Comes with C.O.A.

This incredible World War I two-page letter was handwritten by a WWI German soldier in 1916 with a location mark of Champagne, France. Champagne known for the ‘The First Battle of Champagne was the second offensive by the Allies against the German Empire since mobile warfare had ended after the First Battle of Ypres in Flanders. The battle was fought by the French Fourth Army and the German 3rd Army. The offensive was part of a French strategy to attack the Noyon Salient, a large bulge in the new Western Front, which ran from Switzerland to the North Sea. The First Battle of Artois began on the northern flank of the salient on 17 December and the offensive against the southern flank in Champagne began three days later.

What makes this letter very rare is it is traced back to a WWI German soldier who served in the 18th Division unit of the Prussian/German Army.

The 18th Infantry Division saw action in the battles of Colombey and Gravelotte and in the Siege of Metz. After the Battle of Noiseville, the division entered the Loire campaign, fighting in the battles of 2nd Orléans, Beaugency-Cravant, and Le Mans.

During the opening phases of World War I, the 18th Infantry Division participated in the Battle of Liège, the Allied Great Retreat, the First Battle of the Marne, and the First Battle of the Aisne. In 1916, it saw action in the Somme, and in 1917 it was involved in the Battles of Arras and Passchendaele. In 1918, it participated in the German spring offensive and the subsequent Allied counteroffensives, including the Hundred Days Offensive. Allied intelligence rated it a first-class division.

During downtime on the front lines, soldiers from all sides would write letters back home to their loved ones and families. Dated 1916, this original World War I German soldier's fieldpost letter offers an incredible view of what German soldiers went through on the front lines. This letter has an extensive amount of German writing and it's signed by the German soldier as well.  While the letter is not translated, it truly is a remarkable piece of World War I history and offers an interesting story as to how this letter survived all these years.