Accession Number: 2022.02.8.8

The title of this postcard is Verschmoren in Treue zum Volk, which translates to “Bestow your faith in the People”

In the illustration, the male figure wears a tunic bearing a “Julfest” symbol, with his arm raised in a salute. The background behind him is a forest fire.

The postcard comes with an explanation of the Winterhilfswerk:

“The Winterhilfswerk (Winter Relief Agency) came into being during the crisis winter of 1931-32 to provide the needy with money, groceries, meals, clothing, and fuel. It was jointly maintained by private welfare associations, including the German Red Cross. However, a proclamation by Hitler and Goebbels on September 13, 1933 introduced the first National Socialist WHW for the winter of 1933-1934. Although officially proclaimed as a broad-based organization of all welfare resources, in reality the WHW was subordinate to the NS Volk Welfare agency (NSV). The WHW was granted its own legal rights in 1936, but the ties between it and the NSV remain evident.

“The WHW engaged in street and house-to-house collections, and the leaflets displayed on these pages were given as a donation certificate and were subsequently mounted on the front door. (That’s why two of them are punctured.)”