Otto Splitgerber letter home

[+elephant 36]

Original post at 'The Aerodrome':

 

http://www.theaerodrome.com/forum/people/54741-otto-splitgerber-letter-home.html

 

Dated: 20-12-16 considerably, after Splitgerber's first aerial victory with Jasta 12.

Could it be possible to be read by our German language speakers?

 

 

 

[Creaghorn 10]

unfortunately not since it's not written in normal letters but so called "sütterlin" which is a kind of a quick, stenographic style of writing, which vanished in the last decades. some older people still might know how to read it. there are also some sütterlin translators in the web where you can teach yourself how to read it. but that's no easy task of course. that would be the same like teach yourself to read greek letters.

 

i have still a box with hundreds of original "Feldpostbriefen" from a german soldier in the trenches, but more or less have no clou because i can not read it.

but there are also places in germany who can translate it for you. some homes for old people do it to keep the old peoples brains in shape.

[Hasse Wind 46]

It's not actually Sütterlin, which came into use only in the 1920s or 1930s (it was invented in the 1910s) but the earlier form of German handwriting (Kurrentschrift). Here's a link to Wikipedia: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deutsche_Kurrentschrift

 

The same handwriting style was used in Sweden (and Finland) until the early 19th century, when it was replaced by the modern style, which was in use for centuries earlier in Western and Southern Europe.

 

Both Sütterlin and Kurrentschrift are difficult to read, because many of the letters look very different from the modern style - "r" for example looks like "w".

 

I'm not even going to try translating it. It would take hours. But some guys can read it just like that.

[Olham 164]

I'll give it a try, when I'm back from my holidays, elephant.

No time now; must leave soon.

[Creaghorn 10]

It's not actually Sütterlin, which came into use only in the 1920s or 1930s (it was invented in the 1910s) but the earlier form of German handwriting (Kurrentschrift). Here's a link to Wikipedia: http://de.wikipedia...._Kurrentschrift

 

The same handwriting style was used in Sweden (and Finland) until the early 19th century, when it was replaced by the modern style, which was in use for centuries earlier in Western and Southern Europe.

 

Both Sütterlin and Kurrentschrift are difficult to read, because many of the letters look very different from the modern style - "r" for example looks like "w".

 

I'm not even going to try translating it. It would take hours. But some guys can read it just like that.

 

must disagree, it is IMO sütterlin (but still might be wrong though). german sütterlin (there is also prussian sütterlin) is one form of the kurrentschrift and quicker and more complicated than normal kurrentschrift. but that what you see here, and what i have at home (or e.g.every autograph of MvR or his last will) is written in sütterlin. i can read the normal kurrentschrift quite well, at least after a while, but in sütterlin i'm completely lost.

maybe different countries said sütterlin for similar, but nonetheless different fonts? so what the german calls sütterlin might not be the same what scandinavians call sütterlin? i don't know. but from what i have researched, also by translating one or two feldpostbriefe in the web letter by letter, was by sütterlin-sites, like this one http://www.suetterli.../Sutterlin0.htm, and it matched perfectly.

 

p.s. the upper page is written in those letters you mentioned. the town etc. the lower page is in sütterlin. that's a phenomenon i've seen in my own letters too. probably for the postoffice it wasn't sure if everybody can read sütterlin, so they wrote it in kurrentschrift, but the letter itself in sütterlin.

Edited December 28, 2011 by Creaghorn

[Olham 164]

There was also the "Kurzschrift" (Steno) with shortages, which people back then

used mixed with Sütterlin - then it gets real tough to read.

Edited December 28, 2011 by Olham

[Cash 0]

Hey Lads.

 

Will ask my Grandma´ this weekend if she can read it. I guess(hope) she will. She was a "Blitzmädel" in WW2, working for the Luftwaffe in the communication branch. Befor this she was at the Handelsschule. As far as i know in a "Fernmeldestelle/Vermittlung" in the Berlin area. But i remember my grand-grand dad was also writing this kind of letters to his family. He was with the Cavalry and later in ww2 in the customs in the tschechey and later in southern France where he got a pow (he was in a prison camp in the states). I think the chances are good, that she can read it ;-)

 

Cheers.

[Hasse Wind 46]

 

maybe different countries said sütterlin for similar, but nonetheless different fonts? so what the german calls sütterlin might not be the same what scandinavians call sütterlin? i don't know. but from what i have researched, also by translating one or two feldpostbriefe in the web letter by letter, was by sütterlin-sites, like this one http://www.suetterli.../Sutterlin0.htm, and it matched perfectly.

 

 

Could be. I'm definitely no expert in this.

[Creaghorn 10]

Could be. I'm definitely no expert in this.

 

at least what the world considers being spaghetti bolognese is also something completely different than what the people from bologna consider being spaghetti bolognese.

[Hasse Wind 46]

Let's hope Cash's grandma can translate it before Olham gets back.