Beschreibung:

Outstanding in this lot is a copy of the 1946 photo book, Nurnberg, compiled by Charles W. Alexander and published by Karl Ulrich & Co., Nurnberg, which features 21 signatures of major Nazi war criminals tried before the International Military Tribunal. The signatures, which appear on a plate tipped in before the title page, include Rudolf Hess, Alfred Jodl, Wilhelm Keitel, Konstantin von Neurath, Franz von Papen, Arthur Seyss-Inquart, Alfred Rosenberg, Hjalmar Schacht, Ernst Kaltenbrunner, Wilhelm Frick, Hans Fritzsche, Hermann Göring, Joachim von Ribbentrop, Erich Raeder, Fritz Sauckel, Karl Dönitz, Hans Frank, Albert Speer Julius Streicher, Walther Funk, and Baldur von Schirach. Eleven of the signatures have been produced directly on the page, while ten have been clipped and applied to the page. Each signature appears next to an ink inscription of the signer's last name. Ink inscription on flyleaf reads, "War Trials / The International Military Tribunal convened in Nurnberg, the city of the pageant Reichsparteilag, at 10 A.M., November 20, 1945. Twenty-one of the accused, minus Martin Bormann, Hitler's Deputy, not apprehended by the Allies, Krupp von Bohlen, whose ailing health prevented trial, and Robert Ley, Labor Chief, who committed suicide in his cell less than 200 yards from the courtroom, filed into the docket from the adjacent Nurnberg City Jail." Applied (likely with paint) on front cover is the insignia of the 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, a large shield emblazoned with a red "1," flanked by two blue spades. Blue ink inscription on inside back cover reads, "Frank Reckers / 1275 Henkel Dr." This address matches the US Public Records Index entry for Reckers, 1985. Frank Edward Reckers (1926-1988) grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, and attended Elder High School in the Price Hill neighborhood of the city. World War II Army Enlistment Records confirm that Reckers enlisted as a private on November 1, 1945 at Camp Blanding in Florida. While little is known of Reckers' service outside of this archive, the 1st Infantry Division, 26th Infantry Regiment, of which Reckers was undoubtedly a member, played a vital role during and after the war. While many American units were sent home for deactivation following the surrender of Germany on May 8, 1945, the 1st Infantry Division remained to occupy the conquered nation. Specifically, the 26th Infantry Regiment, or "Blue Spaders," bore the United States National Colors at the Allied Victory in Europe parade and, more importantly, served as America's guard of honor at the Nuremberg Trials. Also included in this lot are the following items: Dog tag of Frank E. Reckers. Serial number 45008720 T45. Accompanied by ribbon bar corresponding with the American Theater Campaign Medal (medal not included in lot) and WWII-era brass US Army collar pin. US military payment certificate, one dollar, series 521. Ca 1954-1958. German state loan currency note, one mark, dated 1920. German photography book by Hedda Walther titled, "Geh mit mir," or "Walk with me." Published by Dietrich Reimer, Berlin, 1934. Subtitled, "Vierundsechzig Lichtbilder und einige Unregungen für freunde der kamera," or "Sixty-four photographs and some emotions for friends of the camera." Hedwig Gerhardt, later known as Hedda Walther (1894-1979) was a German photographer known early on for her portraits of children and animals. During World War II, like many notable German photographers, Walther worked on the "Führerauftrags Monumentalmalerei," a photo campaign commissioned by the Reich Ministry for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda at the behest of Adolf Hitler. From 1943-1945 photographers like Walther helped compile an image archive of wall decorations in churches, monasteries, palaces and other secular buildings in Germany, Austria, Poland and Russia (East and West Prussia) and the Czech Republic (Bohemia and North Moravia). The purpose of this project was to provide accurate depictions of these original wo