Fun fact, the French volunteer S.S. Division "Charlemagne" were some of the last defenders of the government district and fought to the death. 4 men out of several thousand survived the war.
I believe the soviets actually set him there and took the picture as a propaganda piece.
The fighting around the reichstag was not a place that German Troops would "take a break". It was the the last stop before ending the war in Stalins perspective. So the place would have been crawling with the Red Army. It was a "look we won!" glamour shot for Stalin to hang on the wall.
I believe this is a staged picture by the Russians. At this point in the siege of Berlin the defenders were largely foreigners whose home country had been liberated. The 33rd Waffen SS is a good example. They were mostly French and saw action right up until May 8, 1945.
![image showing German soldier takes a break from the combat during the Battle of Berlin as the Reichstag burns behind him, April 1945[1024x1500]](7da26e3d-5b40-5f41-a523-8a5db59d30c1.jpg)
Texan_Tussler2 on May 29th, 2017 at 13:57 UTC »
Fun fact, the French volunteer S.S. Division "Charlemagne" were some of the last defenders of the government district and fought to the death. 4 men out of several thousand survived the war.
Edit: 30 men, not 4.
DalyUnger on May 29th, 2017 at 14:21 UTC »
I believe the soviets actually set him there and took the picture as a propaganda piece.
The fighting around the reichstag was not a place that German Troops would "take a break". It was the the last stop before ending the war in Stalins perspective. So the place would have been crawling with the Red Army. It was a "look we won!" glamour shot for Stalin to hang on the wall.
Edit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_berlin#Battle_for_the_Reichstag
Edit 2: https://www.reddit.com/r/HistoryPorn/comments/20efvy/a_defeated_german_soldier_sits_in_front_of_a/
Banaschar420 on May 29th, 2017 at 15:14 UTC »
I believe this is a staged picture by the Russians. At this point in the siege of Berlin the defenders were largely foreigners whose home country had been liberated. The 33rd Waffen SS is a good example. They were mostly French and saw action right up until May 8, 1945.