Tense Panzergrenadiere of the Waffen-SS in winter outfits during the Battle of the Bulge, early January 1945.
Very clean soldiers.That wouldn’t last long after whatever they are expecting happens.Jabo-alarm or incoming artillery.However the look on their faces…they don’t seem too worried.It feels a bit staged or maybe they have already been through so much,they don’t scare easely anymore??But I do like the picture very much because for me ,their faces ,they could be’the guy next door’.It’s a feeling I have trouble to explain.Greetz,Brummbar
Looking at a whole number of clues, are these perhaps only characters out of an UFA wartime movie???
Everything neat and clean. Faces scrubbed. Certainly could be the Bulge at early phase/jumpoff with photographers shooting up their film before the fighting disrupts everything. They look like they are waiting for order to ‘charge’ to me, not at aircraft or some killer threat.
Far too clean and look at the chap with the white balaclava(?), I’ve never seen one of them before. The leather straps look brand new… a film perhaps?
If this is January than these men are way to clean. The battle has been going for almost a month. 16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945.