GERMAN WWII DEATH CARD FOR FELDWEBEL UNTEROFFIZIER JOSEPH PERL

WWII German death card for Josef Perl, a Feldwebel Unteroffizier and platoon leader of Gen. Rgt. Unterfeldmeister at the R.A.D. 5/291 in Winzerr, Germany.  Owner of a Iron Cross 2nd class he  died at the age of 31 on  March 20, 1943.  Card notes:  "In the struggle against Bolshevism, my beloved husband, our dear-hearted father, died the heroic death for the Fuhrer and fatherland, true to his oath of allegiance."   Card measures about 4.5" x 5.0" unfolded.  It is a double sided, double page card.

Military death cards are notices of the death of a WW2 German soldier who was killed during the war. Known also as “Sterbebilder”. 

Death notices were a common European Catholic custom, normally given or mailed to mourners, family, and friends as death notifications also encouraging mourners to remember the deceased in prayer.  These cards were usually 1 or 2 small pages, either single or folded and printed on both back and front.  These pages would usually have a photograph of the deceased along with his important life information.  Some did not include a photo and many included a religious icon or poem.

In contrast to other death cards the German government would not allow the printing of any WWII soldier’s unit information or a graphic cause of death.