Kaiserliche Marine: German Imperial Navy Postcards, Set 22

8 Comments

1. Set 22

   1. Liebe Lotte! Kiel, d. 22.6.15
   Herzlichen Dank für Deinen lieben Brief, der mich wieder sehr erfreute. Hoffentlich entdeckst Du meine „Badebüx“ zwischen all den vielen Sachen. Betreffend Angelegenheit „S“ werde ich Dir im nächsten Brief schreiben oder eilt die Sache? Heute geht’s wieder zum Turnen. Letzte Nacht hat’s auch a bissl (he uses a dialect here) geregnet. Sei vielmals herzlich gegrüßt von Deinem treuen Ernst.
   Herzliche Grüße auch an Deine lieben Angehörigen

   Dear Lotte! Kiel, 22.06.15
   Many thanks for your dear letter, I was very delighted. Hopefully you will find my bathing trunks among all those things. In my next letter I will write concerning the matter of “S”, or is the matter urgent? Today I’ll go to gymnastics again. There was a little rain last night. Many affectionate greetings from your truthful Ernst. Many heartily greetings to your dear relatives.

   2. Liebe Lotte! Kiel, d. 21.4.15
   Meinen herzlichen Dank für Deinen lieben Brief, Karte und das Paket, alles dies hat mich sehr erfreut. Nur Deine Nachricht vom Tode des Herrn Burlatus hat mich sehr ergriffen und betrübt. Ehre seinem Andenken. Ich freie mich dass Du den Sonntag so gut verlebt hast. – Deine Zigarren werde ich Sonntag probieren. – Das Turnen macht mir wieder richtig Spaß. – Die Zigarrenspitze gefällt mir auch. Sei vielmals herzlich gegrüßt von Deinem Dich treu liebenden Ernst. Herzl(iche) Grüße auch an Deine lieben Angehörigen

   Dear Lotte! Kiel, 21.04.15
   Many heartily thanks for your lovely letter, card and package, I was very delighted by all this. Your news about the death of Mr. Burlatus deeply touched me and I was aggrieved. We will honour his memory. – I will try your cigars on Sunday. – Gymnastics is a great pleasure again. – I like the cigar holder too. Many affectionate greetings from your truthful Ernst. Many heartily greetings to your dear relatives.

   3. Liebe Lotte! Kiel, d. 11.8.15
   Herzlichen Dank für Deinen lieben Kartenbrief, der mich sehr erfreute. – Da hast Du ja mal wieder einen schönen Ausflug gemacht; auf der Patmosinsel war ich noch nicht. Für Dein Vergissmeinnicht danke ich Dir herzlich. Die Marinierten werden wohl Wettpulen gemacht haben. Sei vielmals herzlich gegrüßt von Deinem treuen Ernst.

   Dear Lotte! Kiel, 11.08.15
   Many thanks for your dear card-letter, I was very delighted. – You had a nice trip there again, I have not been to Patmos island so far. I thank you heartily for the forget-me-nots. The guys in Navy dress might have been in a contest of shelling prawns. Many affectionate greetings from your truthful Ernst.

   4. Liebe Lotte! Kiel, d. 6.5.15
   Hat sich Dein Befinden schon gebessert? Oder streikt Dein Magen noch immer? – Die Nachrichten aus Italien klingen ja recht betrübend, wir sehen jedoch allem mit Gottvertrauen entgegen. In Kurland schreiten unsere Operationen ja auch rüstig vor. Sei vielmals herzlich gegrüßt von Deinem tr(euen) Ernst.

   Dear Lotte! Kiel, 06.05.15
   Are you feeling better? Or is your stomach still on strike? – News from Italy are very afflictive – but we shall look forward with trust in God. Our operations in Courland are proceeding very well. Many affectionate greetings from your truthful Ernst.

