WWI Imperial German Austro Hungarian Feldpost 1915 Landsturm Soldiers Train Violin Postcard

Original 1915 WWI Austro-Hungarian military Feldpost postcard showing a group of Landsturm soldiers traveling to the front by train. One soldier plays a violin while his comrades sing, relax and enjoy the journey inside a railway car.

The reverse carries the bilingual German/Hungarian printed title:

“Weltkrieg 1914–1915. Wie unsere Landsturmmänner in das Feld ziehen.”
Translation: “World War 1914–1915. How our Landsturm men go into the field.”

Hungarian:

“Világ háboru 1914–1915. Hogyan mennek a népfelkelők a csatatérre.”
Translation: “World War 1914–1915. How the militia/reserve troops go to the battlefield.”

This exact postcard design is held in the Wien Museum collection, which dates it to 1915 and identifies Kilophot (K.L.) of Vienna as the publisher and Andreas Krampolek (1869–1940) as the reproduction technician. The museum describes the series as depicting scenes connected with the major Austro-Hungarian/German offensive in Galicia.

This example is particularly desirable because it was actually sent through Feldpost. The reverse bears a military postal cancellation and handwritten “Feldpost” notation. It is addressed to Frau Rosa Flesch in Wilhelmsburg, Niederösterreich (Lower Austria) and is dated 25 June 1915.

The handwritten message appears to be a short personal wartime greeting. Portions of the cursive are difficult to decipher confidently, but the sender gives greetings and signs the card at the bottom.

The front provides an excellent period depiction of everyday Austro-Hungarian soldier life rather than a staged battle scene, with field-gray uniforms, military caps, railway transportation, smoking, singing and a violin-playing soldier.

A documented and very collectible piece of Austro-Hungarian WWI Feldpost and military postal history.

Condition shows age-related corner and edge wear, surface wear and handling consistent with a mailed 1915 postcard. Please see photos for exact condition.

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YB7 series