Image size: 1600 x 998 pixel. 478 KB
Date: Between September - November 1944
Place: Northern Transylvania, Romania
Photographer: Unknown
Soldiers of the 8. SS-Kavallerie-Division "Florian Geyer" (notice all the field made caps!) are repelling the Soviets next attack from a camouflaged firing position, in Northern Transylvania, autumn of 1944. They were wearing pea dots camouflage pattern (SS-erbsenmuster), while the weapon is an Infanteriegeschütz 18 (7.5 cm le.IG 18). According to Husar military magazine, on this photo are soldiers of "Prinz Eugen". It also appears in "The Waffen-SS" (M.Windrow / J.Burn) with next caption: "The photo is unidentified, but similarity to others suggests that these men may be from 7.SS-Frw.Geb.Div.'Prinz Eugen'." 8. SS-Kavallerie-Division Florian Geyer was sent to Hungary in October 1943, where the Panzerjäger and Sturmgeschütz Battalions were combined and the Reconnaissance Battalion became a Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion. Following this reorganization the division was posted to Croatia. In April 1944, they returned to Hungary and took part in the fighting in Transylvania after the Romanian front collapsed. The Division was trapped in Budapest with the IX SS Mountain Corps when the Russians surrounded the city in December 1944. The 8th SS Cavalry Division was then involved in the fierce fighting to hold the city often engaged in hand to hand combat and fighting house to house. The Division was destroyed in the fighting for Budapest and by the end of the siege of the 30,000 men of the SS Corps only about 800 survived to reach the German lines!
Source:
http://www.ww2incolor.com/german-artillery/ihj__lkj.html
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