Germany, SS. A Private Wartime Waffen-SS Photo Album, 9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen

(Waffen-SS Fotoalbum). A fascinating private wartime photo album belonging to a Waffen-SS soldier who, for part of his service, was embedded with the 9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen. It is constructed of a heavy card stock binding with a faux black leather exterior liner. The cover features a raised and silvered applique bearing dual Sig runes, in addition to a silvered inscription of “KRIEGSERINNERUNGEN” (“WAR MEMORIES”). The spine is perforated with dual holes at both the front and back, all reinforced with magnetic metal grommets. A black, white, and red drawstring is looped through the grommets to securely maintain the album’s structural integrity. The interior content consists of 20 black card stock pages, each separated by a wax paper divider to protect the images. Pasted to the pages are 134 black-and-white unpublished wartime photos of various sizes. It opens with images of the owner’s early service with both the Reichsarbeitsdienst (RAD) and Allgemeine SS, including many images during training and weapons exercises, interspersed with personal and family photos, including a striking wedding portrait. The remaining two-thirds of the album features fantastic wartime images of Waffen-SS personnel, many depicting the owner, in the field, at leisure, and receiving awards. These latter images are presented in razor-sharp focus, and show clear depictions of SS Officers and personnel with uniform insignia and decorations clearly visible. Several candid shots of camaraderie between Waffen-SS NCOs notably add a unique personal element to the album. It also features several images of an unidentified Obersturmbannführer wearing the cuff title of the 9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen, as well as an unidentified Waffen-SS German Cross recipient at a field kitchen and depot, with personnel seen wearing gas masks. The album measures 310 mm (w) x 205 mm (h) overall, and is maker marked on the inside cover with a label reading “ROBERT NEMETZ, KNITTELFELD”. Several photos have been detached, but remain secreted within the album, but there is no evidence of any missing photos or other damage. A superb wartime album in extremely fine condition.