Germany, Third Reich. A Lot of Late-War Letters and Postcards from Reichsminister Hans Frank to his Mistress

(Hans Frank Briefe und Postkarten). A mixed lot of wartime correspondence consisting of four letters and five postcards from the estate of Lilli Groh, mistress to Reichsminister Hans Frank, all dated between 1943 and 1945, with the content of each document consisting of a handwritten dedication from Frank to Groh featuring romantic platitudes and musings on the development of the war and the future prospects for the couple, taking on a subtly pessimistic and fatalistic tone as Germany’s fortunes fade and in the wake of Frank’s own falling out with the Führer resulting in a diminishment of his power outside of the General Government, a fascinating insight into the personal affairs of a seminal figure in the occupation of Poland and execution of the Third Reich’s network of camps in extremely fine condition.

Footnote: Although wedded to Brigitte Herbst in 1925, Hans Frank’s marriage, which would go on to produce five children, was a decidedly unhappy arrangement, with both pursuing numerous affairs. During the Second World War, Frank reconnected with a childhood romantic interest, Lilli Groh, with whom he pursued a serious extra-marital relationship. He requested a divorce from Brigitte, who repudiated the idea, enjoying her status as the wife of a high-ranking NSDAP official and self-styled “Queen of Poland” despite rampant infidelity. Frank petitioned the Führer directly for a legal dissolution of his marriage, but this, too, was rejected on the grounds that a prominent official could not be seen as going against family values at a pivotal time in the German war effort. Notably, Frank was so far as to attempt to fabricate allegations of Jewish ancestry against Brigitte, so as to nullify the union under Third Reich race law.