German WWII Wehrmacht Heer Wehrpass Military Service Book

A soldier's service pass (Wehrpass) for the German Army, bound in grey card covers with the state eagle and swastika emblem stamped to the front alongside the printed heading "Wehrpass" and "Heer". The identification pages record the holder's personal details, including a name, birth date of September 1898, birthplace listed as Celle, district of Lueneburg, occupation given as railway worker (Eisenbahner), and parentage, accompanied by a bust portrait photograph and personal signature. Multiple ink stamps from a Wehrbezirkskommando (military district command), believed to be Braunschweig, appear across the identification pages.

Wehrpaesse of this type were issued to German servicemen from the mid-1930s to record personal data, training, unit assignments, and service history throughout their military careers.

The Wehrpass was the standard German Army service record introduced after conscription resumed in 1935, distinct from the Soldbuch carried on active duty, and it documented a man's entire military obligation from registration with his local Wehrbezirkskommando through training, mobilisation, and unit postings. A man born in 1898 would have already served, or come of age for service, during the First World War, and by the outbreak of the Second World War would have fallen into the older reserve categories typically called up for rear-area, territorial, or logistical duties rather than front-line combat roles. His civilian occupation as a railway worker (Eisenbahner) is notable, as such men were often considered for service in railway or transport units given the military importance of rail logistics, though the document alone does not confirm his eventual assignment.