Two terek cossacks, anti-bolshevist volunteers of the Wehrmacht on guard in front of their caucasian home.

Terek cossacks

This photo shows a soldier of a Kuban-cossack unit of the Wehrmacht. Many of these anti-bolshevistic men volunteered for the fight against the Red Army. The Kuban-cossacks surrendered on May 13th 1945 to the british army in Austria. In June 1945 they were handed over to Red Army. Most of the cossacks had been executed or sentenced to life long forced labor. Their commander, the german General Lieutenant General von Pannwitz was hung on January 16th 1945 by the Soviets. The soldier on the picture is wearing the traditional cossack coat, the Tscherkesska.

Kuban cossack

&quot;Why always me old donkey?&quot; - Statement of Generalfeldmarschall (Field Marshall) Gerd von Rundstedt (1875-1953), several times discharged by Hitler, as many times called back. Eisenhower and Montgomery regarded him as the most dangerous and most capable German field marshall, not Rommel. When in 1944 he was asked by Generalfeldmarschall Keitel how to improve the critical situation of German forces in general, von Rundstedt answered (in front of Hitler and the whole Supreme Command of the Wehrmacht): &quot;End the war, you idiots!&quot;