NAZI GERMANY
FELDPOST CARDS
GEORG von SLUYTERMAN
v. LANGEWEYDE
I cannot verify 100% that these Feldpost cards were issued in 1940, however they share many of the same designs as the Red Cross postcards produced in 1940 and several of the cards in my collection were cancelled in 1942, so it seems likely that these cards were issued in 1939-1941.
MEDIAEVAL FIGHTER
The inscription reads "Helf Dir selber, dann, helft Dir auch unser Herre Gott" which translates to English as 'Help yourself, then our Lord God will help you too!'
MEDIAEVAL FIGHTER
FROM MY COLLECTION
THROWING A GRENADE
This postcard features a German soldier about to throw a stick grenade and has the inscription "Und setzet ihr nicht das Leben ein, nie wird euch das Leben gewonnen sein." - 'And if you do not commit your life, your life will never be won' - from a quote by Friedrich Schiller.
THROWING A GRENADE
FROM MY COLLECTION
WOUNDED SOLDIER
This card depicts an injured soldier carrying a sabre. The inscription reads "Ein Pfui dem Mann, der sich nicht wehren Kann not lehct, das Bebot: schlah' dot schlah' dot" translated as 'Ugh to the man who can't defend himself, the commandment: [REQUIRES MORE RESEARCH]' from a quote by Hermann Lons.
WOUNDED SOLDIER
FROM MY COLLECTION
FARMER SOWING SEED
This card features a farmer sowing his seed and bears the inscription "Frei, auf deutschem Grunde, walten laßt uns nach dem Brauch der Alten | seines Segens selbst uns freu'n: Oder unser Grab ihn sein! - 'Free, on German soil, let us rule according to the custom of the ancients | even we rejoice in his blessing: Or our grave be him!' by Heinrich von Kleist (1777-1811) German playwright, poet, and storyteller.
FARMER SOWING SEED
FROM MY COLLECTION
JOUSTING
JOUSTING
FROM MY COLLECTION
MAN ON BENCH
This feldpostcard features an old man sitting on a bench and wondering to himself "Was frag ich viel nach Geld und Gut, wenn ich zu frieden bin! Gibt Gott mit nur gesundes blut, so hab ich frohen Sinn, und sing aus Dank barem Gemüt mein morgen-und mein Abendlied" - 'What do I ask about money and property when I am at peace! If God gives me only healthy blood, then I have a good mood and, out of gratitude, my morning and evening songs'.This is the first verse from a folk song by Johann Martin Miller and Christian Gottlob Neefe (1776). There are anther 5 verses to the song which can be found here
The example from my collection below was cancelled in Apr 1942.
MAN ON BENCH
FROM MY COLLECTION
PLANTING A TREE
The inscription on this card "Mit jedem Spatenstich, den ihr tut, baut ihr an dem habentisch unserer kinder und enkelkinder" advises that "With every groundbreaking that you do, you are setting the table for our children and grandchildren". By planting a tree, you are providing for the future as trees grow slowly, and only your children and grandchildren will be able to witness it fully grown. In the same way the good things you today are for the benefit of future generations, not necessarily for yourself.This short piece of prose was penned by Walter Flex, a German poet and writer (1887-1917).
PLANTING A TREE
FROM MY COLLECTION
THE CROSSROAD
This card depicts a traveller at a crossroads and bears the inscription "Und wenn Du an dem Kreuzweg stehst, und weißt nicht mehr, wo aus wo ein | halte still, frag dein Gewissen erst! | es kann deutsch, Gottlob, Drum folg ihm fein!" - 'And when you stand at the crossroads | and don't remember where from where one | hold still, ask your conscience first! | it speaks German, thank God, so follow it carefully!' From a poem by R.Hebel.This particular example from my collection, was cancelled on 2nd Nov 1943.
THE CROSSROAD
FROM MY COLLECTION
THE MINER
Featuring a miner, this postcard is inscribed "In das ew´ge Dunkel nieder steigt der Knappe, | der Gebieter einer unterird´schen Welt" - 'Down in the eternal darkness the squire, | is the master an underground world'. These are the first two lines of a long poem by Theodor Körner, German writer and freedom fighter (1791-1813). The full poem can be found here.
THE MINER
FROM MY COLLECTION
THE BRICKLAYER
Featuring a bricklayer building a wall this postcard carries the message "Was wir selbst tun können, das dürfen wir Gott nicht überlassen." - 'What we can do ourselves, we cannot leave that to God.' by Gorch Fock (Johann Wilhelm Kinau), (1880-1916) a German writer .
THE BRICKLAYER
FROM MY COLLECTION