319. Rothenheim, Carl
German World War I Diary

A unique scrapbook from a lieutenant colonel in the German army. Probably bound after the war (as all pages seem to exhibit the same extent of wear), Rothenheim compiled an extraordinary number of photographs, newspaper clippings, field post cards, train tickets and military maps detailing troop movements throughout the approximate five years he was enlisted. Stationed in and around Lille in northern France (near the Belgium border), Rothenheim photographed military life; his comrades in gas masks and in the trenches; the farmhouses and villas they occupied and slept in; an early plane (possibly a D 4); French landmarks and the places the war destroyed. He kept playbills and programs from theatrical productions he attended during the war; receipts for stationery; and the x-rays for his teeth and jaw showing an impacted wisdom tooth. There are hand-drawn and colored maps; an aerial photograph; photographs of shells; wagons and troops. This very meticulous and fastidious Munich-native described his war-time experiences in great detail in chronological order from 1914 through 1919. Rothenheim (called "Fritz" by his parents) kept his after-the-war ration cards for clothes, meat and soap, kept examples of regional 10, 25 and 50 pfennig notes and a variety of miscellaneous papers including a photograph of himself in late middle age and a business card which states that he became an "Apotheker" or pharmacist. The book (10" x 8") is in excellent condition. The spine is missing; however, the binding is intact. Rothenheim's scrapbook is entirely original and a treasure-trove of personal information about the German perspective of World War I. Definitely "All Quiet on the Western Front" territory. In German.

2000/3000     SOLD: $1,523.75

Condition: Very Good