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James H


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Bizarre Pic Requires Explanation
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I have been lent a copy of Mr. Messenger's recent book on Amiens, and this picture appears on the cover. I only glanced at it at first, but on closer inspection it turns out to be very odd indeed.

I should say that it is a posed shot overlaid on a genuine one of a Tank. It is clearly meant to depict an Allied soldier taking a number of Germans prisoner, but what an extraordinary thing it is. What exactly are those helmets and uniforms? They are certainly not WWI German. It seems to be in genuine colour, which suggests it's post-war and possibly from a film. The publishers attribute it to a photo stock company called Corbis www.Corbis.com  but I haven't been able to find a description of this pic in their files (which are massive).


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Centurion


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Obvious innit?

The Germans were having a group photo taken when this British soldier with a luger sneaked up behind them - I don't think.. I think there has been some crude cutting ans pasting as one German appears to be missing the front of his helmet and his face.

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aka Robert Robinson Always mistrust captions
James H


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On closer inspection still, the Allied bloke isn't standing on anything but appears to be levitating. The helmets remind me of, if anything, WWII German paratrooper helmets. The man on the far left has some crude retouching round the neck area. What on earth is this?

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J Fullerton


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Those german helmets could almost be the late war visorless models that were intended for the Ottomans, but weren't delivered in time and saw Freikorps use.  Almost, but not quite...

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elbavaro


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Hi James!

Indeed it is odd. I agree: it must be overlaid (and more than 2). Especially the Allied soldier .... I have seen this before, but I can't remember. It remembers me on Buster Keaton. My feeling is: it is from a silent movie at the end of the war or just right after the war.

The Germans wear anything but no German uniform. Look at the water bottles! The helmets: sometimes like the visorless models (not for Ottoman army!), sometimes like WW2 Parachuter helmets and sometimes like nothing. Maybe also from a cheap movie?

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James H


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It seems we are faced with the embarrassing prospect of these "German" troops being . . . . WWII Chinese.

http://www.swallow.com.tw/military/chinese.htm

http://www.ww2f.com/living-history/25709-photos-chinese-wwii-reenactors-2.html

Still can't work out how the pic came about, but it would appear to be some sort of propaganda shot.

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haschenmann


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Might I suggest that the figures in the foreground are only models? looks to me like a museum diorama and I'm guessing the 'Germans' have spent their ammunition, been taken by surprise, lost the urge to fight or all the above.

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