German Document Archive 1911–1967 – DAF, University and Business Papers

Description

German Document Archive Spanning 1911–1967

This German document archive comprises an extensive and varied group of official correspondence, business papers, certificates, printed regulations and other ephemera dating from approximately 1911 to 1967. A notable portion of the surviving material relates to Gottlieb Greifzu, whose gravel works and granite quarry operated in Suhl, Thuringia.

Among the most visually distinctive pieces are official letters printed on Die Deutsche Arbeitsfront – Gauverwaltung Thüringen letterheads. These documents date from November and December 1941 and concern practical wartime matters such as work shoes, ration certificates and the allocation of sole leather for company employees.

The archive is not limited to Deutsche Arbeitsfront material. The photographed selection also contains correspondence from the Industrie- und Handelskammer zu Erfurt, electricity invoices, a tax assessment, commercial papers, postal material, maps and printed music-related items. According to the original inventory, the wider group additionally includes educational and academic documents from the Weimar Republic period and later papers extending into post-war Germany.

Deutsche Arbeitsfront Correspondence from Thuringia

The 1941 letters were issued by the Deutsche Arbeitsfront’s regional administration in Thuringia, including its specialist department for the stone and earth industries, Steine und Erden. They were sent to Gottlieb Greifzu’s Schotterwerk und Granitsteinbruch, a gravel works and granite quarry in Suhl.

One letter discusses an authorisation certificate for obtaining a pair of men’s work shoes. The certificate had apparently been returned after one of the firm’s employees was called up for military service. Another letter concerns a ration certificate for one kilogram of sole leather and requests confirmation that it had been received.

Although mundane in subject, this correspondence documents the practical effects of the controlled wartime economy on a regional German business. Materials, footwear and labour were subject to increasingly strict allocation, while military conscription directly affected the availability of workers.

The survival of related letters, rather than a single isolated sheet, gives this part of the archive greater documentary value. Names, addresses, dates, departmental designations and period terminology remain visible.

Industrial and Commercial Records

Several documents were issued by the Industrie- und Handelskammer zu Erfurt, the Erfurt Chamber of Industry and Commerce. Correspondence dated 1940 and 1941 concerns applications for UK-Stellung.

The abbreviation UK stood for unabkömmlich, meaning that a worker was regarded as indispensable to a civilian position and could therefore potentially be deferred from military service. The photographed letters refer to workers including Armin Bittner and request information about which members of the workforce had already been conscripted.

These documents provide a direct connection between military mobilisation and the operation of an industrial company. They are particularly relevant to collectors interested in the German wartime economy, industrial administration, manpower policy or Thuringian regional history.

Other photographed material includes invoices from the Thüringer Elektricitäts-Lieferungs-Gesellschaft, including examples dated 1941 and February 1943. These record electricity consumption, tariffs and company information and help place the Greifzu business within its everyday operational setting.

An Einheitswertbescheid, or standard assessed-value notice, adds a further fiscal and administrative dimension to the group.

Academic and Educational Material

The original description states that the German document archive includes a 1929 certificate from the Preußische Hochschule für Leibesübungen in Spandau. This institution belonged to the developing field of organised physical education during the Weimar Republic.

Also listed are a letter and a printed Promotions-Ordnung—doctoral regulations—for the Faculty of Philosophy of the Schlesische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität zu Breslau, dated 1925. Breslau is present-day Wrocław, Poland.

These academic records broaden the archive beyond industrial and wartime administration. They may appeal to collectors of German university history, physical education, Weimar-period documents or historical material connected with Breslau and Silesia. The Silesian Digital Library may provide useful supporting material for research into Breslau institutions and publications.

Because the 1925 and 1929 documents are not individually visible in the supplied photographs, prospective purchasers should confirm them against the complete contents of the lot.

Other Printed and Documentary Material

The photographed selection also shows printed music pages headed Deutsche Hymne and a Partituren-Katalog für Männerchor. Additional material includes postal covers, stamps, a printed map or military-geographical sheet and documents from later periods.

This variety gives the archive the character of a genuine accumulated estate rather than a deliberately assembled group of unrelated display pieces. It appears to preserve elements of personal, commercial and institutional activity over more than five decades.

The exact number of documents has not been established. The original German description calls it an ungezähltes Konvolut, meaning an uncounted or unsorted collection. It should therefore be sold as a single mixed archive, with the supplied photographs forming part of the description.

Collector’s Interest

From a collector’s point of view, DOC173 is most interesting as a connected documentary group. Individual routine invoices or administrative letters generally have modest market values, but their relationship to the same recipient or business adds context.

The archive may be particularly relevant to collectors of:

• German historical documents and ephemera
• Deutsche Arbeitsfront material
• Third Reich civil and economic administration
• Wartime labour and industrial history
• Thuringian regional history
• Suhl commercial history
• German university and educational documents
• Breslau and Silesian academic history
• Weimar Republic certificates
• German business archives

The DAF letterheads retain strong period visual character, with the organisation’s printed name and cogwheel emblem clearly displayed. At the same time, the content is sufficiently specific to show how the organisation dealt with ordinary industrial supply questions.

The group is better understood as documentary social and economic history than as a collection of prominent autographs.

Condition and Authenticity

The documents show varying degrees of age and handling. Visible characteristics include toning, dust marks, creases, edge wear, filing holes, small tears and occasional staining. Some sheets have overlapping papers or attached material, while postal items retain stamps and cancellation marks.

The printed text, typed content, stamps and many signatures remain visible. Condition differs considerably from one document to another and should be assessed through all photographs.

The documents display features consistent with period German administrative and commercial papers. However, no forensic examination, third-party authentication or specific provenance beyond their grouping as an estate has been provided. The sale concerns the complete mixed lot shown and described, not a separately authenticated autograph.

Historical Responsibility Notice

This material is offered strictly as a historical, documentary and collecting archive. References to the Deutsche Arbeitsfront and National Socialist-era institutions are presented neutrally and do not imply political or ideological endorsement. Autographs & Militaria has no affiliation with the organisations represented.

Before buying, read my Complete Collector’s Guide to WW2 German Documents.