Two soldiers on opposing sides whose pictures show they were really just the same

Lost photographs from the Somme together for the first time as son of German trooper meets grandson of english Tommy and they find the two lads had much in common.They were sworn enemies – two soldiers entrenced on opposite sides of the Western Front. William ­Smallcombe, 24, and Walter Kleinfeldt, just 17, were at times only two miles apart. Each carried a small camera - permitted by the German army but banned by the British - to document the horrors of the First World War . And the pictures, which have emerged for the first time, show eerie ­similarities on both sides of the trenches. Initially, the two young men took shots of smiling comrades. Then in 1916 the Battle of the Somme , the bloodiest in British history, took place. William buried his best friend and photographed his makeshift grave, while Walter took pictures of the dead. As Walter’s son Volkmar Kleinfeldt explains: “The images became more stark, more sombre. He must have been deeply affected by what he experienced. After all, he was only a boy.” This week a TV documentary sees Volkmar meet William’s grandson Michael Smallcombe as they compare the images of war taken almost 100 years ago.Read More HERE

With it being the 100th anniversary of the First World War I will be posting articles relating to this dreadful period of history.

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

WW2 PHOTOS HIDDEN FOR 71 YEARS

Macchi 202v

 

VINTAGE WW2 PHOTOS HIDDEN FOR 71 YEARS

GERMAN HEAVY KARL MORTAR BEING RELOADED

 

WW2 German Dornier bomber in the news

The recovery operation of the Dornier 17 bomber, the last of its type, has been prominently featured on national television. Graham Scott of Wessex Archaeology’s Coastal & Marine team tells us about Wessex Archaeology’s involvement with this world class aviation archaeology discovery: Read more HERE

WW2 PHOTOS HIDDEN FOR 71 YEARS

German "KARL" mortars. Sebastopol

VINTAGE WW2 PHOTOS HIDDEN FOR 71 YEARS

Panzerkampfwagen VI "E Tiger"

 

VINTAGE WW2 PHOTOS HIDDEN FOR 71 YEARS

GERMAN V1 ROCKET

VINTAGE WW2 PHOTOS HIDDEN FOR 71 YEARS

German 280mm K5 firing

VINTAGE WW2 PHOTOS HIDDEN FOR 71 YEARS

German "KARL" mortars. Sebastopol