Postcard

Instituted by the German army, this postcard acted as an official form of correspondence between prisoners of war and their families. Since newly captured prisoners of war were sent to transit camps where they stayed for just a few days before being sent to another camp, they were not allowed to write messages. With this form, they could only cross out the information that did not apply to their situation. Maurice Baribeau sent this card from Dulag Luft, a large transit camp for members of the air force who had been made prisoners of war. Although the information provided on these cards was very succinct and controlled, it nonetheless reassured families that their relative was alive. Families had to wait until prisoners were assigned to a permanent camp, where they would then be allowed to send another card with a short personal message.