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9th F.A. Battalion 3rd Division Souvenirs from Berchtesgaden


USCapturephotos
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As I said earlier, I used to own this neat little group. Funnily enough, I asked Paul just last month if he'd sell it me back. When I first bought it, I tracked the vet down and asked him - outright - where and how he typed it. I remember him distinctly saying he used a captured German typewriter. I had no reason to doubt him. He was a great old guy. He may still be alive, and maybe worth another call into him.

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88thcollector

I think the superscript does probably mean it was typed on a computer but some models of old Olympia typewriters did have a th superscript. Not sure if the WW2 ones did.

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88thcollector

I am inclined to think it is computer generated. The non-indented paragraph style is modern style, I think. I don't think the block paragraph with double spaces to separate paragraphs was a 1940's format.

 

As stated earlier, typed documents usually have lighter and darker letters.

 

If you are near your state archives, someone there will be able to give you a conclusive opinion.

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Gonna hit this head on: There is no possible way that letter was typed on any typewriter. A typewriter leaves the same open hole for whatever character you hit the key for. Narrow characters will leave more open space on each side than wider ones accordingly. A computer takes up the empty space (called, "Leading" from the old letterpress days) and adjusts the blank space on each side of the character based on its width.

NO manual typewriter could have typed this. The characters would look like a gird, being symmetrical in either the vertical or horizontal planes, if a typewriter was used. This letter clearly lacks that.

The typeface is way off for any typewriter from the era, as well.

Opinions be darned, it's physically impossible for a mechanical typewriter to have typed that.

That said, it's easy to imagine the vet had someone re-type the letter and he forgot all about it. Even more likely, someone did it without him knowing much later on. But either way, they used a computer to do so.

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USCapturephotos

Thanks for the feedback all. I'm really thinking the vet must have had some of his letters retyped at one point. It always amazes me what you can learn on the forum.

Paul

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  • 1 month later...

The font used on this paper is 100% incorrect for the time period.

 

Looks like a computer generated document that has been artificially aged, one could have it tested by PSA determine the age.

 

The most important question is why was this "letter not composed on Official Nazi letterhead" if he was part of a unit that were first to the Berghof and Kehlsteinhaus? It's a known fact the 101st Airborne looted both places of Hitler's personal possessions so surely he would have been able to find a piece of paper with Official Nazi letterhead.

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The font used on this paper is 100% incorrect for the time period.

 

Looks like a computer generated document that has been artificially aged, one could have it tested by PSA determine the age.

 

The most important question is why was this "letter not composed on Official Nazi letterhead" if he was part of a unit that were first to the Berghof and Kehlsteinhaus? It's a known fact the 101st Airborne looted both places of Hitler's personal possessions so surely he would have been able to find a piece of paper with Official Nazi letterhead.

 

I went and compared this font to several letter's typed from the war that I am certain are genuine and compared to the larger repost of the letter in question and have to agree with the other posters who are doubting the legitimacy of this letter-this does not match the period font-and does appear computer or word processor printed.....and Kurt is absolutely right about fakers using aged paper --

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I went and compared this font to several letter's typed from the war that I am certain are genuine and compared to the larger repost of the letter in question and have to agree with the other posters who are doubting the legitimacy of this letter-this does not match the period font-and does appear computer or word processor printed.....and Kurt is absolutely right about fakers using aged paper --

 

Thor, here is a reference with the correct font used by Germany from 1930's - post-WWII Occupation period and beyond.

 

The most pronounced are the lower case "g" and the upper case letters.

post-161992-0-87690500-1458218909.jpg

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Thor, here is a reference with the correct font used by Germany from 1930's - post-WWII Occupation period and beyond.

 

The most pronounced are the lower case "g" and the upper case letters.

 

That is a good period font comparison. I agree the original letter in this post is suspect-for other reasons mentioned: paragraph indents etc...that another poster mentioned.

I tend to shy way away from typed letters that I can't physically hold and examine when I buy any WW2 era mail etc- same goes for handwritten letters: it can be difficult to figure if someone has simply taken old paper and put in an envelope or added to an old letter, but with handwritten letters, I find it helpful to compare to the cursive styles that were taught from 1900s- 1920s-

 

In retrospect, I also do find it a bit strange a GI didn't write on liberated letterhead..or other liberated paper souvenir....in my collection i have plenty of liberated letterhead--

 

dave

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USCapturephotos

Yeah I get it. I think enough people have chimed in to correct the record that this was a recently printed letter. The thing is the veteran himself spoke with my friend about the artifacts in question. I highly doubt the veteran faked the letter but am thinking now that maybe he or a family member retyped the letter at a later date. I myself have taken the time to transcribe original letters from the Civil War, WW1 and WW2 so don't think it implausible at all.

Thanks all for the feedback!

Paul

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Yeah I get it. I think enough people have chimed in to correct the record that this was a recently printed letter. The thing is the veteran himself spoke with my friend about the artifacts in question. I highly doubt the veteran faked the letter but am thinking now that maybe he or a family member retyped the letter at a later date. I myself have taken the time to transcribe original letters from the Civil War, WW1 and WW2 so don't think it implausible at all.

Thanks all for the feedback!

Paul

 

 

The opinions provided about the document in question i would take with a grain of salt.

 

The font isn't the only issue with the document, but I'll leave at that. On a positive note the NSDAP cap insignia's appear to be an early design from the 1930's.

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  • 2 weeks later...

If the items were obtained directly from the vet, I don't see a problem with the letter, if the vet himself authenticated it. No way that letter was typed on a "captured German typewriter"; it was likely re-typed on a computer by someone. Regardless, though, I doubt the letter adds much to the value of this "grouping" of common items.

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