WWI German Air Service Sanke Postcard “Unser Erfolgreicher Kampf-Flieger” Höhndorf

This is an original Imperial German First World War photographic postcard from the renowned Berlin publisher W. Sanke, depicting a decorated German combat aviator identified in the caption as “Leutnant Höhndorf.” The image presents the officer in field-grey service dress with the high collar and shoulder straps of the period, posed outdoors in a formal portrait stance. He wears a neck order and a first-class cross on the left breast, consistent with the prestige-focused “hero card” genre produced during the war to celebrate Germany’s most successful fliers and reinforce home-front morale.

Printed caption (German, exactly as on the card): “Unser erfolgreicher Kampf-Flieger Leutnant Höhndorf.”

English translation: “Our successful combat flyer, Lieutenant Höhndorf.”

Publisher imprint (German, exactly as on the card): “381 Postkartenvertrieb W. Sanke, Berlin N. 37. Nachdruck wird gerichtlich verfolgt.”
English translation: “No. 381, postcard distribution W. Sanke, Berlin N. 37. Reprinting will be prosecuted in court.”

Physically, this is the standard early-20th-century German postcard format on period card stock, with a high-contrast photographic print and the characteristic Sanke identification number (“381”) and Berlin address line in the lower right. The reverse is unused and unaddressed, with the typical divided-back layout lines and a small red triangular printer’s/stock marking at upper left, as encountered on many unused German cards of the era. The overall presentation is crisp and visually strong, with the uniform details and award placement clearly readable, which is the key collector value driver on aviation subject cards.

Historically, the term “Kampf-Flieger” (“combat flyer”) is important period language. In WWI German usage it signaled an operational aviator engaged in active fighting—often tied to the expanding strike, protection, and multi-seat combat roles that evolved rapidly after 1915 as aerial warfare professionalized. As Germany’s Fliegertruppen matured into the Luftstreitkräfte, decorated fliers became propaganda-grade public figures, and publishers like Sanke capitalized on that recognition by issuing numbered postcard series featuring leading personalities. These cards functioned as both patriotic imagery and collectible ephemera, mailed, traded, and saved in albums—one of the most direct “in-period” paper trails for early military aviation culture.

Condition is collector-grade. The card shows honest age handling: light corner/edge wear, mild surface scuffing and toning consistent with a century-old unmailed card, and small edge nicks visible in the border areas. The reverse remains clean overall with light rub marks and typical storage soiling; no message, address, or stamp is present. No repairs observed.

Provenance is limited to what is printed on the piece itself: original W. Sanke distribution imprint, Berlin address line, and series number 381. No named prior owner or unit attribution appears on the reverse because the card was not used through the post.