Original German WWII Heinrich Himmler Signed Copy of Heimat Am Dnjepr “Home on the Dnieper” Unreleased Propaganda Book Brought Home by OSS Member with Letter of Provenance Original Items

Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. This is an astounding piece of history with great provenance. This book, titled Heimat Am Dnjepr, which translates to Home on the Dnieper (River), is supposedly one of, if not the only copy left in existence. It was supposedly put together as a propaganda book meant to justify the German invasion of Russia during the war. The book depicts and tells the stories of German citizens whose lives were destroyed by the Soviet Union’s treatment of Germans. The book is signed on the interior cover by Heinrich Himmler, one of the most powerful men in Germany before & during World War II. The book was brought home by Marion Walton, a female worker for the OSS.

The book measures roughly 13″ x 10¼” and has no artwork on the cover, only a small circular stain on the front. The interior cover is signed:

H. HIMMLER
7.X.1944 (October 7th, 1944)

The book is titled Home on the Dnieper: The Fate of an Ethnic German Village in the Faces of its People. The photos are taken from War Reporter Geinz Hindorf, with the text provided by War Reporter Bert Naegele. The first page discusses the village which flourished until the Collapse of Russia, when bands of robbers led by the anarchist Makhnov arrived as “Vanguards of the Revolution” and the Chortitz peasants defended themselves with some joining the White Army and fighting under the banners of Kolchak and Denikin. Then the Soviets took away land ownership and sent people and everything into collectives. After this, people began being deported, men were forcefully conscripted never to be seen again by their families, and in August 1941 children and the elderly were also deported. “Only the rapid German advance saved them from destruction.” This book is formatted as a propaganda piece to justify the German advance into Russia. 

The book dehumanizes Russians when compared to the Germans “In contrast to the reed-roofed mud huts of the Russian farmers, the houses of the German settlers, surrounded by trees, are solidly built of stone and covered with red tiles.” The following pages depict twelve different citizens of the village whose lives were ruined by the Russians, with small biographies. This is the only existing copy of this book known, and was supposedly produced by the Heereskommission in a very small edition and sent to Himmler for his approval or opinion before larger editions were printed.

The letter of provenance is dated November 28th, 1995 and discusses the history of the book and the woman who brought it back from Germany, Marion Walton. The letter states that the book was found in 1994 when Walton had to go into a nursing home. It was found behind a bookcase, set into a cut in the wall and wrapped in various layers of plastic. It had been there for decades, most likely hidden by Walton herself, but when asked about this, she claimed not to remember the book at all (nor her time in the OSS), which is entirely possible, as she had Altzheimer’s disease at this point in her life.

We were able to find one reference of Walton in an OSS document, which we have included in the posting. She is listed as part of investigations regarding Operations in Yugoslavia, dated 4/10/43. There wouldn’t be much information publicly available about this, so it’s lucky we were able to find this. The provided provenance is airtight, and the signature matches up with others we have seen. This is one of the scarcest books we have ever offered, that requires a great deal more research. Comes ready for further research and display!