1943 "Day of the Wehrmacht" Stalingrad Card

[johninhb]

Hi Everybody,

I thought that I would share an image of the most valuable 3rd Reich postcard in my collection. It's a card that was produced by the Germans for the 1943 "Day of the Wehrmacht", and was conceived specifically to honor the German forces fighting at Stalingrad. But by the time the card was actually printed and ready for release....the German forces at Stalingrad had been decimated, with the remaining survivors having surrendered to the hated enemy. The German government ordered this card to be destroyed, and not to be released. Very few escaped this destruction order, and that is what makes those few cards that did survive one of the rarest cards ever produced by the 3rd Reich.

Its wording, "Führer Befiehl, Wir Folgen" translates to "The Führer commands, We Follow". It also shows a symbolic hand swearing complete allegiance to the Führer.....just as the soldiers did back when they were originally sworn into the Wehrmacht.

This is such a powerful card, as Stalingrad was the beginning of the end.

Best regards,
John

[johninhb]

reverse side....

[johninhb]

....

[BrianK]

Yes, I have heard that this is the rarest "propaganda" card. Do any postcard collectors want to comment on this?

[randy@treadways]

After Stalingrad fell, I'm surprised the Russians didn't reprint this card themselves and drop it en masse over the front German lines... i.e. 'keep following the Führer' and the fate of Stalingrad will be waiting all of you.
On the back they could have printed their own message about a 'warm meal waiting on you if you surrender now....' bla, bla, bla.

The price being asked here is pretty steep:
http://archiv.berliner-auktionshaus....34_to_1753.htm

Do we know anything about the artist?
This one is said to be by the same person....
http://www.banghaus.com/perl/antik/b...schaetzer=8249