HEINRICH HIMMLER
(1900 - 1945) Hitler's Chief of the Gestapo placed in charge of security and responsible for the construction and operation of extermination camps. He chose suicide rather than face a hangman's noose at Nuremberg. Fine content partly-printed D.S. headed: "Service Contract", 1p. legal folio, Munich, Mar. 10, 1935 in which Himmler legally employs SS-Untersturmfuhrer HANS BISSINGER SS No. 53698 until his 45th birthday (Jan. 25, 1958) to be available to the SS-Verfügungstruppe, after which the contract will continue on a year-to-year basis. The SS-VT The SS-VT (SS Special Purpose Troops) began as Heinrich Himmler’s idea to produce an internal, exclusive and totally obedient personal army, loyal only to himself and Hitler. The initial units were an amalgamation of several Munich and southern German-based Allgemeine-SS battalions called SS-Bereitschaft or “readiness” units, many of which were initially trained at the Dachau training facility and concentration camp. Signed twice by Bissinger who would achieve the rank of SS-Obersturmbannführer der Waffen-SS and be awarded the Iron Cross, 1st and 2nd Class and the German Cross in Gold serving in the Das Reich division. File holes at left, else fine.