Brandenburger: Wartime Photographs of Wilhelm Walther

In March 1940, Oberleutnant Wilhelm Walther transferred from Aufklärungs—Abteilung 5, an armored reconnaissance unit, to Bau—Lehr—Bataillon z.b.V. 800 – forerunner of what would soon be known as the ‘Brandenburger’. Two months later, he led a commando action in the Netherlands and became the first of his unit to be awarded the Ritterkreuz (Knight’s Cross). By May 1944, Walther was an Oberstleutnant and an experienced regimental commander in what had evolved as the Division ‘Brandenburg’. He...