This is a 113 Jahre alte antike Darmstadt Deutschland Militärpostkarte (113 year old antique Darmstadt Germany military postcard).

This is a 113 Jahre alte antike Darmstadt Deutschland Militärpostkarte (113 year old antique Darmstadt Germany military postcard).

The caption on the card reads "Erinerung an den Griesheimer Sand 1911" (Memory on the Griesheimer Sand 1911).

They are all posing with mugs full of Dunkel Bier (dark beers) and the keg in the middle of the group tells what photo number it is, so the men can order photo postcards from the professional photographer for souvenirs to mail home to friends and relatives.

This group of soldiers are with the Preußisch 168. Infanterie (Prussian 168th Infantry Regiment) who were at the Griesheimer Sand training base in Darmstadt, Germany.

They were part of the XVIII. Army Corps headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, and the Großherzogtum Hessen Infantrie Division 25 und 49 Infanterie Brigade (Grand Duchy of Hesse 25th Division and 49th Infantry Brigade) that were in service from 1899 to 1914.

All the men in the photo are Mannschaften Soldaten (Other Ranks, enlisted men soldiers). They are wearing Krätzchen (round visorless field caps) with two Kokarden (cockades), the top one was the "National Reich" cockade that has a color of black, white with a red center. Below it is the Preußen (Prussian) cockade with black, white, and a black center. The lower cockade denotes his German state or region.

They are wearing Dunkelblau Preußen Waffenrocks (dark blue Prussian tunics) with an 8 button front, and Brandenburg cuffs with 3 vertical buttons. Their Schulterklappen (shoulder straps) have a red chain-stitched number 168 for their infantry regiment.

There is only one soldier seen in this photo with any awards. He is the one standing in the back row, 4th from the left, who is proudly wearing a special marksman award called a Schützenschnur.

The Schützenschnur is a German Marksmanship Proficiency award made with a braided lanyard cord that attaches to the right shoulder strap (epaulette) and to the third button down on the center of the uniform breast. An Eichel (acorn) is added, 1 acorn, 2 acorns, on a short cord as an indication of higher levels of marksmanship achievement. This soldier has been awarded it twice, which is noted by the 2 acorns suspended from the end of it.

The Schützenschnur award began in the early 18th century under King Frederick William I of Prussia. It was awarded in WWI (1914-1918), by the Reichswehr (1919-1935), by the Wehrmacht (1935-1945) and is still being awarded today by the Bundeswehr (German Armed Forces 1955-Today).

The "Griesheimer Sand" (sand dunes) has been a long-time military training area for artillery units and an airfield. It was also known as Der Truppenübungsplatz Griesheim Militärgelände (The Griesheim military training area). It was first documented in 1864 as a Artillery practice range used by Hessian regiments. The August-Euler-Flugplatz (airfield), was the first German airfield and the first German aircraft factory was established here in 1908 and is the oldest in Germany.

The Preußische Armee (Prussian Army) controlled this training area from 1866 to the end of World War One (1918). After the First World War the French Army occupied it and used it for a practice area from 1918 to 1930. During WWI they built aircraft here and trained pilots and during WWII it was a Luftwaffe base for Jagdgeschwader 53 and 2nd squadron of Nachtjagdgeschwader 11.

After the Second World War, from 1945 to 1992 it was the US Army "Darmstadt Army Airfield" and used for helicopters. The Americans also shared it with the Germans as a civilian airport for light aircraft and sailplanes, and they called it Griesheim Airport. In 2008 they opened the August-Euler-Flugplatz Museum here.

Since 2004 it has been a 113 acre (46 hectare) nature reserve and bird sanctuary named the "Griesheimer Düne and Eichwäldchen" (Griesheimer sand dunes and oak grove).

This postcard was postmarked:

Darmstadt 5.4.11 (April 5, 1911)