[Sharon]

Originally Posted by johnleeknoefler ↗

No problem. I just disliked seeing an SS officer being called Japanese. Surprised the hell out of me. The only thing I had trouble with is the cut of the SS jacket I posted vs the cut of the officer in question. There were different manufacturers of jackets and sometimes officers would either buy a jacket or have one made that looked close. The one I posted is standard issue. I am thinking that the one on the officer in question is an earlier style of cut. Never-the-less the collar insignia and the sleeve chevrons are absolutely SS. Which division and which area of the war...I just don't know and it would take hours to find sort through sources to find out.

I curse the inaccuracies of the internet at times and I didn't recognise their uniforms.

As for the division and area of war, it would be great to know the whole facts, year, etc but the time spent trying to find out isn't really worth giving yourself a headache over.

I really appreciate what you've ID'd

[johnleeknoefler]

Originally Posted by Sharon. ↗

I curse the inaccuracies of the internet at times and I didn't recognise their uniforms.

As for the division and area of war, it would be great to know the whole facts, year, etc but the time spent trying to find out isn't really worth giving yourself a headache over.

I really appreciate what you've ID'd

I did do some more reading and that uniform is very much like that worn by younger officers working at concentration camps that existed only to kill new arrivals. The officer in question might very likely be a woman but the uniform also conforms to a certain man I am looking up.

[Arkoquisa]

If Slovenia then wouldn't it be the Utashi.

[Sharon]

Originally Posted by Arkoquisa ↗

If Slovenia then wouldn't it be the Utashi.

They certainly had a go!! Pointing too.

This is the Utashi posing with a head during the Second WW - apparently.

[tecumseh35]

Originally Posted by Sharon. ↗

Thanks for pointing that out, you're right! I've made adjustments.

I think you were originally right. These are all Germans, not Japanese. The guys swinging the ax are both clearly white. The Japanese beheaded people with samauri swords. Beheading with an ax is a European thing.

[johnleeknoefler]

Wiki has a great article on the Waffen SS. The photo in question, I believe to be of the Mountain Division of the Waffen SS.
Here is the Wiki information:

The Waffen-SS (German pronunciation: [ˈvafən.ɛs.ɛs], Armed SS) was created as the armed wing of the Nazi Party's Schutzstaffel ("Protective Squadron"), and gradually developed into a multi-ethnic and multi-national military force of Nazi Germany.

The Waffen-SS grew from three regiments to over 38 divisions during World War II, and served alongside the Heer (regular army) but was never formally part of it.[4] Adolf Hitler resisted integrating the Waffen-SS into the army, as it was to remain the armed wing of the Party and to become an elite police force once the war was won.[5] Prior to the war it was under the control of the SS Führungshauptamt (SS operational command office) beneath Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler. Upon mobilization its tactical control was given to the High Command of the Armed Forces (Oberkommando der Wehrmacht).[6]

Initially membership was open to "Aryans" only in accordance with the racial policies of the Nazi state, but the rules were partially relaxed in 1940, although Jews and Poles remained banned; and Hitler authorized the formation of units composed largely or solely of foreign volunteers and conscripts. By the end of the war, non-Germans made up approximately 60 percent of the Waffen-SS.

For more detailed information here is the WikiLink so you can check out all the details of the Mountain Division.

In another related WikiLink:

The 24th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS (Karstjäger) was the temporary designation of a military unit of Nazi Germany during World War II. The unit was previously known as the Karstwehr Battalion. In August 1944 it was upgraded to divisional size, but this new strength was never more than theoretical and the division was later reduced to the Waffen Gebirgs Brigade der SS.[1] Whatever its designation, the unit was primarily involved in fighting partisans in the Kras (German:Karst) region of the Alps on the frontiers of Slovenia, Italy, and Austria; the mountainous terrain requiring specialized mountain troops and equipment. Founded in 1942, the unit consisted mainly of ethnic German volunteers from Italy and also volunteers from Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and the Ukraine. Although primarily focused on anti-partisan activities, it also saw action in the wake of the Italian surrender when it moved to disarm Italian troops in Tarvisio and protect ethnic German communities in Italy. In addition, at the end of the war it successfully fought to keep passes into Austria open, allowing German units to escape the Balkans and subsequently surrender to British forces. The remains of the unit finally surrendered to the British 6th Armoured Division on 9 May 1945, one of the last German formations to lay down its arms.

So after chasing down all related links and finding at least one more photo from a different camera and different angle of what seems to be the same scene I am fairly certain this is a Waffen SS division carrying out a reprisal against partisan resistance.

[johnleeknoefler]

Originally Posted by tecumseh35 ↗

I think you were originally right. These are all Germans, not Japanese. The guys swinging the ax are both clearly white. The Japanese beheaded people with samauri swords. Beheading with an ax is a European thing.

From all information I could look up these guys were ethnic German volunteers from Italy who joined the 24th Mountain division. I posted all wiki info and contributed one additional photo from a different angle. Also contributed another Waffen SS officer photo of one Oskar Groning who later became a key witness to the cruelties of the death camp where he was sent to count and record the currency of confiscated from prisoners.

[johnleeknoefler]

In addition to the lack of complete uniforms for all volunteers I deeply regret the omission of better cameras to the Waffen SS 24th. It would of helped in identification those participated in the ax beheadings. I see more officers in the background but they are badly out of focus and blurred.

[johnleeknoefler]

Contribution to the thread by johnleeknoefler:

Gebirgsjagers of the 24th SS “Karstjager ” beheading a Slovenian partisan.jpg

aus-oskargroning2[1].jpg

[johnleeknoefler]

Originally Posted by Sharon. ↗

Thanks to johnleeknoefler for his much appreciated help in the identification of the image details.



Found this same image again when I typed in Waffen SS and this interesting info:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waffen-SS

Thanks for the great thread and even more thanks for your recognition of my efforts.
I have read more on these monster wanna be nazi waffen ss troops. They were more brutal than even the Nazi German SS. They wanted to be like the Germans SS so they went out of thier way to brutalize prisoners and made sporting competitions to kill prisoners. I wish I had saved the link and contributed some of what I read. I will later look again and see if I can find it. Seems they were Croations also.