Autograph – Major General Georg Maercker (1865–1924) – postcard written and signed by his own hand, addressed to a collector, 1924

Autograph – Major General Georg Maercker (1865–1924) – postcard written and signed by his own hand, addressed to a collector, 1924.
Beige postcard (approx. 15.5 x 10.5 cm, folded in the center), inscribed by hand in pencil, dating from approximately two months before his death. It begins with "Dear Gertrud" and goes on to express regret for not having visited her during a trip to Weimar. He mentions his state of health and concludes with, "With best regards and a recommendation from Fräulein Kutscher, your loyal cousin, Georg M." Georg Maercker was a Major General and leader of a *Freikorps* (paramilitary unit). In 1888, he joined the *Schutztruppe* (colonial protection force) in German East Africa as an officer and took part in several engagements. He was promoted to Captain in 1898 and Major in 1904; in the latter rank, he participated in the campaigns against the Herero and Hottentot peoples between 1904 and 1907. He was subsequently promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 1912 and Colonel in 1914, serving as a regimental commander during the First World War. He attained the rank of Major General in 1917, and in 1918, he was appointed commander of the 214th Infantry Division. A few weeks after the end of the war, he founded the *Freikorps* "Landesjäger." During the Spartacist Uprising of 1919, this *Freikorps* secured parts of Berlin. His decorations include the *Pour le Mérite* (1917) and the Oak Leaves to the *Pour le Mérite* (1918).
Provenance: The autograph collection of Gertrud Hoffmann and her daughter Else Karmann — "A German Autograph Collection, 1850–1967."