German Passport 1940 Tientsin China
German Passport 1940 Tientsin China
This very rare German passport was issued by the Nazis in 1940 in Tientsin, China! Look at the large Chinese stamp with Swastika. The passport was given to 26 years young Marianna Gosewisch; as you see in the document details, she was born in China in 1914. Her passport was valid until 13 August 1945 but was renewed by the German office in Tientsin until 13 August 1945. Pay attention also to the “examinated stamp” on page 6. It is stamped by the BUREAU OF POLICE, GREATER TIENTSIN! The cover is loose, but the rest is in excellent condition.
The passport came with several other documents like the Third Reich Certificate of Residence 1938, Letter of Reference for Marianna from the German company Melchers & Co. Tientsin where she worked as a secretary for eight years. Issued in Tientsin 18 June 1946. The letter ends with “…we wish she will find new employment soon in her home country” and further a Testimonial issued for Marianna from the Principal of the German School in Tientsin dated Hamburg 1958. Last but not least, two photos of the house she lived in Tientsin (Assumption). A rare document set for passport collectors!
The Japanese red boxed cachet is the standard phrasing to indicate that the holder is a German national just in case being stopped by a Japanese police/military patrol in occupied China…
Melchers began trading in Hong Kong in 1866 by establishing a branch of Melchers & Co. of Bremen. The business quickly prospered, and in 1877, a second branch was established in Shanghai, with additional units being installed by 1910 in Hankow, Canton, Tientsin, Chingkang, Ichang, Nanjing, Chongqing, and Tsingtao. Melchers was forced to close these branch offices during World War I, but business activities resumed in the early 1920s with help from the Chinese Government. However, the Second World War and the Communist Government, which followed, saw the complete cessation of Melcher’s business operations in China. As a result, Hong Kong became the focal point of business in the region with the formal re-establishment of the office there in 1952. The Melchers & Co. company still exists today. German Passport 1940 Tientsin
