Germany, Heer. A Collection Of Feldpost Letters From NCO Herbert Schulz (Poland, France), 1939-42

The collection consists of about 50 letters sent by Gefreiter (Lance Corporal), later Unteroffizier (NCO) Herbert Schulz to his mother Else Keil in Berlin. A single letter was sent to him by his mother. They are dated to between October 1939 and January 1942. The letters and envelopes vary in sizes and condition, with most remaining very fine or better.

Footnote:

Herbert Schulz was stationed in Poland after the outbreak of the war, writing from Zirke (Sieraków, western Poland) on October 1, 1939. His unit was Grenz-Infanterie-Regiment (Border Infantry Regiment) 123. By the end of the year, Schulz was stationed in Frankfurt (unclear if Frankfurt/Oder or Frankfurt/Main), and in early 1940 he wrote from an unspecified place in the Black Forest near the Rhine river, the southwestern Germany border with France. Here, Schulz was promoted to NCO sometime in March. He then participated in the attack on France and was wounded in the process in early June. However, it seems all he suffered was a sprained ankle. In late July of 1940, Schulz was stationed in Posen (Poznań, western Poland), and was moved to Arnau (Hostinné, present-day northern Czech Republic) at the end of the year. Around Christmas he hurt his knee during a bobsledding accident and had to remain in hospital throughout January of 1941 and beyond. In all likelihood, this saved him from being stationed on the Eastern Front, since his next assignment was in Guben, eastern Germany, with Infantry Replacement Battalion 122. On June 27, 1941 he wrote that he was now considered g.v.H. (garnisonsverwendungfähig Heimat), which means he wasn’t fit for front service, only for homeland security service. By late August, Schulz was stationed in Groß-Born (Borne Sulinowo, northwestern Poland), and by late September in Stettin (Szczecin, northwestern Poland). Towards the end of the year, he joined a Panzer-Späh-Ersatzteillager (Panzer reconnaissance spare parts depot) in Frankfurt/Oder (eastern Germany) where he became the kitchen’s NCO. His final letter dates from January 27, 1942. There is no further information on his life.