These three postcards were sent from my Grandpa Hans Doelling to Mrs. Minna Kleint during WWI. At age 17 he and his friend Walter Wohlgemut left Penig and went to Dresden. From his history: "My friend's aunt was Mrs. Minna Kleint, nee Keil. We had travelled to Dresden to stay there and we did so. I remained with the Kleint family for the next segment of my life. I felt at home with the Kleint family. There were three children, a 10-yr old girl named Hildegard, and 8 year old Herbert, and a 6 year old Hellmut. We all got along very well . The father of the family was away at war, but he sent his permission allowing me to stay." p.74 He stayed there from July 1915 until he went to war in April 1916. He worked first at a restaurant but then changed jobs and worked at the arsenal for more pay. Mrs. Kleint was very kind to him and he considered them his family
This first one is dated 11 April 1916 letting her know his Regiment number and where he was training: Zittau
This next one is dated 23 November 1916. It says something about being in a hurry. He had been on the frontlines in France.
Wounded by grenade shrapnel in the right shoulder blade on 19 April 1917, he recovered in Giessen at the Reserve Hospital. He was able to visit the Kleint family on Ascension Day
(May 17) in a new clean uniform.
This last. one is dated 24 July 1917. He was transferred to Berlin to the Buch Hospital where he also took care of postal duties.
In Berlin he took care of postal duties.
He was able to go see the Kleint family again in Dresden the end of September 1917, now almost 19 years old. He was stationed in Dresden for a year and then headed back to the front and was caught in the chaos at the end of the war (November 11, 1918).
No comments:
Post a Comment