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'HITLER'S JEWISH SOLDIER' AND GORING BODYGUARD, OBGF. HORST GEITNER
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Chesapeake City, Maryland
Beschreibung
'HITLER'S JEWISH SOLDIER' AND GORING BODYGUARD, OBGF. HORST GEITNER A remarkable grouping of items from a Jewish German soldier, one of only a tiny handful allowed to serve in the Wehrmacht, including the man's tunic, photograph album, and a grouping of awards and other documents from his exemplary military career. He would serve with distinction, and learn only after the war that his own family had been gassed at Auschwitz. According to 'Lives of Hitler's Jewish Soldiers' by Bryan Mark Rigg (2009), Horst Geitner (b. 1922) was born in Berlin to Olga Geitner, a Christian mother, and Arthur Moses, a Jewish father, who were not married to each other but lived together for extended periods. Since Geitner's father insisted on raising Horst Jewish, he had Horst circumcised according to Jewish tradition. Geitner learned his prayers and on the Sabbath and holidays attended an Orthodox synagogue in Berlin. When he turned 11 in 1933, the Nazis took power and Geitner's mother felt that her son should convert to Christianity to avoid persecution. His father agreed and in 1933, Horst was baptized a Catholic. From 1933 to 1936, Arthur Moses moved around throughout Holland and France with his Jewish wife, children, and mistress, also to avoid Hitler's persecution. In Berlin, Geitner stayed with his gentile grandparents, and remained close to his other Jewish relatives there. Geitner's father committed suicide in Metz on 23 December 1938. Before he killed himself, Arthur wrote a friend asking him to help his former lover and his son. In 1940, Geitner joined the Luftwaffe in hopes that he would be able to obtain his high school diploma through his service, and he reported for duty to Regiment 11 at Schonewalde. Geitner, a 'first degree mischling', was questioned several times about his ethnic background, and was denied flight training because of his religion, but was in many instances accepted by his officers and fellow men, his religion ignored or glossed-over. Geitner served with a special guard detachment in Berlin, and even acted as part of Hermann Goring's personal bodyguard at certain events. At Goring's Berlin home, Goring would exchange jokes with Geitner and the other guards or talk about their careers. Often, Geitner was posted right outside Goring's sleeping quarters. At the end of 1941, Geitner's battalion became a Panzer-killer unit, and in the Winter of 1942 was sent to the Eastern Front. He was promoted to Obergefreiter and moved to train soldiers in Furstenwalde. In June 1942, Geitner guarded a train en route to Ukraine. When it stopped near Auschwitz, he noticed the SS offloading several Jews there. He later declared: 'Only after the war did I learn that my whole family would be gassed there. Probably as I talked to my that SS man, my relatives were already in the camp dying.' Geitner then joined the 1st Tank-Destroyer Co., Sixth Luftwaffe Field Division and went to the northern front of Russia in winter, 1943. At Velikiye Luki near Pskov, Geitner was badly wounded after destroying a tank and was awarded an Iron Cross and the Wound Badge in Silver. He later remarked: 'I would be lying to you if I told you I didn't like being a soldier. It was an honor to serve.' he said. Early in 1944, Geitner read that if a 'mischling' had proven himself in battle, then Hitler would declare him 'Aryan.' He applied for the dispensation, and was later summoned by his commander and ordered to immediately leave. He received his discharge, which likely spared his life as the Russians destroyed his entire division during the Soviet offensive in the summer of 1944. Geitner never learned about the systematic extermination of the Jews - including over two dozen of his relatives - until after the war. While Geitner served in Russia, his Jewish sister, Ruth, uncle Wilhelm Auerbach, and aunt Erna Auerbach (nEe Moses) all died in Auschwitz. Geitner was the last living member of his Jewish family, which had been in Germany for over 200 years. In the postwar years, he served as a major in the Bundeswehr and as a judge. Included in this historically vital lot is Geitner's military tunic, a very rare example without the Geitner connection, which is also shown in one of the two Bryan Mark Rigg books included in the lot. The tunic is late war blue-gray Luftwaffe tunic with two flap pockets with blue painted pebbled buttons at the hips, and four bakelite buttons in front (one not matching). Collar tabs are comprised of green cloth with panzer skulls, piped in yellow, commensurate with his service in the