Regiment "D", Waffen SS "Deutschland" Photo Album |
Product Code: GOEP-00001
Price: Check Latest
This is an incredible and 100% original Early Waffen SS photo album. It comes from a private collection sold early this year in Europe. This album belonged to Adolf Schenkt a unterscharfuhrer who served in the SS VT and later the Waffen SS. The owner was in SS Regiment "D" or Deutschland. The photo album starts with pre war photos including one photo of the owner in the black SS uniform. It has pictures of the unit loading and unloading for transport to Konigsburg prior to the invasion of Poland in 1939. It had detailed photos, including combat photos of the regiments service in the invasion of Poland in 1939. This includes photos of the owner who has marked himself with a "x" in some photographs, including ones with the early Waffen SS camouflage. The participation of the Waffen SS in the invasion of Poland was limited and photo albums with Waffen SS troops (and these are unpublished) are very rare. The album came with a death notice for a member of Regiment D killed in the fighting in Poland. The soldier killed was a comrade of the album owner and is pictured earlier in the album when they are loading for transport to Konigsburg. Original Waffen SS death cards from Poland are also quite rare due to the small number of Waffen SS involved in the fighting and the number of Waffen SS soldiers killed was relatively light compared to later in the war. The album then transitions to the occupation of France, Belgium and Holland including pictures of the soldier and other Waffen SS members in front of the Eifel Tower in Paris. There are great photos of a swearing in ceremony of new Waffen SS recruits as well as an honor guard for a memorial service in which the original owner of the album is present. The album has some pictures also from a field hospital with the owner pictured as well. There are 109 photos in the album, BUT the album came with 27 loose photos as well. These loose photos are actually VERY interesting and historically significant. The soldier who is the subject and original owner of the album was obviously very well connected in the Waffen SS and apparently was a NCO involved in some security details for Hitler when he met with King Boris if Bulgaria in 1941 and 1942. One of the last pictures in the album is of this security detail and the loose photos clearly show the owner in the background while Hitler's personal pilot Bauer talks with King Boris. There are also original pictures (not massively reproduced post cards or reprints) of Hitler and of Hitler meeting Mossolini. Another picture is again of Hitlers pilot Bauer and on the back is glued a phone extension list for numbers of different important nazi leaders presumely at the Wolfes lair or the Burghoff. One of the numbers is the extension for Eva Braun. Finally, another picture shows the soldier in a car with two children and some handwriting which he must have done after the war indicating that Eicke and some of Martin Bormann's children are in the car with him, (he was again on a security detail no doubt.) There are also a few postcards sent to him made out clearly to him in Regiment D of the Waffen SS and also a newspaper clipping done after the war indicating the death of Felix Steiner. He kept it in the photo album. Some of the other loose photos are of he and presumely a relative or close friend who was in the Luftwaffe as well as other friend or relatives in uniform. There is also one other significant and interesting item that comes with this album and its a letter to Schenkt in 1946 while he was held at Dachau concentration camp which was being used as an POW camp for SS after the war. This is absolutely one of the nicest SS photo albums you will ever see and one of the most historically significant. It has many pictures of Early Waffen SS uniforms and insignia as well as combat in Poland. The cover is made from leather and is in good shape. The pictures are not glued down and can be removed for archiving. The album measures 13.5" x 9.5"
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