Two auctions are coming up offering letters which show different sides to the characters of two notorious Nazi war-criminals: Josef Mengele and Adolf Hitler himself.
The Mengele letter was written in 1942 from the Russian Front back to the wife of the man sometimes known as The Angel of Death. Mengele frets over Irene's minor health problems, asks how her degree is going and tells her how much he loves her.
Acknowledging packages of food etc from her and his mother and sending films he has used himself, he makes requests, especially for more photographs to help recall good memories.
"I often think of you and many beautiful, colourful memories help me to get through this monotonous existence." he explains. The letter, on offer at Bloomsbury auctions in London, will go under the hammer on July 8.
 'My beloved wife!' - Rare autographed letter signed by Mengele |
Before that, there is a set of recently discovered letters from Adolf Hitler, written in 1924. At the time, the Nazi party was established but Hitler was being held in prison following a failed coup known as Munich Bierkeller(beer hall) Putsch.
Hitler used his time behind bars to write Mein Kampf, which would be a great success for him and solve his money problems. However, one of the letters he wrote indicates that he was in financial trouble before then and not confident the book would be the answer.
The future leader of the Third Reich was very keen to own a grey Mercedes-Benz, an 11/40 model which at the time cost 18,000 Reichsmarks. He pleaded for a loan or advance of the scale of a few thousand marks.
"...the hardest thing for me at the moment lies in the fact that the biggest payment for my work is not expected until the middle of December," he wrote in September 1924 to dealer Jacob Ferlin.
Hitler would later own many Mercedes cars. But it is not known whether he gained this one. In fact the letter which Ferlin presumably received has never been discovered - the letter appearing in the auction exists because prison which held Hitler insisted on keeping a copy.
The historic letter is on offer at the Behringer auction house near Nuremberg today (July 2), carrying an estimate of €25,000. Bids are acceptabed online. Collectors interested in the infamous leader may also wish to know that an order signed by him is currently available for direct sale.
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