant Festung Bobruisk), 3.Generalleutnant Hans Traut (Kommandeur 78. Sturm-Division), 4.Generalleutnant Rudolf Bamler (Kommandeur 12. Infanterie-Division), 5.Generalmajor Gustav Gihr (Kommandeur 707. Infanterie-Division), 6.Generalleutnant Walter Heyne (Kommandeur 6. Infanterie-Division), 6a.Generalleutnant Hermann Böhme (Kommandeur 73. Infanterie-Division), 7.Generalmajor Gottfried von Erdmannsdorff (Kommandant Festung Mogilev), 8.Generalleutnant Vincenz Müller (Kommandierender General XII. Armeekorps), 9.Generalleutnant Kurt-Jürgen Freiherr von Lützow (Kommandierender General XXXV. Armeekorps), 10.General der Infanterie Paul Völckers (Kommandierender General XXVII. Armeekorps), and 11.General der Infanterie Friedrich Gollwitzer (Kommandierender General LIII. Armeekorps).

Parade of high ranking Wehrmacht officers captured by the Red Army during Operation Bagration (also known as "Parade of the Vanquished" or "Operation Big Waltz"), which was held on the streets of Moscow on Monday, 17 July 1944. Approximately 57,000 German soldiers and officers from Heeresgruppe Mitte (most of whom were captured by Soviet troops from the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Belorussian Fronts) were ordered to march through the Sadovoye Koltso (Garden Ring) and other main streets of the Soviet capital. This photo shows the parade starting point at Begovaya railway station. From left to right: 1.Generalleutnant Adolf Hamann (Kommandant Festung Bobruisk), 2.Generalleutnant Hans Traut (Kommandeur 78. Sturm-Division), 3.Generalleutnant Rudolf Bamler (Kommandeur 12. Infanterie-Division), 4.Generalleutnant Edmund Hoffmeister (Kommandierender General XXXXI. Panzerkorps), 5.Generalmajor Gustav Gihr (Kommandeur 707. Infanterie-Division), 6.Generalleutnant Walter Heyne (Kommandeur 6. Infanterie-Division), 7.Generalleutnant Hermann Böhme (Kommandeur 73. Infanterie-Division), 8.Generalmajor Gottfried von Erdmannsdorff (Kommandant Festung Mogilev), 9.Generalleutnant Alfons Hitter (Kommandeur 206. Infanterie-Division), 10.Generalleutnant Vincenz Müller (Kommandierender General XII. Armeekorps), 11.Generalleutnant Kurt-Jürgen Freiherr von Lützow (Kommandierender General XXXV. Armeekorps), 12.General der Infanterie Paul Völckers (Kommandierender General XXVII. Armeekorps), and 13.General der Infanterie Friedrich Gollwitzer (Kommandierender General LIII. Armeekorps).

Parade of high ranking Wehrmacht officers captured by the Red Army during Operation Bagration (also known as "Parade of the Vanquished" or "Operation Big Waltz"), which was held on the streets of Moscow on Monday, 17 July 1944. Approximately 57,000 German soldiers and officers from Heeresgruppe Mitte (most of whom were captured by Soviet troops from the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Belorussian Fronts) were ordered to march through the Sadovoye Koltso (Garden Ring) and other main streets of the Soviet capital. This photo shows the parade passing Begovaya Alley. The Nazis are led from the Hippodrome to Leningradsky Prospekt to the “promenade”. From left to right: 1.Generalmajor Joachim Engel (Kommandeur 45. Infanterie-Division), 2.Generalleutnant Adolf Hamann (Kommandant Festung Bobruisk), 3.Generalmajor Günther Klammt (Kommandeur 260. Infanterie-Division), 4.Generalmajor Adolf Trowitz (Kommandeur 57. Infanterie-Division), 5.Generalleutnant Rudolf Bamler (Kommandeur 12. Infanterie-Division), 6. Generalmajor Aurel Schmidt (Höherer Pionierführer 10 / 9.Armee), 7.Generalleutnant Walter Heyne (Kommandeur 6. Infanterie-Division), 8.Generalleutnant Hermann Böhme (Kommandeur 73. Infanterie-Division), 9.Generalleutnant Alfons Hitter (Kommandeur 206. Infanterie-Division), 10.Generalleutnant Vincenz Müller (Kommandierender General XII. Armeekorps), 11.Generalleutnant Kurt-Jürgen Freiherr von Lützow (Kommandierender General XXXV. Armeekorps), 12.General der Infanterie Paul Völckers (Kommandierender General XXVII. Armeekorps), and 13.General der Infanterie Friedrich Gollwitzer (Kommandierender General LIII. Armeekorps).

