Erzgebirge Nutcracker. When made and what type of figure?

Would anyone be able to tell when this was made? I think my parents bought it in the 1950's, but not sure. Would it have been made by the original artist, Volkskunst or other. What is the nature of the figure? A soldier? It is 15" high. Apologies for photo rotation problems. Still can't figure out how to correct it for this forum. Thanks for looking at this.