Imperial Germany Wilhelm II Telegram, No Sword, Book 1928 Kaiser und Revolution For Sale

Alfred Niemann – Kaiser und Revolution (1928)
Original German book:
Kaiser und Revolution – Die entscheidenden Ereignisse im großen Hauptquartier im Herbst 1918
Author: Alfred Niemann
Rank: Oberstleutnant a.D. (retired lieutenant colonel)
Published: 1928
Publisher: Verlag für Kulturpolitik, Berlin
This work describes the final months of the German Empire and the dramatic events surrounding the collapse of the monarchy and revolution of 1918.
Topics include:
life at the German Supreme Headquarters
military leadership during the final months of the war
political crisis leading to the abdication of Wilhelm II
the revolutionary upheaval that followed the end of World War I
Paperback edition, complete.
Condition: light age toning, normal wear, solid and readable.
Historical Significance
Together these items illustrate two sides of Imperial German history:
• the collapse of the monarchy in 1918 described by a contemporary officer
• the continued memory and loyalty to the Kaiser among veterans in the 1930s
They provide a fascinating glimpse into how former Imperial soldiers and monarchists preserved regimental traditions and commemorated their wartime service even after the empire had ended.
Condition Telegram:original folds
minor age toning
strong printing and crestBook:complete
light toning
structurally sound
Please see photos for condition details.This is a telegram from the exiled Kaiser Wilhelm II, not to him.
The line “Brieftelegramm Seiner Majestät des Kaisers und Königs” means “Letter telegram of His Majesty the Emperor and King.” The postal addressee at the bottom is Oberstleutnant von Selchow, chairman of the 11er Bund in Breslau, almost certainly receiving it on behalf of the veterans’ association tied to the old regiment and its memorial ceremony. The regiment’s memorial unveiling in Breslau on 2 July 1933 is documented in the bibliography for the regiment and in the German National Library entry for Oskar Seibt’s commemorative booklet.
What it is
This is a printed “Brieftelegramm” sent from Haus Doorn on 2 July 1933 by the former German Emperor Wilhelm II, who was living there in exile in the Netherlands from 1918 until his death in 1941.
Issued from Haus Doorn, the Dutch exile residence of Kaiser Wilhelm II, where the former German emperor lived after his abdication.
It was sent for the dedication/unveiling of the “Elfer” memorial in Breslau on that same date. The “Elfer” were the men of Grenadier-Regiment König Friedrich III. (2. Schlesisches) Nr. 11. GenWiki’s regiment entry lists the exact commemorative publication: “Gedenkschrift zur Enthüllungsfeier des ‘Elfer’-Denkmals in Breslau am 2. Juli 1933.”
Who the recipient:
Oberstleutnant von Selchow
Vorsitzenden des 11er Bundes
Opitzstrasse 2, Breslau 13
It was sent to von Selchow as chairman of the veterans’/regimental association, for presentation at the event. The text itself addresses the regiment ceremonially, but
Why it was sent
This was a ceremonial message for the unveiling/dedication of the regiment’s memorial in Breslau on 2 July 1933, sent by the former Kaiser from exile to be read or presented at the event. It also fits the broader pattern of Wilhelm II maintaining ties with monarchist, aristocratic, and veterans’ circles from Haus Doorn after 1918.
Historical context
This document sits at the intersection of three things:
First, it is part of the memory culture of an old Prussian regiment. Grenadier-Regiment Nr. 11 had a long 19th-century and Imperial German lineage, and by 1933 its former members were organizing remembrance through the Bund der Elfergrenadiere. The regiment’s historical entry confirms its name, lineage, honorary chiefs, and the 1933 Breslau memorial publication.
Second, it reflects Wilhelm II’s continued symbolic role among monarchists and veterans after abdication. Haus Doorn was his exile residence, and he continued sending telegrams and messages in the old imperial style. The Kleist family protocol book shows near-identical “Brieftelegramm” forms sent from Haus Doorn in 1931–1933 under the formula “Seiner Majestät des Kaisers und Königs”, which helps confirm that your document belongs to that same ceremonial pattern.
Third, the date matters: July 1933 is very early in the Nazi era. Monarchist veterans’ groups and conservative elites were still active, and Wilhelm II still hoped events in Germany might somehow reopen a path to renewed monarchical influence. This telegram is therefore not just a regimental souvenir; it is also a piece of imperial-monarchist remembrance culture surviving into 1933.
Here is exact translation of the German text:
Haus Doorn, 2 July 1933
Letter Telegram
of His Majesty the Emperor and King
> I greet the Grenadier Regiment King Friedrich III on the day of its memorial dedication, in grateful appreciation of its unforgettable deeds of glory.
The regiment of my late father, who rests in God, and of the departed Duchess Charlotte of Saxe-Meiningen, my beloved sister, has always done honor to its exalted chiefs.
Today I repeat the words of recognition which I was able to speak in 1915, after the Champagne battle, before the front of the brave grenadiers:
“The regiment’s attack has become proverbial in the army.”
This old Prussian spirit of loyalty and devotion to duty, which prevailed in your ranks, proved itself in the fire of countless battles, and was sealed by the blood of 4,000 fallen heroes, stands embodied before your eyes in the figure of the boldly advancing grenadier; it can never perish; it alone will lead us again to victory in the holy struggle for King and Fatherland!
> Oberstleutnant von Selchow
Chairman of the 11er Bund
Opitzstrasse 2, Breslau 13
A couple of important wording notes
The phrase “Das Regiment meines in Gott ruhenden Herrn Vaters … und der verewigten Herzogin Charlotte von Sachsen-Meiningen” is best understood as referring to the regiment’s association with those high-ranking honorary chiefs, not as a casual family mention. GenWiki lists Kaiser Friedrich III and the Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen among the regiment’s chiefs.
Also, “Denkmalsweihe” is better translated here as memorial dedication or consecration of the memorial, not just “anniversary” or “commemoration.” That is the central occasion for the telegram.
Bottom line
This is a 1933 ceremonial telegram from exiled Kaiser Wilhelm II at Haus Doorn, addressed to Oberstleutnant von Selchow in Breslau, chairman of the 11er Bund, for the dedication of the “Elfer” regiment memorial on 2 July 1933. It is a piece of Imperial German regimental remembrance and monarchist veterans’ culture.