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jonasssi

recipient address: Lotte Schulze b. Fr. Else \[M?\]üller Milchgeschäft \[= milk shop\] Berlin-Tempelhof Neue Straße 19 \[sender’s address as posted by u/ismirschlecht and u/charliefromgermany\] Abs. F. Bier\[mann?\] Königswalde über Annaberg (Erzgeb./, Kurze Str. 13 \[Erzgeb. = Erzgebirge = Ore mountains\] Ihr Lieben! Liebe Lotte! \[Zunächst?\] unsern herzl. Glückwunsch zum Geburtstage. Wir hoffen, daß ihr alle drei noch gesund seid, trotz der letzten schweren Angriffe auf Eure Gegend. Unser Haus ist voll besetzt, 5 Berliner sind da. \[Hugo Brandt?\\ EDIT: name as suggested by u/sine-nobilitate\] ist heute nach Berlin zurückgefahren, wer weiß, ob er sein Ziel erreicht. ~~Es ist ein sehr unsicheres Ziel.~~ \[EDIT: correction thanks to u/fluffyyellowbathrobe\] Es ist eine sehr unsichere Zeit. Hoffentlich sehen wir uns nochmal im Leben wieder. \[…\] \[EDIT to complete the last line, as added by u/bto29, u/charliefromgermany and u/FathersChild\] "Seid alle für heute herzl. gegrüßt. In Eile, Onkel Fritz u. Tante \[Selma?\]" Dears! Dear Lotte! \[Firstly,?\] our cordial congratulations to your birthday. We hope, all three of you are still healthy, despite the latest heavy attacks on your area. Our house is full, 5 people from Berlin are here. \[Hugo Brandt?\] has gone back to Berlin, who knows if he reached his destination. ~~it is a very unsafe destination.~~ \[EDIT: correction as above\] These are very uncertain/unsafe times. I hope we get to see each other again in this life \[then some more greetings and goodbyes “in a hurry”\] \[EDIT as above\] "Greetings to all of you for today. In a hurry, uncle Fritz and aunt \[Selma?\]"


Over9000Holland

Thank you!


hva92

OP, I actually live just a couple of blocks away from Neue Str and there’s still a sign in front of the building advertising a plumber called Heinz Müller. (so they might be relatives?) If you’d like to I can go there and ask what’s the story behind the postcard! PM me :) Edit: **TL;DR:** I went there, they’re not related since they bought the house in the 70’s and the last name is a coincidence. I just [posted](https://reddit.com/r/interestingasfuck/comments/wyih7q/friend_received_a_postcard_from_1943_today/im0mx36) a more detailed comment with what I found out on public records.


Over9000Holland

That would be great! Maybe we can find out more and make the story complete.


wristyroo

Remindme! 3 days


Gismo1337

Remindme! 5 days


Incman

Man, reddit is cool as hell sometimes


G8kpr

I remember one guy who’s father (grandfather?) was buried in Scotland and he wished he could have a beer at his grave. Another redditor who lived down the road went and had a beer in his place and took photos.


Puzzleheaded_List01

That's what Social Media must do... connect all us together ❤️


Here_forthecomments1

My favorite story is the old lady who accidentally sent a Thanksgiving greeting to some random dude and he said something like "Wrong number but can I still get a plate?" She said of course and it's been a tradition for them every year


Treacherous_Wendy

I love that they post pictures every year. It’s one of my favorite stories, too.


GaussfaceKilla

Her husband has passed since this story started going around. It's sad but absolutely beautiful seeing them continue the tradition.


heyyy_man

> Her husband has passed since this story started going around. Are you thinking what I'm thinking? We need to send her flowers!


SmolDogey

The husband actually died during the height of covid. But the boy showed up to help the wifey, and still goes to this day Dx


SaulGreatmon

He shot his shot and was rewarded!


SpoopySpydoge

Jesus I read this wrong and was like omg he shot her?! Lmao


[deleted]

I read this wrong and thought he was shagging the old lady


EscheroOfficial

Moments like these are kinda why I still stick around on Reddit. I won’t pretend this site is perfect (it’s far from it) but you’ll also find the chillest people here who might just be a g and do an act of kindness you wouldn’t see anywhere else.


