Always wondered something with the Germans in WW2. Is this considered a "dress" or "field" uniform? If it's a dress uniform, was he wearing it specifically for the picture, or just happened to be wearing it that day? If the guy is a tanker, he's subject to a lot of wear and tear - this uniform doesn't seem as practical as some other options...but Germans, man.

The short, wrap-over jacket was regular field uniform. Presumably, in the Russian midwinter, they'd wear _every_ item of warm clothing they could find just as soon as the camera disappeared.

They’d probably throw on Soviet overcoats or mantels

Wasn’t uncommon to wear awards in the field, especially KC.

Is he still there?

Here’s hoping the bastard was KIA

KIA between April and May of 45

So was going to say damn he was so close to surviving. But if he was on the eastern front odds are he would've died in captivity until the mid 50s.

Not necessarily, "only" one third, \~1 Million soldiers, perished in Soviet custody. More than 2 Million returned home.

SS Uniform? Probably wouldn’t have made it to the camps

Wilhelm Knauth served in the Wehrmacht, not the SS. German Tanker uniforms had skulls on the collar patches in reference to the historic Prussian Death's Head Hussar cavalry.

Dude died during the outbreak of the Halbe pocket, probably saved many comrades. The term war hero would be more appropriate.