Original Item: Only One Set Available. Heinrich Himmler, the infamous Reichsführer ᛋᛋ (Head of the SS), was one of the most important people in the so-called "third-reich", as well as one of the most heinous, probably second only to A H himself. As head of the SS he was also directly responsible for numerous murders, massacres, and other crimes against humanity carried out by members of the SS.  

Here we have a piece of DIN 476 pattern A4 size letterhead stationary from the office of Himmler, along with a period propaganda photograph showing him reviewing troops. The paper measures approximately 210 mm × 297 mm (8.27 in × 11.7 in), which is a standard size that had been in use in Germany since the 1920s, and is completely correct for the period. It is middle weight paper, and has a clearly visible watermark in the middle when lit from being, also showing the correct mottled look of quality paper. The upper left corner has the following printed in stylized type:

Der Reichsführer-ᛋᛋ
und
Chef der Deutschen Polizei
im Reichsministerium des Innern

This translates to "National Head of the SS and Chief of the German Police in the Reich Ministry of the Interior". During the NSDAP period the SS assumed control of all police in the country, and would later field many Waffen-SS divisions raised entirely from the police force. The upper right corner shows Himmler's Berlin office address, along with a place to put the date. We have compared it to other period examples, and it is correct. Himmler's position and titles changed numerous times, and he also sometimes seems to have stationary made for specific purposes, so there are quite a large number of variations.

The included 7 1/4"W x 5 1/4"H propaganda photograph has the German Reichsadler on the reverse over the SS ᛋᛋ doppelte Siegrune (Double Sig/Victory Rune) symbols. The front shows Himmler reviewing soldiers in the Waffen-SS, with the caption Reichsführer ᛋᛋ Himmler in Gotenhafen. This is more correctly known as the Polish city of Gdynia, a major Baltic Sea port and industrial center, which was called "Gotenhafen" during the NSDAP occupation. It was the site of a major shipyard that utilized entirely forced labor.

Ready to add to your collection and display!

Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was Reichsführer of the Schutzstaffel (Protection Squadron; SS), and a leading member of the National Socialist Party of Germany. Himmler was one of the most powerful men in NSDAP Germany and a main architect of the war crimes.

As a member of a reserve battalion during World War I, Himmler did not see active service, and did not fight. He studied agriculture at university, and joined the National Socialist Party in 1923 and the SS in 1925. In 1929, he was appointed Reichsführer-SS by AH. Over the next 16 years, he developed the SS from a 290-man battalion into a million-strong paramilitary group, and set up and controlled the NSDAP camps. He was known for good organizational skills and for selecting highly competent subordinates, such as Reinhard Heydrich in 1931. From 1943 onwards, he was both Chief of German Police and Minister of the Interior, overseeing all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo (Secret State Police). He controlled the Waffen-SS, the military branch of the SS. Himmler held an interest in varieties of occultism and Völkisch topics, and he employed elements of these beliefs to develop the racial policy of NSDAPGermany and incorporated esoteric symbolism and rituals into the SS.

Himmler formed the Einsatzgruppen and built extermination camps. As overseer of the NSDAP genocidal programs, Himmler directed the killing of some six million Jews, between 200,000 and 500,000 Romanis, and other victims. The total number of civilians killed by the regime is estimated at 11 to 14 million people. Most of them were Polish and Soviet citizens.

Late in World War II, AH briefly appointed him a military commander and later Commander of the Replacement (Home) Army and General Plenipotentiary for the administration of the entire Third Reich (Generalbevollmächtigter für die Verwaltung). Specifically, he was given command of the Army Group Upper Rhine and the Army Group Vistula. After Himmler failed to achieve his assigned objectives, AH replaced him in these posts. Realising the war was lost, Himmler attempted to open peace talks with the western Allies without AH's knowledge, shortly before the end of the war. Hearing of this, AH dismissed him from all his posts in April 1945 and ordered his arrest. Himmler attempted to go into hiding, but was detained and then arrested by British forces once his identity became known. While in British custody, he committed suicide on 23 May 1945.