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Page 7
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Great Wedding Album from Waffen-SS Officer (Item WAF 7-1) |
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| DESCRIPTION: Here is a prodigiously important album from the wedding of a Waffen-SS officer who, from his collar tabs, would appear to be an SS-Obertsturmführer, or first lieutenant. The SS marriage could be officiated by a priest or pastor if the couple were religiously inclined. There was no rule one way or another about this, but it could also be officiated by the commander of an SS unit who handed them bread and salt symbolizing life itself. There was an exchange of rings either standard types or the special SS rings with runic symbolism. See Item SS 21-3 for information on these special wedding rings worn by both the bride and the groom. There are 33 pictures that are all original; not copies. They were taken with at least two types of film one of which was developed with the ragged edges, and the other the straight edges. We presume that this wedding took place in the war years because of the impressive group of medals that the groom wears. He also wears the adjutant’s cord so was probably an aide-de-camp to all well-known field commander. The first two pictures show scenes of the German village that was where the ceremony took place; a very typical setting probably in the Rhineland from the style of the buildings. Then we see the arrival of the bride and groom and the wedding party (other officers). On third page there is highly interesting picture of the bride symbolically touching the bread which contains the salt while the groom holds an SS sword by its blade as a symbol of honor and protection of his home and family. Next there is a picture of the man who performed the ceremony whom it seems is an NSDAP SA leader, probably the civic officer who performed such marriages on a regular basis. Next is a wonderful picture of the young couple exchanging wedding rings and then a picture of an SS officer (best man?) giving a talk about the young lieutenant, his comrade. In the next the groom reaches for a pen and then signs the wedding roster and then the bride signs as well with an SS officer witnessing this. There are a few repeat pictures here in different sizes. Then comes the sacred moment when they are joined together. Some of these pictures are also duplicates in different sizes. There is a beautiful picture of the couple they leave the building together. There is also a nice picture of the mother of either the bride or groom and some relatives sitting at a table. The best man and lady are also seen leaving the premises after the ceremony. Other pictures are shown of family with the marrying official (poorly taken with flash defect). There is a great picture of the couple in the auto once again with the NSKK official conversing with the ranking officer. There is a neat picture of the NSKK official who was also present. There are two really great pictures of the whole wedding party, officers, ladies, and the marriage official. The album is put together with plywood covers. The pictures range in size from 3 1/2 x 2 1/2 inches to 5 1/4 x 3 1/2 inches. The album is a historical archival treasure so seldom ever seen covering this aspect of the saga of the SS. The album measures 11 x 10 inches and is a wonderful, original, precious item to be preserved in honor.
PRICE: $1,600.00 |
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Silver Honor Clasp of SS Women’s Auxiliaries, 1943 (Item WAF 7-2; SS 28-1) |
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| DESCRIPTION: Here is a very rare Treuedienst silver clasp awarded for faithful service in the Women’s Auxiliary of the SS. Female auxiliaries in the Waffen-SS were divided into two categories: SS Auxiliaries (SS-Helferinnen): Those female signal personnel trained at the SS school located at Oberenheim/Alsace (Reichsschule für SS-Helferinnen Oberenheim.) and SS War Auxiliaries (SS-Kriegshelferinnen): All other auxiliary female personnel employed by the SS permanently or temporarily. The SS auxiliary was made up of females normally between 17 and 30 years of age. They were employed as telephonists, teleprinter operators, and radio operators. Selected female personnel were promoted to NCO or officer ranks after successfully passing special training courses. Reichsführer-SS Himmler authorized distribution of the following letter on 14 August 1943 on the subject of SS Female Auxiliaries: The designation SS-HELFERINNEN remains confined to female personnel who have been trained in the Reichsschule-SS at Oberenheim/Alsace, tested, and incorporated into the Corps of SS-Helferinnen. All other female employees and workers who are in the