WWI Austro Hungarian Red Cross Military Postcard South Tyrol Air Observer 1917

Original WWI Austro-Hungarian military postcard, Official Card No. 538, issued for the Red Cross, Kriegsfürsorgeamt and Kriegshilfsbüro.
The printed caption on the reverse identifies the scene as:
“Luftbeobachterposten in einer Festung Südtirols”
Translation: “Air observation post in a fortress in South Tyrol.”
The artwork is after an original by Karl M. Schuster and depicts the interior of a South Tyrolean mountain fortress, with an observation position above the fortifications and dramatic Alpine mountains in the background. This exact No. 538 design is cataloged as an Austro-Hungarian WWI military/support-fund postcard.
The reverse carries its original 10 Heller Austro-Hungarian postage stamp, cancellation, handwritten wartime correspondence and address. Comparable examples of No. 538 are recorded used in 1917, placing this card firmly in the First World War period.
These official cards were sold as part of wartime relief efforts supporting organizations concerned with wounded soldiers, servicemen and their dependents.
An excellent piece of WWI Alpine-front and Austro-Hungarian military postal history, with particularly desirable South Tyrol fortress and air-observation subject matter.
Condition shows genuine period use with edge/corner wear, surface wear, creasing and age toning as shown. Original stamp remains attached. Please examine all photographs for exact condition.
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