BACKGROUND: With the reintroduction of conscription in 1935, the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht, (High Command of the Armed Forces), activated the Wehrersatzdienststelle, (Military 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, (Military Pass), until they were inducted into active duty. On induction to active military service the Wehrpass was exchanged at the recruitment office for the Soldbuch, (Pay Book). The recruitment office would retain the Wehrpass and chronicle the individuals active service record in it. The Waffen-SS basically followed the same system but had instituted their own Ergänzungsstelle der Waffen-SS, (Replacement Centers of the Armed-SS), under the control of SS-Obergruppenführer Gottlob-Christian Berger of the SS-Hauptamt, (SS-Main Office), and in theory, could only recruit personnel on a voluntary basis although many personnel were "press-ganged" into service. In January 1945 the Ergänzungsstelle der Waffen-SS was combined with the army’s Wehrersatzdienststelle and was renamed Ergänzungsstellen des Heeres und der Waffen-SS, (Replacement Centers of the Army and the Armed-SS). 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. The bestowal of all awards during the Third Reich was regulated by the Statutes of Titles, Orders and Decorations which was originally revised on January 30^TH 1934, with numerous additional revisions as new awards and decorations were introduced. The regulations prescribed the criteria for bestowal and the specific form of wearing the award. Although the Statutes of Titles, Orders and Decorations held the ultimate decision in all matters of awards the Wehrmacht, (Armed Forces), was given control over the bestowal regulations of all military awards as long as they conformed to the appropriate statute. When bestowed the awards were usually accompanied by a "Vorläufiges Besitzzeugnis", (Preliminary Possession Certificate), followed by the official award presentation document. Depending on the specific award, bestowal authorization could be initiated by the commander of a divisional or smaller unit and the appropriate award information was entered into the recipients Soldbuch, (Pay Book), and his permanent Wehrstammbuch, (Military Service Book), which remained in the possession of the issuing recruitment authority. Basic human instinct dictates that soldiers in the field, regardless of nationality, long for their loved ones at home. As a result it was very common for these soldiers to have themselves photographed and send the photos home. As today, there were also numerous other reasons to pose for a photograph, new appointments, promotions, weddings anniversaries etc., etc..

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Roughly, 5 3/4" x 4 1/8", fifty-two page, second pattern, (circa 1938-45), Wehrpass with a charcoal grey printed Wehrmacht style eagle with out-stretched wings, clutching a wreathed, canted, swastika in its talons and Gothic script, "Wehrpaß", to the slightly crinkle textured, mid-weight, grey card stock cover. The cover also has the handwritten recipients name and a grey tape seam reinforcement which is still intact. The first internal page has handwritten and inkstamped entries that indicate the recipient registered for military service in, "Gumbinnen",on, "6. 10. 41.", and the entry has the authorizing signature of an, "Oberst", with the appropriate, "Wehrbezirkskommando", (Military Recruiting District Headquarters), inkstamp. The second internal page has a dual inkstamped, signed, black and white photograph of the eighteen year old recipient in civilian clothes rivetted in place. Further entries show that prior to his registration, on, "25. 5. 41", the individual had volunteered for service in the Waffen-SS, was found fit and assigned to, "Ers. Res. I", indicating he was under thirty-five years old, untrained and not called up at that time. Shortly after his official registration on, "10. Okt. 41", the individual was found fit for combat duty and began his active service with, "V./Leibstandarte SS, Adolf Hitler 4. Kompanie Berlin-Lichterfeld". Service entries indicate the individual served in two other Leibstandarte SS units until his transfer to, "SS-Kriegsberichter-Abteilung", (SS War Correspondents Unit), on, "1. 7. 42". Other entries include the individual’s personal statistics, next-of-kin, and his education. All the entries have the appropriate authorizing signatures and/or inkstamps. The pages show minor age yellowing but are all intact. The Wehrpass comes with a roughly, 7 7/8" x 5 1/2", mid-weight, paper document with black printed, Latin script and the likeness of an Iron Cross and typed in particulars. The printed and typed script indicates that a, "SS-Sturmmann", serving with, "VII./SS-K.B.A. Einsatzkompanie", (7^TH /SS War Correspondents Unit, Operational Company), was awarded an Iron Cross 2^ND class on, "23. 11. 1943". The document was issued at, "Div. Gef. St.", (Divisional Command Post), and has the authorizing signature of, "SS-Standartenführer u. Div.-Kdr.", Friedrich-Wilhelm Bock with the, "Waffen-SS SS-Polizei-Division" inkstamp. The document is in overall very good condition with minor age yellowing, light, central, horizontal and vertical fold creases and two small holes punched in one side for inclusion in a binder. Of Note: A WWI veteran, SS-Standartenführer Friedrich-Wilhelm Bock, (later SS-Oberführer), was awarded a Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross on March 28^TH 1943 and the Oak-Leaves to the Knight’s Cross on September 2^ND 1944. Bock survived the war and died in 1978. Also included are thirty-two, assorted sized, black and white photographs. The photographs feature uniformed SS and army personnel and included a swearing in ceremony, personnel on a parade square, what appears to be the Berlin- Lichterfeld barracks with a large national eagle statue and personnel in the field. The visible uniforms and headgear included assorted field blouses, greatcoats, camouflage smocks and helmets covers, helmets, overseas/M43 and visor caps. A few of the photos show a devastated, treed landscape and a dead Soviet soldier. A couple of the photographs appear to be German POW’s wearing dark colored, British style, battledress uniforms. The photos range in size from, 2 1/4" x 3", to 7" x 8 1/2" and are all in good condition with minor age yellowing.

GRADE ****                             PRICE $2,380.00