   5. Liebe Lotte! Kiel, d. 31.10.14
   Hiermit sende ich Dir eine Ansicht des Kleinen Kreuzers „Mains“ (wrong spelling, must be „Mainz“), welcher beim Vorpostengefecht bei Helgoland durch überlegene englische Streitkräfte zusammen mit der „Köln“ zum Sinken gebracht wurde. Schade um das schöne Schiff; es war eins von der selben Sorte wie die „Emden“. Es grüßt Dich vielmals herzlich Dein Dich tr(eu) liebender Ernst.

   Dear Lotte! Kiel, 21.10.14
   I am sending you a picture of the light cruiser “Mainz”, she was sunk by superior English forces during the outpost battle of Heligoland, together with “Köln”. Too bad for the beautiful ship, she was of the same kind as “Emden”. Many affectionate greetings from your truthful Ernst.

   6. Liebe Lotte! Kiel, d. 5.11.14
   Anbei eine Ansicht des Kleinen Kreuzers „Nürnberg“, welcher im Großen- oder Stillen Ozean auf Kaperfahrt ausgeht. – Hast Du mal nachgesehen, wegen ein Muster feldgrauen Manchesters? Dich herzlich grüßend bin ich Dein Dich treu liebender Ernst

   Dear Lotte! Kiel, 05.11.14
   Enclose is a picture of light cruiser “Nürnberg”, she is privateering in the Pacific ocean. Did you look for a sample of field-grey Manchester fabric? With many affectionate greetings I am your truthful loving Ernst.

   7. Liebe Lotte! Kiel, d. 4.11.14
   Hiermit sende ich Dir eine Ansicht des Kleinen Kreuzers „Karlsruhe“, welcher die Handelsschifffahrt unserer Feinde an der Ostküste Südamerikas gefährdet. Ich bin noch immer nicht verteilt, möchte aber gerne fort. ? Dich vielmals herzlich grüßend bin ich Dein Dich treu liebender Ernst Kannst Du mir bitte ein Muster von feldgrauem Manchesterstoff besorgen?

   Dear Lotte! Kiel, 04.11.14
   I am sending you a picture of light cruiser “Karlsruhe”, she is endangering the commercial shipping of our enemies at the east coast of South America. I still have not been detailed, but I want to leave. Many affectionate greetings from your truthful Ernst.
   Could you please get me a sample of field-grey Manchester fabric?

   8. Liebe Lotte! Kiel, d. 18.9.15
   Herzlichen Dank für Dein liebes Briefkärtchen, habe mich sehr darüber gefreut. Ebenso danke ich Dir für die Absendung der Überzüge an meinen Vater. Ich habe mich heute wieder vom Arzte gesund schreiben lassen. Wie steht es mit Deinem Finger? Es grüßt Dich vielmals herzlich Dein Dich treu liebender Ernst. Herzl(iche) Grüße an Deine l(ieben) Angehörigen

   Dear Lotte! Kiel, 18.09.09
   Many thanks for your dear little letter-card, I was very delighted. Also, I thank you for sending the fabric casings to my father. I made the doctor sign me off as healthy today. How is your finger? Many affectionate greetings from your truthful loving Ernst. Many heartily greetings to your dear relatives.

2. Many thanks to Urs Hessling for these comments, and others to follow:

   Card 5: Here, Ernst committed two small errors. The ship`s name should be spelled “Cöln” (with a “C”) and she was not of the same class as “Emden”.

   Card 7: Ironically, “Karlsruhe” sank just the same day, November 4th, by a still unexplained internal explosion, and stopped “endangering the commercial shipping of our enemies”.

   Greetings, Urs

3. the comments to “Cöln” (# 5) and “Karlsruhe” (# 7) were contained in a prior posting

   Re card #6, Kiel, d. 5.11.14

   Ernst wasn´t able to know, but “Nürnberg” was not “privateering” (i.e. hunting allied merchant ships) in the Pacific, but had joined the German “East-Asian Cruiser Squadron” (Admiral von Spee, commanding). On November, 1, the cruiser squadron had defeated a – by numbers and strength inferior – British cruiser squadron in a naval action off the town of Coronel on the Chilean coast. During this action, the British armoured cruiser “Good Hope” and “Monmouth” were sunk with all hands, the latter being sunk by “Nürnberg” late in the fight; combined loss of life was 1,570 men.