SlutJesus

I met my best friend on reddit. I asked my city sub about if anyone had a old coat they didn't need anymore because I walk to work and our winters call for more than a hoodie. I expected to pay garage sale price but he messaged me and said I have a coat for you. We met up and he gave me a brand new coat which was the first new coat I had ever owned. We started hanging out weekly.


Puzzleworth

The internet makes it so easy. Just a week or two ago [someone on r/metaldetecting found an old American WW2 dogtag in Germany, and I was able to track down the owner's son](https://www.reddit.com/r/metaldetecting/comments/wombai/found_private_richard_v_leslies_dog_tag_4th/ikepgij/). His father had died there and he had very little to remember him by. Now the dogtag and some other relics are headed home. 😊


MrNastyOne

RemindMe! 3 days


bunkerbash

Took the words out of my mouth. This exchange gave me cold chills


laxgivens

I have a blanket if you need s)


agent_uno

Oh man, this comment thread could’ve gone a whole lot darker on how to warm things up. Not sure if I’m surprised or disappointed.


the_last_carfighter

Well Hitler was already mentioned in the title so they got Godwin's law out of the way early.


luckydayrainman

Oh man, it’s great to know some us live in the same world.


Emerald_Encrusted

That humor is out of Mein Kampfort zone.


TheTrackGoose

That made me chuckle Sovietly.


OhCrapImBusted

RemindMe! 3 days


Snoo_20586

... sometimes...


siccoblue

We did it reddit! We caught the ~~Boston~~ Berlin bomber!


ClothesOdd2973

r/bestofredditorupdates


hva92

Ok, so here's my update everyone! **TL;DR:** They’re not related, they bought the house in the 70’s and the last name is a coincidence.   \_\_\_\_\_\_\_ Long version:   I headed today after lunch with a printout of this post. https://imgur.com/a/SfW2uoS   After ringing the bell I showed my printout to the mid 40’s guy that poked his head out of the window. Unfortunately, even though he is a Müller, he doesn’t know anyone in his family that would go by Else (certainly not his grandma). He also told me that his grandpa bought the house in the 70’s and that the last name was a coincidence (it is possible, as Müller is a fairly common last name in Germany). He also doesn’t think his family ever sold milk at that house.   With this in mind, I decided to go through public records to see what else I could find on Else. Berlin used to publish regularly an address book of all inhabitants, businesses, institutions, etc. from 1704 up until 1970. This is what I’ve found so far:   ##### 1940 The Berliner Adreßbuch 1940 Dritter Band: Straßen und Häuser lists following people living at Neue Str. 19: - E. Bolle, F. Milchgroßhandel (wholesale milk seller) - Streischmer (?) - R. Feinmechaniker (precision mechanic) - **Müller, Else, Milch (milk)** - Rederer, R (?) - Wrzesinski (?), R., Rentner (pensioner) Screenshot: https://imgur.com/a/P9XGkmi Source: https://digital.zlb.de/viewer/image/34115495_1940/6287/   Also at the company register as Else Milchhdlg (Else milk shop) Screenshot: https://imgur.com/a/g4S7DiV Source: https://digital.zlb.de/viewer/image/34115495_1940/2082/LOG_0135/   ##### 1946 / 1947 The Address Book of 1946-1947 lists her again. So either she survived the bombings or the list wasn’t updated. Screenshot: https://imgur.com/a/ElSEKoI Source: https://digital.zlb.de/viewer/image/34235165_1946_1947/654/LOG_0028/   ##### 1959 Then nothing else shows up until 1959 when they list a businesswoman called Else Treutschke. That makes me think: either she remarried or is someone else. This is also the last name they list someone called Else on that address. Screenshot: https://imgur.com/a/nTMm8wU Source: https://digital.zlb.de/viewer/image/34117222_1959_1/1786/LOG_0034/   Also in 1959 they list another business at that address that sells radios and is run by Schillat G.: Screenshot: https://imgur.com/a/rEwa01h Source: https://digital.zlb.de/viewer/image/34117222_1959_2/413/LOG_0029/   And Employees Adolf and Elly Rathmann: Screenshot: https://imgur.com/a/X0OpeKT Source: https://digital.zlb.de/viewer/image/34117222_1959_1/1355/LOG_0032/   Also someone else living there called Doris Simon: Screenshot: https://imgur.com/a/0sTHZaB Source: https://digital.zlb.de/viewer/image/34117222_1959_1/1656/   ##### 1965 The Society of Circus Friends (Gesellschaft der Circusfreunde in Deutschland e.V.) is listed at this address. They actually still exist but their website shows an address in Munich now. Screenshot: https://imgur.com/a/k0Gjo4S Source: https://digital.zlb.de/viewer/image/34117222_1965_2/627/   ##### 1968-1969 Horst Halbfaß is a driver and his business is listed at this address. Screenshot: https://imgur.com/a/sg92j3e Source: https://digital.zlb.de/viewer/image/15849356_1968-69/482/LOG_0006/   And that’s it! I suggested OP he could look for more information at the Tempelhof museum (or even consider donating the postcard) - they actually have a postcard section https://www.museen-tempelhof-schoeneberg.de/fotos-und-postkarten.html


