Here is something very special and I am certain a one off.

The 1936 Winter Olympics were the 4th Winter Games organised. The games were held in the small market town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria, Southern Germany. Later in the summer Germany also hosted the Summer Games. The Winter Games were organised by the German Leage of the Reich for Physical Exercise ( The DRL) led by the Head of Committee Karl Ritter von Halt and overseen by the Reichssportfuhrer Hans von Tschammer und Osten. The Games ran from February 6th through to 16th. Of the 646 competitors, 55 were German – (48 men and 7 women).

During the Winter and Summer Games, German female film director Leni Riefenstahl produced what is widely considered one of the most effective and technically innovative propaganda films ever made – “Olympia”. This film remains available on DVD and should be studied by all those that have an interest on how the ideology at the core of the Nazi Party took Germany to ruin.

This book I obtained from the daughter of a German Press Officer who attended both the Winter and Summer Games. The books were given out to the press as souvenirs and exclusively at the Winter Games only. The original owner of this book gathered all the autographs at a post games social event.

There are 51 autographs in all, possibly 80% to 90% of the German Team has signed this book and many of the very top athletes – Rudi Ball, Willy Bogner ( Skier and recited the Olympic Oath at the opening Ceremony ), Gustav Lantschner, Rudi Cranz, Franz Haslberger, Paul Kraus, Alois Kuhn, Herbert Leupold, Hans Marr, Hadi Pfeifer, Lisa Resch, Fritz Schwartz, Paul Trautmann, Friedl Wagner, Toni Zeller to name but a few that can be found in the book. In addition there are Japanese ski-jumper Shinji Tatsuta and speed skater Seien Kin. To the top right of the inner cover page you will see in pencil Director Leni Riefenstahl.

Internal is a standard facsimile statement made by Reichssportfuhrer Hans von Tschammer und Osten.

This is a fantastic item for all those 1936 Olympic Collectors. Over the last 10 years I have only ever seen one of these books before, but with no autographs.

A rare item indeed and in beautiful condition. Certainly worthy of further research to those autographs yet to be identified.

 

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