At a Bosnian bazaar, three German soldiers, members of the 92nd Grenadier Regiment, search for Christmas presents for their girlfriends. They are dressed in tropical uniforms, and, on their right sleeves, they are wearing the insignia of their former unit, the German-Arabian Legion (287th Special Unit); shining on their lapels are the Death's Heads, badges of armoured troops. The photograph belongs to a report which follows the three soldiers up and down the bazaar, in search of presents. One of them chose a tea set and sent it to his beloved one by train. He bought it from a Muslim, described in the report as a Turkish seller who wears his fez inside the store too (i.e. he is indecent, according to European etiquette) and praises his merchandise with many words and gestures, before allowing the customer a detailed review of the item (simplified: a dodgy character). The report ends with an image of a girl reading soldier's letter, next to an opened present. (Note: Most of the wartime Christmas photographs were actually taken several weeks before the holiday itself, so that there would be enough time for the inevitable censorship before publication.)
Text: Ivan Ž.
Photographer: Westermann, SS Regiment "Kurt Eggers".
Date: November 1943.
Location: unknown, Yugoslavia.
Original caption: "Christmas joy – from a Balkan bazaar. [...]"
File source: Narodowe Archiwum Cyfrowe, 2-531.
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Na jednom bosanskom bazaru, trojica nemačkih vojnika, pripadnika 92. grenadirskog puka, traže božićne poklone za svoje devojke. Obučeni su u tropske uniforme, a na desnim rukavima nose oznaku svoje bivše jedinice, nemačko-arapske legije (287. specijalna jedinica); na njihovim reverima sjaje se mrtvačke glave, značke oklopnih jedinica. Fotografija je deo reportaže koja prati trojicu vojnika po bazaru, u potrazi za poklonima. Jedan od njih je odabrao servis za čaj i poslao ga vozom svojoj dragoj. Kupio ga je kod jednog muslimana, u reportaži opisanog kao turskog prodavca koji nosi fes i u radnji (odnosno nepristojan je, po evropskom bontonu) i mnoštvom reči i gestikulacijom hvali svoju robu, pre nego što dozvoli kupcu da je detaljno pregleda (narodski rečeno: nešto muti). Reportaža se završava snimkom devojke koja čita vojničko pismo, pored otvorenog poklona. (Napomena: većina ratnih božićnih fotografija snimljena je zapravo više nedelja pre samog praznika, da bi ostalo dovoljno vremena za nezaobilaznu cenzuru pred objavljivanje.)
Tekst: Ivan Ž.
Fotograf: Vesterman, SS-puk "Kurt Egers".
Datum: novembar 1943.
Mesto: nepoznato, Jugoslavija.
Originalni natpis: "Božićne radosti – sa balkanskog bazara. [...]"
Izvor fajla: Narodowe Archiwum Cyfrowe, 2-531.
NIJE DOZVOLJENO: uklanjanje naziva izvora sa fajlova – korišćenje teksta bez navođenja izvornog autora – korišćenje fajlova i informacija u političko-propagandne i komercijalne svrhe.
