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Postcard depicting a Junkers G38 D-2000. Most likely sent by Rüdiger Schleicher to Christel and Hans von Dohnányi. The message reads, in part, 'Dear Christel and Hans, Today Dietrich flew to London in a big plane. Hence this card. How are you? Is the weather better now? Thank you, dear Christel, for your long letter. We are very pleased that Anne (?) is so lively. We are all doing very well... Greetings from your Rüdiger'. Ref: 26.08.1931 - Fleurs & Papillons 26th August 1931 'He died for freedom and justice' 1/1 Postcard depicting a Junkers G38 D-2000. Most likely sent by Rüdiger Schleicher to Christel and Hans von Dohnányi. The message reads, in part, 'Dear Christel and Hans, Today Dietrich flew to London in a big plane. Hence this card. How are you? Is the weather better now? Thank you, dear Christel, for your long letter. We are very pleased that Anne (?) is so lively. We are all doing very well... Greetings from your Rüdiger'. Ref: 26.08.1931 - Fleurs & Papillons See 20.07.1964 - 25/67 (SG. MS1343 - 20th anniversary of bomb attempt) The postcard introduces us to three members involved in the plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler in what became known as the 20th July Plot, orchestrated in part by Claus von Stauffenburg in 1944. An innocuous postcard purchased for a mere £4 from the on-line auction site Delcampe and described as 'German Reich 1931 - postcard from Berlin'. The postcard lay outside the collecting remit of 1933-1947, however, the image depicted a Junker's G38 aircraft. The Luft Hansa passenger plane would be used during the 3rd Reich period and therefore found legitimacy within the collection. The aircraft photographed on this postcard was written-off following an accident in 1936 and it's sister aircraft (there were two built) was destroyed by the RAF in 1941. So, an innocuous postcard of a long out-of-service aircraft. Well that's literally one side of the story... It immediately came to our attention that the addressee had a ' v. ' preceding his surname. From previous experience we realised that this denotes a ' von ' and is often worthy of a brief investigation. And so, with the help of the internet and Twitter, the postcard revealed itself. The message is one that could have been written on a million postcards (see above). But by piecing all this together we find we have the following players that participated, in one from or another, in the 20th July Plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler. Whilst this is obviously pre-3rd Reich and 13 years away from the 1944 assassination attempt it still brings together a group of people who's fate would forever be seen as heroic in the face of such adversity. The card is written by Rüdiger Schleicher (1895-1945) , a German legal academic. By 1935 Rüdiger was working for Hermann Goring in the Ministry of Aviation. If the revolt against Hitler were to be successful he was to be responsible for the re-organisation of air travel. Rüdiger was sentenced to death in February 1945 and executed in April... Rüdiger writes his message to Christel and Hans von Dohnányi (1902-1945) . Dohnányi, a German legal scholar worked for Reich Ministry of Justice. By the time of the assasination attempt he was already under arrest, and his involvement in the plot was later discovered. Dohnányi was executed in April 1945. Christel (née Bonhoeffer), his wife, was also arrested in 1943, however, she was later released and survived the war. And finally, Christel's brother is mentioned. The ' Dietrich ' who is travelling to London is most likely Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) . Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran pastor, theologian and anti-Nazi. Hans Dohnányi had brought Bonhoeffer into the German Abwehr (Intelligence Organisation) as a means of keeping him safe amongst co-conspirators. Despite this Bonhoeffer was arrested in 1943. Following the discovery of his involvement in the 20th July Plot he was sentenced to death and executed at Flossenburg Concentration Camp on 9th April 1945... An innocuous postcard indeed. Timeline: Letter to Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in part, 'In accordance with § 1 of the Church Law of March 4, 1930, Concerning the Assignment of Candidates for the Ministry to Work as Assistant Pastors in the Church— K.G. u. V.B1. 1930, p. 113f.—your year of work as an assistant pastor begins on 1st August, 1931. We assign you, effective beginning on that date until further notice, to work as assistant pastor in the city [Stadtvikar] in Berlin for the time being, doing whatever work is possible without ordination. Please see General Superintendent Dr. Karow in Berlin-Charlottenburg well before that date; he will decide about your further work...' Contact Brief History to inform us of additional information regarding this page

ABP Oslo - Various 1/0

Postcard commemorating the Rheinposta show with 5pf Luftpost imprint and special cancellation. Beneath the circular '258' design the caption reads,'The old cancellation stamp used at the Cologne post office'. Ref: 13.03.1938, BV2127 13th March 1938 1/0 Postcard commemorating the Rheinposta show with 5pf Luftpost imprint and special cancellation. Beneath the circular '258' design the caption reads,'The old cancellation stamp used at the Cologne post office'. Ref: 13.03.1938, BV2127 Contact Brief History to inform us of additional information regarding this page

