This is an authentic WW2 Nazi Germany Feldpost (Field Post) military mail cover (envelope) linked to the Waffen SS 6th Mountain Division Nord (North), used in Norway and Finland from 1941. The envelope's details correspond to historical records for this specific unit during that period.
The Feldpost system provided free postal services to German troops.
Envelope Details:
• Sender Unit: SS-Infanterie-Regiment 7" within "Kampfgruppe Nord".
• Feldpost Number (at Reverse): L 11805c is the specific military postal unit.
• Recipient: "Gustav Podolski" at "Kattowitzer Str. 36" in Lüneburg (Overlüß).
• Postmark Date: 16.1.42 (16 January 1942).
Historical Context:
The Kampfgruppe Nord (Battle Group North) was formed in February 1941 for garrison duty in Norway and later upgraded to the 6th SS Gebirgsjäger (Mountain Division) Nord. SS Gebirgsjäger, Regiment 7 was an element of this division. The 6th SS Mountain Division "Nord" was the only Waffen-SS division to fight in the Arctic Circle. The division remained in northern Finland and Russia until the Finnish armistice in 1944.
The SS:
The SS (Schutzstaffel) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany, and later throughout German-occupied Europe during World War 2. It began with a small guard unit known as the Saal-Schutz ("Hall Security') made up of NSDAP volunteers to provide security for party meetings in Munich. In 1925, Heinrich Himmler joined the unit, which had by then been reformed and given its final name. Under his direction (1929-45) it grew from a small paramilitary formation during the Weimar Republic to one of the most powerful organizations in Nazi Germany. From 1929 until the regime's collapse in 1945, the SS was the foremost agency of security, surveillance, and terror within Germany and German-occupied Europe. The two main constituent groups were the Allgemeine SS (General SS) and Waffen-SS (Armed SS).
The SS grew to it's massive size following the purge of the SA (Sturmabteilung) on 30 June 1934 in what was known as the “Night of the Long Knives”. The SS was rewarded by Hitler & granted the status of an independent organization under direct control of the NSDAP. In an attempt to distance themselves from the SA, the SS introduced a new pattern cap skull to replace the previously used Imperial Prussian Danziger style skull on 6 October 1934. The distinctive new pattern SS skull remained in use for the duration of the war.