Parade of high ranking Wehrmacht officers captured by the Red Army during Operation Bagration (also known as "Parade of the Vanquished" or "Operation Big Waltz"), which was held on the streets of Moscow on Monday, 17 July 1944. Approximately 57,000 German soldiers and officers from Heeresgruppe Mitte (most of whom were captured by Soviet troops from the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Belorussian Fronts) were ordered to march through the Sadovoye Koltso (Garden Ring) and other main streets of the Soviet capital.
First row, from left to right: Generalleutnant Vincenz Müller (Kommandierender General XII. Armeekorps), General der Infanterie Paul Völckers (Kommandierender General XXVII. Armeekorps), and General der Infanterie Friedrich Gollwitzer (Kommandierender General LIII. Armeekorps).
Second row, from left to right: Generalleutnant Rudolf Bamler (Kommandeur 12. Infanterie-Division), Generalleutnant Walter Heyne (Kommandeur 6. Infanterie-Division), Generalleutnant Alfons Hitter (Kommandeur 206. Infanterie-Division), and Generalleutnant Kurt-Jürgen Freiherr von Lützow (Kommandierender General XXXV. Armeekorps)
Third row, from left to right: Generalmajor Friedrich-Carl von Steinkeller (Kommandeur Panzergrenadier-Division "Feldherrnhalle”), Generalleutnant Edmund Hoffmeister (Kommandierender General XXXXI. Panzerkorps), Generalleutnant Hermann Böhme (Kommandeur 73. Infanterie-Division), and Generalleutnant Hans Traut (Kommandeur 78. Sturm-Division)
Fourth row, from left to right: Generalleutnant Adolf Hamann (Kommandant Festung Bobruisk), Generalmajor Adolf Trowitz (Kommandeur 57. Infanterie-Division), Generalmajor Gustav Gihr (Kommandeur 707. Infanterie-Division), and Generalmajor Gottfried von Erdmannsdorff (Kommandant Festung Mogilev)
Fifth row, from left to right: Generalmajor Joachim Engel (Kommandeur 45. Infanterie-Division), Generalmajor Günther Klammt (Kommandeur 260. Infanterie-Division), Generalmajor Herbert Michaelis (Kommandeur 95. Infanterie-Division), and Generalmajor Aurel Schmidt (Höherer Pionierführer 10 / 9.Armee)
Sixth row consist of four Oberst / Oberstleutnant: Oberst Theodor "Theo" Preu (Führer 197. Infanterie-Division) and Oberst im Generalstab Hans Schmidt (Chef des Generalstabes LIII. Armeekorps), Lippmann and Eckert.

Parade of high ranking Wehrmacht officers captured by the Red Army during Operation Bagration (also known as "Parade of the Vanquished" or "Operation Big Waltz"), which was held on the streets of Moscow on Monday, 17 July 1944. Approximately 57,000 German soldiers and officers from Heeresgruppe Mitte (most of whom were captured by Soviet troops from the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Belorussian Fronts) were ordered to march through the Sadovoye Koltso (Garden Ring) and other main streets of the Soviet capital. From left to right: 1.Generalmajor Joachim Engel (Kommandeur 45. Infanterie-Division), 2.Generalleutnant Adolf Hamann (Kommandant Festung Bobruisk), 3.Generalmajor Friedrich-Carl von Steinkeller (Kommandeur Panzergrenadier-Division "Feldherrnhalle”), 4.Generalmajor Aurel Schmidt (Höherer Pionierführer 10 / 9.Armee), 5.Generalmajor Adolf Trowitz (Kommandeur 57. Infanterie-Division), 6.Generalleutnant Rudolf Bamler (Kommandeur 12. Infanterie-Division), 7.Generalleutnant Edmund Hoffmeister (Kommandierender General XXXXI. Panzerkorps), 8.Generalmajor Gustav Gihr (Kommandeur 707. Infanterie-Division), 9.Generalleutnant Hermann Böhme (Kommandeur 73. Infanterie-Division), 10.Generalleutnant Walter Heyne (Kommandeur 6. Infanterie-Division), 11.Generalleutnant Hans Traut (Kommandeur 78. Sturm-Division), 12.Generalleutnant Alfons Hitter (Kommandeur 206. Infanterie-Division), and 13.Generalleutnant Kurt-Jürgen Freiherr von Lützow (Kommandierender General XXXV. Armeekorps).



General der Infanterie Paul Völckers (Kommandierender General XXVII.Armeekorps).

General der Infanterie Friedrich Gollwitzer (Kommandierender General LIII. Armeekorps).

Generalleutnant Vincenz Müller (Kommandierender General XII. Armeekorps).

Generalleutnant Adolf Hamann (Kommandant Festung Bobruisk).

Generalmajor Gottfried von Erdmannsdorff (Kommandant Festung Mogilev).



Generalmajor Joachim Engel (Kommandeur 45. Infanterie-Division).



Generalmajor Günther Klammt (Kommandeur 260. Infanterie-Division).



Generalmajor Aurel Schmidt (Höherer Pionierführer 10).