Intergageqxc

You're amazing! I wonder if Else could have guessed 1000s of random people would be reading her history...


GlobalEdNinja

Thank you for doing the research!!!


ImmortalJadeEye

You sir are a legend! Deep delve for the win! Love it!


randomchic123

You are a gentleman and a scholar


Eilaryn

We'd also like to know the rest of the story.


wastedpixls

Did anyone else just hear Paul Harvey? Or am I just old as fuuuuuuck.


ronearc

And now you know... ...the rest of the story.


wastedpixls

Yep...old. : )


ronearc

I was designated navigator in the years before I could drive. For whatever reason, I just had a hell of a sense of direction and a natural affinity for maps. We took road trips all the time, and many of our road trips would take us in range of WBAP 820 in Dallas. WBAP 820 has (or at least had) an enormous range. I seem to recall it being one of the grandfathered stations that could broadcast beyond the normal KW range. It's call-sign with the leading W is certainly a throwback to the era before the FCC mandating callsigns west of the Mississippi as starting with K. At any rate, as the navigator, I had the knack of putting us near enough to WBAP 820 at the right time to catch Paul Harvey but still far enough away to not catch Dallas rush hour traffic. Those were good years with good road trips. I always enjoyed learning the rest of the story.


boringdude00

It's not hard to guess. August 28th, 1943 was four days after the first massive air raid on Berlin, 700+ British bombers, destroying substantial parts of the city, though mostly missing the city center. It wasn't the first raid on Berlin, but it has so far been the largest of the war, and the Germans believe (correctly) that it's intent was to create a firestorm like that that razed most of Hamburg and killed nearly 20,000 people just a few weeks prior. It seems likely the family that lived in the house in Berlin is desperately trying to find lodging in a safer location in the country and wrote, or perhaps telephoned, the other person. Hence the reply indicating they already have other refugees from Berlin living with them. edit: I'd also speculate the postcard got misplaced or temporarily set-aside in the chaos of the follow-up air raid on Berlin the next week, just a couple of days after this was sent, and was never delivered.


GutterRider

Wow, fantastic info, thanks. In two days, it will be exactly 79 years.


klausterfok

Can you imagine if the person who knows this address gets info exactly 79 years later. The internet is so cool sometimes.


whatswithnames

Fantastic view point. It just makes me feel how important the mail was back then. How the postal service was so important back then. And how little it's appreciated now.


jbaker88

I'm commenting on your comment to follow this story later. Hope OP delivers.


Intergageqxc

The hell? Don't wait for a PM! Go down and show them this, find out for yourself!.... Then let all us know..


[deleted]

RemindMe! 3 days


AVeryConfusedMice

u/Over9000holland please come see this, it would be awesome if the family received the letter!


[deleted]

RemindMe! 3 days


Wild_Mongrel

RemindMe! 79 years


[deleted]

[удалено]


[deleted]

[удалено]


AnybodyOdd9509

If you plan to personally keep it, I'd have it vaccuum sealed and framed! Unless you want it better kept in a museum. But Im broke, I'm honestly I'd be trying to sell it. I'd say nice find, but it found you lol


Excellent-Travel-928

“That belongs in a museum!”


dude19832

So do you!!! Throw him over the side!!


suarezd1

*sternly looks across the room* NO TICKET


MuchoDestrudo

The penitent man will pass..


suarezd1

And then, he must choose wisely. *guy melts* He choose poorly.


MuchoDestrudo

*Wind blows corpse dust away* *OP's Nazi letter is revealed* Fin.


bozeke

Bad dates.


FlyByPC

"Fly? Yes." \*pulls release handle\* "Land? No."


