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), which remained in the recipients possession as his official military identification document. . 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), and in theory, could only recruit personnel on a voluntary basis. 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. 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).

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Roughly, 5 3/4" x 4 1/8", second pattern, (Circa 1938-1945), fifty-two page Wehrpass with a dark grey printed Wehrmacht style eagle with spread wings and Gothic script, "Wehrpaß" to the slightly crinkled, mid-weight, grey card stock cover. The eagle has been partially de-nazified by having the swastika penciled over. The cover has a grey, tape reinforced, stapled, binding intact and has a red inkstamped designation, "heer", (Army), which has been crossed out and replaced with an additional, faint, red inkstamped designation, "Waffen-SS". The Wehrpass has a few handwritten and inkstamped entries that include the recipients registration for military service at the, "Wehrmeldeamt", (Military Recruiting Office), in "Berlin-Schöneberg", on the "1. Apr. 1938". The registration entry has the authorizing signature of a "Major (E) u. Wehrbez.=Offz.", and the "Wehrmeldeamt", inkstamp. The second inner page has a rivetted on, dual inkstamped, signed, black and white photo of the elderly recipient in civilian clothing with a three place, miniature WWI award lapel pin. On registering the individual was assigned to, "Landwehr I", indicating he was between thirty-five and forty-five years old, fully trained but not called for active service at the time. The individual returned to his recruiting depot at least three more times and was found fit for labor service and curiously assigned to "Landwehr II", on, "27. 4. 43.", indicating he was under thirty-five years old, untrained and again not called up for active service at that time. Finally the individual returned to his recruiting office on, "25.10. 44", and began his active service with, "SS-T.-Wachtbtl. Sachsenhausen", (SS-Deaths Head Guard Battalion at Sachsenhausen). Of Note: The assignment entry also indicates the individuals WWI military service date, as, "1. 8. 16". The unit service entries indicate the individual served with the Infantry in WWI from, "1. 8. 16.", to, "10. 1. 19". and that the "SS-T.-Wachtbtl. Sachsenhausen", was his only WWII posting. Additional entries indicate the individual was appointed as a, "SS-Rottenführer", and received training on the "Gew 98", (K98 Rifle), and a "l.M.G.", (light Machine Gun). Other entries include personal statistics and next-of-kin. All the entries have the appropriate authorizing signatures and/or inkstamps. The book is in overall very good condition with minimal age yellowing and all the pages are intact.

GRADE ****                             PRICE $300.00