We are able to offer an incredible piece of history: the war diary of a railway repair unit in Narva in 1944, which comes with a photo album containing 50 truly amazing pictures. It's the war diary, in the form of a six-page combat report, of the 3./Eisenbahn-Pionier-Regiment 4, a small unit that arrived in Narva on 31 March 1944 and left at the end of June 1944.

The report mentions that the main bridge in Narva between the two castles (the “Hauptmann-Fröhner-Brücke”) was damaged by five bombs and had to be repaired to support the weight of Tiger tanks. It was opened on 6 June 1944, at 24:00 hours, by SS-Gruppenführer Fritz von Scholz, the commander of the “Nordland” division, and renamed the “Von Scholz-Brücke.”

Four bombs also hit the railway bridge in Narva. The complete destruction of the bridge was ordered, but since it was usable for soldiers on foot, the commander of the 4. SS-Frw.Pz.Gren.Brig. “Nederland”, SS-Brigadeführer Jürgen Wagner, forbade any destruction. It further mentions another bridge, 5 kilometers south of Narva, in the sector of the 11. SS-Frw.Pz.Gren.Div. “Nordland”, more precisely the 7./SS-Frw.Pz.Gren.Rgt. “Norge”. Also, the casualties of the 3./Eisenbahn-Pi.Rgt. 4 and the awards issued by the “Nederland” brigade and “Nordland” division are listed. Fascinating report.

All pictures in the album were taken in April, May, and June 1944. It is scarce to find Narva photos from this time frame when it was defended by the “Nederland” brigade and the “Nordland” division. Some of the officers of this railway repair unit got their hands on SS camouflage jackets, as can be seen in several photos. Pictures show vehicles, like Schwimmwagens or trucks, at the temporary ferry crossing. These vehicles most probably belonged to SS units on the bridgehead.

We believe the photos will speak for themselves.

A truly unique album and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.