24th July 1935 1/2 Contact Brief History to inform us of additional information regarding this page

4th December 1942 Scharnhorst Kaserne 1/1 Feldpost cover sent from a family member in Northeim to a 'Funker' (radio operator) at Scharnhorst Kaserne in Liegnitz. The envelope features a '7.12. ZURÜCK' (returned) hand-stamp together with 'Neue Anschrift abwarten' (awaiting new address). The Marschkompanie N2 would have been a unit made up of replacement personnel or returning convalescents orgabised under the command of returning officers or NCOs. These were sent to individual divisions, where they were broken up and parceled out after a brief stay in the units field replacement battalion. (Source: Kriegsprache, 2009). Ref: 04.12.1942 Scharnhorst Kaserne, Liegnitz (Legnica) Barracks at ul. Poznańska (Scharnhorst Kaserne) Barracks at ul. Poznańska, as well as the barracks at ul. Słubicka were built in 1935-1936 for the needs of the 18th Artillery Regiment. On 18th September 1935, the third unit of the 18th PA was located there, under the command of Major Graf von Orioli. The barracks were named after Gerhard von Scharnhorst (1755-1813), a Prussian general from the Napoleonic Wars, who died as a result of a wound received at the Battle of Lützen.Scharnhorst-Kaserne were modernly equipped, including: with central heating and parquet floors. Along the street there were three barracks blocks and a headquarters building on Poznańska Street. In the back there were garages, riding arenas and horse stables. Special stables were also built for sick and infected animals. On the opposite side of the parade square there was a canteen and a sports hall. The 3rd battalion consisted of three batteries, each equipped with 4 light 105 mm howitzers. After the end of the war, the barracks area was occupied by Soviet communications officers. The former stables were filled with radio stations and other communication equipment. After 1984, the 134th Communications Brigade was stationed here, which ensured communication between the Western Strategic Direction Command located in Legnica and the command post of the USSR armed forces.The entire complex (no. 12 and 13) was taken over by the Polish side on 23rd June 1993. The barracks buildings were rebuilt and converted into over a hundred apartments. Most of the remaining buildings are used for production, wholesale trade and driver training. Source: liegnitz-pl. Note: Postcards of Liegnitz include the 'Funker Kaserne' (WWI). Contact Brief History to inform us of additional information regarding this page

5th August 1943 Cartolina Postale 5th August 1943 Cartolina Postale 1/1 CARTOLINA POSTALE PER LE FORZA ARMATE. Italian postcard sent via 'Posta Militare' (from a soldier in the 388th Infantry Regiment 'VENEZIA') to Vigevano. The image advertises the 'Artists in Arms' exhibition, Rome 1942. Ref: 05.08.1943 PRIMA MOSTRA DEGLI ARTISTS ITALIANI IN ARMI, ROMA, PRIMAVERA 1942 XX (First Exhibition of Artists in Arms Rome, Spring 1942 XX) The 'First Exhibition of Italian Artists in Arms', was inaugurated, in the presence of the King of Italy, at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome in 1942, by 'artist-soldiers' who served in the ranks of their country, in North Africa, the Balkans, Russia and Greece. An exhibition subsequently hosted - at the turn of 1942 and 1943 - in major European capitals and embellished with drawings and paintings by artists the likes of, to name but a few, futurist Cesare Andreoni, Ezio Castellucci, Captain of the Engineer Corps, war veteran and twice decorated for valour, and Guido Colucci whose works are also currently housed in the Museo Uffizi in Florence, the Sforza Castle in Milan and the National Gallery of Modern Art in Rome. 388th Infantry Regiment 'Venezia' 1941 - On 1st December, the 383rd Infantry Regiment 'Venezia' was formed by transformation of the 235th Infantry Regiment. Deployed in Montenegro, the Regiment joined the 83rd and 84th Infantry Regiments, and the 19th Artillery Regiment. 1942 - In February, the Regiment was sent to Yugoslavian territory and deployed to Plijvlie in Montenegro where it was placed under the Alpine Division 'Pusteria', which it left the following 18th April to rejoin the 'Venezia' Division. 1943 - The Regiment continued to carry out orderly functions and from 17th June was assigned to the Territorial Defence Command of Albania and deployed in the Tirana area where he was disbanded on 8th September following the events that led to the armistice. Contact Brief History to inform us of additional information regarding this page

