Historic July 1945 photograph by William Vandivert showing Soviet troops removing a bronze Nazi eagle at the Reich Chancellery in Berlin, featuring a rare captured Wilton-Fijenoord armored car in the background.
Soviet Soldiers Remove Nazi Bronze Eagle at the Reich Chancellery in Berlin (July 1945)
This iconic photograph, captured in July 1945 by renowned Life magazine photographer William Vandivert, depicts Soviet military personnel dismantling and loading a massive bronze Nazi eagle from the Reich Chancellery in Berlin for transport to the Central Armed Forces Museum in Moscow.
Beyond the central historic action, the background of the image reveals a fascinating and rare artifact of wartime logistics: an exotic armored vehicle swept into the final defense of the German capital.
The Rare Wilton-Fijenoord Armored Car
Parked in the background of the ruined courtyard is a unique vehicle with a remarkable pre-war history:
- Dutch Colonial Origins: In 1933, the Dutch firm Wilton-Fijenoord manufactured a small batch of three armored cars intended for service in the Dutch East Indies.
- Chassis & Powerplant: The vehicle was built on a Krupp L2H43 truck chassis powered by a 4-cylinder horizontally opposed 60 hp engine, featuring heavily sloped armor plates and a three-man crew operating three machine guns.
- Exotic Anti-Riot Feature: Built for colonial policing, the vehicle was famously equipped with an electrical grid system designed to deliver high-voltage shocks to the hull to deter unauthorized boarding.
- Final Fate in Berlin: After two units were sold to Brazil, the remaining prototype stayed in Europe, fell into German hands in 1940, and ultimately met its end during the Battle of Berlin in April 1945.
The Armament Quirk of the Berlin Defense
The presence of such unconventional machinery in the heart of Berlin highlights the desperate improvisations of the late war period. As Axis forces scraped together every available asset, rare foreign conversions, captured equipment, and makeshift gear frequently operated side-by-side with advanced experimental weaponry during the final street battles.
📍 Location: Reich Chancellery Courtyard, Berlin, Germany
📅 Date: July 1945
📷 Photographer: William Vandivert (Life Magazine)
📰 Primary Source: WWII Berlin Photographic Archives
Recommended reading:
- The Fall of Berlin (1945): Soviet capture of the Reich Chancellery and government district
- William Vandivert's Post-War Berlin: Documenting the ruins of the Third Reich in July 1945
- Wilton-Fijenoord Armored Cars: Colonial engineering and the Krupp L2H43 chassis conversion
- Captured Equipment in the Battle of Berlin: How foreign and obsolete vehicles ended up in German service