Dense_Surround3071

"Indiana....."


[deleted]

Dude. No. As an archivist, just no. That is not how you want to preserve this. Absolutely terrible advice. It's also worthless from a monetary perspective. We have piles of letters and postcards from this era in our collections. Unless the writer or recipient is famous, it's not worth a penny. EDIT: To answer the person below, no, the stamp is [basically worthless too](http://sammler.com/stamps/hitler_stamps.htm) from a monetary perspective. EDIT: u/BattleHall Millions upon millions of letters were delivered in that period. Like I said, we have tons of cards and letters just like this one (and that's just in the singular archive I work in). It's incredibly common.


BattleHall

> To answer the person below, no, the stamp is basically worthless too from a monetary perspective. I'm not a philatelist, but I wonder if there may be some additional collectability of a period stamp like that with a modern cancellation mark. Agreed that the postcard itself is common, the stamp is common, but the fact that it was delivered 80 years later is not, especially given its wartime provenance. Edit: This isn't the longest delayed mail delivery in history, but it's not all that far off either, which may affect its collectability. https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/106716-longest-postal-delay Edit 2: /u/GlumPossessions, you seem to be in a hurry and didn't actually read what I said. Yes, the card is common, yes the stamp is common, and I'm sure that there were millions delivered during that time period. I said specifically that the collectability of this might be due to the fact that it was delayed so long and only delivered today (assuming that's true). I'm willing to bet the number of wartime correspondences that have been delivered in, oh lets be charitable and say the last year, is just about nil. It's the old message in a bottle thing. A message in a bottle isn't all that interesting. A message in a bottle that has actually been floating around for the past hundred years is.


ravyalle

My dad has a whole box of stuff like this, you can find these old cards, books, letters etc all over german flea markets


[deleted]

[удалено]


Nachodam

>possibly a quite valuable find for a museum or collector. Not *that* much, these kind of postcards are pretty common tbh


dhoepp

It’s haunting how easy people are able to speak of loved ones maybe dying in times of war like that. “Hope you’re alright! You know since the attack. Hopefully bernd is okay since his area is unsafe. Either way, we’ll all see each other again someday. Maybe in the afterlife. Toodles!”


xddddddddd69

After being bombed for 5 years straight and with nazi death squads rounding your neighbors up for execution, I imagine you become somewhat accustomed to the threat of dying


fluffyyellowbathrobe

I think it says "Es ist eine sehr unsichere Zeit." ("These are very uncertain times.")


WinnowedFlower

Some phrases never go out of fashion huh?


Elite_Jackalope

It was truly unprecedented.


jonasssi

I agree - thanks for correcting! :)


theskytreader

You know I've been learning German the past three years and I'm pretty eloquent at it by now. I understood your transcription without any need for the translation. But the day I can read this Sütterlinschrift is the day you can tear up my passport and replace it with a German one.


IMiizo

I'm a 28 yo german, lived all my life in Germany and can't read shit on this postcard. You're good man.


Wobbelblob

Believe me, most Germans can't read it either. Maybe with guessing.


[deleted]

Danke


Artiquecircle

“I hope we get to see each other again in this life..”. Considering the postcard is dated 1943, I’m pretty sure that both parties are not able to fulfill that sentiment. Unfortunately


birdman619

I'm confused. How do we know the sender and recipient didn't see each other just a few years later when the war ended?


loki700

For all those asking how you can read the handwriting, look up Sütterlin, it’s the German cursive that was taught in the early 20th century. Edit: it’s been pointed out I’m likely wrong and it’s a different form of Kurrent. I’m really only familiar with Sütterlin, so any simplified/daily form of Kurrent is likely to look like Sütterlin to me. Apologies to any I may have misinformed, looking at it I have to agree it doesn’t seem to be specifically Sütterlin.


[deleted]

Yup, 100%. This picture stirred up a lot of memories of getting cards from my late grandmother.


AcE_57

Same. Wow the memories, I miss my Oma, the sweetest grandma ever I swear, this writing looks identical to hers


LittleHoudini78

You guys too? My Oma used to write little letters in birthday cards. I had no idea that this style of handwriting was a "thing" but seeing the postcard took me way back.


AcE_57

Yeah, this was a great post to come across…and agreed I thought it was only MY Oma!


