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GERMAN EMPIRE
OFFICIAL POSTCARDS

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Please note the following for this website. Official Postcards are defined as:

1. Postcards of the German Empire issued by the Official German postal Authority, from 1873 until 1945.

2. Postcards that were generally available throughout the entire country and have a pre-printed (Indicia) stamp to cover the cost of postage.

The vast majority of official postcards have no printing on the reverse side so no image of the reverse side is provided, except in the few instances where there was something printed on the reverse of the card.

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P299
(POSTCARD)

Issued: 1st Aug 1941. Permanent postcard. The sender's note is on three lines and the text is in Antigua script. There are two variations of this card, the first P299-I has straight edges and P299-II has a serrated edge.

A P299 must have the following characteristics:
(1) The value stamp depicts a 6Pf violet Adolf Hitler head pre-printed stamp. And
(2) The left-hand pane has the sender's note on three lines of text in Antigua script.

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P299
POSTCARD


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P302
(REPLYCARD)

Issued: 1st Aug 1941. Permanent postcard. The sender's note is on three lines and the text is in Antigua script.

A P302 must have the following characteristics:
(1) The value stamp depicts a 6Pf violet Adolf Hitler head pre-printed stamp. And
(2) The left-hand pane has the sender's note on three lines of text in Antigua script.

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P302
REPLYCARD


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P312
(POSTCARD)

Issued: 1943/44. Postcard with three lines of sender's address like P299-I above, but now with propaganda message on the bottom of the left-hand pane. There were 9 different versions of the propaganda text as below

A P312 must have the following characteristics:
(1) The value stamp depicts a 6Pf violet, P312(a) or purple, P312(b) Adolf Hitler Head pre-printed stamp. And
(2) The left-hand pane shows three lines of sender's text and a propaganda message at the bottom of the left-hand pane.

P312/01

P312/01 has the following 4-line propaganda message:

"Faβt | Kohlenklau! | Verderbt dem Kohlenklau den Spaβ | und spart mit Kohle, Strom und Gas"

'Beware Coal theft! Spoil the fun of the coal thief. Save coal, electricity and gas'.

This message was intended to convince Germans of the need to save valuable war materials for use by the military and not waste them. Kohlenklau was part of widespread campaign in the newspapers, posters, radio and there was even a game that children could play at home. The Allies had a similar campaign with 'The Squander Bug'.

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P312/01
POSTCARD


P312/02

P312/02 is a variation on P312/01 above, and has the following 5-line propaganda message:

"Faβt | Kohlenklau! | Er klaut das Gas | und stiehlt das Licht, | raubt Strom und Kohle. | Duldet's nicht!"

'Beware Coal theft! He steals the gas and steals the light, steals electricity and coal. Do not tolerate it!'.

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P312/02
POSTCARD


P312/03

P312/03 has the following 5-line propaganda message:

"Der Luftschutz | braucht dringend den Fernsprecher nach Luftangriffen. Darum Führe Du dann Keine. Privatgespräche!"

'The air raid urgently needs the telephone after air raids. That's why you don't make any Private phone calls!'.

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P312/03
POSTCARD


P312/04

P312/04 has the following variation on the 5-line propaganda message above, related to the use of the phone after air raids:

"Nach Fliegerangriffen | Keine Privatgespräche | am Fernsprecher, damit | Luftschutzwichtige Gespriiche | durchkommen!"

'After air raids, No private calls so that Air protection calls can get through!'.

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P312/04
POSTCARD


P312/05

P312/05 changed to a simplified 3 line message as follows:

"Nach Fliegerangriffen |Privatgespräche | am Fernsprecher unterlassen!"

'After air attacks, private talks, refrain from using the telephone!'.

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P312/05
POSTCARD


P312/06

P312/06 yet another change, now back to a 4-line message as follows:

"Nach Luftangriffen | keine Privatgespräche | am Fernsprecher! Du gefährdestsonst | luftschutzwichtige Gespräche!"

'After air raids no private calls on the phone! Otherwise you endanger air protection talks!'.

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P312/06
POSTCARD


P312/07

P312/07 yet another change, back to a 5-line message as follows:

"Wer nach Alarm | die Fernsprechleitungen mit | privaten Gesprächen verstopft, | gefährdet die Betreuung der | durch luftangriff Geschädigten!"

'After the alarm, whoever blocks the telephone lines with private conversations, endangers the victims of the air raid!'.

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P312/07
POSTCARD


P312/08

P312/08 delivered yet another change this time the message is no longer related to the telephone lines or the coal thief, now it relates directly to Hitler and helping to relieve him of his load. This time with 7 lines of text contained within a rectangle made up of three concentric lines as follows:

"DER FÜHRER | KENNT NUR KAMPF, | ARBEIT UND SORGE. | WIR WOLLEN | IHM DEN TEIL ABNEHMEN, DEN WIR IHM ABNEHMEN | KÖNNEN"

'THE LEADER KNOWS ONLY FIGHTING, WORK AND CARE. WE WANT TO RELIEVE HIM OF THE LOAD WHERE WE CAN, '.

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P312/08
POSTCARD


P312/09

P312/09 was the last of these postcards with propaganda messages. This card has the same message as P312/08 above, but the rectangle has gone and the text has been reformated as lower case lettering as follows:

"Der Führer kennt nur Kampf, | Arbeit und Sorge. Wirwollen ihm den Teil abnehmen, Den wir ihm abnehmen | können"

'The leader knows only fighting, work and care. we want to relieve him of the load where we can'.

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P312/09
POSTCARD


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P314
(POSTCARD)

Issued: Aug/Nov 1944. This postcard, along with P313 were the last official postcards issued before the end of the war. The final form change now has 5 dotted lines and 4 lines of text in the sender's section. There are now two lines of text in the destination notes (at the bottom of the right-hand pane) and 4 dotted lines.

There are two major variants: P314-I = without and P314-II, with a propaganda message on the bottom left-hand side.

In addition there are two variations for P314-II. The diameter of the circle that has been added to the vertical divider for P314-II(a) measures 21.5mm and for P314-II(b) it measures 18.5mm. P313-I only exists as a type (a) with a 21.5mm diameter circle.

A P314 must have the following characteristics:
(1) The value stamp depicts a 6Pf violet or purple Adolf Hitler Head pre-printed stamp. And
(2) There is now a circle on the vertical dividing line.

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P314-I(a)
POSTCARD
P314-II(b)
POSTCARD


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MAIN REFERENCE SOURCES

1. MICHEL GANZSACHEN DEUTSCHLAND 2018. ISBN: 978-3-95402-225-0
2. BOREK GANZSACHEN-SPEZIAL-KATALOG DEUTSCHLAND ab 1933. ISBN: 3-87091-060-7
3. MICHEL BILDPOSTKARTEN- UND MOTIVGANSACHEN KATALOG DEUTSCHLAND 1997. ISBN: 3-87858-631-0
4. GANZSACHEN-HANDBUCH DES "DITTEN REICHES" 1933-1945 by FRECH. ISBN: UNKNOWN

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This page was last updated
18-Mar-2021 08:42