Luftwaffe Feld division. Slip-on shoulder boards are also affixed with blue pebbled button, and piped in red for artillery. Geitner's Iron Cross ribbon is sewn diagonally in a buttonhole halfway down the front of the tunic, hand-stitched to the garment. Silver metallic thread rank striped are also hand-sewn to the left sleeve. Within, the tunic is unlined but has three interior pockets, the pocket on the left breast bearing cloth initials 'H G'. There is genuine wear to the collar and sleeves of the garment, as well as a few field repairs. Geitner's personal photograph album is also present, started by him in 1939 with almost all images captioned. The 8 x 10 in. photograph album bears a marbled cover and faux brown leather spine. It contains 130+ photographs, most about 2.5 x 3.5 in. or larger, almost all showing Geitner in a variety of settings. The young man is shown in some images with civilians, possibly family members, as a military reenactor, but by and large in uniform training, with officers and his fellow soldiers, on the Eastern Front, recuperating from his wounds, and in the last image, in the uniform offered here. Finally, there is included a substantial grouping of documents, including Geitner's award of the Iron Cross, 2nd Class and Wound Badge in Silver, a Jan. 21, 1943 untranslated letter to his mother; two Jan. 19, 1943 hospital reports on his wounds; a high school report card; his 'clean' criminal record; a Berlin Catholic Church document, 1934, untranslated but probably attestation as to his baptism; a birth-related document not mentioning his father; a postwar award, and several other documents. Simply an amazing gathering of material from a misguided youth who spent the rest of his life torn in two. He ended his interview with author Rigg by declaring: 'I have never healed from that time and will die with many questions about myself and people.'
Auktionsdetails
Versand
AGB & Wichtige Informationen
Stellen Sie dem Verkäufer eine Frage
'HITLER'S JEWISH SOLDIER' AND GORING BODYGUARD, OBGF. HORST GEITNER A remarkable grouping of items from a Jewish German soldier, one of only a tiny handful allowed to serve in the Wehrmacht, including the man's tunic, photograph album, and a grouping of awards and other documents from his exemplary military career. He would serve with distinction, and learn only after the war that his own family had been gassed at Auschwitz. According to 'Lives of Hitler's Jewish Soldiers' by Bryan Mark Rigg (2009), Horst Geitner (b. 1922) was born in Berlin to Olga Geitner, a Christian mother, and Arthur Moses, a Jewish father, who were not married to each other but lived together for extended periods. Since Geitner's father insisted on raising Horst Jewish, he had Horst circumcised according to Jewish tradition. Geitner learned his prayers and on the Sabbath and holidays attended an Orthodox synagogue in Berlin. When he turned 11 in 1933, the Nazis took power and Geitner's mother felt that her son should convert to Christianity to avoid persecution. His father agreed and in 1933, Horst was baptized a Catholic. From 1933 to 1936, Arthur Moses moved around throughout Holland and France with his Jewish wife, children, and mistress, also to avoid Hitler's persecution. In Berlin, Geitner stayed with his gentile grandparents, and remained close to his other Jewish relatives there. Geitner's father committed suicide in Metz on 23 December 1938. Before he killed himself, Arthur wrote a friend asking him to help his former lover and his son. In 1940, Geitner joined the Luftwaffe in hopes that he would be able to obtain his high school diploma through his service, and he reported for duty to Regiment 11 at Schonewalde. Geitner, a 'first degree mischling', was questioned several times about his ethnic background, and was denied flight training because of his religion, but was in many instances accepted by his officers and fellow men, his religion ignored or glossed-over. Geitner served with a special guard detachment in Berlin, and even acted as part of Hermann Goring's personal bodyguard at certain events. At Goring's Berlin home, Goring would exchange jokes with Geitner and the other guards or talk about their careers. Often, Geitner was posted right outside Goring's sleeping quarters. At the end of 1941, Geitner's battalion became a Panzer-killer unit, and in the Winter of 1942 was sent to the Eastern Front. He was promoted to Obergefreiter and moved to train soldiers in Furstenwalde. In June 1942, Geitner guarded a train en route to Ukraine. When it stopped near Auschwitz, he noticed the SS offloading several Jews there. He later declared: 'Only after the war did I learn that my whole family would be gassed there. Probably as I talked to my that SS