service of the SS under contract or by virtue of an Emergency Service Order will be known as Kriegshelferinnen, insofar as they are entitled to be issued with service clothing (uniform) during their employment in accordance with the Führer's Order of 11 January 1943. Service clothing: The approved service clothing for SS-Helferinnen will also be worn by Kriegshelferinnen, but without distinguishing marks apart from the Hoheitsabzeichen on the headdress and left upper arm. SS runes, sleeve bands with the inscription "Reichsschule-SS," and unit emblems are reserved for SS-Helferinnen only. The administration of the Kriegshelferinnen is the responsibility of the unit employing them, in collaboration with the SS-Wirtsehafts-Verwaltungs-Hauptamt, but the Chef der Fernmelderwesens (Head of the Communications System) is exclusively responsible for SS-Helferinnen. The directives issued by the Reichsführer-SS on 30 November 1943 are applicable to the welfare of the SS-Helferinnen and Kriegshelferinnen, especially outside the boundaries of the Reich. These auxiliaries were a very necessary part of the SS organization in that they were able with their communications skills to function in duties that in essence freed up male personnel that were needed in other responsible positions. The silver bar was thought to be an award for special diligence to duty and devotion to the cause. It certainly was not a general issue. Herr Franz Schnell, whom you can read about in our section “About Our Rings and Silver Insignia”, was the exclusive silversmith who produced these Helfen badges. They are quite beautiful with the SS runes in the center of the bar and well-defined oak-leave strands in behind with the separate letters spelling out ‘Helfen.’ There is an ‘800’ stamp evident, as well. The bar is slightly over 2 inches in length and about 1/4 inch thick. The item is one of the rarest of all SS insignia although certainly not the most costly. Adrian Forman’s first edition (1988) of his pricing book Foreman’s Guide to Third Reich German Awards...And Their Values shows this piece on page 155. He lists its value at $2,500.00, but this was in 1988. We are sure that in some 19 years the value of this item has increased. This is 100-percent genuine and yet we offer it at a figure that will surely jump at you. Why? Because if you read our section “About Our Rings…” you see that many items hitherto considered so rare as to be considered unattainable were now to be had because of our fabulous purchase at Stuttgart. We were able to procure things such as the Victory Rings that once were beyond the hope of the average collector’s dreams and all original and beyond reproach to the true historian. Of course, you can always expect the doubts and silly degradation of the halfwit forum Untermench, but the quality of these original pieces transcends their jealous ranting. So it is with great pride that Germania presents to the collecting world the SS Female Auxiliary bar at a very reasonable price. PRICE: $995.00 |
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German-Italian Military Solidarity Pin (silver) (Item WAF 7-3; I-FAS 3-6) |
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| DESCRIPTION: This is a really nicely designed pin by Herr F. Schnell. See “About Our Rings and Silver Insignia” on our home page. This was something designed by Schnell and its eventual destination according to his son was to be an insignia of the Italian Waffen-SS. The predominate themes are the fasces of Rome and the Roman legion swords known as the “Gladius.” In the center is the Hakenkreuz, or swastika. The other Germanic addition is the oak leaves that form a background for the design. The insignia is made of heavy ‘800’ silver and is so marked. It measures about 2 inches long by 1 inch high. This is a great and rare WII insignia.
PRICE: $225.00 |
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Iron Cross (Item WAF 7-5) |
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| DESCRIPTION: First established by Frederick Wilhelm III of Prussia and first awarded on 10 March 1813, in first design and was earlier the symbol of the Teutonic knights and was seen upon their shields. It has been the symbol of Germany’s armed forces since those early years when the Prussians under Marshal Blucher defeated the armies of Napoleon. Adolf Hitler restored the Iron Cross in 1939 as a German decoration, rather than Prussian as in earlier versions, continuing the tradition of issuing it in various grades. The award that was issued only to military personnel was the medal most venerated and highly respected in the German fatherland. Many Waffen-SS soldiers earned it in all its classes in the Second World War. We offer here a genuine WWII Iron Cross in very fine condition.
