Luftwaffe Soldbuch with EK I, EK II & KVK Entries – Franz Wallrafen, Flak – plus 1935 Reich Aviation Führerschein

Description

This group pairs a heavily used wartime Luftwaffe Iron Cross Soldbuch with a pre-war Reich aviation administration driving licence. The Soldbuch belonged to Franz Wallrafen of Niederkrüchten (Kreis Erkelenz) and carries handwritten award entries for the War Merit Cross 2nd Class with Swords, the Iron Cross 2nd Class and the Iron Cross 1st Class, as well as the Eastern Front Medal. The 1935 Führerschein of the Reichsluftfahrtverwaltung was issued to Adolf Stange, Flughauptwachtmeister at the Luftaufsicht Borkenberge. The two documents belong to different men, and no connection between them is claimed.

What Does the Wallrafen Luftwaffe Soldbuch Record?

• Holder: Franz Wallrafen, born in Niederkrüchten, Kreis Erkelenz, Catholic, an electrician by trade. His parents are recorded as Gerhard Wallrafen, Elektromeister, and Josefine Wallrafen, née Andersegen.
• Soldbuch No.: 98, with original stamped uniform photograph and signature.
• Rank: Kanonier on issue; Gefreiter with effect from 1 October 1939.
• Service: stamps and pay entries of Luftwaffe Flak units from 1939 onwards. Parts of the unit designations are overwritten or faint, so no specific regiment is claimed.
• Hospital: an entry of the Reserve-Lazarett Wesel in 1944.
• Later entries: pay and issue records continuing into 1945 and 1946.

What Awards Are Entered in the Soldbuch?

Under the handwritten heading “Auszeichnungen”, the following entries can be read:

• 1.I.42 – Kriegsverdienstkreuz 2. Kl. mit Schwertern (War Merit Cross 2nd Class with Swords).
• 2.II.42 – EK II (Iron Cross 2nd Class).
• 7.VI.43 – EK I (Iron Cross 1st Class).
• Medaille Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/42 (Eastern Front Medal), with a field post unit stamp.

The page also records a radio qualification, “Funk-Prüfung B” (1942), an entry reading “Oberfunkmeister” (1943) and the note “Führerpaket erhalten”. The entries are countersigned and stamped by a Hauptmann as company commander. Dates are given as read from the photographs and should be checked against the original.

What Happened After 1945?

A bilingual English and German form is attached at the rear. It states that the holder belonged to a unit formed from disarmed Wehrmacht personnel and employed under the control of the Allied authorities, and that it had to be kept attached inside the holder’s pay book and carried at all times. It names Franz Wallrafen and records him as a craftsman and foreman (Handwerker/Vorarbeiter). Entries on the first page, including a camp number, also belong to this period. Together they carry the story of this Iron Cross Soldbuch beyond the end of the war.

What Is the 1935 Reichsluftfahrtverwaltung Führerschein?

This driving licence was valid only while the holder was employed in the Reich aviation administration. It was issued to Adolf Stange, Flughauptwachtmeister at the Luftaufsicht Borkenberge, for vehicles powered by an internal-combustion engine (Verbr. Masch.), Class One, at Münster in Westphalia on 3 June 1935, with the stamp of the Luftamt and the list number 44. Stange’s portrait photograph, stamped, and his signature are on the facing page. It is an attractive early aviation administration document from the year the Luftwaffe was officially unveiled.

Collector’s Note

An Iron Cross Soldbuch always deserves careful study. Here the award entries are written on page 21 under a handwritten heading rather than on the printed decorations page, and they are countersigned. As with any Soldbuch, the strength of the evidence lies in the agreement between photograph, numbers, stamps, signatures and dates, and I encourage buyers to examine the photographs closely. For a cleaner comparison, see our Luftwaffe Soldbuch from Luftnachrichtenschule 6, and for background, my article Wehrpass vs Soldbuch and the Soldbuch entry in our encyclopaedia.

Condition

• Soldbuch: heavily used, with strong handling wear, staining, tears and edge loss, creases, taped or weakened areas, punched holes, damage to the photograph, numerous amendments and pasted material.
• Führerschein: good condition with light wear, photograph and stamps intact.

Please study all eight photographs of this Iron Cross Soldbuch and Führerschein, which form an essential part of this condition description. Sold together, exactly as shown.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do both documents belong to the same man?

No. The Soldbuch belongs to Franz Wallrafen and the Führerschein to Adolf Stange.

Which awards are recorded?

The War Merit Cross 2nd Class with Swords (1.I.42), the Iron Cross 2nd Class (2.II.42), the Iron Cross 1st Class (7.VI.43) and the Eastern Front Medal.

Are the medals included?

No. Only the documents are offered.

Does the Soldbuch go beyond 1945?

Yes. It contains a post-war Allied-control form and entries into 1946.

Historical Responsibility Notice

This Iron Cross Soldbuch and Führerschein are offered as historical artefacts for collecting, preservation, education and research. The eagles and stamps bearing the swastika are retained because they are an original part of the documents. Autographs & Militaria does not endorse or glorify National Socialist ideology. For our approach to this material, see collecting Third Reich material responsibly.

References & Further Reading

• Original document entries, as transcribed above.
• Bundesarchiv, Wehrgesetz und Wehrdienst 1935–1945: Das Personalwesen in der Wehrmacht.
• Autographs & Militaria, Wehrpass vs Soldbuch.