man, my relatives were already in the camp dying.' Geitner then joined the 1st Tank-Destroyer Co., Sixth Luftwaffe Field Division and went to the northern front of Russia in winter, 1943. At Velikiye Luki near Pskov, Geitner was badly wounded after destroying a tank and was awarded an Iron Cross and the Wound Badge in Silver. He later remarked: 'I would be lying to you if I told you I didn't like being a soldier. It was an honor to serve.' he said. Early in 1944, Geitner read that if a 'mischling' had proven himself in battle, then Hitler would declare him 'Aryan.' He applied for the dispensation, and was later summoned by his commander and ordered to immediately leave. He received his discharge, which likely spared his life as the Russians destroyed his entire division during the Soviet offensive in the summer of 1944. Geitner never learned about the systematic extermination of the Jews - including over two dozen of his relatives - until after the war. While Geitner served in Russia, his Jewish sister, Ruth, uncle Wilhelm Auerbach, and aunt Erna Auerbach (nEe Moses) all died in Auschwitz. Geitner was the last living member of his Jewish family, which had been in Germany for over 200 years. In the postwar years, he served as a major in the Bundeswehr and as a judge. Included in this historically vital lot is Geitner's military tunic, a very rare example without the Geitner connection, which is also shown in one of the two Bryan Mark Rigg books included in the lot. The tunic is late war blue-gray Luftwaffe tunic with two flap pockets with blue painted pebbled buttons at the hips, and four bakelite buttons in front (one not matching). Collar tabs are comprised of green cloth with panzer skulls, piped in yellow, commensurate with his service in the Luftwaffe Feld division. Slip-on shoulder boards are also affixed with blue pebbled button, and piped in red for artillery. Geitner's Iron Cross ribbon is sewn diagonally in a buttonhole halfway down the front of the tunic, hand-stitched to the garment. Silver metallic thread rank striped are also hand-sewn to the left sleeve. Within, the tunic is unlined but has three interior pockets, the pocket on the left breast bearing cloth initials 'H G'. There is genuine wear to the collar and sleeves of the garment, as well as a few field repairs. Geitner's personal photograph album is also present, started by him in 1939 with almost all images captioned. The 8 x 10 in. photograph album bears a marbled cover and faux brown leather spine. It contains 130+ photographs, most about 2.5 x 3.5 in. or larger, almost all showing Geitner in a variety of settings. The young man is shown in some images with civilians, possibly family members, as a military reenactor, but by and large in uniform training, with officers and his fellow soldiers, on the Eastern Front, recuperating from his wounds, and in the last image, in the uniform offered here. Finally, there is included a substantial grouping of documents, including Geitner's award of the Iron Cross, 2nd Class and Wound Badge in Silver, a Jan. 21, 1943 untranslated letter to his mother; two Jan. 19, 1943 hospital reports on his wounds; a high school report card; his 'clean' criminal record; a Berlin Catholic Church document, 1934, untranslated but probably attestation as to his baptism; a birth-related document not mentioning his father; a postwar award, and several other documents. Simply an amazing gathering of material from a misguided youth who spent the rest of his life torn in two. He ended his interview with author Rigg by declaring: 'I have never healed from that time and will die with many questions about myself and people.'
Summer Historical Militaria & Autographs Auction
Auktionsdatum
Lose: 769
Lose: 853
Ort der Versteigerung
98 Bohemia Ave Ste 2
Chesapeake City
Maryland
21915
United States
Generelle Versandinformationen vom Auktionshaus verfügbar
Shipment will be via USPS Priority Mail, Fedex Ground or DHL after receipt of payment. Due to the large volume to be shipped please allow up to 14 - 21 days after payment for your shipment. All packages require a signature upon delivery. We are happy to assist you to make arrangements for extra-large or heavy items which we cannot ship directly. Please notify us immediately after the auction if you would like to ship via FedEx on your own account, we will add an appropriate handling charge to the invoice. Multiple lots may be combined into one package at our discretion. Shipping to foreign countries is very expensive and will be invoiced according to dimensional weight as required! Please inquire before bidding!
Wichtige Informationen
For buyer’s premium and VAT please check particular lot.
Zu Aufgeld und Mehrwertsteuer prüfen Sie bitte das jeweilige Los.
