Opanci shoes better than the mountain boots! With an ice axe in his hand and opanci on his feet, the commander of the 12th (Patrol) Company, 2nd Regiment, "Prinz Eugen" Division, SS-Untersturmführer Franz Josef Krombholz (future holder of the Knight's Cross and German Cross in Gold), explains to his troops that when climbing the smooth rock, it is better to wear the native opanci than the mountain boots. (The opanci are light and their sole is made of leather, unlike the special mountain boots, which are heavy and whose sole is reinforced with hobnails on all sides.) The photo was taken in the Mostar district, during one of the many exercises and preparations of the division for the upcoming Operation "Black".
Text: Ivan Ž.
Photographer: Eugen Nonnenmacher, SS War Correspondent Battalion.
Date: April/May 1943.
Location: unknown (district of Mostar), Yugoslavia.
Original caption: "Rock gymnastics. The company commander teaches his troops the basic concepts of climbing and ascending. For better climbing on the smooth rock, the SS mountain troopers wear native opanci on their feet. The company commander wears them too."
Sources: Hubert Kuberski (private collection); AKG-Images, AKG6304976; National Archives, 242-JRP-82-19; ibid., RG 242, T354, r. 145, 3786364; Otto Kumm, Vorwärts, Prinz Eugen! Geschichte der 7. SS-Freiwilligen-Division "Prinz Eugen", Winkelried-Verlag, Dresden, 2007, pp. 74, 290/291, 356. (Photo restoration: Ivan Ž.)
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Opanci bolji od brdskih cokula! Sa cepinom u ruci i opancima na nogama, komandir 12. (patrolne) čete 2. puka divizije "Princ Ojgen", SS-unteršturmfirer Franc Jozef Krombholc (budući nosilac Viteškog krsta i Nemačkog krsta u zlatu), objašnjava svojim vojnicima da je prilikom penjanja po glatkom kamenu bolje nositi domaće opanke nego brdske cokule. (Opanci su laki i đon im je od kože, za razliku od specijalnih brdskih cokula, koje su teške i čiji je đon sa svih strana ojačan klincima.) Snimljeno u Mostarskom srezu, za vreme jedne od mnogobrojnih vežbi i priprema divizije za nastupajuću operaciju "Crno".
Tekst: Ivan Ž.
Fotograf: Ojgen Nonenmaher, Ratnodopisnički bataljon SS-a.
Datum: april/maj 1943.
Mesto: nepoznato (srez Mostarski), Jugoslavija.
Originalni natpis: "Kamena gimnastika. Komandir čete uči svoje lovce osnovnim pojmovima iz penjanja i uspinjanja. Za bolje penjanje po glatkom kamenu, brdski lovci SS-a na nogama nose domaće opanke. I komandir čete ih nosi."
Izvori: Hubert Kuberski (lična zbirka); AKG-Images, AKG6304976; National Archives, 242-JRP-82-19; ibid., RG 242, T354, r. 145, 3786364; Otto Kumm, Vorwärts, Prinz Eugen! Geschichte der 7. SS-Freiwilligen-Division "Prinz Eugen", Winkelried-Verlag, Dresden, 2007, str. 74, 290/291, 356. (Foto-restauracija: Ivan Ž.)
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