678. HEINRICH HIMMLER Important D.S. "H. Himmler" on "Der Reichsfuhrer-SS" letterhead, 1p. 4to., Berlin, Jan. 1, 1945, a rare general order issued at the height of the Battle of the Bulge ordering the formation of a rifle division. Stamped "Secret" in red ink at top, it reads: "I order the formation of a second Hungarian rifle division. The second Hungarian rifle division carries the designation: '26. Armed-Rifle Division of the SS (Hungarian Number 3).' Classification: as Infantry-Division 45." Boldly signed at bottom, file holes at left and a tiny staple hole at top, else very good. Three weeks earlier, Hitler had appointed Himmler Commander in Chief of Army Group Rhine in order that he might participate in the planned Ardennes offensive (later called the "Battle of the Bulge"). This was Himmler's first chance to show his military leadership ability - and he failed miserably. This bogus order is a prime example: the 26th Waffen-SS, raised in 1944, was composed of 13,000 Hungarian volunteers. It was in essence a "paper" division, having been largely destroyed in Normandy following the Allied landings. $1,500 - 2,000