RyanN81
Der Altar
American soldier from the 2nd Infantry Division standing in the crypt of the 'Völkerschlachtdenkmal' (Battle of the Nations) monument. (Leipzig, Germany, April 1945).
After intense fighting between the German and American forces during the battle for Leipzig, the monument was used as a 'last stand' by the remaining German Army, SS, Volkssturm and Hitler Youth commanded by Oberst Hans von Poncet, the Kommandant of Leipzig. The German defenders refused to surrender and despite being surrounded they continued firing at the Americans from the monument. However after long negotiations the German forces eventually agreed to surrender and the Americans captured Leipzig on the 19th of April 1945.
The 'Battle of Nations' monument was opened in 1913 and dedicated to the battle of 1813 when a unified force of over 350,000 soldiers from Prussia, Austria, Russia and Sweden defeated Napoleon's army of 195,000. The monument took 15 years to complete and cost 6 million marks (36 million Euros) that was paid for by special lotteries and donations.
Original Image Source: (unknown)
Crop, repair, upscale, colorize: RyanN81
Additional Monument Information Source: External link
von Poncet Information Source: External link
Monument in 1942: External link
Monument in 1930s: External link
[The World War 2 colorized photos are apolitical, and are simply for historical interest and research purposes only. Any comments relating to politics, racism or other inappropriate/offensive subjects will be removed].
Der Altar
American soldier from the 2nd Infantry Division standing in the crypt of the 'Völkerschlachtdenkmal' (Battle of the Nations) monument. (Leipzig, Germany, April 1945).
After intense fighting between the German and American forces during the battle for Leipzig, the monument was used as a 'last stand' by the remaining German Army, SS, Volkssturm and Hitler Youth commanded by Oberst Hans von Poncet, the Kommandant of Leipzig. The German defenders refused to surrender and despite being surrounded they continued firing at the Americans from the monument. However after long negotiations the German forces eventually agreed to surrender and the Americans captured Leipzig on the 19th of April 1945.
The 'Battle of Nations' monument was opened in 1913 and dedicated to the battle of 1813 when a unified force of over 350,000 soldiers from Prussia, Austria, Russia and Sweden defeated Napoleon's army of 195,000. The monument took 15 years to complete and cost 6 million marks (36 million Euros) that was paid for by special lotteries and donations.
Original Image Source: (unknown)
Crop, repair, upscale, colorize: RyanN81
Additional Monument Information Source: External link
von Poncet Information Source: External link
Monument in 1942: External link
Monument in 1930s: External link
[The World War 2 colorized photos are apolitical, and are simply for historical interest and research purposes only. Any comments relating to politics, racism or other inappropriate/offensive subjects will be removed].