BOMBED BY THE ENEMY! 1942 NSDAP War Document Destroyed Home Certificate Document 2 Eagle Stamps & Signature

Offered here is an original Third Reich NSDAP Ortsgruppe document dated June 3, 1942, issued in Köln-Ehrenfeld (Cologne-Ehrenfeld) by the Ortsgruppe Eichendorffstraße, Gau Köln-Aachen.

This is an especially interesting piece of German civilian home-front and air-war history because the document certifies that a Cologne woman’s apartment had been totally destroyed through enemy action and requests assistance with relocating her surviving belongings.

The impressive printed letterhead reads:

“Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei”

and identifies:

Ortsgruppe: Eichendorffstraße
Gau Köln-Aachen
Stadtkreis Köln-Nord
Köln-Ehrenfeld – Ehrenfeldgürtel 136 I

A large printed NSDAP Party eagle/swastika emblem appears prominently at the top center.

Full Translation

The document is headed:

“Bescheinigung” – “Certificate.”

The typed text translates approximately as:

“It is hereby certified that the apartment of Mrs. Happe, Cologne-Ehrenfeld, Fridolinstraße 12, has been totally destroyed through enemy action.

The firm Lauffs, Aachen, has undertaken to transport the furnishings and furniture to Übach/Aachen.

All Party offices and authorities are requested to provide the greatest possible assistance.”

This gives the document excellent historical context. It was not simply routine Party correspondence—it was issued specifically to assist a civilian whose residence had been completely destroyed during wartime enemy action.

Cologne suffered heavily from Allied bombing during the war, and contemporary documentation confirms that Ehrenfeld was among the districts seriously affected.

Stamps & Signature

The bottom is particularly attractive, carrying two original purple official NSDAP Ortsgruppe stamps, both incorporating the Party eagle and swastika.

The seals identify the local Party organization and Ortsgruppenleiter / Ortsgruppe Eichendorffstraße.

Between the two stamps is a large handwritten signature beneath:

“Der Ortsgruppenleiter” – “The Local Group Leader”

The typed identification appears to read:

(Hönerbach)
Obergemeinschaftsleiter

The combination of the large NSDAP letterhead, central Party emblem, two purple official seals and original signature gives the document excellent display appeal.

Historical Context

The local nature of this document is significant. The NSDAP maintained a dense network of Ortsgruppen throughout Cologne; historical research notes that the city had as many as 125 local Party groups by 1942.

This example is tied directly to Eichendorffstraße and Köln-Ehrenfeld, making it a particularly identifiable piece of Cologne wartime history rather than a generic Party form. The NS-Dokumentationszentrum Köln maintains extensive archival material documenting Cologne under National Socialism.

Condition

Good original condition considering its age and intended administrative use. There are period folds, wrinkles/creasing, minor edge wear and a small nick along the upper edge. The typed text remains very clear, the printed letterhead is bold, and both purple official stamps remain readily visible.

A very interesting original 1942 NSDAP Köln-Ehrenfeld document directly relating to the effects of the Allied air war on the German civilian population, with excellent Party letterhead, two official eagle/swastika stamps and an Ortsgruppenleiter signature.

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