ORIGINAL GERMAN WORLD WAR II OLYMPIA 1942 MODEL PORTABLE FIELD TYPEWRITER WITH SPECIAL "SS" KEY

This is an original 1942 Model portable typewriter made under contract for the German Armed Forces by the Olympia Typewriter Company which possesses the special runic "SS" mark as one of its standard keys. First introduced in Germany in 1936, Olympia's initial special "SS" key typewriter featured a completely closed, domed front cover. This later model, introduced in 1942, featured as an improvement a split, open style, hinged front cover design which allowed it to be more quickly opened in the field, thereby facilitating the release of locked keys, and/or changing the ribbon, in a tactical environment.

The chassis of the 1942 model Olympia portable was also painted with a subdued black paint that was equipped with a matted finish to reduce light reflection, as opposed to the gray color of the 1936 model. I recently had this particular typewriter serviced by a local business machine shop who reports that it is fully functional with all keys and other features still working normally.

That being said, please note that two (2) of the letter keys appear to strike a shade higher than the all of the others. While this does not affect its functionality in any way, I was advised that this minor defect can be easily cured by slightly bending each of the two (2) individual arm keys involved until they strike the paper at the same height as all of the others.

Please also note that this typewriter is being sold in this instance without any carry case. Incidentally, while there is no way to prove this claim that I know of, the U.S. veteran who I purchased this item insisted that he originally obtained it in the Normandy area of France in July 1944 from a company clerk who was a member of the 12 SS Hitler Jugend Division captured by his unit.

Moreover, he had bad hand writing and it was light, he elected to keep it and use it for personal reasons during the balance of his time in Europe before mailing it home in early 1945. Whether true or not, the typewriter is definitely the standard type used by Waffen SS and Army units and would be a nice addition to any German WW II era collection.

ABOVE LEFT.An enlarged photo of the special"SS" key on this typeweriter.

MIDDLE LEFT is a photo of the typewriter with its hinged folding cover open exposing the keys and ribbon for service.

LEFT is a full front view of the typewriter.