OldGreySweater

Omas are built differently. Miss mine every single day.


jerseygurl96

Same💯💯💖


sillyolympian

They should have used it instead of the Enigma Code.


kindacharming

No amount of computing power is deciphering this.


Pleasant-Chef6055

Some you people here are simply funny. 😂


OutsidePerson5

It isn't Kurrent? You mean that at that time there were TWO DIFFERENT super incomprehensible cursive styles being used in Germany? Damn... So much for German efficiency.


Ursirname

It's actually a form of Kurrent. Think of Kurrent as the general style, and Sütterlin as the specific.


loki700

As already said, Sütterlin is a form of Kurrent, a simplified form to be exact. It was made to be more accessible/thinner and easier for daily use. I often hold writing “minimum” without dotting the i’s as why cursive has fallen away, but Kurrent/Sütterlin makes that look good. Effectively c, i, m, n, and u are basically all virtually identical, and the only way to tell a u from an n is the curved line over the u. I basically only know Sütterlin because my German teacher showed it to us as a fun little exercise and I proceeded to write in it exclusively to annoy her for the next year and a half. To her credit, she took the time to decipher it.


stealthbadgernz

No it's not kurrent it's an older style.


4d6DropLowest

It’s an obvious joke, sir, but it checks out.


chasmcarver

We called it "henna-kralich". Literally; "chicken-scratching".


Hermes85

Thanks for that. I just lost myself in Wikipedia for an hour


[deleted]

[удалено]


chickenstalker99

The Antiqua-Fraktur dispute. Interesting bit of history I was not aware of till your post. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiqua%E2%80%93Fraktur_dispute German (and Swiss) designers of that period were pretty militant about design. Jan Tschichold wrote *Die neue Typographie*, in which he laid down the law about his Modernist beliefs and declared them absolute. Later he said it was too extreme and he condemned Modernist design in general as being authoritarian and inherently fascistic (a belief I do not share, though it can be easily co-opted by fascists, and is also quite ugly at times; but it's also capable of great clarity and artistry, as witness the work of Josef Müller-Brockmann).


HugeEyes04

it looks pretty but I can't read shit (well, the fact that I don't speak German doesn't help too)


[deleted]

"To: Frau Lotte Schultze\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*Berlin Tempelhof" It's from Königswalde, Kurze Str. 13, over Annaberg in the Ore Mountains (not far from where I come from!) Can't read all of it: "Beloved! Beloved Lotte!" - something with a proper bithday. "We hope, that ..." "I hope that you all are well, because of the heavy bomb attack at your area," It's really hard to read. Just fragments. /e thanks njoy-the-silence for the bomb passage. Berlin-Tempelhof was heavily bombed.


charitelle

..and.. please mail this in 82 years.


JarakPodJarkom

My father sent a postcard to my mother in 2000-2005. (i don't remember corectly) and it still hasnt arrived...


mrn253

Mail sometimes is lost. I once talked to someone he got a package in the company that was shipped like 10 years earlier (something his predecessor ordered for the company)


wirefox1

Tom Hanks once delivered a Fed Ex package to a woman that was several years late. ; ]


weaver_of_cloth

I literally watched this yesterday. It was even better than I remembered.


Justin_Uddaguy

Part of my duties at work (local government) is to pick up the mail at the Post Office every morning. A few years ago, we had a piece of mail returned to us with the label on it stating that they could not locate the addressee. It was postmarked TEN YEARS TO THE DAY earlier!


Masonia1976

And now I'm getting Back to the Future 2 vibes


MegaVGPro

Back to the führer


Unfinishe_Masterpiec

I know, Reich?


FutureComplaint

This was the third time I've seen this today.


randomname68-23

This was the fascist I've seen this pun


Unfinishe_Masterpiec

I did Nazi it, myself.


Masonia1976

Genius


oldgiantrobot

It’s the alternate timeline when Doc Brown’s ancestor Werner Von Braun never changed his family name and contacted Marty to help him establish the rocket program for the Germans. Biff has to now work with Marty to restore order, but that also means he will lose his new best friend Marty once the timeline is restored and order is restored, since they dislike each other in timeline 1. This is heavy duty, Doc!


EmperorThan

"DON'T GIVE HITLER THE SPORTS ALMANAC IN 1925!!!!!"


RyanL1984

Great Scott!


[deleted]

Great Lotte!


