RARE PHOTO A7V AND CREW

[Phil Steele]

Hi guys,

Here is what I would think to be a rare photograph (I'm sure its original) of an A7v and crew taken somewhere on the Western front or in Germany itself. The black lines are not on the photograph. I would love to know which of the 20 A7v's this is but cannot see any identifing marks. Perhaps someone with more knowledge on this vehicle may be able to help. I acquired this photo about 6 months ago and although it has deteriorated over time, it is one of my favourite items in my collection. Hope you like it.

Phil

[Guest Rick Research]

That IS an EXCEPTIONALLY great crew portrait and given talented folks with the right equipment might be readily restorable to its full glory (without the black lines).

I've never seen a Bild- und- Film-Amt official press release photo like this stamped "for your own use" but they must have handed around copies to the "models" in such cases--

I wonder if it WAS ever published during the war?

[Phil Steele]

Hi Rick

Afraid I know nothing about and believe it or not I picked it up on ebay but did pay a pretty penny for it. I figured it was worth it due to the subject matter. I cant help but wonder what that number is on the left hand side 10066....

Phil

[Phil Steele]

Oh yeah I meant to add that when I purchased this picture I did spend a lot of time researching said pictures of the A7v and whilst I came across about 30 to 35 not to mention duplicates I never actually saw this picture. However, I dont imagine for a minute that I hold the only copy left although here is Aussie we do have the only original A7v left in the world which surprises me considering what we have had and what we have scrapped for the metal in the past.

[sambolini]

Hi,

I'm quite certain this photo has been published. I'm certain I've seen it in publications dealing with the A7V's.

Regards,

Sam

Edited September 5, 2009 by sambolini

[Phil Steele]

You wouldnt know which publications would you. As I said I am not foolish enough to think that this is the only copy of the picture but from what I have seen during my search this is not one of the more common ones.

[sambolini]

You wouldnt know which publications would you. As I said I am not foolish enough to think that this is the only copy of the picture but from what I have seen during my search this is not one of the more common ones.

Hi,

I'm sorry, but I can't remember exactly which one. I had several books on AFV's, but I sold them recently. Perhaps it was a different photo, but the same crew? Several of the individuals stand out in my memory is why I think I've seen it before.

Regards,

Sam

[Phil Steele]

What a shame as I would love to know which vehicle this one was. I too have looked at other pics of the A7v and tried to pick out the same crew members but no luck yet. :banger:

[Guest Rick Research]

"10066" is the Bild- und- Filmstelle's negative number.

Amazingly enough, there are copies of original World War prints still filed by these numbers still around and available for official reprints. I ordered prints that the Bavarian War Archive happened to have, back in the late 1970s. This is from the funeral of Bavarian Reserve Jäger Bn 1 Oberjäger Alois Hitzler in Tiflis on 8 July 1918 and now/then © the Bavarian Main State Archive Positive Photo Collection--

I was able to tell them what the occasion was, and who the officers behind are (a later Luftwaffe General and the German Ambassador in Moscow, 1941) from my research on Georgia. All they had were the images filed away by negative number.

That was all pre-computers, of course.

Now... some German archive probably has all of these online, by the image number. But whether any description of time and place identifying them remains is another question. There were only the images themselves in the Bavarian holdings 30 years ago.

I suspect since the Bild- und- Filmstelle's camera crews had their images processed centrally for selection and censorship, they are chronological AS PROCESSED. Don't know when the example I show above was processed, but I know the date it was TAKEN on. Another I could place and date in Georgia was "10452" taken on 10 June. 16 photos in a month sounds like an easy photographer's job, but I imagine these were ONLY the photos approved and saved, while all the rejects were tossed. So your image must have been taken about ? May 1918. :beer:

[joerookery]

RICK,

I HAVE THE SAME IMAGE WITH THIS ON THE BACK. I am not yelling, but this voice software just capitalized everything.

[Thomas W]

According to Steven J. Zaloga, German Panzers 1914-1918: Osprey New Vanguard 127 (Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2006), p. 37, that's Tank No. 504 "Schnuck." The photo was taken in the summer of 1918, when Abteilung 2 was conducting a demonstration. The officer on the left is Lt. Albert Müller.

Tank 504 was fired on by German artillery at Frémicourt on August 31, 1918. Although the shells did not penetrate, the crew abandoned her and she was captured intact by the British and eventually scrapped.

[Guest Rick Research]

:Cat-Scratch: That's just weird! What would a Dutch person have been doing with an uncredited print?

But that just goes to show that there may be other prints of the tank crew shot Out There somewhere. Maybe in Bolivia or Norway. :cheers:

[Thomas W]

Hi Rick

Afraid I know nothing about and believe it or not I picked it up on ebay but did pay a pretty penny for it. I figured it was worth it due to the subject matter. I cant help but wonder what that number is on the left hand side 10066....

Phil

Indeed. You and I went head to head on it. The best man won!

[Phil Steele]

Thomas and Rick,

Thank you so much for all your help. Now I know not only the tank in question but the name of the officer..:jumping:

Thomas my apologies but I was not going to let this one go and for the first time in my life I had a bit of spare cash up my sleeve.

Cheers to all

Phil

[Thomas W]

Thomas my apologies but I was not going to let this one go and for the first time in my life I had a bit of spare cash up my sleeve.

Cheers to all

Phil

All's fair in love, war, and online auctions. No hard feelings.