Accession Number2015/2.105
TitleDowned German Plane, Breslau
Artist(s)Dmitri BaltermantsArtist NationalityRussian (culture or style)Object Creation Date1945, printed 2003Medium & Supportgelatin silver print on paperDimensions 16 in x 20 in (40.64 cm x 50.8 cm)
Credit LineGift of Thomas Wilson '79 and Jill Garling '80Subject matterIn this photograph, two Soviet soldiers in the lower-right corner look on the tattered carcass of a destroyed German plane which leans against the façade of a bombed-out building. The entire city street, which forms the backdrop for this scene, is a shambles. Save for these two evidently gleeful soldiers, a visible smile crosses the face of the leftmost figure who points toward the plane. The city of Breslau appears deserted. This image forms part of Baltermants’ larger project—as an official photographer to the Kremlin—which, spread across numerous portfolios, aimed to document scenes from the Soviet Union’s fight against Nazi Germany during World War II (1939-1945), known in the USSR as the Great Patriotic War.
Physical DescriptionStreet scene with two soldiers who look at the remains of a destroyed plane that leans against a bombed-out building façade.
Primary Object ClassificationPhotographCollection AreaPhotographyRightsIf you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit
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Keywords
airplanes
bombers
journalistic photography
military aircraft
ruins
soldiers
war photography