German WWII Wehrpass - Heer, Issued February 1939

A Wehrpass (military identification and service record book) issued to the German Army in February 1939, bearing a printed eagle-and-wreath emblem on the cover. The personal information page identifies the holder as Ludwig Loehnert, born 2 June 1898 in Pasigau, Kreis Naila, Oberfranken, with a photograph of a young man in civilian dress affixed above his signature. Entries record his parents as Karl Loehnert and Christiana Loehnert (nee Bayer), his religion as evangelisch-lutherisch, his marital status, and his occupation as an insurance clerk (Versicherungs-Angestellter). Official stamps appear across the photograph and personal data page.

The Wehrpass was the standard German armed forces service record introduced in 1935, used to document a soldier's personal details, training, unit assignments, and campaign service throughout his military career.

The Wehrpass was introduced following the reintroduction of conscription in 1935, replacing earlier Weimar-era military documentation and serving as the standard lifelong service record for men liable for duty in the Wehrmacht. Issued in February 1939, this example predates the outbreak of war by only months, reflecting the mobilisation and expansion of the German armed forces in the final peacetime period before September 1939. As a record of an individual born in 1898, it likely also documents prior service obligations or reserve status carried over from the First World War generation, alongside subsequent Wehrmacht call-up and unit assignments entered during the conflict.