Wasserkuppe Glider Postcard – Fliegerdenkmal with Sailplanes in Flight (c.1930s, Rhön, Germany)

Original real photo postcard depicting sailplanes soaring above the Fliegerdenkmal (Aviators’ Memorial) on the Wasserkuppe in the Rhön mountains, Germany. The foreground shows the rocky monument topped with the eagle sculpture, while gliders circle gracefully above the surrounding valleys. One glider in the foreground bears a visible swastika tail marking, dating the postcard to the National Socialist period of the 1930s.

The reverse includes printed text identifying the scene: “Fliegerdenkmal auf der Wasserkuppe (Rhön)” along with the well-known memorial verse:

“Wir toten Flieger blieben Sieger durch uns allein,
Volk flieg du wieder und du wirst Sieger durch dich allein.”
(“We fallen fliers remain victors through us alone,
People, fly again, and you will be victors through yourselves alone.”)

The card is postmarked with a commemorative Wasserkuppe Rhön-Segelflug Wettbewerb (Rhön Soaring Contest) cancellation, further linking it to the historic German national gliding competitions held at Wasserkuppe during this period. It is addressed to Vienna, Austria, and carries a Deutsches Reich 6 Pfennig stamp.

This postcard is a significant artifact of interwar German gliding history, combining the symbolism of the Wasserkuppe memorial with imagery of competitive sailplanes. It reflects both the technological progress of soaring flight and its cultural associations during the 1930s.