| DESCRIPTION: Here is an excellent example of the -Totenkopf Ehrenring, one of the finest examples we have ever seen. Not only is the ring in practically mint condition, but the wearer was one of the more interesting personalities that has ever shown up. The ring skull is perfect with every characteristic that is noted among the best of them; e.g., clear, finely defined teeth (the eye within the eye) as noted by the experts, cross bones clearly defined, inside the joined seam is clear, engraving is clear and perfect. Gentlemen, they just don’t come any better! Now the former owner’s name is Axel Holder who in September 1944 was assigned to the 1st Cossack Division where he, like a few other German officers, served in this capacity as advisors to the brave and patriotic Cossack forces that fought bravely alongside of their Germanic comrades against the evil and vicious Stalinist hordes. Officers who numbered among their ranks were General Helmuth von Pannwitz, Captain K. Langfeld, and Major Harry von Johnston. Von Pannwitz and von Johnston when confronted by a Soviet general in 1945 at the end of hostilities chose to stay with their Cossack brothers rather than be repatriated to Germany. Pannwitz was murdered by hanging; von Johnston served 10 years at hard labor and died of yellow jaundice on the day he was released in 1955. Axel Holder was one of these brave officers, but of the attachments to the Cossack brigades. We can only hope he escaped the clutches of these murdering reds. Holder received the Ehrenring in 1941 when he was an -Sturmbannführer with the number 241 797 and NS Party number 2 588 380. He was born August 13, 1903, in the city of Stolp in Pomerania. In his personal papers he is listed as Nordic, with a smallish, lean figure. He is listed as ‘discipline correct,’ good in sports, politically correct. He was a jurist in premilitary enlistment; studied law at the University of Heidelberg; held several offices in the German legal system and chamber of courts in Berlin. He must have served a short time in the Army in 1935-36. He entered the SS/SD in Jan 1936 as leader of the head office (RFSS) courts and legal administration. At the same time he was awarded the post of government assessor in the office of the Gestapo from August 1936 to April 1937. He was employed by -Gruppenführer von Ribbentrop. He also managed in June and July 1936 the SD Oberabschnitt “Greater Berlin.” On August 1, 1937, he was transferred to the Reich Forest Section and was promoted to the head position of the Forest Department. Then, by agreement between Reichsführer- Himmler and the Reich Forest inspector, Holder was transferred to Prague to manage the state forest direction there. Holder served in the Wehrmacht (Heers) in 1936 from January to July in the reserve battalion Spandau (9th Inf. Rgt.) and in March 1937 in the 50th Inf. Rgt. in Landsberg. On November 1, 1939, he was called up for service in the Wehrmacht and entered an infantry battalion that was employed in Poland and Holland. In April 1940 he was promoted to sergeant and cadet. He was discharged from the Wehrmacht on June 30, 1940, and then resumed his duty with the army supply offices. He advanced in these positions to war supply inspector and was transferred to Belgium joined the Waffen-. He was a member of the NSDAP, SS, NSV, and NSRB. He was also an honorable member of the DAF at the disciplinary court in Berlin with membership in the since 1933. He was an officer on the staff of -Obergruppenführer Sepp Dietrich -Oberschnitt Ost. He was in the SS/SD headquarters at the time of his “Lebenslauf,” his background statement written on July 27, 1941. He was an -Obersturmführer in the SD and at that time was representing the court of Berlin Charlottenburg. He had limited knowledge of English, French, Spanish, Italian, and Swedish. In 1938 he was married to NS Party member Gertrud Annuszat. From that date in July 1941 above we lose track of his career to some extent, but there are numerous references through the 40-odd pages that have been photocopied from official archives in Berlin. There is much material here about this fascinating officer. At one point he was reported deceased, but was happy and healthy, elsewhere. The record shows that he was a recipient of the ring and a Julleuchter (candle holder). He was also a member of SS Lebensborn as well. He was awarded the Kriegs Verdienst Cross in 1943. His various promotion certificates are all there. His transfers from office to office are evident as well. On November 22, 1943, he was bombed out of his home in Charlottenburg and lost his Julleuchter and was requesting a new one. There are various good-conduct reports throughout the files. The translation of the assembled material was done by our official translator, Willi, who was in the Hitler Youth and later a paratrooper in the French Foreign Legion. The footnotes and accurate translations are his. He is an incredible fellow and is a walking encyclopedia of the Second World War and especially the Third Reich. The certification of authenticity is by Mr. Donald Boyle, the foremost expert on these items and the author of the greatest hornbook on honor rings in the world entitled SS-Totenkopf H. Himmler Honor Rings 1933-1945. Don has certified and described this ring as an original pre-April 1945 German historical artifact. He did say that the ring has a nontypical date in the 1940s ring, but he says here and in his book that this variance has been known to exist. The date in Holder’s ring is ‘9/4/41.’ Usually the rings have dates of famous events such as April 20, Hitler’s birthday. This accounted for most of them. But others were awarded on June 21, the midsummer festival. November 9, the day of the Munich putsch, December 21, the Winter Festival, but certain dates important to the individual and recognized by the leadership as being important were also granted in the awarding. We don’t know what date 9/14/41 has as significance. We do know that one month before he was promoted from Obersturmführer to Sturmbannführer with personally signed promotion certificate by -Gruppenführer and Lt. Gen. der Waffen- Oswald Pohle. Could it be the date he actually took office? All in all, Holder was a good soldier, administrator, and leader. His ring is now the only testimony to his loyalty and devotion to the and his Führer. This is in the finest condition and prodigiously important ring currently available anywhere on the internet. We are very proud to offer this great ring to the collecting public. We have researched and sold quite a few of the finest honor rings that have ever been offered, but in our opinion this is the best—history-wise and condition-wise! You wanted a Totenkopf honor ring didn’t you? Well why not the best?
PRICE: SOLD
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