Close up of upper right hand corner of FM membership letter showing member number, membership entry date (15 April) and pending unit assignment. All items are written in blue pencil.
	SS Oberabschnitts Fulda-Wera was one of seventeen (17) total oberabschnitts in Germany, coinciding exactly with the peace time Werhrkreise organizational structure. (As an aside, there wrere also another four (4) oberabschnitts established outside of Germany in Norway, Netherlands, Ostland and the Reichs Protektorat in Bohemia. Each individual SS Oberabschnitt was headed by a Hoherer SS und Polizeifuhrer (Senior SS and Police Commander) who interacted as an equal with his counterpart Wehrkreis commander on any matters of mutual interest to both of them.
	Normally, the SS Oberabschnitt had its headquarters in the same city as the Wehrkreis. The case of Fulda-Werra is an exception to this general rule however, as it was headquartered in Arolsen-Waldeck, while Wehrkreis IX, if which it was a part, was headquartered in Kassel. This is partly due to the fact that Arolsen was not only home to a permanent Waffen SS Training center, but also hosted the SS Fuhrerschule der Verwaltungsdienste (SS Administration School) More importantly, Arolsen was the ancestorial home of the Oberabschnitt Fuhrer, General der Waffen SS and SS Obergruppenfuhrer Waldeck-Pyrmont, who was a very powerful political and military figure in the Reich. Visit the next page of this website for more information on this individual and his service record. Incidentally, subordinate Abschnitte to Oberbschnitts Fulda-Werra at the time of the writing of this letter in 1940 included the XXVII and XXX SS Abschnitte.
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						Note the definitive SS rune pattern laid in the Damascus Steel which may make this a one of a kind item.
							Also visible in this photo is the center rivet that secures the FM Membership pin on the front of the letter opener.