PRICE: $198.00; they’re getting scarcer by the day |
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Silver |
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| DESCRIPTION: The salient word here is "silver." The normal material for PRICE: $ 465.00 |
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| DESCRIPTION: Collectors, archivists, museum personnel, here is a great SS album. According to the layout of the pictures it would seem that the album was put together by Herr Hugo Albert Denkhaus, 20/10/1919-2/3/1986. Denkhaus was an SS-Untersturmführer; at least at the time that the picture that appears on his death notice was taken. The large black-leather-covered album measures 11 1/2 x 15 inches and is filled with about 290 photos and a postcard or two. There are pictures of the young recruit Denkhaus and many of the pictures trace his history in the SS, but he also includes pictures of relatives, civilians, NSDAP, veterans’ organizations, and many school comrades, former work friends, etc., who were now in the Waffen-SS, navy, army, etc. There are pictures of SS men engaging in various sports, weapon maintenance, guard duty, clowning around, marching exercises, and at R & R. A great one has a team riding a rocket into space! There is a page where groups of SS soldiers are putting on reenactments of bygone Germanic times; scenes from the era of Frederick the Great, and the Franco-Prussian war are featured with vividly authentic costume. Gradually we move into appropriate photos up to the war, but before this there are pictures that he personally took at the 1936 Olympic Games that include at least four close-up pictures of Adolf Hitler. It is so rare to see snapshots of the führer. Usually only Heinrich Hoffmann or his staff was allowed to point a camera at Hitler. Four of the Olympic snapshots include Marshal Hermann Göring; also quite rare to be taken at a close angle by an SS man. Von Tschammer, the Reichssportdirektor, is also seen in these shots. There are two pages of pictures that appear to be competition between party functionaries such as the SS and SA; possibly at the Winter Olympics at Innsbruck. Another page chronicles the entry of the Wehrmacht into Vienna and here are two more candid pictures of the German führer and Göring in a remembrance ceremony and Göring in review of Wehrmacht troops as he salutes them from his Mercedes auto. There is also a very candid shot of Göring dressed in his bearskin cap (this is a really great one!) and two more of Göring who comes to his train compartment to wave and give the “Heil Hitler” salute to some admirers. There are great pictures of various guard posts and barracks of the SS. There are some really great pictures of typical soldiers in clown acts; Landsers with wives and sweethearts, horses, trucks, and ships. There is a picture of English war-dead coffins being reverently decorated by German soldiers; a visit to the Hindenburg Tannenberg monument; then into the scenes of war devastation and fiery action probably in Poland or France, bunkers, pillboxes, crashed planes, Christmas at the front, and perhaps out-of place-scene of the Nuremberg Parteitag (party rallies). The second to last pages are set aside for some miscellaneous pictures to include shots of more Christmas celebrations, various frontline R & R shots, and a page with six nice photos of what is probably a relative in the Kriegsmarine, two pictures of German army personnel, and a great postcard-type photo of a group of WWI soldiers from 1916. Possibly SS man Denkhaus’ father could be one of these Landsers. Then there is a page of pictures of the young lad of the Kriegsmarine with his proud mother and an army noncom and two Luftwaffe airmen. The last pages are dedicated to SS-Untersturnführer Hugo Denkhaus. There are two color pictures of his grave and about four of the remembrance cards with black mourning edges. The former SS comrades are shown at a memorial service honoring him and a larger remembrance picture of this brave soldier is presented with the words: “Wir trauern um unseren Kameraden: Hugo Denkhaus seine Ehre heiss treue.” This translates to: “We gather around our comrade Hugo Denkhaus. Your honor was called loyalty. This has to be one of the finest collections ever to be amassed in historically important archival pictures concerning the Waffen-SS in general, and we fervently hope it will fall into the hands and collection of someone who will treat it with the respect and honor that it deserves. How it ever came to be sold or discarded is a mystery to us, but it truly needs preservation.
