Original Werner von Blomberg Signed Reichswehr Document 1934 – Army Chemist Appointment

Description

Original Werner von Blomberg Signed Document from 1934

This Werner von Blomberg signed document is an original German military personnel order issued in Berlin on 22 November 1934, during the final months in which Germany’s armed forces were officially known as the Reichswehr.

The document is typed on official stationery headed:

“Der Reichswehrminister”

It bears the Berlin government address:

Tirpitzufer 72/76

The recipient is identified as:

“Herrn Heereschemiker Dr. Ing. Richard Scholle”

A large handwritten von Blomberg signature appears prominently in the lower-right section of the sheet.

Unlike an isolated autograph or later signed photograph, this document preserves a complete military and administrative context: official letterhead, precise date, recipient, appointment details, departmental references and the original signature of the German Defence Minister.

Appointment of an Army Chemist

The document is headed:

“Übertragungsverfügung”

This can be translated as an assignment, transfer or appointment order.

The principal text states:

“Auf Grund der Anstellungsurkunde vom 22. November 1934 übertrage ich Ihnen die Stelle eines Heereschemikers bei der Heeresverwaltung mit Wirkung vom 1. Oktober 1934 ab. Ihre Dienststelle ist bei den Gasschutzlehrgängen.”

English translation:

“On the basis of the appointment certificate dated 22 November 1934, I assign to you the position of Army Chemist within the Army Administration, effective from 1 October 1934. Your duty station is with the gas-protection training courses.”

The recipient, Dr.-Ing. Richard Scholle, was therefore appointed as a Heereschemiker, or army chemist, and attached to military courses concerned with protection against chemical agents.

The wording should not automatically be interpreted as evidence of offensive chemical-weapons development. More precisely, the document records an official personnel assignment connected with military gas-protection instruction.

Gas-Protection Training in the Pre-WWII German Army

The reference to “Gasschutzlehrgänge” gives this Werner von Blomberg signed document a particularly interesting military-technical association.

The experience of chemical warfare during the First World War led European armed forces to maintain specialist knowledge relating to gas detection, protective equipment, decontamination and troop instruction. Military chemists could therefore perform important technical, advisory and training duties within army administrations.

This document provides direct evidence of a specialist scientific appointment within the German military structure during the period of accelerated reorganisation and expansion that preceded the Second World War.

It would be especially relevant to a collection focused on:

• Military chemical defence
• Gas-mask and protective-equipment history
• German Army technical personnel
• Reichswehr administration
• Pre-WWII military training
• Original German appointment documents

Werner von Blomberg as Reichswehr Minister

Werner von Blomberg became Reichswehr Minister in 1933 and played an important role in the relationship between the armed forces and the new government.

Following President Paul von Hindenburg’s death in August 1934, Blomberg ordered members of the Reichswehr to swear a personal oath to Adolf Hitler. The present document was signed only a few months after that important transformation in military allegiance.

In March 1935, the Reichswehr was renamed the Wehrmacht as Germany openly introduced compulsory military service and expanded its armed forces. Consequently, this document belongs to the last phase of the Reichswehr and predates that formal change by approximately four months.

In 1935 Blomberg became Reich Minister of War and commander-in-chief of the Wehrmacht. He received the rank of field marshal in 1936 but was forced from office during the Blomberg–Fritsch affair in early 1938.

Connection with the Second World War

Although dated several years before the outbreak of the Second World War, this Werner von Blomberg signed document is closely connected with the military transformation that preceded the conflict.

The letter was issued at a time when Germany was expanding its military organisation while officially retaining the name Reichswehr. Within months, the armed forces would be renamed, compulsory military service would be restored and the process of large-scale rearmament would become increasingly open.

The document therefore represents the transition between:

• The restricted interwar Reichswehr
• The expansion of German military administration
• The creation of the Wehrmacht
• The technical preparation of military personnel
• The political subordination of the armed forces
• The military system later employed during WWII

Its connection with gas-protection instruction adds a specialised dimension not normally present in routine promotion documents.

Original Signature and Presentation

Blomberg’s signature is executed in a blue-grey writing medium and occupies a large area in the lower-right portion of the document.

The surname is readily identifiable through the broad initial strokes, connected central lettering and long descending terminal flourish.

The small portrait visible in some of the photographs has been placed over the document as a visual reference. It should only be described as included in the sale when it is being supplied with the original document.

Condition

The document presents general age toning, scattered foxing, small brown spots and light surface marks.

A prominent horizontal archival fold crosses the sheet below the main text. Additional soft creasing and minor handling wear are visible, particularly around the lower section and margins.

The official heading, recipient, appointment text, date and signature remain complete and clearly legible. No major paper loss affecting the principal text or autograph is visible in the supplied photographs.

All images form an essential part of the condition description.

Collectable German Military Autograph

This original Werner von Blomberg signed document would make a notable addition to collections focused on:

• Werner von Blomberg autographs
• German military commanders
• Reichswehr documents
• Early Wehrmacht history
• Pre-WWII German militaria
• Military chemical defence
• Gas-protection training
• Original appointment certificates
• Second World War personalities
• German military administration

The item is offered strictly as a historical collectable for preservation, documentation, research and education. Its sale does not represent support for the political regime or military policies associated with the period.