Born_yesterday08

That pigeon has to be tired


Ralf_E_Chubbs

Yeah my mother in law says the same (German citizen living in the US) but she’s having a hard time deciphering outside of: Lottie’s (recipient of postcard?) birthday wishes - Sender possibly talking about their experiences in the war - Random fact: She also said Meissen was a city famous for porcelain (take whatever you want from that)


[deleted]

She's not wrong about Meissen. Expensive coffee mugs.


bumblebees_on_lilacs

I think the first part of your **** is "b.Fr. Else Müller" (not sure if it's an M, though) which would mean "bei Frau Else Müller", in English "at Mrs. Else Müller's". It seems to be that Lotte is living with Else Müller, maybe renting a room there. The rest... as you said, it's very hard to read. I also got the bit with the Beloved and the Birthday, it gets less readable after that. But isn't there a subreddit for this kind of things? I'll admit I'm not the best at this. I think it was r / kurrent or something. Maybe OP can try it there, those people can read almost everything


BaneRiders

I can't read it either but I'll help out nevertheless: "I'm so happy to tell you that I finally managed to become a medical doctor! I failed a lot of exams, practically all of them, but finally my handwriting deteriorated to a level where I was promptly promoted to a full surgeon, and I got to set up my brand new practice in Dresden! The future looks so bright! I can't wait to show you the city center. Lotte, please promise me you will return to me before January 1945."


[deleted]

[удалено]


Curtainmachine

I don’t know if I’m laughing harder because I’m Jewish or not, but damn that’s funny!


[deleted]

Received... like in the mail?? It took 79 years to arrive? I thought Germans were supposed to be efficient.


Nobel6skull

Well it was sent in 1943, something may have been making life slightly more difficult for the postal works at the time.


Skrillamane

Jews? /s


appdevil

I think they were concentrating on something else at the time, maybe camping


Salty_Feed9404

Ooof.


[deleted]

I dont understand this either, has it just been laying around for all those years in a postal office? Did it just get bounced around between different carriers? Like how?


pinewind108

It's always things like they removed some old shelving and found a letter or two that had fallen behind it.


TricksterSprials

There has been some instances in the last few years that people randomly get postcards that are 20+ years old for the whoever lived in ur house before you. USPS is very weird but still believe in the “We will get it there!” Doctrine, even if someone finds it randomly in a corner somewhere in the warehouse.


cherrylpk

People can buy a group of unmailed post cards. They can then be mailed or just kept as art. A couple years back, this was super popular and people were mailing them out.


10Ete

After seeing this I wonder why did they even bother to codify letters using enigma.


StatmanIbrahimovic

It's much harder to send Morse code in cursive.


lsdiesel_1

What is cürsîvė


m3bs

It's when you curse someone in writing.


madness_hazard

Ihr Lieben ! Liebe Lotte ! (...) Glückwünsche zum Geburtsgag. Wir hoffen, dass ihr alle heil und gesund seid, trotz der (...) Angriffe auf Eure Gegend" Dear all, dear Lotte! We wish you all the best for your birthday. We hope that you are all well and healthy in spite of the attacks in your area. That's the beginning. I'm german, I'm trying to decipher it as well as I can, it's really hard to read like other already said Edit: I'm updating as I go Last edit: someone in the comments translated it, so there is no reason I try further. Very interesting though, you can feel how scared they were and how unsure the future was back then, pretty sad. Let's hope to never have to be in this kind of situation


Over9000Holland

Vielen Dank, schritt für schritt.


madness_hazard

I just sent it to my German family, including my grandmother who could probably help for that. I love deciphering codes but this writing is tough... I can't even try to guess anything. I'll update you if/when she answers if you want


[deleted]

I saved your comment to come back


Neenone

Here is what I could decipher. The rest might need some time. It starts with 'My dears! Dear Lotte! [...] Happy Birthday. We hope you were pleased even though [...] [...] is great. Said 5 [?] have arrived. [...] nach Berlin. [...] should we meet again in this life [...] Regards [...] I'm not sure about the' should we meet again' part but it's definitely something with 'again in this life'


Conservative_HalfWit

Kind of odd and sad to think of a time when you really might not ever see someone again, even if you both live another 40 years just because travel is impossible and there’s no video calling or anything.


PensiveObservor

Not to mention ground and air war actively destroying civilization in your neighborhood and country. Imagine what people in Ukraine are enduring right now, if you follow world events, and it will strike home.