PRICE: SOLD |
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Wolchowstock (Eastern Front) (Item WAF 7-8; WEHR 23-8) |
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| DESCRIPTION: Here is a very historically important item of German Wehrmacht history. These hand-carved sticks are named after the region known as Wolchow, where hard fighting was experienced by the Germany army, Luftwaffe, and Waffen-SS; especially the SS division, Frundsberg, in the late war years. Throughout the eastern campaign these sticks carved by Poles, Russians, and Ukrainians were given as tokens of friendship to the German soldiers from their Slavic supporters. On page 174 in Brian L. Davis’ book, German Army Uniforms, there is a picture of an officer who carries one of these sticks. Under the picture it says that the Wolchowstock is carved to commemorate the particular unit or campaign that to this officer would be appropriate. The sticks seldom show up today and they are always considered a real trophy of the vicious fighting in the war against Bolshevism that raged in the eastern territories. This particular piece is of the army style with the typical Slavic design intricately carved in several distinct sections with a crude, but familiar, Nazi eagle and swastika at the mid-top portion with the Iron Cross on the other side. The stick is very typical of the art form and is truly a historically important museum piece. It has the original leather thong attached. The length is 27 1/2 inches. The condition is fine. Don’t let this one get away; especially if you are a student or collection or eastern-front items of history.
PRICE: SOLD |
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Wolchowstock (Eastern Front) (Item WAF 7-9; WEHR 23-9) |
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| DESCRIPTION: Here is a very historically important item of German Wehrmacht history. These hand-carved sticks are named after the region known as Wolchow, where hard fighting was experienced by the Germany army, Luftwaffe, and Waffen-SS; especially the SS division, Frundsberg, in the late war years. Throughout the eastern campaign these sticks carved by Poles, Russians, and Ukrainians were given as tokens of friendship to the German soldiers from their Slavic supporters. On page 174 in Brian L. Davis’ book, German Army Uniforms, there is a picture of an officer who carries one of these sticks. Under the picture it says that the Wolchowstock is carved to commemorate the particular unit or campaign that to this officer would be appropriate. The sticks seldom show up today and they are always considered a real trophy of the vicious fighting in the war against Bolshevism that raged in the eastern territories. This stick was carved and presented to a member of the German Luftwaffe and is the busiest and most historically important example we have ever seen. It stands as a memory of the hard fighting at the Demyansk Pocket. See Wikipedia on the internet to find reference to this the most heroic struggle of the German forces in WWII. In the mid portion of the carved stick it says: “Festung Demyansk.” The carver, who was obviously a pro-German Russian or Ukrainian, had carved animals such as various birds and rabbits all over the design. Why? Below his perception of the Luftwaffe eagle are the large carved letter ‘H.S.’ These are probably the initials of the soldier who was the recipient. Among the birds is a pair of fighting roosters. Almost at the bottom of the stick it says ‘Winter 1941-42.’ Winding around the stick between birds and rabbits are the words “Südöstlich des Ulmen See.” What this refers to we don’t know, but it certainly had meaning to the warrior who received it. In any case this is without a doubt one of the best one of these elusive sticks that has ever shown up. Its length is 27 1/2 inches. Considering that this was one of the most hard-fought battles for all practical purposes. It was tank against tank and hand to hand; almost 90,000 German troops along with about 100,000 auxiliaries were trapped in the pocket, and this included the 12th, 30th, 32nd, 123rd, and 290th infantry division, as well as the Waffen-SS Totenkopf Division. The Luftwaffe lost 265 transport aircraft. Some 3,000 German soldiers lost their lives and 10,000 were wounded. The courageous Germans and other allied European forces finally, against vastly superior enemy numbers, broke out in a fantastic effort never to be forgotten in the annals of war. But it had a disastrous affect later at Stalingrad because the Luftwaffe simply did not have the necessary supplies and resources to supply Stalingrad and this was the main reason for the tragic loss. The stick is an important memento of the last struggle of the western nations against the malignant forces of communism with its allied support.
PRICE: SOLD |
Page Seven |
Please refer to item designator in parentheses in all correspondence.
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