German Courier Ministerialpass – Barbarossa
German Courier Ministerialpass Barbarossa
German-Soviet relations have always been exceptional, and this passport is an excellent example of these relations. Hermann Saam was a consular secretary and diplomatic courier at the German embassy in Moscow. Such Third Reich documents of duty in the USSR are scarce to find! Hermann’s Ministerialpass was issued on 11th Nov 1939, about twelve weeks after signing the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact and nearly a month after WWII began.
The Ministerialpass has document number 2135 and was valid till 10th Nov 1944. However, the last entry in his diplomatic travel document was from 23rd July 1941. More on this interesting handwritten entry, later. Saam was in 1939 when he was on diplomatic courier duty, 29 years young.
The visas in his travel document include Lithuania, Latvia, several USSR, and several German visas (issued at the German embassy in Moscow!) Nothing I saw so far was so closely related to “Operation Barbarossa” than this diplomatic travel document.
Coming back to the last entry which reads
“I confirm herewith that Mr. Herrmann Saam is traveling from 23rd July 1941 by a special transport back to the Reich, to work as a Russian interpreter”.
Stamp from the German embassy in Moscow, a signature (I can’t read – from an embassy official) and from Werner von Trippelskirch, the second-highest German official who led the embassy when ambassador Friedrich-Werner Graf von der Schulenburg wasn’t present.
After the German attack on the Soviet Union in the summer of 1941 Tippelskirch returned to Germany (departure from Moscow on June 24, 1941). From July 24, 1941, he was employed in the “Political Department” at the German Foreign Office, where he worked as a counselor with the title of an ambassador to Russia, the Baltic States, and Poland. He remained in this post until 1945. Tippelskirch was taken prisoner of war in America. Subsequently, he was a witness at the Nuremberg trials. Tippelskirch’s cousin was the head of the General Staff of the Army, Kurt von Tippelskirch.
It seems Saam was in briefly in a Soviet internment camp as the document lot also includes two editions of the camp newspaper “KZ am Mittag,” Kostromaer Zeitung der Deutschen Internierten in der Sowjetunion. Kostroma and der Wolga den 1. Juli 1941 (in German). These two issues of the camp magazine are most interesting as they report the first-hand experience of inmates. The first issue was distributed quickly after just ONE WEEK in the camp: issue number two, FOUR WEEKS after internment. A statement reads
“22nd June 1941 – Farewell from Moscow – Our chronicle adventures, part one:
A ciphered telegram received by the German embassy at 3 am at night and is asking to send somebody from the embassy to foreign minister Molotov, to communicate that the hostility has begun. Embassy documents started to get destroyed. The Bulgarian ambassador is taking care of German interests. The German embassy doesn’t exist anymore. We are cut off from our homeland…” German Courier Ministerialpass Barbarossa
All events are described in detail happening on 22/23 June 1941 at the German embassy.
They are further describing life at the camp. Issue no.2 of the camp magazine describes events from June 25 to July 24. It seems key German staff of the embassy in Moscow was imprisoned only briefly for a few weeks as they describe their arrival on July 24 in Berlin, Germany. WOW, great first-hand stories!
Hermann Saam (born on 7. March 1910 in Neckarsulm and died on 22. December 2005 in Bad Wildbad) was a German diplomat and politician (FDP / DVP).
After graduating from high school, Saam trained in public and municipal administration in the Free People’s State of Württemberg. He then entered the diplomatic service and worked from 1934 to 1942 as secretary of the consulate at the German embassies in Lisbon, Rio de Janeiro, and Moscow. In addition, since 1939 he undertook special courier trips to Japan, North, Central, and South America. From 1942 to 1945 he participated as a soldier in World War II and was deployed on the Eastern Front and in the Balkans. He was captured by the United States, from which he was released in August 1945. German Courier Ministerialpass Barbarossa
Saam was appointed head of the Freudenstadt District Economic Office in December 1945 by the French military government, which he supervised until 1948. He returned to the diplomatic service in October 1955. Until 1958 he was consul or Permanent Chargé d’Affaires of the Federal Republic of Germany in Accra ( Ghana ) and from 1959 worked as an advisor in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Trade Policy Department. In 1960 he returned to Germany for health reasons.
Saam joined the NSDAP in 1937 (membership number 4 457 267). After the end of the war, he joined the DVP, which later became the Baden-Württemberg state association of the FDP. As a successor to Wolfgang Haussmann, he was chairman of the FDP / DVP of Baden-Württemberg from 1964 to 1967. From 1966 to 1968 he was also a member of the national executive of the Liberals.
