In this rare photo from May 1945, Luftwaffe pilot Kurt Tanzer stands beside his aircraft — a Focke-Wulf Fw 190 — at an airfield near Flensburg, Germany, just days before surrendering to British forces.
Tanzer was a seasoned fighter pilot who flew over 600 missions during the war, primarily on the Eastern Front. He was credited with dozens of aerial victories and became one of the most experienced pilots in his unit.
But this image doesn’t show him in battle. Instead, it captures a quiet, haunting moment at the end of everything. The aircraft behind him, once a symbol of strength and purpose, now sits idle as Germany’s military infrastructure collapses.
Flensburg had become the final holdout of the wartime government after the fall of Berlin, and for pilots like Tanzer, surrender was no longer a question — it was inevitable.
By bringing this photo to life, we step into a moment of stillness — a man facing history, no longer flying above it, but grounded in its aftermath.
19 Comments
His morale was already broken long ago.
Через час на задание, а там Покрьішкин…
Ecosi. Cke. Bisonia. Pensare. Quando. O. So. Cke. O. Una. Missione. Da. Compiere. Non. So. Se. Farò. Ritorno.
Un héroe irremplazable ❤
Estoes con ai
On ne va pas pleurer… Dommage pour eux…
Vous vous êtes trompé s ées…
Kaput 😅
Technique de vole et de combat..il réfléchissait face un Spitfire comment affronter cet avion..il devait avoir la trouille 😊
they lost the war because of to many enemies foght together agains them
Na video Adolf Galand,odin iz velichajsheh assov vseh vremjon i narodov!
Pokrishkinu i ostalnim krasnopuzijim vmeste vzjatim ,do nego daleko!
For you the war is over.
Fake!
Two wheels on the right gear, one wheel on the left, try to find more clever AI to make animation with an old picture!
Ich habe die Piloten der Luftwaffe immer bewundert, die bis zum letzten Tag des Krieges kämpften, um ihr Heimatland und die Zivilbevölkerung zu verteidigen und der Welt zu zeigen, dass man einen Krieg verlieren kann, ohne seine Ehre zu verlieren.
Ho sempre ammirato i piloti della Luftwaffe che hanno combattuto sino all'ultimo giorno di guerra per difendere la propria patria, la popolazione civile e mostrare al mondo che si può perdere una guerra senza perdere l'onore.
That is NOT a real airplane !
Just look at the belly tank and the different landing gear legs .
Focke Wulf 190D
Not Kurt Tank who was not a Luftwaffe pilot.
Mordercyy z luftwaffe bombardowali w Polsce bezbronne miasta – z miasta Wielun uczynili sobie w pierwszym dniu wojny poligon lotniczy , zaatakowali muasto gdy mieszkancy jeszcze spali ! Bombardowali kolumny cywilnych uciekinierow z owych miast , robili sobie polowania na pojedynczych zolnierzy – niech szczezna ci mordercy !!!
Excelente recreación. Todos sus videos son muy interesantes, muchísimas gracias