Berlin Wehrpass 1940 – Wilhelm Groß, Wehrüberwachung 1939 & Landwehr, Berlin-Reinickendorf

Description

This original Berlin Wehrpass, issued on 8 June 1940 by the Wehrbezirkskommando Berlin I, belonged to Wilhelm Friedrich Johannes Groß, born in Berlin on 15 August 1896. It records the military registration of a Berliner already in his forties, examined in Reinickendorf in 1937 and again in 1943. Its most distinctive feature is a clearly stamped 1939 entry placing him under Wehrüberwachung.

Who was Wilhelm Groß?

The personal-data pages record:

• Name: Groß, Wilhelm Friedrich Johannes
• Born: 15 August 1896, Berlin
• Nationality: Deutsches Reich; religion: Protestant; family status: married
• Trade: trained as a turner (Dreher), working as an insurance agent (Versicherungsagent)
• Parents: Eduard Groß, recorded as died 1917, and Anna Groß, née Lemke, recorded as died 1930

His original portrait, in civilian suit and tie, remains in the booklet with his signature across it. The Wehrnummer begins “Berlin I”, and the issue page carries the stamp of the Wehrmeldeamt Berlin-Reinickendorf.

What does the Wehrüberwachung entry mean?

The supplementary entries (Nachträge) carry the stamped statement “Der Inhaber dieses Ausweises steht in Wehrüberwachung”: the holder of this document is under military supervision. It is dated in Berlin, 29 December 1939, and stamped by the Wehrmeldeamt Berlin-Reinickendorf.

Wehrüberwachung meant that a man liable for service was kept on the military register and had to meet its reporting obligations, while not serving with a unit. The entry shows that Groß was formally held in the manpower system in the first months of the war. It does not show that he served at the front.

What do the examinations record?

The Musterung page records him as Dienstpflichtiger (a man liable for service), examined twice:

• 24 May 1937: Wehrmeldeamt Berlin-Reinickendorf, found beschränkt tauglich (of limited fitness) and placed in Landwehr II, signed by a Leutnant.
• 28 July 1943: Wehrbezirkskommando Berlin I, stamped garnisonverwendungsfähig Feld (fit for garrison duty in the field) and Landwehr I.
• 1944: a further handwritten entry in the third row, which I do not expand beyond what can be read with certainty.

The successive entries show his classification being reviewed as wartime manpower needs grew. Men of his age were steadily moved into categories that made them available for service.

Collector’s Note

This is not a campaign Wehrpass, and I do not present it as one. Its interest lies in the paperwork behind mobilisation. Here a Berlin insurance agent born in 1896 is registered, placed under supervision in 1939, and upgraded in his fitness category as the war went on. The Wehrüberwachung stamp is unusually clear, and the Berlin-Reinickendorf connection gives the document a strong local identity. For background, see our German Wehrpass guide and Wehrpass vs Soldbuch.

Condition

• Cover: grey cloth cover with age, rubbing and handling wear.
• Interior: well preserved, with handwritten entries and period stamps.
• Photograph: the original portrait is present. Two metal-rimmed eyelets pass through the photograph and the first pages, as usual for the fixing of Wehrpass photographs.
• General: light toning and staining. No restoration.

All photographs show the actual item offered and form part of this condition description.

Frequently asked questions

Who owned this Wehrpass?
Wilhelm Friedrich Johannes Groß, born in Berlin on 15 August 1896.

When was it issued?
On 8 June 1940, by the Wehrbezirkskommando Berlin I.

Does Wehrüberwachung mean he was an active soldier?
No. It means he was kept on the military register and subject to its obligations, not that he served with a unit.

Did he serve at the front?
The pages shown record registration and examinations, but no front-line units or campaigns.

Historical Responsibility Notice

This original document is offered exclusively for historical collecting, preservation, research and education. Political and military symbols are described only because they form part of the original object. Autographs & Militaria does not endorse or glorify National Socialism or any ideology, regime or organisation represented by the material.

References & Further Reading

• Bundesarchiv, Personal documents of military provenance: guidance on researching German military personnel records up to 1945.