The Soldier at the Western Front – Propaganda War
Source 2: Postal cards
Passport photograph of Ottielie and Kurt Wölfel (left), military identity card of Kurt Wölfel (right)
Even the member of the Territorial Army Kurt Wölfel served in the Saxon army. Because of his advanced age he wasn’t called to arms until the summer of 1915 when he joined the Reserve Artillery and the frontline already was fixed while the war in the trenches had started. Among the many dozens of postal cards he send from the front to his wife in Dresden there are some that are of interest for the history of technology. The depicted enemy unexploded artillery shells might have caused a relieving shivering, while the German weapons have been pictured to promote trust in the own strength.
Postal card: German soldiers behind enemy unexploded artillery shells (1915/16)
Postal card: Loading of a mortar cal. 21, front and rear (1916)
Postal card: Karl Peres: Saxons in the Champagne „Wer seine Fahne liebt, folge mir!“ (Those who love the flag, follow me!) (1916)
