[DIRLEWANGER BRIGADE]: BUCHMANN ERICH: (1896-1972) German SS-Obersturmbannfuhrer who was posted to the SS Sturm (Assault) Brigade 'Dirlewanger' in 1944 and commanded the Waffen-Grenadier Regiment der SS 72 of the 36 Waffen-Grenadier Division. An extremely rare T.L.S., Erich Buchmann, one page, 4to, Munich, 13^th October 1938, to Comrade Kelz, in German. Buchmann writes in his capacity as an SS-Standartenfuhrer, quoting his SS Number 5118, and explains that he had found out that day that the personnel office do not yet have a record of his new private address in Munich, which he provides as being at Amalienstrasse 60/III, and further asks that his driving licence be renewed to reflect his current employment. Together with a T.L.S. by an unidentified official within the Headquarters of the State Police in Karlsruhe, one page, 4to, Konstanz, 17^th June 1940, to the Reichsfuhrer-SS, in German, and marked Secret. The letter concerns a disciplinary case against Buchmann and forwards the minutes and transcripts (no longer present) of an interrogation, further remarking that no further investigations have been made. Both letters have two file holes to the left edges along with various official ink stamps and annotations etc. Some light overall age wear, about VG, 2

The infamous Dirlewanger Brigade, recognised for its brutality, was a unit of the Waffen-SS which operated during World War II. Consisting of convicted war criminals (not expected to survive their service with the unit) and political prisoners (largely socialists and communists who 'volunteered' for service in order to avoid concentration camps), the Brigade was not known for its dependability although did participate in the mass murders of civilians in German-occupied Eastern Europe.