Letter to ss officer at concentration camp

[Justin]

Some guy brought this in my store today to get a value on it, i really have no idea he has 2 of them to this same officer I just wanted to know what every one thought. he wanted to trade them for VW items.

[Rick Research]

A HERMANN Florstedt (no h in last name) is listed as SS Standartenführer, born `8 February 1895 in Bitsch, executed by the SS (!) at Buchenwlad 15 April 1945, served at Buchenwald 1939, Sachsenhausen 1940-42, and as Commandant of Maidenek 1942-43, according to French L. MacLean's "The Camp Men: The SS Officers Who Ran the Nazi Concentration Camp System," Schiffer, 1999.

First name and assignment in '41 do not match this envelope, so need to check things out more.

The letters are TO him... but who are they FROM?

[Rick Research]

OK, ALL sources confirm "Hermann Florstedt" implying either something is very much NOT right, or these were poorly addressed from the most casual of acquaintances?

From SS Seniority Lists 1934, 1937, 1942, 1944--

Florstedt was SS # 8660, NSDAP # 488,573

SS Untersturmführer 9.11.33
skipped Obersturmführer.
SS Hauptsturmführer 1.4.34
SS Sturmbannführer 9.6.34
SS Obersturmbannführer 20.4.35
SS Standartenführer 20.4.38

1942 SS Seniority Lists has him as a Waffen SS Hauptsturmf. dR as well,
the 1944 Liste has him as Waffen SS Sturmbannf. dR

He is consistently listed with a WW-ONE EK2 and at least one other WW1 award-- but NEVER with a Hindenburg Cross (????!!!) and ZERO awards right up through 1944 for WW2. His portrait in MacLean is a copy of a file photo, as an Obersturmführer and though wearing 3 ribbons, cannot tell what any of them are.

In Mark C. yerger's "Allgemeine SS: The Commands, Units and Leaders of the General SS," Schiffer, 1997, Florstedt is listed as CO of

SS Standarte 73 1.1.34 to 19.8.35
SS Reiterstandarte 14 May 1935 to March 1936, also
SS Reiterabschnitt VI August 1935- March 1936, of
SS Standarte 35 1.1.37 to 1.1.43

but without any biography.

Hein Höhne, in "The Order of the Death's Head," says Florstedt was arrested by the SS for unauthorized (!!!) killings at Lublin Camp and executed by them for corruption.

[braveheartls13]

Feldpost query

Dear All

Just a thought...

Would the envelope have been so openly addressed to Konzentrazionslager, Buchenwald i.e. was it acceptable practise?

Why not more normally to a Feldpost number ? Did not Waffen / SS field mail not first go to a CENTRAL depot for, though clearly addressed, onward redistribution?

Has anyone sought Mark's opinion?

Schuss...Alan / braveheart