daveT
Senior Airman
We plan on using this WW2 Europe street scene in a museum.
Need to know where, when and any
info about it.
looks like France with American GIs
Need to know where, when and any
looks like France with American GIs
Picture ID help needed WW2 Europe street scene (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter daveT
- Start date
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Judging by the style of the buildings, and particularly the wording above the shop window at left, it looks more like Germany.
vikingBerserker
Lieutenant General
based on the writing, I would go with Germany as well
pinehilljoe
Staff Sergeant
I edited my post:
The language on the sign is German or Dutch. If you zoom in the middle, it looks like a gas pump to me, with the letters S H E L L , anyone know if Royal Dutch Shell sold gasoline in Nazi Germany? If not, it maybe a town in Holland.
Wittig is a German surname, not Dutch. The distinguished German surname Wittig comes from the former southwestern duchy of Swabia, around Bavaria.
Wittig Name Meaning, Family History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
My vote would be a town somewhere in Bavaria, the GIs from the 3rd or 7th Army
The language on the sign is German or Dutch. If you zoom in the middle, it looks like a gas pump to me, with the letters S H E L L , anyone know if Royal Dutch Shell sold gasoline in Nazi Germany? If not, it maybe a town in Holland.
Wittig is a German surname, not Dutch. The distinguished German surname Wittig comes from the former southwestern duchy of Swabia, around Bavaria.
Wittig Name Meaning, Family History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
My vote would be a town somewhere in Bavaria, the GIs from the 3rd or 7th Army
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- Thread starter
- #7
daveT
Senior Airman
I found another very similar WW2 street scene. This one is most likely Germany. BUT still no ID on the picture in the 1st post.
fubar57
General
Many shop signs in occupied Europe were written in German. This is Paris...
MANY MANY COPIES OF THIS ON THE WEB VIA GOOGLE REVERSE IMAGE SEARCH, MOSTLY FOREIGN LANGUAGE, UNABLE TO FIND THE ORIGINAL OWNER
MANY MANY COPIES OF THIS ON THE WEB VIA GOOGLE REVERSE IMAGE SEARCH, MOSTLY FOREIGN LANGUAGE, UNABLE TO FIND THE ORIGINAL OWNER
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GrauGeist
Generalfeldmarschall zur Luftschiff Abteilung
In regards to the Shell fuel pump observation, Shell Oil was a Dutch company and when Germany occupied Holland, Shell fell under German authority.
However, the bulk of Shell's oil came from the West Indies, which had been taken over by the Japanese and any oil production was diverted to the Japanese war effort.
Plus, virtually all fuel within the German occupied areas was dedicated to the war effort, so there's a very good chance that the fuel pump seen in the photo had been sitting idle for quite some time.
However, the bulk of Shell's oil came from the West Indies, which had been taken over by the Japanese and any oil production was diverted to the Japanese war effort.
Plus, virtually all fuel within the German occupied areas was dedicated to the war effort, so there's a very good chance that the fuel pump seen in the photo had been sitting idle for quite some time.
It's not that type of shop/store compared to the Soldatenkaffee in Paris. The complete sign probably was "Warenhandlung Otto Wittig Nachf." Warenhandlung is the German word for a general store. Often in combination with a bakery called Backerei und Warenhandlung or it could be Gemischtwarenhandlung = variety store. I think this cannot be one of the occupied territories, because of the last word Nachf.= Nachfolger (successor). The meaning of the abbreviation AFAIK is that the new owner has taken at some point over the business or bought the store of Otto Wittig, the former owner. This usually shows a longer period of use by the original owner before the successor started. I think this is a place in Germany.
The house on the right side with the clock has some interesting frieze with patterns. One of them is an anchor. This is probably some administrative or office building and anchors very often are symbols of some shipbuilding industry or maritime transport in the area.
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A quite old thread with the ID request .... but better later then never.
According to the Real War Photos site the pic was taken with the 89th Infantry Division in Blankenhain, Germany , 4.12.1945. A couple of shots more with the link below.
