Translating German WW2 POW letter

[The Gauge]

Can anyone please translate this WW2 German POW letter please?

I have acquired this letter sent in 1946 so just after WW2 from a German prisoner being held in POW camp 248 in Sheffield which was located close to where I live. No trace of the camp exists today, and no real records of it either.

It's addressed to Herrn O Wrigge at Neumunster Holst, Rendsburgstr 13, Germany which I believe was a British controlled area at the time. No idea if that location still exists?

I assume he was writing to family back home? I would love to know what it says, and even reunite it with a family member of the POW, but I imagine that would be impossible now?

[K50 DEL]

Well this is the place in Germany where the letter was being sent,

https://maps.app.goo.gl/ma5L4Yes79iTA3ej6

If no one on here comes back to you I can ask one of my German colleagues if he can assist later in the week

[extraT]

I can speak German but I’m struggling to see the text. I’m not being funny but it was written on 21. December, so just before Christmas of that year, to a guy named Otto. I’m sure you could have deduced that yourself though…

First line says, “today I’m answering your card from 28.11” and then something like, and then something like “your post was shared / announced on 06.12”.

But then, like I said, it’s quite difficult to read… Your best bet might be to type it into translator. Those funny looking letter with the dots are always written with an “e” e.g: ö=oe and ß= ss as in double S and not the SS…

[paul.deitch]

Can you scan it with higher contrast? A lot of it is very easy to read but not all of it. You are lucky that it's in modern script rather than Sutterlin which is very difficult to read.

[The Gauge]

Yes, I will try and scan it to make it easier to read.

[Mercury00]

I can't speak German, so this is the only way I can help

[The Gauge]

I'm guessing the handwriting doesn't help make it so easy to read.

[sherbertdip]

It would be better if you could photograph it in sections so the script is larger, really it needs a native German reading with probably a magnifying glass.

My Mrs is into historical stuff and often we spend hours trying to decipher writing from as late as the Victorian period and as early as the 15th century. It's not just the script type it's the change in word usage that can be difficult.

All the guff above doesn't help really, sorry!

[dundarach]

Wonder if this is the same Otto Wrigge on this address book entry?

https://agora.sub.uni-hamburg.de/subhh-adress/cntm...

It's not these guys is it:

Flowers of Otto Wrigge

Rendsburger Str. 13
24534 Neumünster

Tel./fax: [phone]

E-mail: info(at)blume-wrigge.de
www.blumen-wrigge.de

Our Wrigge flower shop has been located at Rendsburger Straße 13 in Neumünster since 1904.
After two Wrigge generations, the business was run by Mrs. Dahlhoff in 1981 and by Marion Gullert since 2000.

Edited by dundarach on Monday 16th October 07:13

[Semmelweiss]

Try this

https://www.deepl.com/translator/files

Or type the text into the translation box.

[Skeptisk]

Semmelweiss said:

Try this

https://www.deepl.com/translator/files

Or type the text into the translation box.

I think working out what is written is the problem. I am fluent in German but can’t work out what the words are so can’t work out what it says. A native German used to reading hand written German would do better.

To be honest I might struggle in English as I can’t remember the last time I had to read some else’s hand writing.

[RedWhiteMonkey]

Skeptisk said:

I think working out what is written is the problem. I am fluent in German but can’t work out what the words are so can’t work out what it says. A native German used to reading hand written German would do better.

To be honest I might struggle in English as I can’t remember the last time I had to read some else’s hand writing.

This, I'm pretty much fluent and its the actually making out the words that is the problem here. Neither I nor my wife (German) couldn't make much out. Maybe its easier to read when in the hand, can you find a native German?

[The Gauge]

dundarach said:

Wonder if this is the same Otto Wrigge on this address book entry?

https://agora.sub.uni-hamburg.de/subhh-adress/cntm...

It's not these guys is it:

Flowers of Otto Wrigge

Rendsburger Str. 13
24534 Neumünster

Tel./fax: [phone]

E-mail: info(at)blume-wrigge.de
www.blumen-wrigge.de

Our Wrigge flower shop has been located at Rendsburger Straße 13 in Neumünster since 1904.
After two Wrigge generations, the business was run by Mrs. Dahlhoff in 1981 and by Marion Gullert since 2000.

Interesting find thank you for that.

Edited by The Gauge on Monday 16th October 08:30

[The Gauge]

Thanks for looking everyone. I will try and scan it and see if the handwriting becomes clearer.

When the address states 'Rendsburger Str. 13' I assume that Str means Straße/Strase = Street? and is 13 the house number, or postcode?

[Baldchap]

The Gauge said:

When the address states 'Rendsburger Str. 13' I assume that Str means Straße/Strase = Street? and is 13 the house number, or postcode?

Correct. Str = Strasse.

[JMGS4]

The Gauge said:

Thanks for looking everyone. I will try and scan it and see if the handwriting becomes clearer.

When the address states 'Rendsburger Str. 13' I assume that Str means Straße/Strase = Street? and is 13 the house number, or postcode?

Correct "Rendsburger Str 13" is no 13 Rendsburg Street..
German Postcodes (originally 4 numbers) did not come in until zone partition in 1948 and these are always placed before the city/town name e.g. D-1000 Berlin 26 (old style D=Germany, 1000 Berlin (West) and 26 is the Postal area (Bezirk))
Nowadays there are 5 numbers, after the fall of the Wall, the street and number eg. Berlinerstrasse 21... and D-12345 Berlin.
If you can get better contrast I'll probably be able to read/translate it for you. the only problem ist the fading due to his ink "paling" out!

[nicanary]

The first word is heute. That means today. That's all I can read.

[paul.deitch]

Mercury00 said:

I can't speak German, so this is the only way I can help

Higher contrast but lower resolution, makes it harder!

[paul.deitch]

Yes scan it in a higher resolution if you can.
Possibly using a red light or UV..
Is that all of it because I didn't see a closing sig?

[sparsam]

Couldn't quite get all of it, perhaps someone can fill in the blanks?



Lieber Otto!

Heute beantworte ich Deine Karte vom 28.11. zudem
einen Satz von meiner Post vom 6.12. möchte ich noch be-
merken, dass Du diese Sache einmal um 100% drehen …..
Du kannst Dir wohl denken, was ich meine! - Einige Be-
kannte von mir haben bereits die Reise nach Deutschland
angetreten. Allerdings sind es Leute mit der Gruppierung
……. und …. älteren …………… wie ich. Man kann
also keine Rechnung aufstellen und “das Glück ist
ein Rindvieh und sucht seinesgleichen” - Sag mal
lieber Otto, eine Frage unter uns, wie ist Dein Verhält-
nis zu Paul? Über Franz hast du mich gut unter-
richtet, aber Paul hat es auch bisher noch nicht für

nötig gehalten. Ich lege keinen gesteigerten Wert darauf,
aber man interessiert sich doch etwas für die Wandlung gewisser
Leute! Vor einigen Tagen erhielte ich Post von ….. ………..
dort hält man es für eine Selbstverständlichkeit dass
mein zukünftiger Aufenthaltsort dort sei. Ich beantworte
es ……… ………. nicht erst seit jetzt dafür bei ………..
….. …… Sonst kann ich Dir von hier nichts be-
richten, derselbe ….. läuft immer den gleichen
Kreis. - Mit herzl. Grüssen an D. Eltern, Frau,
Schwester und Dich, Dein Herbert,
Entschuldige bitte, aber es fällt heute schwer zu schreiben.