War Damage of Tsarskoe Selo and Peterhof

[Alexandre Mikhaelovitch]

Thank you very much dear Admin for these rectification and clear explication :-)

It's better if this photo is dated to 1917 !

Dear Antonio , we can see on my photo the onion domes of the cathedral are ruined : here you have a best and more big scan :

 "http://www.casimages.com/img.php?i=1310010627095012511601513.jpg"

And here the link to the scan of the stereoview with high resolution ( click on the photo for that :-) ) :

"http://www.casimages.com/img.php?i=1310011010415012511600462.jpg"

[Alexandre Mikhaelovitch]

At the moment in sale on ebay ( Germany ) , a painting made in 1942 , which looks like my photo of Peterhof cathedral ! ( price 2500 € !! )

The painter is Willi Paupie , probably a german soldier ( born 1898 in Tschuschitz Lkr. Mährisch-Trübau - died 1986):



The signature :



The link to ebay for a best resolution of this painting , and if you want buy it  :-) ( for me it's sadly too expensive ) :

http://www.ebay.fr/itm/Willi-Paupie-Peterhof-Peter-und-Paul-Kathedrale-Sankt-Petersburg-Piter-Rusland-/110924827780?pt=Malerei&hash=item19d3a28c84

My stereoview photography shows the choir of the Peter-and-paul Peterhof cathedral , but this 1942 painting shows the cathedral's façade with the bell-tower I believe .

[Antonio_P.Caballer]

The back of Nicholas´ train interior is dated, or so it seems to me, 27/9/41. Maybe they took pictures of everything they deemed of interest. Who knows. The only thing I can say is that the pictures don´t come from a private collection, they were in some sort of archive at some point. I cannot read German, but they´re all stamped at the back "Militarisch und politisch unzensiert". Isn´t that akin to saying "Milira and Politically Uncensored" ??

[Rodney_G.]

Ja. Da. Yes.

[Akira Takiguchi]

they´re all stamped at the back "Militarisch und politisch unzensiert". Isn´t that akin to saying "Milira and Politically Uncensored" ??

Right.  These stamps are sometimes found in photo estates.  I have not been able to find the exact rule about this, but certainly these photos did not go through censoring process and passed to soldiers.  Also found as simply stamped "Unzensiert".

I will try to find out who occupied Peterhof area during 1941-1943 (unfortunately I don't have 1944 maps) this weekend.

[Akira Takiguchi]

On the Heeresgruppe maps 250.Infanterie-Division was never around Peterhof area, but that does not mean Antonio's grandfather was never there.

Here is a nice picture of Peterhof cathedral from an album of soldier who belonged to Infanterie-Regiment 423 (212.Infanterie-Division).



Link to the original picture: http://www.history.jp/images/IR423-pic01.jpg

[Alexandre Mikhaelovitch]

Very interesting ! Thank You for this photo : we can see the onion bulbs are ruined , like on my stereoview .

Your photo shows us too the choir of the cathedral .

Which is the white building on right corner ? A church , a chapel ?

[Akira Takiguchi]

Alexandre, I'll post another photo in a few days, which may answer your question.

The russian sign says "Do not walk on the lawn" (I tried to google translate it), is it correct?

[Alexandre Mikhaelovitch]

Alexandre, I'll post another photo in a few days, which may answer your question.

I look forward to seeing that :-)

The russian sign says "Do not walk on the lawn" (I tried to google translate it), is it correct?

Yes it's correct : I think it's because there was a landmine all around the cathedral .

Another horrific photos of Peterhof  ( 1941 for the 1st , I don't know for the 2nd ) :





I think the building on the left corner here is the same on the right corner of the Akira Takiguchi's photo : it looks like a small chapel ( ?? ).

[Rodney_G.]

Amazing, horrific photos, indeed, Akira. Sad and compelling too.

[Akira Takiguchi]

Alexandre, impressive pictures!  How I wish I knew more about these Russian architectures!  I'm on the learning process here.

Here is "the other photo" on the same page from the I.R.423 album.  Can you tell what is this?



Link to the original picture: http://www.history.jp/images/IR423-pic02.jpg

[Alexandre Mikhaelovitch]

Beautiful church !! But I don't know where is it .. :-(

Probably an orthodox eighteenth century church , maybe a parish church of the town of Peterhof or inner suburbs.

We can see impacts of mortar shell on this church :

[Akira Takiguchi]

Thanks again Alexandre.

Here goes one from the same album, really badly damaged Peterhof palace.



Link to the original picture: http://www.history.jp/images/IR423-pic03.jpg

[Alexandre Mikhaelovitch]

To complete the previous photo , another with two german soldiers looking the same soviet tank . I was not sure but now I know : these two photos date back to 1941 .



Dear Akira Takiguchi , Thanks for this sad photo of the Peterhof Great Palace .. :-(

Anothers photos of Peterhof Palace to complete yours :

Winter 1941 :



Spring or summer 1943 ( with german and spanish officers and soldiers ? ) :



Year 1944 , exteriors of the palace :

( Spring , summer or autumn )





( Winter , I think It's russian soldiers on the foreground , insn't it ? )



In the foreground we can see barbed wire , because there are probably landmines :



Here the baltic canal in 1944 , with the Samson statue plinth ...without Samson :-( :



Year 1944 , interiors of the palace :





These 2 last photos show us the throne room , the stucco decor is the same :

[Akira Takiguchi]

Hello Alexandre, great (and sad) set of images;  how I wish I could see the palaces in its original form!

I have checked my large group of color slides that stems from a Leutnant in 212.Infanterie-Division to find a Peterhof cathedral image.  I hope you enjoy this.



Link to the original picture: http://www.history.jp/images/EugenKastner-f14.jpg