Another superb specimen!
1938 German diplomatic passport.
Thanks to close connections & good collector relations I was able recently to put my hands on another rarity, adding it to my private archive of WW2 related diplomatic passports.
German Diplomatenpass No. 950 was issued on July 27th, 1938 to Mrs. Franziska von Scheele, aged 50, who was the wife of Nazi Germany’s Airforce (Luftwaffe) attaché to Spain during the crucial Spanish Civil War period. The passport was issued by German Foreign Ministry (AA) official at the passport-office Gustav Rödiger (1882-1952) who joined the ministry in 1906 and rejoined the West German ministry around 1951, being sent to Switzerland, a year before his death.
The passport was issued during the period of heavy German intervention in the Spanish Civil War, which began after Adolf Hitler gave his consent to aid Spanish nationalist Francisco Franco around July 25th of 1936. From this period onward Germany supplied troops and equipment to the Nationalist cause, an operation that was headed by Alexander von Scheele, and to his wife this rare passport was issued to (more can be read about this via the link here).
According to online sources, and this needs to be verified clearly, Alexander von Scheele was later transferred to the Eastern Front and if the information is accurate, he was killed on November 26th, 1942, at the Morosowskaja airfield (he died as colonel and commander of the 24th Panzer Division). Again, this needs further research.
The passport apparently was used well after he was recalled East from his Spanish post of Air Attaché based at Madrid. Used nicely until 1943.
Have added sample images of this lovely, rare document.
Thank you for reading “Our Passports”.