20 German generals of Heeresgruppe Mitte captured during Operation Bagration (June-August 1944).

Source :
https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-moscow-victory-parade-july-1944-german-officers-who-formed-part-of-79482437.html
https://albumwar2.com/german-generals-are-preparing-for-the-parade-in-moscow/
http://alifrafikkhan.blogspot.com/2017/11/foto-operasi-bagration.html
https://www.blavatnikarchive.org/item/8538?page=1
https://en.topwar.ru/120403-parad-pobezhdennyh.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parade_of_the_Vanquished
https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=56615&hilit=j%C3%BCrgen+von+l%C3%BCtzow
https://live.warthunder.com/feed/images/
https://pastvu.com/p/157193?hl=comments
https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/german-prisoners-parade-moscow-1944/
https://www.reenactor.ru/index.php?showtopic=96334
https://tsar-ivan.livejournal.com/17322.html

Surrender of LIII. Armeekorps

This footage documents the mass surrender of the German LIII. Armeekorps - commanded by Generalleutnant Fritz Bayerlein - to the 7th Armored Division near Menden, Germany on April 16, 1945. Over 20,000 Germans from at least four division surrendered at once. This footage shows elements of the divisions listed in the excerpt below, including the famous 116. Panzer-Division "Windhund".

From the 7th Armored Division AAR for April 16, 1945: The size of this mass surrender can be better appreciated by looking at the total figures of prisoners taken. For the period 152400 to 162400, the Seventh processed 20,303 German prisoners of war. Known units that surrendered intact to the division are: 116. Panzer-Division, 180. Infanterie-Division, 190. Infanterie-Division, and remnants of the 9. Panzer-Division. A number of other Flak, Pionier, Artillerie, TD, replacement training, and service formations located in the Corps area turned themselves in. There were four General officers, all with field commands:
1. Generalleutnant Fritz Bayerlein (Kommandierender General LIII. Armeekorps,
2. Generalleutnant Ernst Hammer (Kommandeur 190. Infanterie-Division),
3. Generalmajor Bernhard Klosterkemper (Kommandeur 180. Infanterie-Division),
4. Generalmajor Siegfried von Waldenburg (Kommandeur 116. Panzer-Division).

In addition, the Commander of the remains of the 9. Panzer-Division, Oberst Helmut Zollenkopf, was included in the take, also Oberstleutnant i.G. Heinz Günther Guderian (Ia 116. Panzer-Division). A brief recapitulation of prisoners of war taken by the division to date follows:

- Prisoners taken prior to crossing of Rhine river: 9,085
- Taken between Rhine river and Eder See Dam: 13,071
- Taken from the Ruhr Pocket: 34,476
- Military personnel in overrun hospitals (not evacuated): 1,313
- Grand total to date (16 April 1945): 60,945

In the above clip, the following Ritterkreuzträger are shown:
1. Siegfried von Waldenburg (00:01 - 01:07 - 01:50)
2. Heinz Günther Guderian (00:42 - 01:25)
3. Bernhard Klosterkemper (01:40)
4. Ernst Hammer (01:50 - 02:57)
5. Fritz Bayerlein (02:04 - 02:56)

Source :
NARA Archive, 111-ADC-3341
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRTFYsbUf7o

Luftwaffe Generals After Captured (Color Video)

Original color World War II footage about high ranking Germans in captivity, including: Generalleutnant Adolf Galland (00:05), General der Flieger Hans-Georg von Seidel and Generalingenieur Dipl.-Ing. Rudolf Spies (02:53), General der Flieger Karl-Heinrich Bodenschatz (04:30), Generalfeldmarschall Albert Kesselring (06:10), and Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring (07:00).

Source :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmaH77bGS4I

Herbert Ihlefeld Freed from Captivity

Luftwaffe fighter ace Hauptmann Herbert Ihlefeld was liberated from serbian captivity in Blace, Yugoslavia, 14 April 1941. The photo came from the album of 5. Panzer-Division during Balkanfeldzug. Hauptmann Ihlefeld was Gruppenkommandeur I.Gruppe (Jagd) / Lehrgeschwader 2 (LG 2) at the time of the Balkan Campaign. His group was equipped with Messerschmitt Bf 109E fighters. In the first day of the invasion, 6 April 1941, Ihlefeld was brought down by Yugoslavian Anti-Aircraft guns. The pilot landed near Nis, and got slight head injuries. In the words of Ihlefeld himself: "In early 1941 we found ourselves operating in the Balkans and here, during a deep penetration mission on 6 April, I was shot down by flak, badly wounded and placed in a Yugoslav prisoner of war camp, from which I was freed, eight days later, by advancing German troops. I then travelled to the Eastern Front to rejoin my unit after six weeks rehabilitation."

Source :
Jim Haley photo collection
https://www.asisbiz.com/il2/Bf-109E/LG2-Stab.html
http://www.elknet.pl/acestory/belgra/belgra.htm
https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=31421
https://www.militarysignaturearchive.co.uk/pilot/herbert-ihlefeld/