   The “Nürnberg´s” crew was not to enjoy this success for a long time, however, as their ship was sunk by the British armoured cruiser “Kent” in the battle of the Falklands on December 8, 1914, with 327 dead and only 7 survivors. Most of the German squadron´s ships, the armoured cruisers “Scharnhorst” and “Gneisenau” and the light cruiser “Leipzig”, met the same fate, total loss of life exceeding 2,200 men, among them Admiral von Spee and both his sons.

   The last moments of the “Nürnberg´s” fight were celebrated in Germany – not quite correctly – by picture and poem as a “heroic last stand”.

   Greetings, Urs

4. Urs:

   SET 22

   #4 – The gunboat PANTHER became world-famous during the “Second Moroccan Crisis” in 1911. After French troops had landed in the Moroccan ports of Fez and Rabat to emphasize the French influence in Morocco, the German Emperor had the PANTHER sent to the Moroccan port of Agadir for a show of force. Although France ceded some small and unusable territory in the Gulf of Guinea to Germany, Germany had to accept French hegemony in Morocco and the crisis turned out to be a diplomatic defeat for Germany when Great Britain took the side of France.

5. Dear Sirs

   I am the editor of the Newsletter for The Friends of Darlington Railway Centre and Museum. I would like to ask a couple of questions about your site’s photograph of the German WW1 coastal defence vessel Odin (your ref: KaiserlicheMarine170a).

   A member of the Friends has unearthed a photograph he wants to use as the basis of a piece for the Newsletter. It shows a locomotive being loaded onto (or unloaded from) a small freighter which he has identified as German Navy WW1 coastal defence vessel Odin, one of a class of two named the Odin class, in her post-war civilian career.

   Naturally we are more interested in the Odin’s cargo than the vessel herself but I want to get all the facts straight so I’ve been looking her up and the postcard of her in your site caught my attention. Presuming I actually have the right Odin is the hand-written note on the photo’ a date (1895)? As far as I can determine Odin’s keel was laid down in 1893, she was launched in ’94 and commissioned in ’96. She was extensively rebuilt after the turn of the Century and only then was she fitted with a second funnel so it’s not the date the photo’ was taken.

   Secondly would it be possible to use the photo’ to illustrate the article in the Newsletter (with acknowledgement of course)?

   If you would like a look at the photograph I have by the way you would be very welcome to do so.

   Regards

   • Yes, I would love to see a copy of your photo, and I’d also be interested in linking to it or including it and/or your article from my site.

     My grandfather frequently wrote a year on the front of the postcards. This was the year that he believed the ship was originally launched. He worked in the navy in Kiel at the time and usually had pretty good access to this type of information, but he has gotten a few facts wrong from time to time. The postcard was sent in April 1915, so that could fit in with the data you have.

     I’ll send you an email about using the photos. It shouldn’t be a problem, but I would like to add a copy of the newsletter to this collection (not necessarily the online collection, but the physical one) if at all possible.

     -Alex

     • Hello again Alex

       The newsletter has been printed and distributed and was well recieved. I did send you an e-mail when it was ready asking for a postal address but, whether you didn’t get it or got it and replied, I’m afraid I didn’t hear anything from you.

       Sorry to say all the printed copies are spoken for now but if you’d like to contact me I can get you a PDF version of either the complete newsletter or the just article (or both for that matter) which you can keep on file or print as you see fit.

       Thanks again for your help and I hope to hear from you soon.

       • Yes, thank you! I did receive the email, and I downloaded the PDF — it’s a very impressive newsletter!