Fixated on historic military photos

I am fascinated by old military photographs for the glimpses into the past they reveal at the moment they were taken. I have built up quite a collection of such photographs, ranging from studio portraits of soldiers to groups posed in camps from the late 19th century and through both world wars. I have French, British and German photos, along with some American imagery and Indian Army. When I attend militaria fairs I always look for photographs, which is how I came to acquire a handful from a dealer during my most recent buying spree. 

Content counts for a lot with me, but sometimes there is simply something about the image that engages me. For example, among my recent purchases I included one which showed a simple group photograph of German soldiers in an informal setting with the men standing and laying in a relaxed mood. 

After returning home I looked more closely at the photographs, in particular the image of the German soldiers. It had been turned into a postcard and mailed. That was not unusual and many photographs were given the same treatment and sent to friends, families and sweethearts of soldiers. The writing was not very distinct, but the address in Berlin was clear and I wondered if it still existed. 

Collectors include enthusiasts who collate lists. They are known as “compilers”, who note, for example, how many sandbags were used by the armies during WWI. Such information is of interest to military history enthusiasts. One compiler has calculated how many letters and postcards were delivered by the German Army during WWI. Apparently some 8,000 men served as postal clerks dealing with a daily average of 16.7 million letters and postcards, just like the one I had just bought. Using these figures, the compiler concluded that the German troops sent and received 28.7 billion items of mail between 1914 and 1918.

That is an incredible figure, and not only was my postcard — dated from 1916 — part of that huge number, it had survived two world wars and ended up at a collectors’ fair in Somerset, England 109 years later. This was, indeed, a most intriguing item of interest. Unfortunately, I do not read German, but I do have a contact in Berlin. I scanned both sides of the postcard and e-mailed them to him. What he sent back to me was unexpected and more information than I could ever have hoped to receive.

The first thing he informed me of was the handwriting was in a very old-fashioned style known as “Sutterlin”, and no longer used, being phased out from being taught in schools during the 1930s. However, my contact happens to be a student of the style and was able to translate the text, which included the name of the sender and his unit. The contents read as follows: 

Dated: 12th September 1916.

Sender: M. Krause. Rath. (possibly Rathenow)Ers. [Ersatz]Battalion (Replacement Depot Battalion)Landstr 7. Rgt 35 1st Platoon 3rd Corporal’s Squad.

Field Postcard to: Mrs. Minna Krause, Charlottenburg, Tauroggen Str. 46.

“My Dear Ones! Yesterday we had our picture taken in a small photo on the parade ground. The officer brought the pictures with him today. Now see if you can find your father. Now we want to go and eat. Many warm greetings from your father. Today there are already a lot of women from Berlin here.”

Just sweet, sentimental stuff to let his family know he was well. However, from these few lines a lot can be discovered. Firstly, he is in a training depot for replacement battalions and probably just finished basic training. The term “Landstr.” appearing in the text refers to Landsturm, which at the time when the postcard was written would have applied to third line reserve units comprised of older men in the age range of 38 to 45 years. Troops in such units were usually assigned to support roles, guarding prisoner of war camps and other non-combatant duties which may have included delivering the mail. When the postcard was sent, the Battles of the Somme and Verdun were at their height, but it is unlikely the sender or his colleagues were sent to fight. They may have served in the reserve and support role, but it is difficult to be certain.

The figures shown in the picture are all middle-aged men and probably not physically fit. They are wearing good-quality uniforms and boots and appear well fed. It is the same kind of informal photograph taken of similar groups of British soldiers. Even the sentiments in the text are simple and the same as found on postcards sent by British troops to their families. 

What it does show is the quality of equipment being issued to German troops at the time of late 1916. Some uniforms are ill-fitting, but that does not mean the quality was poor. Landser (private) Krause and his colleagues would have received weapon training and fired rifles and certainly foot drilled to march as a squad.

I was quite satisfied with the information my colleague in Berlin had been able to give me, but what he had to say next really shook me. From my visits to Berlin I knew Charlottenburg was a residential area of the city, but had never had cause to visit the quarter. Many of the buildings around there date from 1890 and are called “Albauten”, meaning old buildings. My colleague had done a check and discovered the address still exists, but he did not know if it is the original house to where the postcard was sent over 100 years ago. 

In April 1945, there was heavy fighting around the area of Charlottenburg as the Russians sought to capture Berlin. It is quite likely the original house was destroyed. There is only one way of finding out and that is to visit the street in person and find the house. As it turns out I do not have to wait very long to find out because I will be visiting Berlin in March next year. As regular readers of this column might know I work as a battlefield tour guide, and by coincidence I will be escorting a group to visit locations around the city. 

It is only by using technology and the internet that I have only been able to find out this much information so far. Equipped with all these details, I am eagerly awaiting what I will discover next.