German soldiers on the eastern front
Creator(s)
- Hans W. Lindemann (Camera Operator)
- Dave Coseo
Biographical History
Hans Wolfgang Lindemann (a German) married Ethel McGloclin (an American) in Philadelphia in 1929. He had come to the US looking for work, but had a strong German family heritage and served in the German army in WWI as a radio operator. After his father died, the couple moved to Germany (Braunschweig), toured Europe, and started a family (Oda b. 1934 and Karin b. 1936). Wolfgang joined the German reserve as he found that the least difficult way to protect himself and his family. He worked in a truck factory which was vital to the German war effort. Later, he became a Wehrmacht captain as an automotive engineer. He was discharged in November 1944 and later became a prisoner of war of the Americans in France. Wolfgang's two brothers also served in the German military in WWII. Ethel raised their two girls in a small farming town in Germany. She exchanged letters with Wolfgang as well as with her brother who was serving in the US Army. She kept a diary in English during the war period. In 1946, Ethel and the girls returned to the United States (Oda was 12 and lives in Philadelphia; Karin died in 1976 at age 40).
Scope and Content
Some damaged film. Wehrmacht soldiers in Lukow, Bobruisk, Smolensk in 1942. German men in uniform by car with W.H. on fender. Behind them, “Maison Roblot.” Officers. Men in shorts, one scrubs his shoes. Shirtless German soldier washes clothes. Others sit around a table to relax. They run laps. Military vehicles. Horses pull a covered wagon across a wooden bridge. Destroyed bridge. Men work with tools. “PATHEX”
Subjects
- WEHRMACHT (GERMAN ARMY)
- TOOLS
- BRIDGES
- SPORTS/GAMES
- GERMANS
- MILITARY VEHICLES
- AUTOMOBILES
- SOLDIERS/MILITARY (GERMAN)
Places
- Bobruisk, Belarus
- Smolensk, Soviet Union
- Lukow, Poland
Genre
- Amateur.
- Film