PROPAGANDA POSTCARDS
(1943)
This page was last updated
18-Feb-2025 09:10
FREE EMERGENCY POST / SIGNS OF LIFE
(1943)
BACKGROUND: In order to help Germans find their loved ones after a bombing raid, the Nazi's introduced a series of free emergency post cards (commonly known as 'signs of life cards') that could be used to determine the whereabout of family or friends. There were three versions which can be determined by the code on the reverse of the card, adjacent to the vertical divider. The State Printing Works in Berlin printed cards with either a '5431 43 2D' or a '21400 43 2D' code, and the State Printing Works in Vienna printed a single card with code '4306 43'.
The cards were available free of charge from selected post offices and Nazi Party offices, for up to four days after the official Armed Forces Report was broadcast over the radio, confirming that a heavy Allied bombing raid had occurred on a particular city. The sender then had up to 10 days to send his request to the local post office.
There were three types of card in circulation that could be used for either civilian or Feldpost enquiries. These were colour coded with either green, red or violet borders.
3. EILNACHRICHT
EXPRESS MESSAGE: CIVILIAN USE
COLOUR: RED
Finally, the third type of card with a red/orange border was for use to civilian addresses as opposed to the green cards for military use. Again, these were printed in BERLIN with codes '5431 43 2D' and '21400 43 2D', and in VIENNA with a '4305 43' code. Like the green cards, these cards were used to update relatives and friends of a person's new address, if they had been forced to evacuate their own homes due to bomb damage.
The front of the card was much like a typical postcard, in that it provided space for the name and address of the recipient. The reverse side being used for the sender's updated address. Again, space was made available for a short message of 10 words.
BERLIN PRINTING 5431-43-2D
Cards that were printed in BERLIN have print codes '5431 43 2D' and '21400 43 2D'
BERLIN PRINTING 21400-43-2D
Cards that were printed in BERLIN have print codes '5431 43 2D' and '21400 43 2D'
VIENNA PRINTING - UNUSED
Cards that were printed in VIENNA have print codes '4305 43'
ABOVE: VIENNA PRINTING 4305 43
BOHEMIA and MORAVIA PRINTING - USED
ABOVE: BOHEMIA and MORAVIA PRINTING 357 in German and Czech languages
4. IMPROVISED FREE POST
COLOUR: RED
Following a particularly heavy raid, or a raid on an unexpected location, it was often the case that insufficient 'official' free post cards were available. In these cases, it was not uncommon for regular postcards to be sent to a local printer who would print a red cross diagonally from corner to corner and add the word 'Eilnachricht' just below the word 'Postkarte'. In these cases, no message was added to limit the text to 10 words, and it seems that the post office rarely returned items with more than ten words.
Other non-official examples can be found using regular postcards that seem to have been home-made by using a red/orange crayon around the edges and the word 'Eilnachricht' handwritten below the word 'Postkarte'.
REFERENCES
1. Third Reich Study Group News Sheet No. 133 and 1342. Michel Handbuch-Katalog Deutsche Feldpost 1937-1945, ISBN: 3 87858 452 0, third issue: pages 173 to 176
