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original Waffen-SS and Allgem.SS items for sale

original Third Reich documents for sale

Offered for sale is a

This extremely interesting Wehrpass of significant historical value was issued January 28, 1940 to Paul Meinhardt in Potsdam, Germany. A 1st (Pre-war) pattern Waffen SS Wehrpass to a Concentration Camp Guard. The Wehrpass is from Russian POW archives and like many such books seems to have had the entire name section of the prisoner erased. Instead the book is numbered (019) and has a Russian Cyrillic script name on the front pages – presumably identifying the prisoner. The document is in poor condition being badly water damaged, however the book is very interesting as the guard was posted to 5/12 Totenkopf Standarte of the notorious Jewish Ghetto of Litzmannstadt (the Polish city of Lodz) immediately after German invasion of Poland in January 1940. From there he was posted to KZ Oranienburg, in June 1940, then to KZ Neuengamme in until December 1941. From there a second tour at Neuen-gamme but this time in the Kommandantur (Concentration Camp Commanders Office). Then in April 1944 he was posted to KZ Sachsenhausen. He was promoted to Rottenfuehrer in September 1940, then to Unterscharfuehrer in December 1940 then finally to Oberscharfuehrer in February 1944. Two lines of awards included in the pass, but illegible. Photo at front is almost destroyed but shows his face only, no uniform details – although it is a uniform photo. The book is in poor condition but is a unique example of a Wehrpass for a guard at the notorious Litzmannstadt Jewish Ghetto – this is the only book with an entry to Litzmannstadt we have ever seen in years!

Paul served in several SS units in different concentration camps from early 1940 to 1944. The last rubber stamp is from the Commander's Office in K.L. (Konzentrationslager or concentration camp) Sachsenhausen.

inside Ghetto Litzmannstadt in occupied Poland

in 1940 he was assigned to the 5/12 SS-Totenkopfregiment in Poland, perhaps he helped to root out enemies of the Reich in the occupied territories, perhaps he had to help rounding up Jews.

the first pages have some water damage, the most interesting inner pages with the entries of Meinhardt's service in the concentration camps are intact.