Documents on his work for the FDP can be found in the Liberalism Archive of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom in Gummersbach.
Saam was a member of the Baden-Württemberg Landtag from 1952 to 1955 from 1960 to 1964. He was a member of the Bundestag from 1965 to 1969. He was elected via the state list.
Saam war von 1948 bis 1955 Bürgermeister von Freudenstadt und spielte in dieser Zeit eine wichtige Rolle beim Wiederaufbau der zerstörten Innenstadt. Von 1960 bis 1974 war er Bürgermeister von Wildbad .
German Courier Ministerialpass Barbarossa
FAQ Passport History
Passport collection, passport renewal, old passports for sale, vintage passport, emergency passport renewal, same day passport, passport application, pasaporte passeport паспорт 护照 パスポート جواز سفر पासपोर्ट
1. What are the earliest known examples of passports, and how have they evolved?
The word "passport" came up only in the mid 15th Century. Before that, such documents were safe conducts, recommendations or protection letters. On a practical aspect, the earliest passport I have seen was from the mid 16th Century. Read more...
2. Are there any notable historical figures or personalities whose passports are highly sought after by collectors?
Every collector is doing well to define his collection focus, and yes, there are collectors looking for Celebrity passports and travel documents of historical figures like Winston Churchill, Brothers Grimm, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Read more...
3. How did passport designs and security features change throughout different periods in history, and what impact did these changes have on forgery prevention?
"Passports" before the 18th Century had a pure functional character. Security features were, in the best case, a watermark and a wax seal. Forgery, back then, was not an issue like it is nowadays. Only from the 1980s on, security features became a thing. A state-of-the-art passport nowadays has dozens of security features - visible and invisible. Some are known only by the security document printer itself. Read more...
4. What are some of the rarest and most valuable historical passports that have ever been sold or auctioned?
Lou Gehrig, Victor Tsoi, Marilyn Monroe, James Joyce, and Albert Einstein when it comes to the most expensive ones. Read more...
5. How do diplomatic passports differ from regular passports, and what makes them significant to collectors?
Such documents were often held by officials in high ranks, like ambassadors, consuls or special envoys. Furthermore, these travel documents are often frequently traveled. Hence, they hold a tapestry of stamps or visas. Partly from unusual places.
6. Can you provide insights into the stories behind specific historical passports that offer unique insights into past travel and migration trends?
A passport tells the story of its bearer and these stories can be everything - surprising, sad, vivid. Isabella Bird and her travels (1831-1904) or Mary Kingsley, a fearless Lady explorer.
7. What role did passports play during significant historical events, such as wartime travel restrictions or international treaties?
During war, a passport could have been a matter of life or death. Especially, when we are looking into WWII and the Holocaust. And yes, during that time, passports and similar documents were often forged to escape and save lives. Example...
8. How has the emergence of digital passports and biometric identification impacted the world of passport collecting?
Current modern passports having now often a sparkling, flashy design. This has mainly two reasons. 1. Improved security and 2. Displaying a countries' heritage, icons, and important figures or achievements. I can fully understand that those modern documents are wanted, especially by younger collectors.
9. Are there any specialized collections of passports, such as those from a specific country, era, or distinguished individuals?
Yes, the University of Western Sidney Library has e.g. a passport collection of the former prime minister Hon Edward Gough Whitlam and his wife Margaret. They are all diplomatic passports and I had the pleasure to apprise them. I hold e.g. a collection of almost all types of the German Empire passports (only 2 types are still missing). Also, my East German passport collection is quite extensive with pretty rare passport types.
10. Where can passport collectors find reliable resources and reputable sellers to expand their collection and learn more about passport history?
A good start is eBay, Delcampe, flea markets, garage or estate sales. The more significant travel documents you probably find at the classic auction houses. Sometimes I also offer documents from my archive/collection. See offers... As you are already here, you surely found a great source on the topic 😉
Other great sources are: Scottish Passports, The Nansen passport, The secret lives of diplomatic couriers
11. Is vintage passport collecting legal? What are the regulations and considerations collectors should know when acquiring historical passports?
First, it's important to stress that each country has its own laws when it comes to passports. Collecting old vintage passports for historical or educational reasons is safe and legal, or at least tolerated. More details on the legal aspects are here...
Does this article spark your curiosity about passport collecting and the history of passports? With this valuable information, you have a good basis to start your own passport collection.
Question? Contact me...