Date of use : 1944, United States

WWII POW Postcard from Aliceville to Carl Zeiss Jena

This document represents a prisoner-of-war postcard sent during the Second World War by a German soldier held in the United States. The heading printed on the card reads "Prisoner of War Post Card / Postkarte für Kriegsgefangene," indicating that the document belongs to a standardized postal form specifically designed for communication by prisoners of war. The printed note "N.W.D.P.M.G. Form No. 6-1, November 1, 1942" shows that this card was an official postal form issued by the United States postal administration.

The handwritten sender information identifies the writer as Gustav Störke, who was held at the Prisoner of War Camp Aliceville. This camp was located in the state of Alabama and served as one of several detention facilities established by the United States for German prisoners captured during the war. Many of the soldiers interned there had been captured in the North African campaign and were transported to the United States for detention.

The postmark on the card indicates that the item was processed in New York before being forwarded overseas. During the war, prisoner-of-war correspondence was often routed through central postal facilities before being transmitted internationally. The marking "U.S. Censor" visible on the card reflects the standard censorship procedures applied to wartime correspondence. All letters and postcards sent by prisoners were inspected by military authorities before being allowed to leave the camp.

The address on the card is directed to the city of Jena in the German region of Thuringia. The recipient is identified as "Werkberufsschule Carl Zeiss Jena," which refers to the vocational training school associated with the Carl Zeiss company. Carl Zeiss was a major optical manufacturer founded in the nineteenth century and became internationally known for the production of microscopes, precision lenses, and scientific optical instruments.

The presence of this address suggests that the sender may have had a professional or educational connection to the Carl Zeiss institution before the war. It is possible that the individual had previously studied or worked within this industrial environment, although the precise nature of the relationship cannot be determined with certainty based solely on this document.

The handwritten message on the reverse side of the card is written in German and dated 15 September 1943 in Aliceville. As was typical for prisoner-of-war correspondence, the message contains brief personal information concerning the sender's condition and well-being. Regulations governing POW mail usually restricted the content of such communications, limiting them to short personal updates and general statements of health.

From the perspective of postal history, the card represents a typical example of the international prisoner-of-war mail system that operated during the Second World War. The right of prisoners to correspond with family members and institutions was recognized under the Geneva Convention of 1929, which encouraged the establishment of standardized postal forms and procedures to facilitate such communication.

In philatelic and historical terms, postcards of this type hold particular significance. The combination of censorship markings, official postal forms, and wartime communication channels provides valuable evidence for understanding the social and administrative structures of wartime correspondence.

In conclusion, this postcard is more than a simple personal message. It reflects the broader communication system that connected prisoners of war with the outside world during the conflict. At the same time, the card reveals an intriguing connection between a detained soldier in the United States and the well-known optical center of Carl Zeiss in Jena, illustrating how individual lives remained linked to professional and institutional networks even under the conditions of war.

Translation of the Text on the Reverse Side of the Card

"Dear family,

Aliceville, 15 September 1943

I hope you are all well. I am also doing well and I am eagerly waiting to hear from you. Every letter I receive from you brings me great joy. Please write as often as possible. I send you my warmest greetings."

Note: Because parts of the handwriting are faded, certain words are not fully readable. The missing sections most likely contained expressions with similar meaning.

This item is documented as part of the Photography in Postal History research project.
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