Figure 1.--We are not sure what orders the Propagandakompanien der Wehrmacht (PK) photographers were given. There are many photographs that war correspondents from any country would have taken. There are also many images recording what was being done to the Jews--except the actual killing in the death camps. Here a PK photographer has photgraphed the Festnahme (arrest), actually roundup of Jews in Budapest, Hungary for transport to Auschwitz (October 1944). This is being done by the Wehrmacht not the SS. Notice the smiling people in the background smiling and without their hands raised. They are Hungarians and perhps ethnic Germans who are clearly supportive and enjoying of the Aktion against Jews. Some images show the civilins beating the Jews. Source: Budesarchiv. Bild 1011 680 8285A-26 Photographer: Faupel

The Propagandakompanien der Wehrmacht (Armed Forces Propaganda Company - PK) was the Wehrmacht's corps of war correspondents and photographers. The Chief of the Supreme Command of the Wehrmacht (OKW) Wilhelm Keitel and Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels signed an "agreement on the implementation of propaganda during the war" (early-1938). The Propaganda Ministry (RMVP) wanted a regular supply of suitable material to use for war propaganda. Goebbels wanted to influence both the German people as well as enemy countries. The PK units were organized and ordered to use their camers 'as a weapon'. The agrement betweem the Propaganda Ministry (RMVP) and OKW preserved Goebbels control over propaganda even during war time apparently following Hitler's personal orders. Many of the images clearly were taken for prpaganda purposes. Others were more like historical images to document the conduct of the War and expeiences of German soldiers. There are also images dicumenting war crimes. It is unclear just what OKW planned to do with those images showing war crimes. And we are not sure the PK photographers were actually ordered to take such images. The PK units were initially set up in the Signal Corps. There were at first five PK units, although we are not sure just what these division were. Later the PK units were made a separate service branch--Hinsicht der Amtsgruppe für Wehrmachtpropaganda (Official Group for Wehrmacht Propaganda--WPr). THe WPr was commanded by Major General Hasso von Wedel (1898-1961). He reportedly directly to General Alfred Jodl head of Wehrmachtführungsstab (OKW Operations Staff -- WFSt.). The number of PK units were increased. Von Wedel's task was to mediate between OKW/PK units and the RMVP. von Wedel was arrested by the americans after the war and held for about a year. He was not pricecuted and was released (1946).

Propagandakompanien der Wehrmacht (Armed Forces Propaganda Company - PK)

The Propagandakompanien der Wehrmacht (Armed Forces Propaganda Company - PK) was the Wehrmacht's corps of war correspondents and photographers. The Chief of the Supreme Command of the Wehrmacht (OKW) Wilhelm Keitel and Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels signed an "agreement on the implementation of propaganda during the war" (early-1938). The Propaganda Ministry (RMVP) wanted a regular supply of suitable material to use for war propaganda. Goebbels wanted to influence both the German people as well as enemy countries. The PK units were organized and ordered to use their camers 'as a weapon'. The agrement betweem the Propaganda Ministry (RMVP) and OKW preserved Goebbels control over propaganda even during war time apparently following Hitler's personal orders. Many of the images clearly were taken for prpaganda purposes. Others were more like historical images to document the conduct of the War and expeiences of German soldiers. There are also images dicumenting war crimes. It is unclear just what OKW planned to do with those images showing war crimes. And we are not sure the PK photographers were actually ordered to take such images. The PK units were initially set up in the Signal Corps. There were at first five PK units, although we are not sure just what these division were.

Hinsicht der Amtsgruppe für Wehrmachtpropaganda (Official Group for Wehrmacht Propaganda--WPr)

Later the PK units were made a separate service branch--Hinsicht der Amtsgruppe für Wehrmachtpropaganda (Official Group for Wehrmacht Propaganda--WPr). THe WPr was commanded by Major General Hasso von Wedel (1898-1961). He reportedly directly to General Alfred Jodl head of Wehrmachtführungsstab (OKW Operations Staff -- WFSt.). The number of PK units were increased. Von Wedel's task was to mediate between OKW/PK units and the RMVP. von Wedel was arrested by the americans after the war and held for about a year. He was not pricecuted and was released (1946).

Photographers

The PK/WPr identifed who took many of its images. many of its images. We have information on some of them. The photographer here was Faupel. We know norging about him. He does not seem to have taken any combat photographs. He however, photographed the oundup and abuse of Hungarian Jews in some detail. Just what his motives were or what propaganda use these images could be we do not understand. We do note a Gen. Wilhelm Faupel (1873-45) who was served in World War I and was posted to South America as a diplomat working with right-wing military establishments in Argentina and Peru. He was also active in the post-Worl War I Freikorops. He wa posted to Spain during the Civil war. He may have been the photographer here. He reportedly committed suiside in Berlin as the Red Army rather than being captured by the Soviets. Another PK photographer was Max Ehlert. He was a real combat photographer, but also took photographs of what was being done to the Jews.

Budensarchiv

These photographs have been archived by the Budesarchiv, the German National Archive. We do not know if some images were destroyed, but there are plenty of images showing the Wehrmacht commiting terrible attrocities. There were captions to many of these images, although we are not sure. In the chaos of the last few months of the War, the WPr may bnot have destroyed many images. We are not sure where they were stored. It may not have been Berlin, as the Soviets did not seize the archive. The Bundesarchiv does not include the PK/WPr captions, some of which are offensive, at least in the internet postings we have found.

The Holocaust

We were surprised with how much of the Holocaust that the PK photographers documented with their photographs. And this occurred throughout the War. We even see it here in the final year of the War (1944). You wonder what kind of propagnda they thought they would make with those images. The Germans early in the War were condident of victory, but I find it difficult to believe that OKW would want these photographs taken even earlier than late-1944. As early as1943 they were actively trying to destroy evidence--Aktion 1005. We are not sure that the PK photographers were ordered to photographactions against Jews, but they clearly were not ordered not to photograph such actions. And they photographed actions not only against Jews, but other civilians as well. A reader writes, "They had to be under orders to photograph holocaust images. At that time the Germans were so over confident in their beliefs and never thinking that they might lose the war. The pics were for their posterity." Our reader may well be correct. That may well be the case, but we cannot yet subsantiate it. At this time we only know that the PK photographers took the imahes. What their orders were concerning Jews and what the PK/OKW and RMVP planned to do with images we do not know. We suspect that the PK photographers held opinions similar to those of the Wehrmacht in general. That means that there was a general attitude supporting the war effort and most with generally negative attitudes toward Jew, and an unknown number with very negative attitudes. This the horror with whivh we today biew these impages would nit have been present aming the men who took the images. As far as we know the actions against Jews did not appear in German war propaganbda either for domestic or foreign consumption. Some of the images which could be used to show Jews and Soviet peoples as sun human may have been used. These are all topics we need to investigate fi=ut=rther. Jodl after the War claimed he did not know, yet he was responsible for the the PK and WPr.

Sources

Von Wedel, Hasso. Die Propagandatruppen der Deutschen Wehrmacht. (Propaganda troops of the Wermacht).

Created: 6:03 AM 7/2/2015
Last updated: 6:27 PM 7/2/2015