(C) Mourning the Ancient

Here we shall place everything else that didn't quite fit into the other categories. Things like books, booklets, tinnies (day badges), newspapers, etcetera.

[Below: Here is a loose leaf folio of BEAUTIFUL watercolors by a soldier-artist named Fritz Brauner in 1942. This selection is unfortunately missing a handful of prints, but since I really like this artist, I'll work on finding the missing prints. As you can see below, Brauner also released another folio the year before in 1941. Normally watercolors aren't my favorites, although there are exceptions, but Brauner's work is fantastic. Truly timeless works of art done in icy battlefield conditions.

'Soldaten
in Eis und Schnee
24 Aquarelle vom Winterkampf des
XXXXVII. Panzerkorps
im Osten
von Fritz Brauner Obergefreiter im Flakregiment 101.'

(Soldiers
in Ice and Snow
24 Watercolors of the Winter Campaign of the
XXXXVII Panzer Corps in the East
by Fritz Brauner
Senior Private, Flak Regiment 101).

[Below: Art within - '17. Gefechtsvorposten' (17. Combat Outpost). I love this one. The soldier stares into the beyond, his mind perhaps thinking of his home, his family, his wife and children...]

[Below: Art within - '1. Winterliches Orel' (1. Wintery Orel).]

[Below: Art within.]

[Below: Here is a very old book that deals with farm animals, otherwise known as animal husbandry. I found this in a pile of WWI-WWII identification cards, and I found it to be neat and decided to share it with you.]

[Below: Tranlated to English.]

[Below: I love this old artwork.]

[Below: Title page.]

[Below: Opening page - German.]

[Below: Opening page - English.]

[Below: Final page - German.]

[Below: Final page - English.]

[Below: The best part about this book is the full color fold out illustrations.]

[Below: Reverse.]

[Below: Reverse of book. The scrawlings of a child, perhaps long grown up, dead from old age. They say books have a destiny all their own, I wonder the adventures this book has seen before reaching me?]

[Below: This strange card was with some other paperwork and says 'Schokoladen Verkauf' (Chocolate Sale). Do they still have chocolate vending machines in Germany? Here in the USA they have mixed candy machines, but nothing dedicated to only chocolate.]

[Below: This is a 1942 German-Russian 'Soldaten-Wörterbuch' (Soldier's Dictionary).]

[Below: Random page within.]

[Below: This is a pamphlet advertising a 'political library' during World War One.]

[Below: Pages within - English translation.]

[Below: Pages within.]

[Below: Pages within - English translation.]

[Below: Pages within.]

[Below: Pages within - English translation.]

[Below: Pages within.]

[Below: Pages within - English translation.]

[Below: Since this was with a stack of Third Reich paperwork, I scanned it anyway. Click to see more.]

[Below: This picture of four friends was ironically stuck into the section of the booklet about friendship.]

[Below: For Life-A Remembrance of Your Blessing By Lic.-Dr. Hermann Werdermann. Click to see more.]

[Below: Pages within. Click to see more.]

[Below: Early booklet entitled 'Our Library'. The introduction says:

'Our public library has made it its mission to enrich community life and bring inner benefit to everyone. Its books recount Germany's past from prehistoric times to the World Wars, the struggle and victory of the movement, the building of the Reich, and the Greater German struggle for freedom. They lead us to our brothers and sisters beyond our borders and to seafarers and explorers around the world. In numerous stories, they tell of the fate of German people. They show us the beauty of our homeland so that we may come to know and love it, and they bring the wonders of nature and technology to life before us. Even practical books for home and garden, for crafts and building, are included.

Thus, our public library aims to give what we expect from it: genuine help in life. It belongs to the entire community, connects us with the intellectual achievements of our people, and allows everyone to participate in the vibrant events of our time. May it bear rich fruit for everyone!'
Click to see more.]

[Below: Pages within. Click to see more.]

[Below: Pages within. Click original image to see more.]

[Below: Here is a small, pocket-sized 1941 Luftwaffe information book that spans a whopping 292 pages, much larger (and nicer) than other ones we've previously seen on these pages. This tells everything you would need to know about the Luftwaffe, but other armed services as well. It also contains a calendar and pages for writing personal notes. The adverisements in the back of the book are really neat to see as well. Click to see more.]

[Below: Close-up. Click original image to see more.]

[Below: Pages within. Click original image to see more.]