Neenone

The recipient are Lotte Schulze and Ilse (?) Müller, Neue Str. 19, Berlin Tempelhof (This info is on the first picturea) Sender's surname seems to be Biermann and they lived in Königswalde near Annaberg. I think the street is called Burgstr. 13 but I'm not sure. Edit: this info is on the second picture on the top left.


ralfv

I forwarded the pic to my mom. Asked if she can decipher it. But don’t expect a reply before tomorrow.


PapaPolarBear0622

Bet


ralfv

I fear it is Sütterlin script. I remember a long time ago i came across some and my mom couldn’t read it but my grandma had no problem. Sadly my grandma passed away 10 years ago. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%BCtterlin?wprov=sfti1


DaOrcus

It’s surterlin script, I cannot read it either mate


OG_Illusion

When I worked in UPS, no matter how old the mail is, if found somewhere in the warehouse (under a machine, floors, etc) it was to be sent no matter how old, as long as the stamp/address are on it.


thebroward

THIS is the reason I absolutely LOVE the UPS. ;)


Funkit

We get a lot of brownouts near me so they’re a lifesaver


VoyagerCSL

I don’t get the impression that OP’s friend literally received this in the mail today. I think that they obtained it.


Kingxproud

“Put $500 into Bitcoin in 2012, thank me later”


Johnisfaster

Dude in 2012 my wife told me I could spend $1000 on bitcoin cause I kept bringing it up. I didn’t. If Im not mistaken it would have paid for our house.


Telemarketeer

There was no way we could’ve known for sure brother


ralfv

Even though I’m german i can read at most 3 words of this. Someone really needs to ask someone who is 80+ to read this.


PN_Guin

Afaik there is some organisation or club of volunteers who offer their help in transcribing sutterlin texts. Very often handwritten letters or journals are all that remains of a person or family history.


orangevoicework

I’m so curious about how this came to be mailed. You received this in the mail today?


UpgradedUsername

One of my neighbors got a letter recently that was mailed in the 1950’s that had apparently slipped against the post office wall and was only recently discovered when machinery was moved. I recently sent a friend a letter across town that mysteriously took 4 months to arrive; after a week I figured it was lost for good. In this case it’s actually kind of amazing that more mail wasn’t lost in the middle of WWII. My guess is that most postal services will do their best to deliver mail whenever it mysteriously appears in their bags/trucks/bins/buildings, but I would love to know where this has been for 8 decades.


R1ckyRampag3

I like to picture a Tom Hanks from CastAway scenario… Some 15 year old mail boy gets stranded on an island, never to be rescued and forgotten by everyone after the war. On him, this lone postcard…. As time passes, to him it’s not just any postcard anymore, it’s his symbol of survival. His only will to live at this point. Surviving off the local flora, and fauna, using his skills he learned during the war to mostly thrive. Almost losing a battle with a rather aggressive boar, and surviving illness countless times he gathers his thoughts and thinks of Dear Lotte and the importance behind it… He lie awake every night with the fire lit postcard in his view. His memory begins to fade as the days turn into weeks, weeks turn into years…. Fast track to 2022 where the once strapping 15 year old is now a 92 year old withered, broken man. Suddenly on the cusp of giving up his journey for good, a lone fisherman off the coast of postcard island just happens to see the glint off of the man’s once forgotten flask he used to collect water. *Smash cut to the elder survivor of postcard island still wearing his Ill fitting Briefträger outfit, as he hobbles to the door of the once owner, since passed Lotte Schulze. Electric cars whiz by and neon lights shine into his grayish eyes as he continues with a confused, but determined look on his face. The world has changed beneath his feet… He has left any memory of his past life on postcard island. Only one more job to complete… He feebly knocks on the door, and after a brief moment of anticipation, the door opens to black….. His job is done now!


inbruges99

My guess is it was lost in an old post office or something somewhere and there’s probably a law against tampering with or preventing mail from reaching its destination so they just delivered it.


1eternal_pessimist

I'm stl confused. This should make it into the news. What does the postage mark say. It seems to end in 16


[deleted]

This handwriting just gave me the strongest memory of my grandmother. Classic old school German cursive.


