GERMAN WWII DEATH CARD FOR GEFREITER ALOIS MERTLBAUER

WWII German death card Gefreiter ALOIS MERTLBAUER.  He died while on a boat on July 6, 1943 in Poland at the age of 20 years.   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.