The pic posted by daveT has been retouched in order to remove the dead soldier.
the pic source: WW II 89th Inf Div
I love this way of solving mysteries: time might fly but history remains as it was in the past. No matter how some "forces" will try to change or even erase it. One day (sooner or later as we say) many things come to the places they belong to. I vividly remember how I searched for that company name Otto Wittig Nachf. a few years ago, just to find the correct city.A quite old thread with the ID request .... but better later then never.
According to the Real War Photos site the pic was taken with the 89th Infantry Division in Blankenheim, Germany , 4.12.1945. A couple of shots more with the link below.
The pic posted by daveT has been retouched in order to remove the dead soldier.
View attachment 881013
the pic source: WW II 89th Inf Div
Wojtek kudos to you!
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Again many thanks to Yves for his thorough investigation. The name of the town in the source site is incorrect. There is not only a typo in a couple of the pics captions but also the incorrect name of the town. It should be Blankenhain but not Blankenheim or Blankenhelm.
Well done , Yves. !!!
The post has been edited.
Well done , Yves. !!!
The post has been edited.
Yep, I did some more digging and found out that it was impossible for the 89th Inf. Div. to be on 12. April 1945 in Blankenheim (a town in North Rhine-Westphalia) and on 11. April 1945 in Arnstadt (a town in Thuringia). But there is indeed a town called Blankenhain, just between Arnstadt and Kahla (see map below).Again many thanks to Yves for his thorough investigation. The name of the town in the source site is incorrect. There is not only a typo in a couple of the pics captions but also the incorrect name of the town. It should be Blankenhain but not Blankenheim or Blankenhelm.
Well done , Yves. !!!
The post has been edited.
And here's a quote from a booklet about the 89th Inf. Div. in WW2:
East of the Gera, a task force commanded Lt. Col.H.L. Streeter, 707th Tank Bn., was formed to raceahead and seize bridges over the Saale River at Kahla.Composed of the 1st Bn., 353rd; 89th Recon Troop;340th FA Bn.; two companies of tanks and one companyof TDs, the task force was split into two columnsafter capturing Bad Berka April 12. One of thecolumns overran Grosslohma and Schirnewitz, reachingthe Saale in a single day.
The southern column smashed heavy opposition in Blankenhain, then swerved southeast toward Kesslarwhere it smacked into enemy tanks and infantry. Thisdelay gave the Germans enough time to blow the Saalebridges, but as soon as Kahla was cleared, engineersthrew across a treadway bridge.
Source: Lone Sentry: Rolling Ahead!: The Story of the 89th Infantry Division -- WWII G.I. Stories Booklet
I'm trying to find more about the building with the clock - the one with the interesting frieze (as mentioned years ago).
Wojtek, thank you for your help as well!
Cheers guys!
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Today must be one of my lucky days! There is an old postcard showing this beautiful building from the other side (which we don't see in the war photos). It is called ""Zum güldenen Zopf" (modern spelling: Zum goldenen Zopf ) = "At the Golden Braid" and it's marked as a "FDGB Erholungsheim" = FDGB recreational home. FDGB (Freier Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund) was an organization from the GDR/DDR times between 1946-1990. I believe this was a hotel under the original historical name before and during WW2.
Source: https://www.geneanet.org/cartes-postales/view/7707923
There is no clock but a street lamp (Laterne in German) at the corner of the building. Check the pharmacy on the other side - it's visible in one of the 89th Inf. Div. photos, which Wojtek found recently:
And some modern photos of the same building:
Source: Zum güldenen Zopf vom Spa & GolfResort Weimarer Land, Blankenhain - Speisekarte, Preise und Bewertungen
And here's the satellite view of that corner:
All buildings from the historical photos are still there. Amazing!
Mistery solved - case closed!
Cheers!
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And additionally, please make a focus on the small signpost seen on the other side of the street located on a wall of a house, low above the ground. It shows the way to the Mellingen town that is abot 17 km north-west of Blankenhain. So there is no doubt where the requested pic was taken.
- Thread starter
- #18
daveT
Senior Airman
WOW!!
Thank You All!
Thank You All!
