[Below: This document, from the German Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia was prepared on June 8, 1942. It uses a 1939 Bohemia and Moravia tax stamp and has an interesting checkered eagle ink stamp at the bottom. It says:
'Heimatschein
womit die Gemeinde
Olmütz
bestätigt, dass
Beruf: Kaufmann
Stand: verheiratet'
(Certificate of Origin
with which the municipality
Olmütz
confirms that
[...]
Occupation: Businessman
Status: married)]
[Below: Tax stamp close-up.]
[Below: Ink stamp close-up.]
[Below: German Labor Front (Deutsche Arbeitsfront) documents. The first one is from Strassburg and is dated January 7, 1941. It says:
'Wir sind damit einverstanden, dass zunächst eine Tonne Koks zur Heizung der Geschäftsräume der Ortsgruppe Schlossplatz bezogen wird.'
(We agree that one tonne of coke will initially be purchased to heat the business premises of the Schlossplatz local group.)
'Coke' is a coal-based fuel. A 'Kreissachwalter' is a district administrator.]
[Below: This German Labor Front document is from January 10, 1941, just a few days after the previous document and also from Strassburg. It says:
'Mit Ihrem Schreiben vom 8.d.M. ersuchen Sie um Übersendung von 18 Stück Aktentaschen. Wie bedauern, Ihnen mitteilen zu müssen, dass wir Ihnen dieselben nicht zur Verfügung stellen können, da wir zu deren Beschaffung keine Mittel haben.
Die von Ihnen gewünschten 100 Anmeldeformulare legen wie hier bei.'
(In your letter dated the 8th of this month, you requested that we send you 18 briefcases. We regret to inform you that we cannot provide you with these because we do not have the means to obtain them.
We are enclosing the 100 registration forms you requested.)]
[Below: This German Labor Front document is from October 31, 1942, from Württemberg. It says:
' Unter Bezugnahme auf Ihre persönliche Vorsprache vom 23.d.Mta. teile ich Ihnen mit, daß nach heutiger fernmündlicher Auskunft des Arbeitsamts Aalen das fragliche Schreiben des Landesarbeitsamts Stuttgart anscheinend immer noch nicht eingegangen ist.'
(With reference to your personal appearance on the 23rd of this month, I would like to inform you that, according to information received today by telephone from the Aalen employment office, the letter in question from the Stuttgart State Employment Office has apparently still not been received.)
This is signed by a 'Rechtsberater der DAF' (Legal advisor to DAF).]
[Below: Here's an interesting German Labor Front (Deutsche Arbeitsfront) document. It has a company's logo/name on it, along with the DAF logo, something I've never seen before. It is an order form. It says:
'Stück Feinseife
Schwimmseife
Stück Rasierseife
Feinseife luftgeblasen.'
(Bar of fine soap
Floating soap
Bar of shaving soap
Air-blown fine soap).
4,000 bars of soap! Wow, that's a lot of soap. Keep in mind the DAF was the largest organization in the Third Reich and put to work millions of Germans and foreigners alike. Whether building roads, draining swamps or building a myriad of structures, it was a dirty job.]
[Below: Close-up.]
[Below: Close-up.]
[Below: This appears to be a criminal background check. It is from May 1937, Berlin. It lists the person's previous employment, previous residence, etc.. At the bottom it says:
'Pflicht eines jeden Mitgliedes ist es, sich mit dieser Ummeldung sofort bei der Ortswaltung im neuen Wohnort zu melden...'
(It is the duty of every member to report this change of registration immediately to the local authority in the new place of residence...)]
[Below: Close-up of ink stamp. Note that it is from the NSDAP.]
[Below: This document, from March 17, 1944, is from Elsass-Lothringen, a region disputed during two world wars between Germany and France. Predictably, after WW2, during the great land grab to steal everything they could from Germany, it was given to France. The address is Großadmiral Raederstr., whom Karl Dönitz replaced. It says, in part:
'I. Vertretung durch die DAF. bei Rentenverfahren.
II. Zahnbehandlung von Rüstung arbeitern
III Reichsstrassensammlung der DAF. für das KWHW!
I. Vertretung durch die DAF. bei Rentenverfahren...'
(I. Representation by the DAF in pension proceedings. II. Dental treatment of armament workers III Reichs street donations of the DAF for the KWHW! I. Representation by the DAF in pension proceedings...)]
'KWHW' stands for 'Kriegswinterhilfswerk', or War Winter Relief of the German People.
[Below: Raeder and Dönitz.]
[Below: This is a flyer for a dry cleaning business, from January - February 1937, It says:
'Reichs-Sonderwerbung
Laßt chemisch reinigen!
