Two armed Coast Guardsman interrogate a surrendering German. Greenland. 1941-45

Gift of the Scanlan Family
Description: 

Photograph. Photograph of an illustration of two armed Coast Guardsman interrogating a surrendering German in Greenland. Official caption on reverse: "100943(4). From: Public Relations Division / U.S. Coast Guard / Washington, D.C. Sketch made on the spot of a German prisoner, a Junior officer of hte German Naval forces who occupied 'a radio station in' Greenland, being questioned by a U.S. Coast Guard officer. This prisoner was taken in mopping up operations immediately following the occupation by the U.S. Coast Guard. The prisoner had been hiding from the U.S. forces in the rocky terrain of the island and had been without food or shelter for a number of days, all German stores having been seized by the Coast Guard. He is pictured smoking a cigarette given by a U.S. soldier and expressed surprise at the humane treatment given him by the Americans. Although a convicted Nazi, the prisoner expressed great fears as to the outcome of the war in respect to Germany, and it was obvious that recent Allied successes had him greatly worried. That he and the German forces with him had been routed out of the almost impregnable wilderness of Greenland was symptomatic of the Allied determination to seek out and destroy the Nazi menace wherever found. (Sketched in Greenland by Coast Guard combat artist Norman Thomas)." No date

Image Information

Accession Number: 
Date: 
1941
1945
Location: 
Hometown: 
Branch: 
Theater of Service: 
Unit: 
Campaign / Event: 
POW / KIA: 
Collection Level: 
Items from the service of John J. Scanlan Jr., who served in the United States Coast Guard. Born in Quincy, Massachusetts, Scanlan worked for a newspaper prior to joining the Coast Guard. During the war, he acquired photographs published by the Public Relations Division of the United States Coast Guard. The collection consists of photographs from most of the theaters of operations and depict life in the field and aboard a ship for Coast Guardsmen and Marines. Also included is a satirical piece of military correspondence. See collection 2012.321 for more items from the collection subject.
Geography: 
Grønland
Latitude: 
72.000
Longitude: 
-40.000
Thesaurus for Graphic Materials: 
Prisoners of war--German
Mountains--Greenland