Commemorative postcard (Mi. P193) celebrating the 100 years anniversary of the death of Prussian Statesman Freiherr vom Stein (1757 - 1831). Postcard Mi.P193 first issued on 10.08.1931, together with postage stamp Mi.475, first issued on 01.11.1932. Ref: 28.03.1933 28th March 1933 Mi.P193 28.03.1933-freiherr-vom-stein-reverse.jpeg 28.03.1933-freiherr-vom-stein-reverse.jpeg 1/1 Commemorative postcard (Mi. P193) celebrating the 100 years anniversary of the death of Prussian Statesman Freiherr vom Stein (1757 - 1831). Postcard Mi.P193 first issued on 10.08.1931, together with postage stamp Mi.475, first issued on 01.11.1932. Ref: 28.03.1933 Freiherr vom Stein Heinrich Friedrich Karl vom und zum Stein (1757 - 1831), commonly known as Baron vom Stein, was a Prussian statesman who introduced the Prussian reforms, which paved the way for the unification of Germany. He promoted the abolition of serfdom, with indemnification to territorial lords; subjection of the nobles to manorial imposts; and the establishment of a modern municipal system. Source: Wikipedia (2024) Contact Brief History to inform us of additional information regarding this page

8th August 1943 Petrikow 8th August 1943 Petrikow 1/0 SEE 28/57 Occupation of Petrikow Pre-1941: Petrikov, town and raion center, Poles’e oblast’, Belorussian SSR; 1941–1944: Petrikow, Rayon and Gebiet center, Generalkommissariat Shitomir; post-1991: Petrykau, raen center, Homel’ voblasts’, Republic of Belarus. Petrikov is located 53 kilometers (33 miles) west of Mozyr’. In 1939, the Jewish population of Petrikov was 1,074 Jews (18.6 percent of the total). Petrikov was occupied by the Germans on July 29, 1941, and then again, after a brief Soviet reoccupation, on August 19. Petrikov became the center of a Gebiet comprising the Petrikow and Shitkowitschi Rayons; it was attached to Generalkommissariat Shitomir in Reichskommissariat Ukraine. There was a garrison of up to 1,000 soldiers and policemen in Petrikov. The Gendarmes were housed on the premises of the former Petrikov raion committee of the Belorussian Communist Party; the SD, on Volodarskii Street; and Sonderstab R, in a former pharmacy. A sapper unit and six armored cutters for patrolling the river were stationed on the banks of the Pripiat’. A system of controlling the movement of the local population was also instituted. Separate killings of Jews, members of the Communist youth organization (Komsomol), and Soviet activists began in the summer of 1941. Aron Fainshtein (born 1871), who ran the pharmacy, was tied by his legs to a horse and dragged through the streets of Petrikov until he died. Fania Kustanovich (born 1936) was thrown into a fire because her mother Klara refused to reveal the hiding places of Red Army soldiers who had been caught behind German lines. Afterwards, Klara herself was shot. . The Nazis also persecuted and shot Jews in the surrounding villages. According to the testimony of Yevgenii Dus’, starting in the first days of August 1941, the Germans made a list of all the Jews in the Koptsevichi sel’sovet and demanded they report every day to the police station. Jews were forced to perform senseless work such as dragging a cart loaded with water, bricks and stones, scrap, and garbage from one place to another while the Germans laughed, insulted, or mocked them. 3 On September 15, 1941, an SS execution squad arrested the chairman of the kolkhoz, P.K. Gramovich, and a worker, L. Pasovskii, who were then led into the woods and brutally tortured. In August 1941, 4 people were shot in the village of Sekerichi. 4 At the end of September 1941, 25 Jews from Koptsevichi were placed in a vehicle under the pretext of being dispatched to Petrikov for interrogation and transported to the edge of Zheleznitsa, where they were shot. Until the end of September 1941, Jews lived in their own houses in Petrikov. They were obliged to wear distinguishing markings and had to unquestioningly carry out German orders. They were watched by a police force selected from local inhabitants. After the first mass execution, in September 1941, a ghetto was set up. To that end, the Germans allotted three buildings on Volodarskii Street. Many of these buildings lacked doors and windows. The ghetto was fenced off by barbed wire and placed under guard. The inhabitants themselves had to see to feeding themselves, providing their own heating, and coping with other problems of survival. The Jews were only able to leave the ghetto at night. Teacher Faina Raskina, Zaivel’ Peschanskii, and another person named Branets were killed for violating the internal regulations of the ghetto as established by the Nazis. The Nazis also refused to let them be buried in the Jewish cemetery. Every day at 6:00 a.m., those who were physically able were taken out to work, either logging or clearing snow from the roads. The ghetto