Did the Nazis really have customized typewriters?

[Garfield226]

I was reading one of my favorite blogs, the “Design Observer,” and came across this. (bolding mine)

On the other hand, the most devastatingly effective design program of the twentieth century was commissioned by Adolf Hitler. A rigorously applied graphic identity, potent event planning, single minded architectural design: no design detail was too petty for the Third Reich, even (in a weird echo of this moment’s obsession with the political uses of vintage office equipment) the customization of typewriters, each one of which was fitted out with a key that would render the twin lightning bolt logo of the SS.

I don’t have much doubt that this is true, but I wonder if anyone here is familiar with these things? How many were made, where they are now, that sort of thing.

[GorillaMan]

Googling took me to some rather unsavoury sites (so I’m not linkin), but it appears that yes, apparently shift-3 produced the SS symbol on some models. And they seem to sell for three-figure sums.

I guess that some people saw the market for pro-Nazi models. After all, which were the military more likely to buy, one with that symbol, or one without? I doubt that it was ever even necessary to customise or commission them specially.

[Little_Nemo]

I once read that many Arabic word processors have a key that will render “In the name of Allah, the beneficent, the merciful” (a common invocation in Islamic literature) with a single key stroke.

[Larry_Mudd]

Here’s a pic.

[GorillaMan]

@Larry Mudd

Here’s a pic.

Thanks for the picture…

I’m wondering what was the ‘normal’ character that appeared there at that time. I’m suspecting that it was a convenient gap that appeared with the various changes of currency leading up to Nazi rule (Rentenmarks, Reichmarks).