WWII 1940 Nazi German Feldpost Postcard to Female at RAD Lager Camp Neustift Rohrendorf

Excellent original WWII German Feldpost postcard, mailed May 3, 1940, to a female recipient named Gabriela at “Lager Neustift, Rohrendorf” in what was then Niederdonau, present-day Lower Austria.

This is considerably more interesting than an ordinary wartime postcard because Lager Neustift near Rohrendorf is documented as a wartime Reichsarbeitsdienst (RAD) camp, including use by female RAD personnel known as Arbeitsmaiden. The fact that this 1940 card is addressed to a woman named Gabriela at the camp provides an intriguing contemporary connection to the documented female camp presence. While the postcard itself does not conclusively establish Gabriela as an RAD Arbeitsmaid, the combination of the female recipient, 1940 date, and Lager Neustift address makes the RAD connection particularly noteworthy.

FRONT – FRANZ LEHÁR “WOLGALIED”

The illustrated front depicts a solitary German soldier in a steel helmet and long military greatcoat standing guard in a dark, wintry landscape beside a river.

The large title reads:

“Es steht ein Soldat am Wolgastrand”
“There Stands a Soldier on the Volga Shore”

Below is the text of the famous Wolgalied (Volga Song) by Austrian-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár.

ENGLISH TRANSLATION

There stands a soldier on the Volga shore,
keeping watch for his fatherland.
In the dark night, alone and far away,
no moon and no star shines for him.
Motionless the steppe lies silent,
a tear rises into his eye.
And he feels how it eats and gnaws at his heart
when a person is abandoned,
and he laments and asks:

Have you up there forgotten me too?
My heart longs so much for love.
You have many angels with you in heaven;
send one of them down to me.

The final two lines are repeated on the original card.

The bottom is credited:

“Wolgalied von Franz Lehár”

REVERSE – FELDPOST & LAGER NEUSTIFT CONNECTION

The reverse is period handwritten and addressed to the female recipient Gabriela at:

Lager Neustift
b./bei Rohrendorf
N.D. / Niederdonau

It carries a strong circular FELDPOST cancellation dated:

3.5.40 – May 3, 1940

The Feldpost cancellation incorporates the period German military eagle and swastika. As expected for military Feldpost correspondence, no postage stamp was required or applied.

Historical research identifies Neustift near Rohrendorf/Krems as the location of a wartime Reichsarbeitsdienst camp. The camp is documented as having included female RAD Arbeitsmaiden, making the female addressee on this May 1940 card an especially interesting feature. The postcard should not, however, be taken as definitive proof that Gabriela herself was an RAD member without additional documentation.

The reverse also carries the publisher information:

Verlag Robert Franke, Hamburg-Lokstedt

and:

Postkarten-Großvertrieb Martin Groot
Hamburg 36, Königstr. 15–19

HISTORICAL INTEREST

This is an excellent crossover piece combining several desirable areas of WWII collecting:

Original 1940 Feldpost usage, Lager Neustift/Rohrendorf camp postal history, possible female RAD/Arbeitsmaiden association, German military postal history, Franz Lehár/Wolgalied material, soldier artwork, and original handwritten wartime correspondence.

The clearly written Lager Neustift – Rohrendorf destination is the standout feature and gives the postcard a specific historical connection that is absent from the typical unused Wolgalied card.

CONDITION

Original period-used condition. There is age toning, handling wear, corner and edge wear, scattered creasing and a more pronounced diagonal crease visible toward the right side. The Feldpost cancellation, address, handwritten correspondence, illustration and printed text remain readily visible.

Please examine all photographs carefully for exact condition. Sold exactly as shown.

Guaranteed original WWII period postcard.

SEO KEYWORDS

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OB1 series