Hi, I am Sig (junge1),
I was born in Dominikus- Krankenhaus in Berlin-Hermsdorf, Bezirk Reinickendorf in December 1939. Bezirk Reinickendorf was one of 20 Bezirke that made up Gross-Berlin before World War II and one of 12 Bezirke that made up former West-Berlin, the other 8 Bezirke were Russian occupied and became East-Berlin after the war. Moved from Berlin to Neurohlau (Nova Role) Sudetenland (now Czech Republic), in August 1943 (our entire block of apartment buildings was bombed out in November 1943) and returned back to Berlin in November 1945. Saw my dad the first time in my life in August/September 1946 after he returned from POW camp. Attended elementary school in Berlin-Waidmannslust, high school in Berlin-Hermsdorf, and trade school in Berlin-Kreuzberg. Was an apprentice for the trade of Klischeeaetzer (photo engraver) at Burrath & Schmidt on Friedrichstrasse between U-Bahnhof Kochstrasse (near to what later became Checkpoint Charlie) and Hallisches Tor.
While watching Allied planes supplying West-Berlin by air during the Berliner Luftbruecke in 1948-49 I developed my love for aircraft. I guess I could be considered a 'Berliner Grosschnauze", or at least I used to be.
'Wanderlust' led me to leave Berlin in summer 1960 to emigrate to Toronto, Canada and in February 1962 to move from Canada to New York City, NY, USA. In January 1963 I joined the United States Air Force, one step ahead of Uncle Sam drafting me. Became a United States citizen within 7 weeks after it became a security issue because of my military career. One day after I was sworn in as a citizen in Seattle, my entire unit left for Southeast Asia in June 1966. After nearly 5 years of active duty (extended 11 months to make it an 18 months overseas deployment) I got discharged and moved to New York City. In 1973 I moved to Phoenix, Arizona and two years later joined the Arizona Air National Guard.
Received my higher education at Arizona State University and the University of Georgia and worked for 22 years for the Arizona Department of Water Resources in various capacities. Upon military retirement in 1999 and State retirement in 2005 I looked at a number of things to keep me occupied. Traveling and joining 'renderosity' in September 2007 were a couple of them,
Sig..
Comments (29)
blinkings
That motorbike would be handy in traffic!
whaleman
Awesome bike and great shot!
jayfar
Great shot.
lyron
Splendid image!!
Faemike55
I want both, and I agree that the motorcycle would be cool in traffic - no one to dispute your right to the road
renecyberdoc
yeah the Kübel and the Krad.
mairekas
Great image!
kgb224
Superb capture my friend. God Bless.
flaviok
Esplendida captura meu amigo, aplausos (5)
UVDan
Gotta love this photo. Such well cared for vehicles.
virginiese
the motorcycle with sidecar definitly reminds me of Indiana Jones and the last Crusade :-) Great capture !
UteBigSmile
Super dieser Schnappschuss!
bebert
very nice shot
MagikUnicorn
OMG The old army bike, question do the german use Harley-Davidson ?
bobrgallegos
Great capture of these awesome historic vehicles!!
farmerC
Splendid shot.
casmindo
What a great shot of history
Maxidyne
Two of my wartime favourites in one shot, thanks Sig :)
Crudelitas
A really interesting photo series. Yes, this Kuebelwagen can be seen on German roads very often. The bike is a real eye-catcher! Very nice photos!
Isabelle711
Wow how cool. :))) That would be an experience to ride in a sidecar. :))))) Most excellent capture of history my friend. :)))) Thank you for sharing all of the history you see. :))))) Carry A Smile In Your Heart :))))))
auntietk
Such a classic! Wonderful picture.
debbielove
Fantastic! Just fantastic! lol And looking in zoom, an amazing looking show that you can just .......walk up to! Brilliant! Is that a Bren Gun Carrier in the background..? And a bi-plane of some kind..? lol Super .. Rob
flavia49
fantastic capture
drifterlee
Cool motorcycle. I think I have a Daz model like that.
tigertim
Nice.. particularly the BMW and side car.. a classic.. interesting to see it has the MG34 fitted.
trishabadblood
very cool shot.. interesting to see...Awesome bike...
bmac62
Great eye Sig...always glad to see military collectors and their wares.
dochtersions
Ein super Schuss, und in der Tat dachte ich sofort an den 2e Wlt-Krieg. Ich sah diese Fahrzeuge in Filmen über diese gemacht. (Im deutschen Fernsehen sah ich mehrere davon). Great shot, Sig.
danapommet
It looks brand new - excellent!