Is there anyone here who can read German and Polish handwriting styles during WW2?

[Enceladus828]

Hello all, for a number of years, my family has had a few things that were written to or from my great-grandfather and his family during WW2. We found them when we were clearing out my great-grandmother's house after she died -- she kept a lot of things about her life, family and her husband's life and family hidden as she was so distraught by the war. One is in Polish, the other is in German. We have asked people we know personally who know Polish and German but have only been able to make out a few words because they can't read the handwriting style as it dates back to the WW2 era and is completely different than today. We've tried using the Google Translate app but it barely recognizes anything.

 

If there is anyone here who can read German and Polish handwriting styles during the era WW2, send me your email via PM and I'll email you screenshots that I've taken of them. My family would really appreciate to know what these say. Your reward, if you want, can be something which you don't own that's on sale during the next sale. 

 

Please guys, only if you can read the handwriting styles back then, or you are very fluent in German and Polish and feel you can make out what's written. 

 

If you know anyone on the German and Polish forums who might be able to help, let them know.

 

Thank you

 

Enceladus.

 

Edit: managed to get the Polish one deciphered and translated.

Edited November 17, 2022 by Enceladus

[343KKT_Kintaro]

Hi Enceladus.

 

1) If you are ready to reveal to the world the content of these handwritten documents... simply scan them and send the scanned files to institutions who will analyse them deeply and substantially (museums, universities, colleges, etc.).

 

2) If you are NOT ready to reveal to the world the content of these handwritten documents, do not scan them. Photocopy them on paper and bring them personnally to someone you trust. A history and/or linguistics professor, but somebody who will receive you at some office, in private, and who will not unveil what it is said on your papers.

 

These are the few ideas I have...

 

 

[DerNeueMensch]

If it is german it might have been written in "Sütterlin" or less likely some form of the older "Kurrentschrift". You might be able to "translate" parts of it yourself, if you look those up. I only know two people being able to read Sütterlin and one who can read current. But even then everyone has its own handwriting style so it's gonna be difficult nonetheless. 

[Enceladus828]

20 hours ago, 343KKT_Kintaro said:

2) If you are NOT ready to reveal to the world the content of these handwritten documents, do not scan them. Photocopy them on paper and bring them personnally to someone you trust. A history and/or linguistics professor, but somebody who will receive you at some office, in private, and who will not unveil what it is said on your papers.

I've given the German one to several German students and a man who is from Germany, the students can only make out the first three words which is "endlich komme ich" (finally I come), the man was able to make out some other words which talk about refugee ships, but that's it, it's a style they can't make out it because 'they are too young'. I have found no one who knows Polish and nearly exhausted every resource to find someone who can read WW2 era German handwriting.

 

6 hours ago, DerNeueMensch said:

If it is german it might have been written in "Sütterlin" or less likely some form of the older "Kurrentschrift".

Thank you. It's in Kurrent. I'm quite busy in RL with my flying but I'll try to see if I can make out the letters. 

Edited November 16, 2022 by Enceladus

[343KKT_Kintaro]

20 minutes ago, Enceladus said:

I have found no one who knows Polish and nearly exhausted every resource to find someone who can read WW2 era German handwriting.

 

 

PM Enceladus

 

 

[Art-J]

@Enceladus Native Pole reporting, and not the only one around these forums ;).

 

Vocabulary, grammar etc. haven't changed much since the war, so that's not a problem, unless whoever wrote the letter was from Silesia region for example (with distinctive local dialect). Believe me, deciphering Polish handwriting can be as difficult for us natives with today's documents as with with old ones, so I wouldn't say a certain skill is required - either original material is readable or not and that's that (though based on letters from my late grandpa I do agree If someone could write and read well back then, they tended to use a bit more rounded, spread-out and artistic font style, which can be troublesome for a reader today).

 

I can take a look at one scanned page and give it a try If you're OK with that. No need for reward - I've got the planes I'm interested in and the ones I'm not interested in should go to someone who will make a better use of them.

[Enceladus828]

Thanks to Art-J, the Polish one (a postcard) has been deciphered and translated. It didn't say much, but I quite likely learned the name of one of my great-great aunts and my great-great grandfather was quite likely the head of a village, like a mayor, but on a smaller, village scale.