1935 Promotion Document Signed by Reich Minister of War and Armed Forces Commander Werner von Blomberg

The document measures approximately 8-1/4 inches by 11-5/8 inches, and it is on the letterhead of the Reichswehrminister (Defense Minister) and it is dated May 1, 1935. The document is addressed to Ministerialrat Andrew Wirth in the Defense Ministry. The document states “verleihe ich die Dienstgradabzeichen nach Spalte 2 der Anlage 1 zur Verordnung vom 22 Dezember 1934” (“I confer the insignia of rank in accordance with column 2 of Annex 1 to the Decree of 22 December 1934”). The document bears the large impressed seal of the Reich Ministry of Defense.

Werner Eduard Fritz von Blomberg (2 September 1878 – 13 March 1946) was a German General Staff officer and the first Minister of War in Adolf Hitler’s government. After serving on the Western Front in World War I, Blomberg was appointed chief of the Truppenamt (“Troop Office”) during the Weimar Republic. Following the Nazis’ rise to power, he was named Minister of War and Commander-in-Chief of the German Armed Forces. In this capacity, Blomberg played a central role in Germany’s military build-up during the years leading to World War II. However, by 20 January 1938, he was forced to resign after his rivals, Hermann Göring and Heinrich Himmler, presented Hitler with evidence that his wife had posed in the past for pornographic photos. Blomberg was arrested by the Allies in 1945 and later gave evidence at the Nuremberg trials. He was diagnosed with colorectal cancer on 20 February 1946. Resigned to his fate and gripped by depression, he spent the final weeks of his life refusing to eat. Blomberg died on 13 March 1946. His body was buried without ceremony in an unmarked grave. His remains were later cremated and interred in his residence in Bad Wiessee.