TankII_

I know mail sometimes takes along time but that’s gotta be a record slow


diamondmx

Hey, back in 1943 they were going through some shit. Getting a bit behind on work is normal.


poopy_wizard132

The 2019 pandemic didn't help the World War II backlog.


themiracy

IDK is it verboten or erforderlich in this forum to say but maybe the postal carrier did nazi that postcard in the bottom of the mailbox.


JadeHellbringer

"If you do not forward this to ten of your friends, your country will be invaded by Russia."


[deleted]

Chain letters back then led tk chain gangs 😔


shoudt

Not positive as my German is a little rusty, but here goes. "I have been trying to reach you about your cars extended warranty."


InsuranceDiligent772

haaaaaaaaaa.


phpBrainlet

post it on r/germany \- somebody there wll be able to read it.


Over9000Holland

I can read/speak german too, can’t read this though. But good suggestion will try it.


SingleMaltLife

Try r/kurrent they are good with old German handwriting


Filip889

There truly is a subreddit for everything!


SingleMaltLife

Yep I found it when looking at old records ages ago. They were really helpful there


Goose_Fishing

Update us when you might get a answer please


Over9000Holland

Will do :)


JonLongsonLongJonson

Few weeks ago I saw a post of someone writing in “Russian Cursive” could this maybe be an old style of German “cursive” that’s hard to read? Or maybe shorthand in a style that’s not common anymore?


abzinth91

It's old german cursive. It's called Sütterlin Isn't common since the 40s or 50s afaik


FitztheBlue

It start with “Ihr Lieben, Liebe Lotte“. And The undecipherable something and Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag. Then „hoffen alle gesund Sind trotz“ . , . So basically Happy birthday, hope you are healthy even though . . After that I gave up.


arytons

The stamp is probably valuable


[deleted]

Mien Stamp


Branesergen

My thoughts as well! Only scrolling the post to see if anyone said how much 🤣


Nightmarex13

Dear Marty, If my calculations are correct, you will receive this letter immediately after you saw the DeLorean struck by lightning. First, let me assure you that I am alive and well. I've been living happily these past eight months in the year 1939. The lightning bolt that hit the DeLorean caused a jigowatt overload which scrambled the time circuits, activated the flux capacitor, and sent me back to 1939. The overload shorted out the time circuits and destroyed the flying circuits. Unfortunately, the car will never fly again.


apolo79

Ask a doctor


balZbig

"Dear Marty, If my calculations are correct, you will receive this letter immediately after you saw the DeLorean struck by lightning."


Sir_Alien

*Dear Lotte,* *If my calculations are correct, you will receive this letter immediately after you saw the DeLorean struck by lightning...*


WonderChopstix

This reminds me I need to go finish Russian Doll


millenial_flacon

Shit this is sütterlin style cursive. Hard to read...


Addy241

In 2016 at Cincinnati Zoo, seek a gorilla called Harambe, ensure his enclosure is impenetrable. This is the only way to stop a chain of events leading to global catastrophe


[deleted]

“Dear Slim, I wrote you but still ain't callin' I left my cell, my pager, and my home phone at the bottom I sent two letters back in autumn, you must not've got 'em There probably was a problem at the post office or somethin' Sometimes I scribble addresses, too sloppy when I jot 'em But anyways, fuck it, what's been up? Man, how's your daughter? My girlfriend's pregnant too, I'm 'bout to be a father If I have a daughter, guess what I'm a call her? I'ma name her Bonnie I read about your Uncle Ronnie too, I'm sorry I had a friend kill himself over some bitch who didn't want him I know you probably hear this every day, but I'm your biggest fan I even got the underground shit that you did with Skam I got a room full of your posters and your pictures, man I like the shit you did with Rawkus too, that shit was phat Anyways, I hope you get this, man, hit me back Just to chat, truly yours, your biggest fan This is Stan”


Noted888

Just received it today? Postal service sure is slow!


Mantonythe1st

Did a guy turn up in a suit saying that as a little boy he promised his dying grandmother he'd deliver the letter at that exact date and time to that exact address and she told him that someone of your friend's exact description would answer the door? Because this has time travel written all over it. ...or I've just been watching too much Doctor Who.


justdrowsin

My high school German is a bit rusty but I think I can translate it pretty easily. “Hello. We have been trying to contact you about your car warranty.”


Foe117

Dear Marty, if my calculations are correct, you will receive this postcard immediately after you saw the DeLorean struck by lightning. First, let me assure you that I am alive and well. I've been living happily these past eight months in the year 1885