Original WWII German Wehrpass Wilhelm Hack – Grenadier-Ersatz-Bataillon 42, 1940–1944

Description

This original WWII German Wehrpass belonged to Wilhelm Hack, a German military registrant born on 30 June 1908 in Kienfeld, in the Höchstadt an der Aisch district of Bavaria. The Wehrpass was officially issued at Fürth in Bavaria on 29 January 1940 and preserves an extensive selection of period handwritten entries, military stamps, signatures and administrative information dating from the Second World War.

The Wehrpass was one of the principal personal military documents used by the German armed forces. Unlike the Soldbuch, which was normally carried by the serviceman, the Wehrpass was designed as the broader official record of military registration, classification, training, assignments and related administrative information. For collectors today, surviving examples provide a highly individual record of a single person’s connection with the wartime German military system.

One of the strongest features of DOC-69 is the original portrait photograph of Wilhelm Hack still attached inside the document. The photograph is accompanied by period official stamps and the holder’s handwritten signature, giving the Wehrpass a considerably stronger personal character than an anonymous military document.

The opening pages identify the owner as Wilhelm Hack, born 30 June 1908, with the birthplace recorded as Kienfeld and the administrative district as Höchstadt/Aisch. His civilian occupation is entered as Bauer, or farmer.

Of particular collecting interest is the Erkennungsmarke entry referring to:

Stamm-Kp. Gren. Ers. Btl. 42

This abbreviation corresponds to the Stamm-Kompanie of Grenadier-Ersatz-Bataillon 42. The battalion originated as Infanterie-Ersatz-Bataillon 42, was formed in Bayreuth in Wehrkreis XIII in August 1939 and was redesignated Grenadier-Ersatz-Bataillon 42 in November 1942. The replacement formation was historically connected with providing personnel replacements for formations including the 46. Infanterie-Division.

The presence of this later Grenadier-era entry is particularly useful because it demonstrates that the Wehrpass continued to receive administrative updates after its original 1940 issue date.

Another notable page records the holder being formally instructed regarding espionage, counter-espionage, sabotage, treason, preservation of official secrets and military surveillance. The entry is dated 14 October 1944, with a further date of 18 October 1944 and the signature of a Hauptmann and company commander. This late-war annotation shows that the document remained administratively relevant deep into the final year of the conflict.

Also included is an associated Verwendungskarte, or personnel utilization card, repeating personal information for Wilhelm Hack and providing an additional piece of contemporary German military administration. For a collector, the survival of the Wehrpass together with this supplementary personnel record substantially improves the historical presentation of the group.

The document itself retains the characteristic Wehrpass cover displaying the German state eagle and period national emblem, while the interior contains numerous original stamps, signatures, handwritten notes and printed military forms. The printed text also states that the Wehrpass originally comprised 52 pages.

Condition is consistent with an extensively handled wartime document more than eighty years old. There is general age-related wear, surface wear to the cover, discoloration, fading and handling marks to the pages, all visible in the photographs. These signs of use contribute to the historical character of the piece rather than presenting it as an artificially pristine example.

A particularly interesting original document for collectors of WWII German militaria, Wehrmacht paperwork, German Wehrpass documents, Grenadier-Ersatz-Bataillon 42, Bayreuth militaria, Wehrkreis XIII, German military identification papers, Erkennungsmarke records, original WWII photographs and Third Reich military ephemera.

Authenticity guaranteed.

Offered exclusively as an original historical collectible for preservation, research and study. All political symbols and terminology are presented solely within their historical context and imply no endorsement of the ideology represented.