Himmler's Nazi hunting knife to be auctioned

[Ck]

A Nazi hunting knife which once belonged to Heinrich Himmler the head of Hitler's SS and Gestapo is to be sold at auction.

The horn-handled knife with a 4in blade has one side of the blade engraved with the signature of Himmler, and an engraved 'SS' device on the other.

It belonged to Himmler, who one of the most feared men in Nazi Germany, but was given away to his friend Herman Barth - who was responsible for the SS Education School in Berlin during the Second World War.

Barth once left the knife behind at the SS Headquarters after a hunting trip and Himmler returned it with a letter which read "...enclosed the hunting knife of the Reichsfuhrer which has been forgotten during your last visit".

It continued: "Because this knife was a personal present by the Reichsfuhrer to you, I take the liberty to send you the knife by a messenger.

"Again I'd like to thank you in the name of the whole Gau Baden for your visit."

Himmler was born in Munich, the son of a Roman Catholic teacher. He was old enough to serve in the German Army in 1918 and saw out the last days of World War One.

After the war, he became a salesman for a fertiliser company.

He joined the Nazi Party in 1923 and quickly developed a reputation for thoroughness and efficiency.

After January 1933, the SS was given more tasks. Its primary function was to assist in the rounding up of threats to the Nazi Party.

In April 1934, Himmler was appointed head of the Gestapo, the Nazi's secret police.

Himmler was in charge of Germany's concentration camps and eastern Europe's death camps.

It was Himmler who made sure that the trains ran on time and that each camp was run on business lines so that they paid for themselves and made profits where possible. letter, is to go under the hammer in Ludlow, Shropshire on November 6.

"There are many fake items of Third Reich memorabilia which appear on the market but this one is accompanied by a typed letter on the stationery of the Deutsche Arbeitsfront in Baden, addressed to SS Standartenfuhrer Barth in Berlin," said Richard Westwood Brookes, of Mullocks auctioneers.

"Hermann Barth was a close friend of both Himmler and Goering.

"He seems to have survived the war and died in 2005.

"We have seen references to other high status Nazis items coming from his personal possessions.

"Himmler was responsible for millions of deaths of men, women and children as overseer of concentration camps.

"He was the embodiment of evil, he was a horrible little man who even crossed Hitler in the end to save his own skin.

"He was the architect of the holocaust and he was a thoroughly despicable man.

"But this serves as an artefact of historical importance as a significant reminder of the evil of the Nazis."

The knife is expected to fetch between £1,000 and £2,000 when it is auctioned on November 6.
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[timey]

I'd have thought it would get more than that, bearing in mind its historical sugnificance.

[jools182]

I'd have thought so too

[lohi1]

Arbeit macht frei!

[timey]

Ja wohl.

[manojjonam10]

Himmler is one of the worst men lived during the Second world war. He led gestapo,SS and committed unspeakable acts. I guess his Nazi history is lost along with his knife.

[jools182]

The point is, he was one of the most famous people of the 20th century, evil or not, and I thought a piece like this would have been worth more because of its historical importance

[Ck]

5.30 EMB A rare collection of Nazi memorabilia including a death head ring owned by Nazi SS leader Heinrich Himmler has helped an auction house to secure its best sale in five years.

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[timey]

Yeah. People usually pay a lot for stuff like this.

[Earl]

Lemmy is a big collector of Nazi paraphernalia.