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Original period photographic album belonging to a soldier of the 2. Batterie, Beobachtungs-Abteilung 24 (2nd Battery, Artillery Observation Battalion No. 24), a specialised unit of the German Army (Heer) during the Second World War.
The Beobachtungs-Abteilung 24, established in 1935 and stationed at Chemnitz, was initially associated with the German 24th Infantry Division. Its second battery specialised in artillery sound ranging (Schallmess-Batterie), a technique used to locate enemy artillery positions by analysing the sound of gunfire, thereby supporting German counter-battery operations.
The opening pages of the album contain printed portraits of prominent political and military leaders of the Third Reich, including Adolf Hitler, Werner von Blomberg, Erich Raeder, Werner von Fritsch and Hermann Göring. These images provide a political and military introduction to the photographic collection.
The album includes 83 photographs of the 1940 Battle of France, depicting German military operations and various French locations, including Paris under German occupation.
The photographs document military vehicles, artillery pieces, fortifications and bunkers, together with various aspects of the German military presence in France. Particularly noteworthy are the images of military equipment and defensive installations, illustrating some of the locations encountered by German troops during the campaign.
The album provides an interesting photographic record of the 1940 Battle of France and the German occupation of Paris, associated with a soldier serving in a specialised artillery observation and sound-ranging unit of the German Army.
Identification: Original Second World War photographic album belonging to a soldier of the 2. Batterie, Beobachtungs-Abteilung 24, a German Army artillery sound-ranging unit. Contains 83 photographs of the 1940 Battle of France, including occupied Paris, military vehicles, artillery, bunkers and fortifications, together with printed portraits of political and military leaders of the Third Reich.