Herrenmäntel mit und ohne futter
Damenmäntel ohne futter und Halbgefüttert
Uniform jeder art rock und Beinkleid
Wie diese Drei wirst Du Dich freuen,
Wenn Du Dich Läßt von uns betreuen'
(Reich special advertisement
Have it dry cleaned!
Men's coats with and without lining
women's coats without lining and half-lined
uniforms of all kinds, skirts and trousers
You'll be as happy as these three,
If you let us take care of you).]
[Below: Reverse of flyer. It says:
'Kampf dem Verderb!
Staub und Schmutz verderben die Kleidung!
Verdorbene Kleidung
Vergeudete Rohstoffe
Vernichtetes Volksvermögen!
Nur die fachmännische Chemischrei
nigung bürgt für eine einwandfreie Säuberung...'
(Fight against spoilage!
Dust and dirt spoil clothes!
Spoiled clothes
Wasted raw materials
Destroyed national wealth!
Only professional dry cleaning
guarantees perfect cleaning...)
Wow, I had no idea that a little bit of dust on clothes would cause practically the end of the world!]
[Below: This is some form of a reciept from 1940, it says:
'Lieben RM habe ich vom Herrn (...) aus Langenfeld als Beitrag für die Handiwerk kammer'
(I have received RM from Mr. (...) from Langenfeld as a contribution to the craft).]
[Below: The red ink stamp says 'Der Amtsvorsteher des Amtsbezirks Kiefernrode' (The Head of the Kiefernrode District).]
[Below: This letter dates from February 10, 1941, it says:
'Erledigt am 11. Feber 1941.
Lagerhausgenoffenschaft-Raiffeisen in Stöhl
registrierte Genossenschaft mit beschränkter haftung
Wir bitten beigeschlossene Anlage zu unterschreiben und mittels freigemachten Umschlag wieder weiter zusenden.
Es handelt sich um den verkauf von Wertpapieren in deren Besitz wir durch die Entschuldungsaktion gekommen sind. Mit bestem Gruss
Heil Hitler!'
(Done on February 11, 1941.
Lagerhausgenoffenschaft-Raiffeisen in Stöhl
registered cooperative with limited liability
We ask you to sign the attached document and send it back in a stamped envelope.
This concerns the sale of securities that we came into possession of through the debt relief campaign. Best regards
Heil Hitler!).]
[Below: This is a Hitler Youth (HJ), etc. internal document. 'DJ' = Deutsches Jungvolk (German Young Folk), 'BDM' = Bund Deutscher Mädel (League of German Girls), 'JM' = Jungmädelbund (Young Women's Association), it says:
'Meldung der Beitragsshuld
des Gefolgschaftsgeldverwalters
Für jede Gemeinde des Gefolgschaftsbereiches 1 Vordruck'
(Reporting the contribution debt
of the follower's money manager
For each municipality in the follower area 1 form).]
[Below: This is a financial document ('Steuerzahlkarte' = Tax payment card) from late in the war -- January 6, 1945. As you can see instead of using an envelope government mailings were simply folded up and sent, sometimes using an official seal to seal them. Front/reverse.]
[Below: This is an interesting business letter from Austria, about three months after Austria voted to rejoin Germany (Anschluss). It is interesting that they use an old Austrian tax stamp from 1934, it says:
'Plastische
Buchstaben
Lichtreklame
Malerei
1 Firmentafel inkl. Holz, 350 x 80 cm, Grund grün, Schrift weiss, schwarze Schatten, Pfeil mit roten Konturen, inkl. Verpackung'
(Plastic
Letters
Illuminated advertising
Painting
1 company board including wood, 350 x 80 cm, green background, white writing, black shadows, arrow with red contours, including packaging).]
[Below: This is an interesting job application letter from a place called St. Pölten (the capital and largest city of the State of Lower Austria in northeast Austria), it says:
'Sparkasse in der St. Pölten
Betrifft: Anstellung
Wir bringen ihnen hiermit zur kenntnis, daß das kuratorium der Sparkasse in der Sitzung vom 3.Dezember 1940 beschlossen hat, Sie auf Grund Ihres Ansuchens vom 1.ds.M.mit einer Probezeit von 3 Monaten als Telefonistin und Kanzleiangestellte nach dem Angestelltengesetz aufzunehmen.
Die Anstellung erfolgt auf Kriegsdauer und wurde Ihr Monatsbezug mit derzeit...'
(Savings Bank in St. Pölten
Subject: Employment
We hereby inform you that the board of trustees of the savings bank decided in the meeting on December 3rd, 1940, to employ you as a telephone operator and office clerk under the Employees Act on the basis of your application of the 1st of this month with a probationary period of 3 months.
The employment is for the duration of the war and your monthly salary was set at the current...)]
