Diplomatic Passport Austria 1935 - Voting Stamps Anschluss

Diplomatic Passport Austria 1935 – Voting Stamps Anschluss

This Austrian diplomatic passport 1935 of Josef Rheinberger is itself a very rare passport type (Austrian federation) and comes with very interesting stamps and visas. But the highlights are two stamps which decided the fate of Austria, stamps of the ANSCHLUSS, which are extremely rare to find in passports.

Rheinberger was a secretary of the Austrian embassy in Belgrade, his diplomatic passport was issued on 23rd August 1935 and was after one extension valid until 25th August 1939. The first visa in his passport is a diplomatic visa of Yugoslavia. Page ten has a handwritten entry which states he is traveling with diplomatic documents to the Austrian embassy in Belgrade, stamp Federal Chancellery – foreign affairs – courier service, issued in Vienna 31st August 1936. Several other stamps and visas on the following pages.

Significant is the stamp on page 32 stating “Ballot paper received for the voting on 10th April 1938”, stamp & signature Austrian embassy Belgrade. Another stamp on page 14 is then saying “Electoral duty fulfilled on 10th April 1938”, stamp NSDAP Graz. Which means he went to the voting for the Anschluss.

The ballot paper for Greater Germany 10 April 1938

A handwritten entry on the same page says “Josef Rheinberger is a secretary at the Austrian embassy in Belgrade, from April 28th, 1938 he is temporarily on duty at the consulate in Zagreb”.

I couldn’t find any details about Josef Rheinberger. If some reader has more information then please let me know. THIS is a fantastic collectible due to its passport type and due to the Anschluss stamps also a German/Austrian historical significant document.

Diplomatic Passport Austria 1935 – Voting Stamps Anschluss

Tom Topol | Passport History Expert & Author.
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