Diplomatenpass
1938 Superb German Diplomatic passport.
When it comes to rarities and exquisite examples relating to travel documents, one cannot get better than this fine specimen here.
For collectors and passionate historians, fine examples as this one here offer us a glimpse into the past and can shed light to historically important events of the time.
We are all familiar with the outbreak of World War Two and the turmoil that followed, lasting for 6 long horrific years, where too much blood has been shed and unspeakable suffering that has never been seen unleashed before by mankind.
The document in this article can paint for us the moment by moment of an individual’s life at the precise time when war broke out and show us his movements during those fateful few weeks following the declaration of war by all sides in September of 1939.
German Diplomatic passport (Diplomatischer Paß) number 701 was issued at Berlin on June 16th 1938 to German diplomat Ernst Ramm (November 5th 1898 (Mecklenburg-Strelitz) – December 27th 1950 (Soviet Union)).
Some brief points about this diplomat:
- 1916-1920 – Military service (added an image of a WWI document issued to him);
- September 24th 1923 – Entering the German Foreign Ministry, attaché;
- 1925 – Working at the department III relating to Great Britain, USA and Asia;
- ” – Undertaking consular-diplomatic qualification examinations;
- 1926 – transferring to department II relating: South America and South-Eastern Europe;
- 1927-1928 – service in Tokyo, Japan;
- 1928 – Service in Moscow, Soviet Union;
- 1929 – Service in Madrid, Spain;
- 1932 – Working at the Foreign Ministry in Berlin;
- 1934 – Acting management at the legation in Lugano, Switzerland;
- 1936 – Personnel & Administrative dpt. for overseas service at the Foreign Office;
- 1937 – Lagationsrat;
- 27 May 1938 – 3 September 1939 – Consul-General at Wellington, New Zealand;
- 23rd October 1939 – posting to Mukden (Shenyang) in occupied North-Eastern China;
- 22nd May – July 4th 1941 – Acting Management at the Embassy in Manchuria – Xinjing;
- 1940 to 1945 – Consul-General to Mukden (Shenyang), Manchuria.
Some research into Ernest Ramm’s past has revealed detailed information and account of his activities in the Pacific, before his arrival to Tokyo, and from there to Manchuria in late 1939.
1938 was the year that Berlin upgraded its diplomatic mission status in New Zealand to Consulate-General then having Ernst Ramm being sent as their first Consul-General (2 years earlier the honorary consul was replaced by then Sydney based consul Dr. Walter Hellenthal, who was fundamental in reaching the trade agreement between the two capitals the following year). The diplomatic mission at the capital was located at Brandon Street and it consisted of Ramm and his deputy Erwin Bunze, previously consul to Poland, and two female secretaries.
The passport was endorsed for the Diplomatic visa for the colony of New Zealand by the British embassy at Berlin on June 18th, arriving at Southampton July 13th, brief stop at Colombo, Sri Lanka, August 6th, then 10 days later transiting through Western Australia at Fremantle before reaching his final destination (with a short visit to Apia, Western Samoa, 4 months later the same year).
The German invasion into Poland led Wellington to declare a state of emergency which changed to declaration of war against Germany 3 days later on September 4th (New Zealand’s Under-Secretary of State in-charge of Foreign Diplomatic representatives in the country was Joseph Heenan, who personally informed Consul Ramm of the state of war between the two countries). After a slight delay, Ernst Ram and his staff sailed on the Dutch ship the Tasman for the Dutch East Indies via Sydney 16 days later, on the 20th. As in most cases during war, the Swiss Consul was tasked with taking charge and representing German interests in the colony.
The passport has an amazing annotation on page 9 that clearly states in handwriting, most likely by Under-Secretary Heenan himself, that Ernst Ram was “Returning on outbreak of War from Consular duty in New Zealand“, applied to what seems to be a departure-visa on September 4th 1939.
The other interesting visas where made by the Swiss and Italian missions who also indicated the above mentioned, that the consul was returning home, or being repatriated back to Germany and leaving Wellington.
Officially the passport was marked by Sydney Customs on September 24th, with the Japanese entry visa applied at Surabaya, Indonesia, on October 9th. On the 31st he arrived in Fukuoka (福岡县), Japan, and applied for the Manchurian Diplomatic visa on November 6th at the capital, after arriving 4 days earlier at Kobe (兵库县), located at the Hyōgo Prefecture (this visa and the war year’s activities of Consul Ramm will be subject to a future article).
Consul Ramm was captured by the advancing Red Army after their invasion of North Eastern China and sent off to Moscow. He died in captivity on December 27th 1950 and officially declared dead March 15th 1956.
Have added images of this war-related treasure.
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