Baseball in Allied-Occupied Germany, 1945

Plauen, Germany. April 23,1945.

Allied forces marched forward into Germany in the spring of 1945, and the crippled Third Reich was only two weeks from surrendering when this photo was taken of off-duty servicemen playing ball in the occupied city.

Here, Staff Sergeant Joseph Gallano hustles to first base while Lieutenant Ballard waits for the throw.