Waffen SS Heer MP40's Whats Going On??

[jimd211545s]

Suggestions as to the context of this photo or which units could be involved,

The Waffen SS soldier second from the right is wearing a Palmenmuster smock and the others seem to be heavily armed with MP 40's,

Who and Why???

Cheers Jim

[Marc Rikmenspoel]

It looks to me like it is all Heer guys, and the guy with camo is wearing Heer-pattern. None have a billed cap, so this is probably the summer of 1942, and the birch trees suggest northern Russia. The MP-40s might be used by a raiding party, so my best guess is that the men are either planning a raid, or celebrating a successful one. No one appears injured, so the former is more likely.

[jimd211545s]

its not to clear on the scan but it is a palm tree camo smock and not wehrmacht camo, lot of MP's for one squad?

[Marc Rikmenspoel]

Guys would carry MP40s for assault troop actions and patrols, even if they normally carried a Kar98. They were much more manageable in those situations, which is why I suggested above that they might be associated with this sort of activity. As to the camo, if it is Waffen-SS, then the guy probably acquired it from a nearby Waffen-SS unit.

I've seen a number of photos over the years with Heer men wearing uniforms made from SS material. The most famous user was eventual Diamonds winner Generalmajor Adalbert "Panzer" Schultz. Horst Riebenstahl of Panzer Reg. 1 acquired some Waffen-SS camouflage material in Hungary, and had a custom jacket made for himself, including a zipper, which was unusual for 1945.