Original Signed Photograph: One-Of-A-Kind. This is a fantastic signed period communication from the office of Der Reichsführer ᛋᛋ (Head of the SS), the infamous Heinrich Himmler, one of the major perpetrators of the extermination, 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. The communication was sent to Hans Frank, a high ranking NSDAP Official, Governor-General of the General Government of Occupied Poland, and War Criminal who was executed following the war.

The communication measures 7 11/16"W x 5 13/16"H, and is printed on Himmler's informal letterhead, dated 27. 2. 1940. The upper right side also has an inspection stamp indicating it has been processed through the official channels, and assigned a specific record number. The text of the communication is as follows:

Tgb.Nr.Ar/1232/13
RF/Pt.

Lieber Parteigenosse Frank
          Von Ihrer Mitteilung vom 16.2.1940 über den Einsatz Regierungstruppen für die Bewachung von Eisen-bahnstrecken habe ich Kenntnis genommen.

Heil H***er!
Ihr
H. Himmler
VII A2

This translates to:

Dear party member Frank
          I have taken note of your communication of February 16, 1940 about the use of government troops to guard railway lines.

There is also a handwritten note on the back of the communication, stating "Notes that he has rec'd Hans Frank's plan for R.R. control". The front side of the document has some notes on the lower left that look to be from the intelligence department, dated 48, most likely indicating that the document was inspected.

The document comes with a Letter of Authenticity from James Spence Authentication, which is fully signed, numbered and dated, as well as notarized. They examined the signature in detail, and compared it with numerous other examples to verify the authenticity. The letter has the proper watermark on the paper stock as well as a holographic seal above the certificate number BB76559, which can be checked at their website.

A very interesting piece of German WWII Memorabilia, ready to add to your collection!

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.