Interesting photo

J.LeBrasseur

J.LeBrasseur

Administrator
Staff member
Just picked up another photo album, pretty standard Prussian album, but had this interesting picture in it, looks like a mixture of troops from Russia and Germany??

Second pic is the back, anyone care to translate?

James

mixpic.jpg


mixpicback001.jpg
 
James,

These are less common but known. There are the fraternization pictures, surrender pictures, and Russian soldier workers with German guards. Sometimes you don't know which one is which.

ps1240 by joerookery, on Flickr
 
The picture was taken during the peace negotiations with Russia, evidently a fraternization right at the front. The writer mentions the barbed wire entanglement at the street Wilna (Vilnius)-Smorgon (Smarhon) as location. Very interesting indeed!

September 3rd, 1917
"Beginn der Verhandlungen mit Russland über Waffenstillstand.
Russen am Drahtverhau an der Heeresstraße Wilna-Smorgon."
 
Interesting photos gents; thanks for sharing!

Joe, is this a stick with a white flag the short German fellow standing in the back row next to the German NCO with the big moustache (towards the left of the photo) I'm seeing? But then why would they keep it for the shoot? :-k This same (short) fellow has one large State cockade on his Field Cap (that seems to have a camo. band)... A reserve cross on it maybe?

Another couple of interesting details: The moustache NCO as well as the German Officer leaning on a cane towards the middle of the first row also seem to have camouflage bands on their visor caps, don't they? That officer's cap is tilted leftwards... something I would've fixed before 'immortalizing the moment'!

All I could say about the Russians is that we have one eye-injury and another who probably had too much vodka to stand still... :)
 
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