AGB
1. This auction is conducted under the laws of the State of Maryland.
2. This is a live auction. The auctioneer is licensed and bonded pursuant to the laws of Cecil County, Maryland.
3. A buyer’s premium of 25% will be added to the final hammer price of each lot purchased directly through Alexander Historical Auctions and a buyer’s premium of 30% will be added to lots sold through any other third-party bidding platform, i.e. Invaluable, Liveauctioneers, Auctionzip, The Sale Room, etc.
4. The Auctioneer reserves the right to reject any bid for any reason. In exceptional cases of clerking errors, third-party bidding platform errors, miscommunication, or other errors beyond the direct control of the auctioneer, the auctioneer reserves the right to withdraw the lot after the hammer has fallen but only before any payment has been accepted.
5. The Auctioneer reserves the right to withdraw any lot for any reason at any time.
6. In the event of duplicate high bids, the earliest bid received will be the winner.
7. Some lots may carry a reserve beneath which the item will not be sold. Any reserve will always be at or below the low estimate. Reserves and maximum bids will not be disclosed.
8. All autograph material in this sale is guaranteed genuine for the life of the original purchaser (unless otherwise stated or if contrary to other provisions of these terms). Any autograph item sold which is determined to be not authentic by two independent authenticators acceptable to both parties to the sale may be returned by the original buyer at any time for an immediate refund of the purchase price only. Non-autograph items are guaranteed genuine for a period of twenty-one (21) days of receipt. If determined to be not authentic by two independent dealers or authenticators acceptable to both parties to the sale within the twenty-one (21) day period the item may be returned for a refund of the purchase price only. We do not accept authentications from JSA, PSA/DNA and BECKETT because they do not examine pieces firsthand and they have very limited experience with historic material. Some lots may be sold in as-is condition and are marked as such in the description. These items are not returnable for any reason.
9. All returned lots must be in the same condition as shipped. All items are in very good condition unless stated otherwise. Items housed in frames have not been examined outside of the frame. Lots which bear defects or damage not visible because of framing will not be subject to return because of hidden damage. Auctioneer will not be responsible for shipping costs, after auction appraisal fees, testing or any other post-auction costs. Under no circumstances will the auctioneer be responsible for lost profits or other financial damages.
10. Any lot containing five or more items is not subject to return for any reason.
11. Bidders are advised that we are not selling frames or framing glass, and therefore the condition of the frame or the glass shall not be considered reason for return. Shipping costs for framed items may vary greatly depending on the size and/or weight of the frame, and at times these charges may be quite substantial. Customers may request us to remove autographs, artwork, etc. from its frame to reduce shipping charges. We will accommodate customers in that respect for an additional charge of $10.00 per framed item, but such service will be undertaken at our sole discretion. Alexander Historical Auctions will exercise care in removing items from frames, but this is done ENTIRELY at the risk of the buyer and the buyer fully indemnifies Alexander Historical Auctions for any and all damage that may occur as a result of any attempt by us to remove the item from a frame, mat, glass, etc.
12. Illustrations of lots in this catalog and our website may have had size, color, brightness and contrast modifications for display purposes only.
13. Estimated selling prices are for your guidance only. Actual selling prices may be higher or lower than the estimate indicated.
14. The placing of a bid legally binds the bidder to purchase the lot at or below the bid placed, plus buyer’s premium (see Item 3). Bids may not be retracted without our approval: those doing so will be banned from future participation and will be reported to the trade. Please think before you bid! You are legally bound once you do so.
15. Absentee Bidding. All bidding is undertaken in a competitive manner. The winning bid will always be one bidding increment over the second highest bid. The minimum acceptable bid for any lot is one-half of the low estimate given in the item description. Bidders may call us at 203-276-1570 during office hours, Monday through Friday 10 A.M. – 5:30 P.M. EST. Live bidding: Bids entered during the course of the sale by bidders on the floor, on the phone, or live on the internet will be taken at the amount bid.
16. Payment is expected immediately upon, (but not before) receipt of invoice. We accept cash, business and personal checks, cashier’s checks, money orders, bank transfer, Paypal payment, and credit/debit cards, including Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express. All accounts are payable to Alexander Historical Auctions. Payment must be made in U.S. funds. Wire transfer details are available upon request. We will ONLY accept wire transfers for invoice amounts equal to or above $750. NO WIRE TRANSFERS UNDER $750 WILL BE ACCEPTED. Please note that lots purchased are subject to sales taxes where applicable unless a resale number is filed with us prior to the auction. Invoices not paid within thirty days of the date of invoice will incur a 1.5% per month late payment fee.
