Previous Lot Next Lot

Auction: 26066 - Historical Documents, Autographs and Ephemera
Lot: 1327

Russia
WW2
Joseph Stalin (1878-1953)
1942 December 4 - Directive by Stalin from the State Defence Committee Assigning Emergency Powers to GKO Plenipotentiary.
A typed Mandate on printed notepaper written from the Kremlin, Moscow, signed by Stalin using an impression of his rubber stamp, authorising the extraction and shipment of coal by the Prokopyevskugol Trust of the Kuzbas combine, replacing the lost coal supply from the Donbas region under German occupation.
Endorsements on the reverse dated January 1943 indicate that the mission was completed.
A crucial date as the Battle of Stalingrad was raging and the Russian war effort was under great strain. The coal supplies from this region were essential to the success of Operation Uranus, launched in November 1942 and ended successfully in February 1943 with the surrender of Field Marshal Paulus.
This directive carries great weight, bearing the authorised signature of Marshal Stalin, the leader of the Soviet Union from 1924-1953 (20.5x29.5cm, three horizontal folds). A rare wartime document issued at a historic moment during the War.

Subject to 20% VAT on Buyer’s Premium. For more information please view Terms and Conditions for Buyers.

Estimate
£600 to £800

Starting price
£500