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EXTREMELY RARE 6 POUND, CUSTOM-MADE COMMEMORATIVE GAULEITER PHOTO ALBUM OF THE INSPECTION TOUR OF THE WESTERN FRONT BY NAZI GAULEITERS IN SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 1940, HAND-SIGNED BY FIELD MARSHAL KEITEL AND INCLUDING 5 OBSCURE PHOTOS OF NAZI LUFTWAFFE ACE ADOLF GALLAND
After the very quick, very successful German conquest of western Europe over in June of 1940, Adolf Hitler ordered Generalleutnant Hermann Reinecke to organize a Besichtigungsreise or inspection tour of southern Holland, Belgium and northern France for Nazi Party Gauleiters. At the time Reinecke was a Major General and head of the General Office of the Armed Forces (Allgemeines Wehrmachtamt, AWA) at OKW. Such a tour would make certain that first-hand knowledge of the success of the German Blitzkrieg would be carried back to every corner of the Reich by informed and enthusiastic Gauleiters.
The principal of the four items offered for sale on this USMBOOKS web page is the extremely rare commemorative photo album produced and presented to the Nazi Gauleiters who participated in the official visit to the Westfront from 30 September to 7 October 1940.
This example was presented to Kreisleiter Dr. Karl Pachneck (Deputy Gauleiter of Klagenfurt, at the time) whose name is on the title page above the original boldly signed blue pen and ink signature of Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Keitel.
The 3-page introduction in this high-quality, custom-made 6-pound, 1-½ inch thick 11-¾ x 15-½ inch album mentions it was produced as a commemorative of this special tour through the historic area of World War I battles, and through the ruins that remained in the wake of the lightning-fast German victory of 1940 in Holland, Belgium and northern France by Nazi tank troops, paratroopers, engineers of the OT, Luftwaffe pilots and infantry men.
That three-page introduction describes this special tour which started in Cologne with a historical presentation by Oberstleutnant a.D. von Loßberg, a German World War I veteran of battles of the Somme, Arras and Verdun. He spoke about the significant European history of the area which had just been captured by Hitler's Wehrmacht. Via Aachen the group traveled to Maastricht in southern Holland, and on to the important captured bunkers at nearby Fort Eben Emael in Belgium. World War I battlefields and monuments were toured in Belgium and northern France (Ypres, Langemarck, Arras, Amiens, etc.) as well as Dunkirk and Calais on the English Channel.
Two days were then spent in Paris where the Gauleiters were shown around by Generalfeldmarschall von Brauchitsch and the leaders of the Kriegsmarine and Luftwaffe in France, and the guests were updated on the current situation of the German occupation of France. The group also visited the Villacoublay military airfield southwest of Paris, home of a Luftwaffe Geschwader that was actively bombing England. On the way back to the Fatherland the historic cities of Reims and Verdun were visited and several World War I battlefields, among them Chateau-Thierry, and the Maginot Line.
After that three-page introductory text, the amazing photo portion begins. Every page has several sharp, clear genuine 3-1/8 x 4-3/8 inch photographs carefully glued onto each cream colored, outlined and embossed cardstock page, and has printed captions explaining the subject of almost every picture. Each page is separated from the next one by thin, translucent onionskin photo album paper. The remarkable photos include an amazing array of uniformed high-ranking Nazis with leather coats, decorations, visor caps and goggles, daggers, binoculars, etc. Remarkably, we have not found a single one of these rare photos that have ever been reproduced elsewhere.
The photos show the Gauleiters at Fort Eben Emael where Knights Cross winner Oberstleutnant Hans Mikosch outlined the capture of the strategic fortifications on Belgium's Albert Canal (Mikosch's battalion supported the German paratroopers that landed on Fort Eben Emael and it was for this effort that he received the Ritterkreuz or Knight's Cross on 21 May 1940).
On the second day World War I battlefields and monuments were visited. The group was accompanied by Oberst von Strube who gave a presentation at the famous World War I Vimy and Loretto battlefields. Their lunch was Gulasch in the field before continuing to Ypres and a wreath laying ceremony at Langemarck. There is even a recipe for the Gulasch on that page in the album!
