Schoolboy-style lines written by Nazi SS leader Heinrich Himmler, which thwarted his plan to escape the Allies following Germany's World War Two defeat, are set to fetch more than £5,000 when they go up for auction next month.
Himmler had disguised himself as a shabbily dressed German sergeant with a patch over one eye when he was stopped by British soldiers on his way to a mountainous hideout in May 1945.
He was asked to show his ID papers, which showed the name Heinrich Hizinger, before eagle-eyed British Sergeant Grenville Grayer spotted a stamp used by SS soldiers among the documents.
Sgt Grayer then ordered Himmler to write a dozen lines of the same sentence to check his handwriting against signatures on the documents.
Himmler penned the line 'Ich soll das Reinigungsgerät mitnehmen' 34 times, which roughly translates as 'I must bring my rifle cleaning kit'.
However, the test showed discrepancies in his handwriting and Himmler finally admitted his real identity as head of the SS.
Now the written words of the evil Nazi are going under the hammer - along with his washbag.
Upon hearing of Adolf Hitler's death, Himmler had begun travelling towards Flensburg, where he remained for the first week of May 1945.
On May 15, he dismissed his staff and left with two companions for a hideout in the Harz Mountains of northern Germany.
The three men set out on foot, moving across country, seeking cover in the woods, and sleeping in sheds or haystacks.
Himmler's group were stopped on several occasions, but managed to bluff their way through each until they tried to cross through Meinstedt in Bremervörde, northern Germany, on May 22, when they were stopped by British soldiers.
Heinrich Himmler (pictured) committed suicide when he was caught by British troops at the end of World War Two. The leader of the SS was a key architect of the Holocaust and was one of the most wanted Nazis at the end of the war
Himmler penned the line 'Ich soll das Reinigungsgerät mitnehmen' 34 times on a piece of paper, which roughly translates as 'I must bring my rifle cleaning kit'
Sergeant Grenville Grayer (pictured) joined the Army in 1939, aged 22, and initially served with the Royal Army Service Corps before joining the newly formed Army Intelligence Corps
Himmler's washbag is one of many items up for auction. The toiletry bag was kept by Sgt Greyer as a trophy
Himmler was arrested and the three men were taken to a detention camp.
But he cheated justice when he bit on a cyanide capsule, nicknamed an 'SS cough drop', hidden in his tooth and
