BACKGROUND: With the reintroduction of conscription in 1935, the OKW, Oberkommando der Wehrmacht, (High Command of the Armed Forces), activated the Wehrersatzdienststelle, (Recruiting Offices), throughout Germany to process and administer the call up procedure. When individuals received their registration notice they were to report to the appropriate recruitment center where they would be issued a Wehrpass, until they were inducted into active duty. On induction to active military service the Wehrpass was exchanged at the recruitment office for the Soldbuch. The recruitment office would retain the Wehrpass and chronicle the individuals active service record in it. The Wehrpass was issued in three slightly different variants with minor modifications. Generally if the individual was killed in battle the Wehrpass would be forwarded to his next-of-kin as a memento of his service time.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Roughly, 5 3/4" x 4 1/4", fifty-two page, second pattern, (circa 1938-45), Wehrpass with a charcoal grey printed Wehrmacht style eagle with out-stretched wings and Gothic script, "Wehrpaß", to the slightly crinkle textured, mid-weight, grey card stock cover. The cover has a grey tape seam reinforcement which is still intact. The front cover has the addition of the red, handwritten branch of service, "Heer", (Army), and two pair of punched binder holes. The first internal page has handwritten entries that indicate the recipient registered for military service in, "Hamburg", on, "20. Dez. 1940", and the entry has the authorizing signature of a, "Hauptmann", with the appropriate, "Wehrbezirkskommando", (Military Recruiting District Headquarters), inkstamp. The second internal page has a dual inkstamped, signed, black and white photograph of the recipient in civilian clothes rivetted in place. Further entries show that on registering the individual was found fit for combat duty and assigned to, "Ersatzreserve I", indicating he was under thirty-five years old, untrained and not called up at that time. Further entries indicate the individual returned to his recruiting center on "3. Feb. 1942", was found fit for combat duty and began his active service with, "5./Ers.-Btl. J.R. Großdeutschland Neuruppin", (5^TH Company Replacement Battalion Infantry Regiment Großdeutschland ). Service entries indicate the individual served in six assorted Großdeutschland units including, "5. (Kradschtz.) Kompanie Inf. Ers.Rgt. Großdeutschland", (5^TH Motorcycle Company Infantry Replacement Regiment Großdeutschland). Training entries indicate the individual received instruction with the, "Karabiner 98K, l.M.G. 34, Handgranate 24", and, "Pist. 08". An additional training entry indicated the individual was trained as a motorcyclist. A promotional entry indicates the individual was promoted to the rank of, "Gefreiter" on, "1. 12. 42". Other entries include personal statistics, next-of-kin, education, fluency in a language that appears to be English and that he held a class 4 drivers licence. The final entry indicates the individual was wounded on "7. 12. 42", somewhere in Russia and died in a war hospital as a result on, "16. 12. 42". All the entries have the appropriate authorizing signatures and/or inkstamps. The pages show minor age yellowing but are all intact.

GRADE ****                             PRICE $468.00