Heer soldier with wound badge

[Willmore]

I couldn’t make it out.

So something like this I guess.

[TWS]

No problem Sir.

I would say that the soldier on the postcard is Siegfried and the writing was done by him. I guess these would have been sent as a kind of personal keep sake, maybe ordered in small numbers by soldiers to be sent to family and friends.

Correct. You can be pretty sure of that. It was a very common custom.

[TWS]

I see that Siegfried has been diligent in making sure his unit was not identified by covering the numbers on his schluterklappen.

The resolution of the photograph doesn't allow certainty, but it looks a lot more like officer candidate Tresse slides.

Like these: bottom row, second from right.

[TWS]

Ah. I just called them shoulder boards. Still learning.


Attachment 1552457

This other photograph I own shows a board, and what's on it, but I can't make it out.

Enlisted/NCO wore shoulder straps. Officers wore should boards.
The "M" stands for Maschinengewehr, as in Maschiengewehr-Abteilung or Bataillon (Machine Gun Battalion) and would normally have the number of the Abteilung below the "M". Here's an example from my collection if you find these units interesting. Maschinengewehr-Bataillon 4 Overcoat
I know I'm being pedantic, but it's in the interest of sharing/improving knowledge.