1941 (17 Jul) Third Reich, Germany, Censored Prisoner Postcard from Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp to Godow (Upper Silesia), Censorship Postmark, More Details in Description

 Two-sided prisoner postcard sent from the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp (17 Jul 1941) to Godow in Upper Silesia Poland

Sender was Rudolf Balzar, classified as a Schutzhäftling (Protective Custody Prisoner). This status allowed the Gestapo to arbitrarily detain political dissidents, ideologically "unreliable" individuals, or ethnic minorities indefinitely without a judicial trial.
He was registered under Häftlingsnummer No. 32897, housed in Block 43 at Sachsenhausen.

The red printed text on the left side outlines strict regulations enforced by the Lagerkommandant (Camp Commander):
Prisoners were strictly restricted to sending and receiving only two letters or postcards per month. Incoming letters could not exceed 4 pages with 15 lines each, written clearly and legibly. Enclosing money, photographs, or pictures was entirely forbidden.
Non-compliant, illegible, or unorganized mail was systematically refused or destroyed.

Before leaving the camp, the postcard had to pass through a meticulous vetting process:
The front features a prominent, circular ink postmark from the „Konzentrationslager Sachsenhausen Postprüfstelle“ (Mail Examination Office).
The hand-signed initials inside the stamp indicate that a camp censor read the message and cleared it for delivery.
Because of this censorship, the message on the back—where Rudolf writes he is "Gott sei Dank gesund" (Thank God healthy)—was a forced, standardized phrasing. Any mention of the brutal reality, starvation, or disease meant immediate destruction of the card and severe physical punishment.

Provenance: Ex Werbizky.