Set of German WWII Arbeitsbuch Worker's Identification Booklets

A set of Arbeitsbuch booklets issued by the Deutsches Reich, each with a printed cover titled "Deutsches Reich - Arbeitsbuch." Three covers bear the early first-pattern eagle with outstretched wings, while one carries the later eagle grasping a wreathed swastika, indicating differing issue types. These booklets served as mandatory work record documents for German civilian laborers, recording employment history, occupation, and personal identification details.

The Arbeitsbuch was introduced in 1935 as part of the Reich's labor administration system, required for all workers to secure and change employment, and used by authorities to track and direct the civilian workforce.

The Arbeitsbuch was introduced by the German Labour Ministry in 1935 under the National Socialist state's broader effort to control and allocate labour resources, becoming compulsory for all wage and salary earners. It recorded an individual's trade qualifications, employment history and personal data, and had to be presented when taking up or changing a job, giving authorities a means of directing workers into designated sectors, including armaments production as war approached. The two eagle variants reflect the state's evolving official insignia, with the later Hoheitszeichen (eagle over swastika) becoming standard on Reich documents after the mid-1930s. Such booklets remained in use throughout the war as part of the Reich's system of labour conscription and control.