Original WWI Imperial German Army Real-Photo Postcard (RPPC): Machine Gun Course Group with MG 08s, 1st MG Company, Infantry Regiment 420, Feldpost Mailed February 1918
This is an original real-photo postcard (RPPC) showing the men of a German machine gun training course posed with three MG 08 machine guns on sled mounts. It was sent home through the military Feldpost in February 1918. The card carries the unit's own purple ink stamp and has a caption printed into the photo itself, so the unit is identified on both sides. It would suit collectors of WWI German machine gun units, Feldpost history and Imperial German Army regimental items.
About 40 soldiers are grouped in rows. Some stand, some sit and some lie on the ground in front. All wear winter greatcoats and field caps (Feldmützen), and a few have belt equipment. Three Maxim MG 08 heavy machine guns sit among the men on their Schlitten 08 sled mounts. One has its ammunition belt loaded. An ammunition box lies in the front row. Behind the group, on the left, is a wooden log house of the type often seen in German photos from the Eastern Front. A few men seem to wear decorations on their coats.
A white caption in the negative at the bottom reads "Zum Andenken a.d. M.G. Kurs. I.M.G.K. 420". This translates to "In memory of the M.G. course, 1st Machine Gun Company 420."
On the reverse, the card was used as a Feldpost card and has period markings:
Unit stamp: a purple ink stamp reading "1. M. G. K. Inf. Regts. 420" (1st Machine Gun Company, Infantry Regiment 420)
Postmark: a "K.D. Feldpost" (Imperial German Field Post) cancel dated 16.2.18
Handwritten "Feldpost" at the top
Address: sent to a recipient at Herzebrock i/Westf., Kreis Wiedenbrück in Westphalia
Message: a handwritten message in old German Kurrent script, dated "15.2." (the day before the postmark)
Item Details
Format: Original real-photo postcard (RPPC), black-and-white
Subject: Group portrait of a machine gun training course, 1st MG Company, Infantry Regiment 420, with three MG 08 machine guns
Key Detail 1 (Caption): In-negative caption "Zum Andenken a.d. M.G. Kurs. I.M.G.K. 420"
Key Detail 2 (Weapons): Three MG 08 machine guns on sled mounts, one with its ammunition belt loaded, plus an ammunition box
Key Detail 3 (Postal History): Unit stamp matching the photo caption, and a K.D. Feldpost cancel dated 16 February 1918
Reverse: Divided back, Feldpost mailed, addressed to Herzebrock, Westphalia, with a handwritten message
Dimensions: Standard postcard, approx. 3.5 x 5.5 in / 9 x 14 cm
Date: Mailed February 1918 (photo taken in or before early 1918)
Condition: Heavily used. Several creases and crack lines, mostly across the sky area of the front and the corners of the back. Some stains and surface wear. The group, the machine guns and the caption are still clear.
About the MG 08 and German Machine Gun Companies
The Maschinengewehr 08 was the German Army's standard heavy machine gun of WWI. It was a water-cooled weapon based on the Maxim design and fired belt-fed 7.92mm ammunition. It was usually mounted on the heavy Schlitten 08 sled, which the crew could drag or carry. It was one of the most deadly weapons of the war. As the war went on, Germany greatly increased the number of machine guns in each infantry regiment. Every regiment had its own machine gun companies (Maschinengewehr-Kompanien), and courses like the one shown here trained new gunners and crews. The 400-series infantry regiments, including IR 420, were raised in the middle of the war as Germany expanded the army. Records suggest IR 420 served on the Eastern Front during part of the war, which would fit the log house in the background.
Sold as pictured. Please examine all images carefully and feel free to ask any questions before purchasing.