German Forces

PzKpfw IV

Oberst a.D. Helmut Ritgen

PzKpfw IV Ausf.D tanks of 65th Panzer Battalion (in effect, 3rd Bn., 11 th Pz.Regt.) photographed in East Prussia in May 1941 shortly before the invasion of Russia. The division had only three companies of these heavy support tanks at the time of the invasion of the USSR, the great bulk of the three tank battalions being made up of Skoda-huilt PzKpfw35(t) tanks, with a few light PzKpfw lis and some PzBefw .IIl command tanks. The colour photographs on these pages are a small selection from a remarkable- perhaps literally unique - collection taken in 194o-44 by Colonel Ritgen during his front-line service. The camera was a Leica III (Summitar f 1.2 lens). Col.Ritgen's wife, at that time a nurse at the Paderborn military hospital, was a former employee of the Agfa company, and as a keen photographer herself was able to obtain through a personal contact with the firm a supply of the new and very rare Agfa 35mm colour film. The exposed films were sent back from Russia to Agfa through the Army mail service, and the processed pictures were kept in Germany by Frau Ritgen.