Anyone Speak 1930's German?

I just found this letter postmarked 1939 Berlin Germany in an old world stamp album I won in an online auction a while back. I am very interested in what it says but it's typed in 1930's German which I do not speak. I was hoping one of y'all could give me the just of it in English. Also, are these stamps and postmarks special in any way?

Trying to keep it as literally as possible:

These are newer postage stamps, that you surely won't have. I would either keep them on cover or, at least, cut them out with the full cancellation. Your uncle presented them to me when, together, we had the grand parade for Hitler's 50th birthday pass before us. We sat on the grandstand directly opposite him from before 10 o'clock until 4 pm. It was a picture of lavish colours and (m)ilitary pump that appeared unique. most interesting was also the grandstand across from us with the envoys of foreign representations. There were French, English, Americans, Brazilians, Argentinians, Italians, Japanese, Romanians and many others more. Hundreds of thousands of spectators filled the big grandstands and streets, and many, many bands of the regiments played endlessly in front of us, which in the end was truly tiresome.

I shall have a look at the remainder tonight or tomorrow.
The second paragraph tells about uncle Leo Conti has been promoted from highest health official for Berlin to similar for the whole of Germany. It relates about the congratulations and presents received.

The third paragraph tells how the writer is overwhelmed by impressions and activities and hardly gets to sleep. One impression was uncle meeting the writer in full uniform at the (dock) steamer. It relates about the customs checks. Consequently, they drove from Cuxhaven to Hamburg by car. The following day, there was a trip to the zoo.

I just googled Leo Conti and wow, Uncle Leo was quite the bad person. A high ranking SS officer and physician that obviously broke the Hippocratic oath for doctors. Fascinating stuff!!!


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo_Conti

In that era, being 'surgeon general' or 'public health nurse' or, as the letter states "what would be called Minister for Health in other countries" may have put you in charge of researchers of the type of Adolf Eichmann Josef Mengele.

I wonder if young Fred Schwarzmann grew up to learn about his dear uncle.
Also, I find the thread's title amusing. Since I learned German from my father, and he spoke it in the '30s and '40s. Never thought that people might distinguish between German then and now, besides certain spelling conventions.

Fascinating stuff, really.

We know what happened to Uncle Leo.
I wonder what happened to Uncle Carl?
And, what happened to "Master" Fred? Was he old enough to later serve in the American military?

John

It amused me as well.
I can assure you I was not around in the 1930s. I have no difficulty understanding this letter.

Second paragraph

Your uncle Leo Conti, until now, was the highest(-ranking) official with the health office in the city of Berlin, but has just been appointed to highest(-ranking) health official of Germany, who has all doctors subordinate to him, and now has all that is necessary for the health of the People under him (his direction). In many other states his office is called health minister. The phone brings (i.e. people phone to) constant gratulations to his mother, whose birthday it is today, and flowers and other presents constantly arrive. Today (in the) afternoon, the whole despatch will be full of visitors.

Neat piece.

If I read correctly https://insubricahistorica.ch/blog/...third-reich/ , then Uncle Carl would seem to be the younger brother of Leo. Silvio Carlo Paolo Clement Conti (1893-1938). The article notes that Leo's (and Carlo's) father was a postal director, so maybe that's where "Uncle Leo" got his interest in sending stamps through Carl/Carlo to nephew Fred.

I poked around very briefly in the US census after Fred and there are several, but not many. I suspect but cannot say, he's likely the one living in Queens New York in 1920 and 40. Born in 1913/14 so he could've served in the war like his namesake from Cuyahoga, Ohio. But not many records. Might've changed his name. Can't spend any more time on this, but an interesting puzzle.

What an interesting item! Germany at that time certainly had some attractive cancellation devices.

Language is constantly in flux. Just look at English over the last 50 to 75 years.

Third paragraph:

Everyone meets me in uncommonly (extremely) lovely manner, and I hardly get the necessary sleep because of all things there are to see and experience. It, especially, goes for Leo and his delightful wife. He picked me up from the steamer in full uniform, and if by magic all customs checks and other formalities were handled without even opening the suitcase. Then it (we) went to Hamburg by car from Cuxhaven, where one disembarks, and on the next day his wife and two of my children went to Hagenbeck's zoo (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tierpark_Hagenbeck) in Stellingen, near Hamburg. When you again come to Germany you must not neglect going there, if you hadn't been there already.

Hopefully, you and yours are doing well. Write me sometime ... (behind flap)

Heartfelt greetings to all
uncle Carl.

@JDRMCB

Your letter is dated 24-4-1939. Hitler's 50th birthday was 20-4-1939. Leo Conti was appointed Reichsgesundheitsführer and Reichsärtzteführer in 1939.

This letter may be of historical interest.

May I suggest you contact the 'Bundesarchiv' to offer them a scan
https://www.bundesarchiv.de/EN/Navi...kontakt.html

I believe it's more of a cultural change, rather than a whole new vocabulary.
You know the "vu" and "tu" in French, "You" and "Thou" in English, as one type of noticeable change.
In Hungarian, there was the old fashion long complicated sentences, like in German.

Check out the Hungarian longest word and its translation.
Megszentségteleníthetetlenségeskedéseitekért
And the German:
Donaudampfschiffahrtsgesellschaftskapitän

BTW, fear of long words is hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia.

When I worked in Germany, a young colleague wanted to use 'du' instead of 'Sie.' Being Dutch, that was normal for me. One day, she asked someone from the accounting department whether he objected to 'duzen.' He did, so we kept using 'Sie.' This guy was about my age.




vu should be vous

I lived and worked in Germany for about 25 years. The "formal" and "informal" forms of address are particularly difficult for Americans to understand, as they are used to going informal after about 10 minutes in the work environment (if that long). Well, maybe not with the boss... You hear stories of Germans working side by side for 25 or 30 years, still using the formal form of address with one another.

When in Rome...

John

Thanks guys, especially @NSK!!! Like I said, this is fascinating to me! I love absorbing history from a personal perspective like this.

As for this:



Yes, I clicked on the link and sent them the info about this letter, just waiting to hear back, if at all.