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SS TYPEWRITER - FULL SIZE - NOT A PORTABLE |
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A FULL-SIZE
OFFICE STYLE
NAZI
SS
TYPEWRITER
IN WORKING
CONDITION
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This is a wonderful, little-used, full-size office model
CONTINENTAL SS typewriter called the “SILENTA” (pronounced
See-lenta, means “silent”). It is the style of machine used by the
secretaries of Adolf Hitler and in the offices of people like
Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler and SS-Obergruppenführer Reinhard
Heydrich, and is not a small portable machine. |
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| The CONTINENTAL SILENTA was the top-of-the-line of several
styles of typewriters manufactured by the Wanderer Werke in
Siegmar-Schönau, Germany during the Third Reich. They made tens of
thousands of regular typewriters during the Nazi era, but those that are
most sought after today are the full-size machines with the runic SS key,
like this one. |
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| The advantages of the full-size SS typewriters over the
portable ones should be obvious: they are quieter in operation, they have
far more special features, and they are far better built in terms of
quality. This machine is suspended on four very large square rubber legs.
The hammers that strike the ribbon to produce letters on typing paper are
counterweighted on this machine to make the action very smooth and reduce
the noise. The 9 inch rubber roller around which the paper fits has many
adjustments not found on smaller machines. |
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| By depressing the shift key and striking the number 3 key, this
typewriter types SS runes in any desired position among a row of
letters. |
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| Virtually all SS offices and offices of the Nazi Party used
this sort of full-size typewriter after the runic SS character became an
official part of the German alphabet in 1939. They were used for filling
out documents and writing letters where typing a runic SS character was
desirable. Many ordinary typewriters without the SS runes key continued to
be used in other offices in Nazi Germany right through the end of World
War II in 1945.
This typewriter is CONTINENTAL SILENTA serial number 753361 and
measures about 16 x 16-1/2 inches and is 9 inches tall. It weighs
approximately 32 pounds (15 kg) and comes with an original ribbon. The
original ribbon spools are important because it is possible to buy a
regular American typewriter ribbon, rewind it on these spools and use it
in this machine. |
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The above was typed on this Nazi era
typewriter. |
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| As far as we know, there are only two pieces missing from this
machine and neither has any effect on how the machine works. One of the
tiny round lids that covers one of the ribbon spools is missing (the
second one is there) and the metal cover that hides the typing hammers
from view is missing. It should be possible to find these pieces in an
internet or other search of used typewriter and office equipment dealers
in Europe. This typewriter shows very little wear but needs and deserves a
cleaning and full adjustment to make sure that it operates at peak
performance. |
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| This USM Books
web page is Copyright © 2005 by USM, Inc., and the text and images
on it are fully protected by international copyright law. It is
therefore, illegal for anyone to take any of the material found here
and use it for their own purposes without our written permission,
irrespective of any excuse they may feel they have for doing so. We
will expose and prosecute those guilty of theft of our copyrighted
material. |
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USM, Inc. Post Office Box 2600, Rapid City, SD
57709-2600 USA | |
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