Wehrmacht soldaten in gebombardeerde stad Possibly 1940 - 1945

This small black and white photograph shows Wehrmacht soldiers in a bombed city. It was made by an anonymous artist. I always wonder about the person who took a picture like this. The desolation of the scene, the ruined buildings, it's all so matter-of-fact. It's a snapshot of a moment in time, but it speaks to something much larger, something awful. What was the photographer thinking as they framed this shot? Were they trying to document the destruction, or were they simply capturing a scene that had become commonplace? I imagine the photographer standing there, the smell of smoke and rubble in the air, the sounds of war echoing in the distance. It's a powerful and unsettling image, and I'm grateful to the anonymous artist who captured it.