Fascinating personnel file of one Richard Zimmerman of SS-Totenkopf-Standarte 3 'Thuringen', consisting of approx. seven individual documents related to his recruitment into the unit. These include his 'ahnenpass', documenting his Aryan heritage; his SS admission certificate, 2pp. 4to., Weimar, July 26, 1939, featuring his biographical information, identification photo, and signature on the second page; a 1p. oblong 8vo. attestation of his good character and lack of controversial political affiliations, signed by an 'Ortsgruppenleiter'; his 'SS-Erbgefundheitsbogen', or heredity questionnaire; an additional 4pp. 4to. questionnaire setting forth his biographical data and featuring a handwritten personal statement signed by him on the second page, with three additional identification photos on the third page; a third condensed 'family pedigree' document; and a 1p. oblong 8vo. slip listing his forwarding information, completed upon his transfer to the 'SS-Panzer Grenadier Ausb. u. Ers. Btl. 3' in October of 1943. All are bound together in a file folder bearing Zimmerman's name, the designation of his unit, and his birthdate on the front cover. Shows some splits to folds and some soiling, else very good overall, worthy of further research. The SS-Totenkopf-Standarte 3 Thüringen was formed in Buchenwald in 1937. Two units took part in the occupation of Sudetenland (Czechoslovakia) in October 1938. It was used for 'police duties' during the invasion of Poland behind the lines of the 10. Armee between Upper Silesia and the Vistula river. These duties consisted of hunting down the remaining Polish soldiers, terrorizing the civilians and murdering political leaders, priests, intellectuals and Jews. Soldiers of the SS-Totenkopf-Standarte 3 Thüringen were guilty of numerous atrocities during the fighting in Poland, including massacres at Nisko, Rawa Mazowiecka, and Ciepielow.