Seventeenth Army infantry in combat in the Rostov, USSR region; July 1942.
The German Seventeenth Army (German: 17. Armee) was a World War II field army.
It was part of Army Group South when Nazi Germany launched Operation Barbarossa and invaded the Soviet Union.  Participated in the Battle of Kiev and was ordered to the offensive, with the objective of capturing Rostov-on-Don, the gateway to the Caucasus oil fields, and Kharkov a major center of heavy industry for the Soviet Union. 


Battle for Rostov

A German forward observer, equipped with an MG-34 light machine gun, overviewing the  Don river bend; August, 1942.  

Keeping watch of river bend

A Deutsche Afrika Korps (DAK) trooper balanced precariously on two M24 Stielhandgranates (Hand Grenades) somewhere in the North African Desert ca.1942/3

 The grenades wouldn't have detonated without the end cap removal and the internal cord being pulled but still a peculiar choice of seating.
(Colourised by Royston Leonard)
taken from fb/WW2 Colorised Photos