What Is Wrong With This Picture?

[Subdeacon Joe]

I was perusing Castle Argghhh!!! and found this photo posted as his current Whatziss offering. The owner of the blog, a gentleman of the cannon cocker persuasion I believe, supplied this text with it:

 

Below is a pic of infantrymen from an anti-tank company who have un-assed their truck because some inconsiderate German machinegunners shot it up while they were swanning about enjoying the sights of wartime Holland in 1944. They are trying to find said Germans so as to properly express their annoyance at how the german army was treating Allied tourists then swarming over Holland at the very first instance of the "Nijmegen Marches."

 

I just find the pic fascinating, and the careful eye will see why. The pic should embiggen upon being caressed by your mouse cursor and a concomitant push on the appropriate button.

 

Because of the way I posted, I don't believe it will, as he puts it, embiggen, but you can use Ctrl+ to embiggen it.

 

You can find his blog HERE if you wish to see the original, and some of the guesses as to what is wrong.

[Bad Hand]

It would appear they are armed with a KAR-98 mauser, '03 Springfield, M-1 Garand, and a M-1 carbine. Interesting mix.

[Old Scatterbrain]

No idea what I'm supposed to see, but they kinda went overboard on the helmet camo didn't they?

[Subdeacon Joe]

My very first thought was "Gee, those uniforms are all neat and clean, not torn and stained and faded."

 

I think the real answer is the obvious, US troops with Mausers.

[DocWard]

For once, the first thing I noticed was correct! GIs with German weaponry.

[Bucky Buscadero, SASS #73085]

Looks like 2nd and 4th (from the left) soldiers are both carrying Mausers.

[Chickasaw Bill SASS #70001]

Guys

 

I bellive UB will chime in here , with the fact , use whatever you have AMMO for .

 

It also makes sence to use "thair " stuff , as ours has a differant sound .

 

CB

[Jack Houston # 35508]

Maybe they lost their guns in the truck and picked up the Mauser's off of Dead Germans!!

[Utah Bob #35998]

I have no idea what's going on there.

[Big Jake1001]

Besides the obvious mix of weapons with the K-98 thrown in, I see the fifth and 3rd. guy down SMOKING A BUTT. A definite NO NO in combat,

It'll give away their position to the enemy with all that smoke rising above the berm of whatever that stuff is. Looks like

little crocodile heads. Just sayin'

 

Big Jake

[Big50]

Interesting photograph. I always have to wonder who took the picture and what they were trying to "Capture/convey"

[Dawg Hair, SASS #29557]

Probably (and most likely) a posed photograph of some rear echelon types with souvenirs! A lot of that went on.

[Doc Windshadow]

looks like either beets or sugar beets for the pile...

[Subdeacon Joe]

I'm not sure that any of them are smoking, that may just be something in the background.

 

And, more on the photo from the Castle Argghhh! blog:

 

It's a US Army Signal Corps photo. I believe the guy in the middle actually has a Garand, but it was the Mausers that caught my eye. When I first glanced at it, I thought the less obvious Mauser (the one on the right) might actually have been an 03A3, but it didn't look quite right, that's when I realized it was a Mauser, too.

 

Just serves as an example of how our brains apply templates to initially make sense of things - US troops, so I expected to see US weapons.

 

Not seen in the picture (because the one I scanned from is too big for the scanner I have) is the truck and 57mm A/T gun. I'll scan that and put it up for tomorrow.

[Utah Bob #35998]

Signal corps photo. I'm callin shenanigans. Looks too posed.

[Subdeacon Joe]

Signal corps photo. I'm callin shenanigans. Looks too posed.

 

As I said, their uniforms are too clean, and not torn or faded.

[Jack Houston # 35508]

I can't believe that no one has mentioned the UFO in the sky!!!

[Chickasaw Bill SASS #70001]

JH

 

WE have our tin-foil lined hats on

 

CB

[Big50]

On the blog the poster explains that the photo was in a calender. The UFO is actually the "hang up" hole for the calender page. at least that is the "official" cover story on the site. :ph34r:

[J. Mark Flint #31954 LIFE]

It look like the 4th guy's rifle is inserted up the third guy's butt

[Three Foot Johnson]

The 4th guy back has five fingers?

[Utah Bob #35998]

Joe, the original link looks like it's been hacked.

[Subdeacon Joe]

Joe, the original link looks like it's been hacked.

 

I think there were enough hits from here that it triggered some sort of safety block. Don't quite know what happened.

 

Here is a link to The Castle Argghhh! page with the photo.

 

http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2011/09/a_quasiwhatziss.html

 

And, here is the photo on my photobucket page: http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff30/subdjoe/holland_44_web.jpg

 

and the other half of the picture:

 

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff30/subdjoe/holland_44_truck.jpg

[Jack Houston # 35508]

Well Hell....why are they hidin' with Mausers when they Got a M2 on the truck????

[Subdeacon Joe]

Well Hell....why are they hidin' with Mausers when they Got a M2 on the truck????

 

In the original post I put the explanation from The Castle Argghh! blog, in part it goes:

 

who have un-assed their truck because some inconsiderate German machinegunners shot it up while they were swanning about enjoying the sights of wartime Holland in 1944.

 

So the truck is dead, they don't know if the threat is still there or where it is. And with a non-moving truck that M2 is just a tad exposed.

[Jack Houston # 35508]

OK, time to call in "AIR SUPPORT" or Artillery!!

[Duffield, SASS #23454]

Anti-tank infantry would have had an anti-tank weapon as their primary weapon, and a Model 1911 or Carbine as their secondary weapon. I can see using captured K-98s as a field expedient firepower enhancement. Also, having ridden around in APCs, I can see bailing out without all your web gear. But these guys have clean uniforms and shined boots.

My opinion: staged photo.

 

Duffield

[Subdeacon Joe]

Anti-tank infantry would have had an anti-tank weapon as their primary weapon, and a Model 1911 or Carbine as their secondary weapon. I can see using captured K-98s as a field expedient firepower enhancement. Also, having ridden around in APCs, I can see bailing out without all your web gear. But these guys have clean uniforms and shined boots.

My opinion: staged photo.

 

Duffield

 

That's my opinion too.

[Alpo]

#3 is wearing a 1911, no question. But #5 appears to be wearing a Luger holster. The toe appears pointed, and it looks to have a magazine pouch on the side.

[Jack Houston # 35508]

I heard rumors of "Staged Photos" in SW Asia. Heard tell of pictures taken of "Dead VC/NVA soldiers. As soon as pictures were taken the "Dead" got up and went back to being ARVN.

"Body Count" was expected to be high by the Brass!