Durnkirk was the first stop on the third day - the photos show rubble and battle destruction everywhere. The group received a guided tour by the Marinebefehlshaber Kanalküste Admiral Friedrich-Wilhelm Fleischer and also met with Schnellbootkommandant Oberleutnant zur See Opdenhoff and his brother Deputy Gauleiter of Reichsgau Oberdonau, Christian Opdenhoff. The two are pictured together. Some of the party was photographed having a look across the Channel at England through their binoculars.
Heavy coastal batteries on the windy English Channel were visited before meeting with Luftwaffe Ace Major Adolf Galland. There are five superb, perhaps unpublished photos showing Galland surrounded by different Gauleiters, one showing the fighter pilot on his airplane. Further down this web page we show those photos in a larger size so the detail in them is perfectly obvious.
On Day 4 stops were made at Compiègne, and in the afternoon a Nazi Panzerdivision gave the group a Panzer attack show outside Meaux, a city east of Paris. Travel day 5 and 6 were spent in and around Paris where the group enjoyed a city tour, visited the tomb of Napoleon and Marechal Foch, and the palace at Fontainebleau. There are several photos of the group visiting a Luftwaffe Kampfgeschwader at Villacoublay.
East of Paris the group received a guided tour of the World War I battlefields of the Marne by Oberstleutnant Dr. Kurt Hesse (who would later become the Leiter der Gruppe V (Heer) der Abteilung Wehrmachtpropaganda im Oberkommando der Wehrmacht).
The battlefield and ossuary at Douaumont (two photos above) near Verdun were visited as was the largest fortification of the Maginot Line at Hackenberg. Before returning to Germany, the Gauleiter group was also received by Generalfeldmarschall Erwin von Witzleben at a nearby Wehrmacht facility.
This rare commemorative photo book also comes with two 8-3/8 x 11-5/8 inch reports.
The publication with the tan cover with the large NS-Hoheitszeichen on it contains the 36-page text of the speeches and presentations given to the Gauleiters during their tour of Belgium and France, and contains a larger fold-out map of General der Infanterie Ernst Busch and his 16th Army deployed during the battle around Verdun in 1940.
The publication with the tan cover with the large NS-Hoheitszeichen on it contains the 36-page text of the speeches and presentations given to the Gauleiters during their tour of Belgium and France, and contains a larger fold-out map of General der Infanterie Ernst Busch and his 16th Army deployed during the battle around Verdun in 1940.
ABOUT THE ADDITIONAL PUBLICATIONS
Inside the back cover of this huge album is a special built-in pocket which contains a 6 x 8-½ inch, 15-page hand-colored Gauleiter cartoon book. There is a map of the tour and comic illustrations of funny incidents regarding the logistics and curious circumstances encountered on the journey. The pocket also contains four extra loose photographs taken during the Gauleiter trip to the West Front that were not pasted in the album (shown right).
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but it looks like a suitable Gau." |
The publication with the red cover is marked Geheim! (Secret!) and contains the 8-page text of the presentation given by Oberstleutnant a.D. von Loßberg. It has information about the Wehrmacht units involved in the Nazi invasion in the west, as well as seven larger fold-out maps of the offensive that overwhelmed the countries of Holland, Belgium and France in a few short weeks.
It is beautifully hand-crafted, contains an absolute photographic treasure in its 100 unique pictures (they are printed on photographic paper from negatives - they are NOT halftoned prints), and it is complete with the three additional seldom-seen original special publications. The condition is phenomenal. We can not imagine where anyone would ever see another example offered for sale!
This is truly an amazing, irreplaceable commemorative photo album! We have never seen another like it. It is obvious very few survived World War II, the Allied de-Nazification efforts, or the last 80 years in Germany.
The trip depicted in the album and publications in this lot happened JUST ONCE during the Third Reich of Adolf Hitler and few if any of the 100 original photos in the album have ever been seen by collectors or historians. The subject of this extensive Gauleiter tour of the warfront would make a beautiful, historical book or degree thesis for someone. Especially since this lot would provide a great part of the content, and could be supplemented with color photos of Gauleiter, visor caps, uniforms, weapons, accessories, etc.
Have a look at other original Third Reich photo albums for sale on USMBOOKS.com. We are happy to combine shipping to save you money!
and additional publications is ** SOLD ** |
| • IF you wish to purchase highly recommended, but optional insurance, add $15.00. |
| • We will be happy to ship abroad at additional cost. Please inquire. |
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