existed until April 1942. The first Aktion was conducted on September 14, 1941 (or September 22, according to other sources), when a punitive squad of around 100 men, probably from the 1st SS-Cavalry Brigade, arrived on motorboats along the Pripiat’. They ordered the Belorussians and Russians to mark their homes with the sign of the cross. At the time, the Jewish community was observing the Jewish New Year in the synagogue. At Bliuma Gertsulina’s house, the executioners demanded she say where her valuables were hidden and then shot her. They killed a tenth-grader, Borukh Gertsulin, on Karl-Liebknecht Street. They chased the Jews—adults and children alike—in groups of 30 to 40 into the river. At the inlet Bychok, they forced them to lie facedown in the mud and then shot above their heads so that nobody would get up. Then they gathered around 400 people and told them all to undress and get in the water. The Germans opened fire with machine guns from the cutters. The dead and wounded floated in the water. Afterwards, the Germans finished off the wounded. The next day, the Nazis sought out the surviving Jews within the town and killed them on the spot where they found them. A group of Jews were driven to a cattle yard at the kolkhoz “Chervonnyi ogorodnik” (Golden-red Gardener) and shot there. The executioners burned down 35 houses on Third International Street and 17 houses near the pier. In several of the houses, they burned adults and children alive. A second Aktion followed on February 15, 1942, when a punitive squad consisting of Germans and Hungarians passed through Petrikov and conducted a cleansing Aktion—a search for Jews who were still alive—in Rayons Kopatkewitschi, Petrikow, and Oktjabr. The squad burned some of the Jews seized, while others were stripped and chased in the frost towards the village of Belki, some 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from Petrikov, where they were then shot. In all, there were around 200 victims. The third Aktion took place in the last days of April 1942. The German Gendarmerie roused the remaining Jews at 4:00 a.m. and led them to a slaughterhouse about 1 kilometer (0.6 mile) northeast of Petrikov. The Jews were locked up in a barn, and each was undressed separately and then led out to be shot. The local inhabitants were forbidden not only to bury them but also even to go near the bodies. They were allowed to do so only after two weeks. In the following months, the Nazis and their accomplices hunted down surviving Jews who had hidden in the countryside with the assistance of Belorussian acquaintances. In March 1942, 23 Jews were killed in Kopatkevichi (Petrikow Rayon); in July 1942, 22 Jews in the village of Smetanichi; and on November 7, 1942, 20 Jews from the village of Babunichi. In February 1943, a police detachment of 15 men under the command of the chief of the indigenous police post in Koptsevichi, Igor’ Tseslik, unexpectedly appeared in the village of Brinev. They arrested the family of Boris Komissarchik (four people), led them out to a kolkhoz barn, stood them up against the wall, and shot them with machine guns. Several Petrikov Jews survived the war. Among them was Ginda Gutman, whom the executioners had thought to be dead. She hid in the village of Belanovichi and then made her way to the village of Makarovka in the Kiev oblast’, where she pretended to be a Pole under the name of Stepanida Beniak. Together with a group of Ukrainian women, “Stepanida” was sent to work in Germany. 1 Petrikov was liberated on June 29, 1944. During the years of occupation, 770 Petrikov Jews perished at the hands of the Nazis and their accomplices. Of these, it was possible to determine the names of only 132 families, including 66 women (50 percent) and 48 children aged 15 and younger (36.4 percent). Source: Smilovitsky, Leonid . “PETRIKOV.” The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CAMPS AND GHETTOS: ZHYTOMYR REGION (GENERALKOMMISSARIAT SHITOMIR) , edited by Lohse, A. (Ed.) and Parken, O. (Ed.), translated by Ray Brandon, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 2025. Project MUSE, https://doi.org/10.1353/document.3291 . Contact Brief History to inform us of additional information regarding this page

7th February 1945 Pages from 'PUNCH' 7th February 1945 Pages from 'PUNCH' Punch icon.png Punch icon.png 1/1 Cartoon from PUNCH magazine 7th February 1945. Britain, USA and the USSR reconfigure the map of Europe. The caption reads TROUBLE WITH SOME OF THE PIECES Contact Brief History to inform us of additional information regarding this page

27th June 1943 Paul Hörbiger 27th June 1943 Paul Hörbiger 1/0 Paul Hörbiger (1894 - 1981) Contact Brief History to inform us of additional information regarding this page

28th July 1933 1/1 Contact Brief History to inform us of additional information regarding this page