Operation "Snowstorm". Members of the 14th Regiment, SS Division "Prinz Eugen", salute the graves of their comrades killed on Christmas, near the village of Duboštica (buried were SS-Untersturmführer Hans Hanel, adjutant of the III battalion, and privates Weber and Binder). Two years later, most of these men will also be lying under the ground by Christmas time. Those rare few, who were temporarily spared for trial, celebrated the holiday in captivity in the following way (a memoir by Wilhelm Ebeling, officer of the "Handschar" Division, a quote from the book "Forward, Prinz Eugen!" by Otto Kumm): "A good-natured NCO is on duty this evening. We asked him for permission to sing several songs and to have the lights left on a little longer. He generously granted it. Then began our Christmas. We had no candles and no pine branches. [...] We softly sang some Christmas songs. [...] There were gifts too. The elders had saved some cornbread in the past days. It was given to the younger, who now thought that it tasted like the best honey cakes. Several precious cigarettes also appeared from somewhere in the cell, and they were divided fairly. But soon the order 'Tišina!' [Quiet, in Serbian] came from outside, and the lights were turned out."
Text: Ivan Ž. / Wilhelm Ebeling.
Photographer: Hugo Kemps, SS Regiment "Kurt Eggers".
Date: December 1943.
Location: Duboštica (district of Visoko), Yugoslavia.
Original caption: unknown.
File source: National Archives, 242-JRP-40-53-27.
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Operacija "Mećava". Pripadnici 14. puka SS-divizije "Princ Ojgen" salutiraju grobovima drugova poginulih na Božić, kod sela Duboštice (sahranjeni su SS-unteršturmfirer Hans Hanel, ađutant III bataljona, i redovi Veber i Binder). Dve godine kasnije, većina ovih ljudi će za Božić takođe ležati pod zemljom. Oni retki, privremeno pošteđeni zbog suđenja, praznik su u zarobljeništvu proslavili na sledeći način (sećanje Vilhelma Ebelinga, oficira "Handžar" divizije, citat iz knjige "Napred, Princ Ojgen!" Ota Kuma): "Jedan dobrodušni podoficir je večeras na dužnosti. Zamolili smo ga za dozvolu da otpevamo nekoliko pesama i da nam ostavi svetla malo duže upaljena. Velikodušno nam je dozvolio. Zatim je otpočeo naš Božić. Nismo imali ni sveće ni jelke. [...] Tiho smo pevali božićne pesme. [...] Ima i poklona. Stariji su prethodnih dana sačuvali nešto kukuruznog hleba. Poklonjen je mlađima, za koje je sada imao ukus najlepših medenjaka. Nekoliko dragocenih cigareta se takođe pojavilo odnekud u ćeliji, i razdeljene su pošteno. Međutim, ubrzo je spolja odjeknulo 'Tišina!' [na srpskom] i svetla su pogašena."
Tekst: Ivan Ž. / Vilhelm Ebeling.
Fotograf: Hugo Kemps, SS-puk "Kurt Egers".
Datum: decembar 1943.
Mesto: Duboštica (srez Visočki), Jugoslavija.
Originalni natpis: nepoznat.
Izvor fajla: National Archives, 242-JRP-40-53-27.
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