Signs

Like all military and governments across the world the German army had a need to label things with sinage. From civilian town names and distances to unit specific plackards, signage abounded, expcially in rear areas. Most of these signs were very professionally exccuted and clearly marked while some were sloppy and informal. A few of the signs were elaborately carved or artistically painted. Whether they were professionally made or hastily scrawled all the signs served their purpose. If you study them enough you can see some comonalities. A sans serif typeface abounded and plack paint on a white background was predominant. In 1931 German standards body DIN - Deutsches Institut für Normung (German Institute for Standardization) announced that DIN 1451-Schriften was the official typeface for signage.

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These photographs were taken from a number of online sources and auction sites.  They are presented here for educational purposes.