17. SHIPPING: Bidders should be aware that shipping is provided as a courtesy. We expect delays due to holiday shipping volume and interim holidays. Anticipate up to 14-16 days for us to process and ship your purchases.
Items are shipped with shipping advice made to purchasers in a timely matter.
Shipping, handling and insurance charges will be added to the invoice. Shipping to certain countries is extremely expensive and will be invoiced according to dimensional weight as required. Please inquire before bidding! Note: Certain items such as ammunition, firearms, large frames, fragile, large, heavy and bulky items may not be shipped by the auctioneer. Client must contact us to arrange for shipments of these pieces.
18. Property purchased and paid for by successful bidders but remaining unclaimed after 120 days will be deemed abandoned and title will be ceded to Alexander Historical Auctions, LLC.
19. Alexander Historical Auctions offers our in-house shipping purely as a service to potential buyers, yet our shipping department handles thousands of different shipments in just a few short weeks after each sale has ended. Please notify us if you require a package expedited or held. Unless the buyer has discussed the need for expedited shipping with us, please allow up to 14 – 21 BUSINESS days for your items to be shipped. We will not be responsible for shipping and handling delays unless the need for quicker shipment has been discussed with us beforehand. We always attempt to deliver our packages in a timely and careful manner, but proper handling also requires time.
20. To ensure our historical items are delivered with the utmost care, all lots will be shipped with Signature Confirmation in place. We will gladly ship our items without Signature Confirmation at the buyer’s request, yet this will be done ENTIRELY at the risk of the buyer and only if the buyer fully indemnifies Alexander Historical Auctions for any and all related issues (delays, stolen packages, lost or misplaced shipments, etc.)
21. Potential bidders who register for any of our auctions, either directly or through a third-party bidding platform, may be enrolled in our e-mail mailing lists, where they may receive notifications about our upcoming auctions, advertisements for upcoming lots, and other publicity material. Should a bidder wish to remove themselves from our mailing lists, they are free to do so by either clicking ‘unsubscribe’ on our batch emails or contacting our auction house directly.
22. The placing of a bid shall constitute acceptance of the preceding terms and conditions of sale as well as the Bidding Procedure guidelines posted in this catalog. Please note that by submitting a bid in this auction you agree to all the Terms and Conditions of Sale herein and on any participating website.
SPECIAL NOTE ON FIREARMS: Firearms are only sold and shipped to buyers in the United States, without exception. All firearms so required by law will be shipped from a registered Federal Firearms License (FFL) holder, to a registered FFL. The buyer is responsible for locating an FFL in their locale to receive the firearm(s) and perform any required background checks. The buyer is also responsible for contacting the FFL which has custody of the guns in our locale in order to pay the necessary transfer fees and shipping and handling costs. The contact information for the shipping FFL will be provided in the successful buyer’s invoice. The transfer fees for our FFL are $45 per firearm. These fees, and any fees levied by the receiving FFL in the buyer’s locale, are the sole responsibility of the buyer.
ABBREVIATIONS: Alexander Historical Auctions utilizes the following abbreviations in lot descriptions. It is the buyer’s responsibility to read and understand these abbreviations.
A.L.S. – “Autograph Letter Signed” Letter completely in the hand of and signed by the noted individual. These letters always have a salutation, ie: “Dear Fred”, “Sir”).
A.N.S. – “Autograph Note Signed” A very short A.L.S., perhaps only a single line.
T.L.S. – “Typed Letter, Signed” Body of letter is typed.
Manuscript L.S. or D.S. – Body of the letter or document is in another hand, but piece is signed by the person of interest.
D.S. – “Document, Signed” Could be a printed document, a check, etc. Signature is hand-signed.
A.Ms.S. – “Autograph Manuscript Signed” Usually a lengthier text, no salutation, handwritten and signed by the noted individual. Ex.: a signed legal brief, a war reminiscence, etc.
A.Q.S. -“Autograph Quote, Signed” A quote of any type handwritten and signed by the noted individual.
A.M.Q.S. – “Autograph Musical Quote, Signed” One or more bars of music, with or without lyrics, handwritten and signed by the noted individual.
A.L., A.M.Q., A.Ms., A.N., A.Q. are all handwritten by the note individual, but NOT signed.
