Germany, SS. A Rare Latvian Legion Wartime Photo Album to SS-Oberschütze Alberts Jansons, with Sleeve Shield and Award Document

(Fotoalbum der lettischen Freiwilligen der Waffen-SS). A rare and fascinating private wartime photo album compiled by SS-Oberschütze Alberts Jansons, constructed of card stock binding with interior pages of identical construction, the latter pasted with 124 wartime images, depicting uniformed Waffen-SS personnel in the field, training, and at leisure, including depictions of Latvian Legion insignia in wear, with both the arm shield and the classic Latvian metal Sig runes (in lieu of standard embroidered runes) clearly visible and discernible, uncaptioned but with scenery consistent with service on the Eastern Front, the cover notably pinned with Latvian-made pebbled and silvered metal Sig runes retrieved from a legionnaire’s runic tab, measuring 19.5 cm (w) x 14.5 cm (h), demonstrating minor material fatigue (inclusive the detachment of several pages), a rare and personalized account of a Waffen-SS foreign volunteer’s service in near extremely fine condition.

Accompanying the album is a first pattern Latvian Legion sleeve shield, constructed of a carmine cotton/rayon cloth shield defaced by a white tresse of identical construction, unmarked, measuring 45 mm (w) x 75 mm (h), pasted to a card stock backer, the reverse bearing an additional group photo depicting a group of Latvian Legion soldiers in the field, with the variant of this arm shield clearly shown in wear, in overall extremely fine condition.

Also accompanied by an award document for a 1939 Iron Cross II Class, named to “SS-OBERSCHÜTZE ALBERTS JANSONS”, 2. Lettische SS-Freiwilligen-Brigade, issued in the field on 22 October 1944 and certified by the handwritten signature of an SS-Sturmbannführer, measuring 14.5 cm (w) x 12.5 cm (h) and pasted to a card stock backer, with three additional candid field photos on the reverse, an important accompaniment to a rare foreign volunteer group, in extremely fine condition.