German WWII Waffen-SS Officer Horst Vollrath – Six-Album Photographic Archive

An extraordinary and deeply personal photographic record belonging to SS Officer Horst Vollrath, this remarkable six-album set documents his life from childhood through to high-ranking service within some of Nazi Germany's most elite military and political institutions. Spanning over two decades, the collection contains 815 photographs—417 of which are military or politically related—and includes five original, full-length cuff titles corresponding to the units and institutions in which Vollrath served. This is a historically significant, chronologically organized archive, capturing both personal and frontline experiences with rare visual insight.

The albums begin in 1922, tracing Vollrath’s early life and steady progression through the Hitler Youth, Napola political education system, SS officer training at Bad Tölz, and subsequent active service in the Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler Division, the Viking Division, and the SS Medical Academy in Graz.

Each of the six albums is individually themed and titled by the presence of a unit cuff title, diagonally glued to the album cover. These include:

• Enlisted ranks RZM 7-strand "Adolf Hitler" and "Wiking" cuff titles

• Officer flat wire "SS Schule Tölz"

• "SS Ärztliche Akademie"

• Rare Napola Ballenstedt cuff with "NA.PO.BI. 6 Ballenstedt"

• HJ "Danzig" unit cuff

Album 1 (1922–1937) – 123 photographs
Begins with childhood and family images, then transitions to early Hitler Youth activity, uniformed group photos, and rallies. Includes rare photos of mining officials, the Berlin Olympics, high-ranking SS visitors to youth events, and personal evolution into HJ leadership—culminating with Vollrath wearing his Napola cuff title.

Album 2 (1937–1942) – 161 photographs
Covers his years in the Hitler Youth Leaders School, with well-annotated images of parades, training camps, and social life. Includes travel photos from Germany and the Balkans, portraits in HJ Leader uniform, and the final pages show acquaintances in German Army uniforms as war looms.

Album 3 (SS Combat Service: LAH & Wiking Divisions) – 214 photographs
Arguably the most compelling album, featuring SS combat service with the Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler and Wiking Divisions. Highlights include stunning images of 1939 Berlin barracks, the invasion of Holland, Belgium, and France, battlefield scenes, POWs, destroyed enemy positions, and the 1941 Russian campaign. An original map inside shows the tracked movements of Vollrath’s unit through Western Europe.

Album 4 (SS Training and Russia, 1941–1943) – 124 photographs
Focused on his officer training at the SS Junkerschule Bad Tölz and his transition into the SS Medical Academy. Rich in field imagery from the Eastern Front—Russian prisoners, destroyed villages, trenches, and river crossings. Also includes close-up images of SS General Hauser and several candid moments from training and leave.

Album 5 (SS Medical Academy and Personal Life) – 104 photographs
Documenting time spent in Graz with the SS Medical Academy, this album blends uniformed portraits with more personal moments—leisure activities, family gatherings, and studio portraits. Several high-quality images show Vollrath in full officer regalia with the SS chained dagger and parade accoutrements.

Album 6 (Final Album: 1943–1944) – 86 photographs
Covers the last known period of Vollrath’s service. Contains winter scenes, a Waffen-SS wedding event, personal invitations, and close-up portraits in his open-collar Untersturmführer uniform. The album ends in May 1944, with no documentation beyond that point—leaving the fate of Vollrath open to research.

Accompanying Items

• A large-format period copy of a studio portrait of Vollrath in full SS officer uniform

• A smaller studio image with officer’s visor cap and SS chained dagger

• Cuff titles from all major affiliations, firmly affixed to five album covers

This is among the most detailed and visually rich Waffen-SS personal photographic collections ever offered. Beyond the sheer number and quality of the images, the thorough annotations, chronological clarity, and variety of uniforms, personalities, and events captured offer an unprecedented window into both the official and personal life of an SS officer. Further research into Vollrath’s career through officer lists or archives may yield additional insights. A museum-grade grouping, rarely encountered in such completeness.

Ref; 88432