WWI German Navy Feldpost Ottoman Empire Constantinople Karaköy Postcard SMS Goeben Breslau 1917

Original WWI-era color postcard showing a remarkable crowded street scene at Karaköy (Galata), Constantinople, decorated with numerous Ottoman Turkish flags. The scene is especially striking, with a massive crowd filling the street and what appears to be a British Union Jack displayed alongside an Ottoman flag on one of the buildings.

The reverse is even more historically interesting. This postcard was written by a German serviceman and sent through the German military/Feldpost postal system in Constantinople during World War I.

The handwritten sender information appears to include:

“Ab. Luitn. d. Res. …
Marinepostkommando Türkei (Bosporus)
Marinepostbüro …”

The card carries a large circular German military postal cancellation from Constantinople, together with a diagonal “Soldatenbrief” / military mail marking. The date appears to be 1917, placing it during the period when Imperial German naval personnel were serving alongside the Ottoman Empire.

German naval operations at Constantinople and the Bosporus are closely associated with the famous battlecruiser SMS Goeben and light cruiser SMS Breslau, transferred nominally to Ottoman service as Yavuz Sultan Selim and Midilli. German officers, sailors, naval postal personnel, and military missions remained heavily involved in Ottoman naval operations throughout the war.

The postcard itself is identified in French:

“Constantinople. Place de Karakeui.”

Published by E. F. Rochat & Co., Constantinople – Editions d’Art de l’Orient, No. 201.

Handwritten Message / Translation:

The old German cursive handwriting is difficult to decipher completely from the card, but it is clearly a personal wartime message. Portions appear to contain greetings and discussion of the sender’s circumstances and acquaintances. The sender identification and military postal information are considerably more legible than portions of the message. I would describe the translation as partial rather than claim a word-for-word reading where the handwriting is uncertain.

This is an excellent piece of WWI German-Ottoman postal history, combining an impressive Constantinople street view with genuine wartime German military/naval postal usage.

Condition:
Original used postcard with expected age-related handling, corner/edge wear, toning, marks and postal wear. Writing, military postal markings and cancellation remain visible. Please examine all photographs carefully for exact condition.

A particularly attractive display piece for collectors of Imperial German Navy, Kaiserliche Marine, Ottoman Empire, Constantinople, Turkey, Bosporus, WWI Feldpost, German military mail, SMS Goeben, SMS Breslau and First World War postal history.

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Items are sold as shown and as-is. Please review all photos carefully. We combine shipping on multiple purchases and ship every day, including Saturdays.

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