1900s

Picture 1: On Reconnaissance.
Hans and his comrades go farther and farther in enemy lands,
But in face of the Germans the French do not stand.
Hans tries to find them and hurries ahead
Through forest, towns and houses he treads.
Then finally near Spichern in the early morning light
He finds the French entrenched and ready for a fight.

Picture 2: Storming the Spicherer Hills.
He tells his commander what he has found,
The troops rejoice, great joy abounds,And soon the Germans will the French engage
In Spichern where they’ll show their rage.
They bravely cut a path uphill
With their guns and with their iron will
At the front of the fight little Hans we can see
Leading the troops to victory!

Picture 3: A Glorious Victory.
High atop the Spichern hills the fighting rages on
With bayonet and rifle butt until the fight is won.
The Germans’ blows are hard and cause the French to flee
They run downhill and seek to hide below among the trees.
The Germans fire after them, then fire once again,
“The battle is won! Victory is ours!” proclaim the German men.

Picture 4: Requisitioning in the Villages.
The fleeing enemy is pursued, the victors are close behind,
And on the way of their pursuit an empty town they find.
And then since food is running low they search throughout the town
But usually, despite their work, no foodstuffs can be found.
Our Hans, however, knows the hunt and looks in the right places.
He returns to camp with more supplies to all the happy faces.

Picture 5: Pursuing the Fleeing Enemy.
And so the march continues, the French are still in flight
And though supplies run short, pursuit through day and night.
We chase the red-pants Frenchmen, like hunters stalk their deer,
So far and so relentless, till Paris is quite near.
Hans is now quite happy, the goal is now not far,
He laughs and jokes with his comrades throughout the tiring march.

Picture 6: Bring the Mail to the Troops.
The soldiers are most happy, when the mail from home arrives.
The letters and gifts from home are the passed out to all the smiles.
But since the foe would also like to commandeer these things,
A military escort must accompany all the things we bring.
So Hans must sit there on the wagon, rifle in his hand
And sees to it that the post arrives within the foeman’s land.

Picture 1: During Peacetime.
It’s eighteen hundred seventy, a very stormy year,
And all the signs are pointing that war is drawing near.
And here are two young people, sitting happy as can be,
Within the shaded garden, enjoying a life so free.
It’s little Hans and Trudy, they live in Cologne along the Rhine,
They like to share hot chocolate, they drink it all the time.

Picture 2: Mobilization for War.
When all at once a messenger before them comes and stands,
And gives to little Hansel a pressing telegram.
With wonder Hansel scans the lines and right away he knows
He’s being drafted, that is clear, to the army he must go.
He cries for joy “So now it starts!” Come here, my Trudy, see!
It’s war with France and we will soon be marching to Paris.”

Picture 3: Taking His Leave.
But Trudy can’t help feeling sad, and thinks about the threat
To her dear Hans, she can’t let go, and cries her eyes deep red.
Now, Hans looks forward to the war and packs his things real fast,
Bids Trudy then a fond farewell and hurries off at last.
And when he leaves his love behind, her heart begins to pound,
She prays with eyes both full of tears that he stays safe and sound.

Picture 4: The Troops March Off to War.
Hans makes it to his regiment with many of his friends
He shakes their hand and is happy to see them once again.
In his lieutenant’s uniform he’s really quite a sight,
And ready now, both proud and bold, to move off to the fight.
The soldiers then begin their march with shouts of joy and praise
And all along the marching route in song their voices raise.

Picture 5: Crossing the Border.
As the troops depart their homeland, accompanied by the drums,
They leave behind the ones they love and their beloved homes.
In the sun’s warm rays, on this sunny day, they march across the Rhine
And intone the poem “The Watch on the Rhine” with voices loud and fine.
They soon will cross the border and enter the Frenchman’s land,
And each man holds his rifle a little tighter in his hand.

Picture 6: Standing Guard.
Here in the land of enemies there’s danger all around,
And so we must protect ourselves from traps that do abound.
The guard provides this service and calls out the alarm
When e’er he sees approaching those who could do harm.
Our Hans must guard as others do and does his job right well,
But thinks of Trudy and his home, whereby his heart does swell.

This is an album of trade cards centered around the theme of “Young Germany” or “Germany’s Youth”. It was issued in 1915, after the war had started, but shows many aspects of the prewar youth movement in Germany.

Among the themes shown in the following images are:

– The Boys Scouts
– The Girls Scouts
– The “Wandervogel” Movement