Original Item. Only One Available. This is an original German WWII brown leather medical case associated with the Deutsches Rotes Kreuz (DRK), or German Red Cross, accompanied by an assortment of medical dressings, bandages, and wartime-marked supply packaging. The grouping includes medical materials dated 1944 and 1945, with markings identifying German military medical supply facilities in Salzburg and Berlin.

The case is constructed from brown leather with a rectangular body, reinforced carrying handle, and broad folding lid secured by two leather straps over metal fastening studs. The interior has flexible leather side panels and several stitched compartments intended for organizing medical instruments and supplies.

Of particular interest is the marking on the reverse, which reads:

D.R.K. Sanitätslager Babelsberg 65

This identifies the German Red Cross medical supply depot at Babelsberg, a district of Potsdam near Berlin. The number 65 forms part of the stamped designation.

The contents include several rolled and folded gauze dressings, wrapped medical supplies, and seven white gauze bandages whose individual dates and period of association with the case remain undetermined. Among the marked items is a brown paper packet labeled 5 Stück Sicherheitsnadeln (five safety pins), bearing a handwritten 1944 date and the printed identification Wehrkreissanitätspark XVIII, Salzburg. Another paper-wrapped dressing bears the manufacturer's name Lohmann K.G., Fahr a. Rh., together with Hauptsanitätspark Berlin and the date 1945.

The case remains in good overall condition, displaying age and handling wear throughout. The leather has developed a pleasing brown patina, with noticeable surface abrasion, scuffing, and wear concentrated along the edges, corners, and upper flap. The carrying handle and fastening straps remain present, while the interior shows discoloration and wear from age. The accompanying medical textiles display varying degrees of toning, staining, and minor fraying. The paper packaging has creasing, discoloration, and localized edge deterioration, although the wartime markings remain legible. Careful handling is recommended for the more delicate packaging. All medical supplies are intended strictly for historical display and collection purposes and are unsuitable for actual first-aid use.

Historical Context

The Deutsches Rotes Kreuz (DRK), or German Red Cross, had a long history of providing medical assistance, emergency services, and voluntary nursing support before the Second World War. Its activities became increasingly directed toward military medical requirements during the 1930s, culminating in the DRK Law of December 9, 1937, and the establishment of a centralized organization closely integrated into the German state and its armed forces. Under this reorganization, the DRK's medical personnel, facilities, and supply network became an important source of support for the Wehrmacht.

During WWII, DRK personnel served in numerous medical and auxiliary capacities, including nursing duties in military hospitals, assistance with casualty evacuation, ambulance services, and emergency medical work on the home front. Red Cross nurses and auxiliary personnel supported the medical services of the Heer, Luftwaffe, and Kriegsmarine, while local DRK formations continued to provide civilian rescue and first-aid services. As Allied bombing intensified, the organization's responsibilities in air-raid casualty care and emergency transportation became particularly extensive.

The DRK maintained a major central supply establishment at Babelsberg, near Potsdam, with origins extending back to the Imperial German period. The facility included storage buildings, workshops, and supplies intended for the organization's medical and logistical activities. During the German military expansion of the 1930s, the establishment underwent further development, including the addition of vehicle facilities connected with preparations for mobile medical services.

Babelsberg subsequently became an important administrative center for the German Red Cross. Construction of a new DRK headquarters began in 1938, although wartime delays prevented its occupation until 1943. The headquarters and adjoining central depot formed a substantial complex devoted to the administration and logistical support of the organization. The depot supplied materials and equipment required by DRK formations, making it an important part of the organization's wartime infrastructure.

Military medical logistics operated through an extensive network of supply depots known as Sanitätsparks. These establishments received dressings, pharmaceuticals, surgical instruments, and other medical equipment from manufacturers before distributing them to hospitals and military medical units. The organization included regional Wehrkreissanitätsparks, which served individual military districts, and the Hauptsanitätspark in Berlin, which performed a central supply role.