Article about: Hi, Thought of sharing this here. Possibly one of the last Third Reich reisepass issued, 4 days to the surrender: May 4. 1945 at the Consulate General in Shanghai.Has a Japanese stamp on the
Possibly one of the last Third Reich reisepass issued, 4 days to the surrender: May 4. 1945 at the Consulate General in Shanghai.Has a Japanese stamp on the front and the interesting section is the stamp of the German Affairs Commission from 1946:
In October 1945, the Chinese government established a German Affairs Commission to deal with the status of Germans, Austrians, and Jews of former German and Austrian citizenship living in China. The Commission decided that the Chinese Foreign Ministry and Ministry of the Interior would have to give explicit approval to allow these foreign nationals to stay in China. To gain this approval, the immigrants needed to present certificates of employment, prove that they were not affiliated with the Nazi Party and its formations or with the German government, and apply to municipal governments for an extended residence permit. Those who could not provide this documentation would be repatriated or kept “under the protection” of the local government. In October 1945, the Chinese government incarcerated all German citizens whom it identified as having worked for or been active in support of the Nazi regime. In December 1945, the Chinese authorities required all Germans, Austrians, and Jews of former German and Austrian citizenship to register with the German Affairs Commission, regardless of political or citizenship status. The holder apparently registered eight months after the first call to register.
Very interesting information. This is a mini segment of history that was unknown to me. Thank you for publising this unique document. Did you aquire it from the owner?
BOB
LIFE'S LOSERS NEVER LEARN FROM THE ERROR OF THEIR WAYS.
No, but it came with the fathers passport issued in Shanghai 1939 and the mothers too, 1939, issued in Mannheim then all went to Shanghai in 1940 via Moscow, Manchuria.
The Japanese characters on the front page, what can be made out, is "German Person", the rest is not clear.
This could have been applied by the consulate itself, since Shanghai was still under Japanese occupation, or, by a Japanese Police inspection checking the passport. I have seen a similar stamp on a German ausweis from Manila 1943, also hand stamped "German Person". See scan.
I think that the last remaining German consulates to be open where the ones in the Far East. The various youth movements still where active right up to the point of the US entry into Shanghai.
Here is a US Army chit, use by one liberating unit in China between 1945-1948.
This unit also assisted in repatriating Japanese POW's back to Japan.
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