Kriegsmarine Wehrpass – Original WWII German Military Book, 1943

Description

Kriegsmarine Wehrpass – Original WWII German Military Documentation

This Kriegsmarine Wehrpass is an original German military documentation book from the Second World War period, retaining its period cover, original identification photograph, handwritten personal information, official stamps and wartime administrative entries. The surviving pages shown here include a clear Wehrbezirkskommando Minden stamp dated 21 July 1943, together with further handwritten information apparently extending into 1944.

The cover bears the standard Wehrpass title beneath the German state eagle and swastika and also shows a faint Kriegsmarine designation in the lower rectangular field. Internally, the document remains associated with a named individual, rather than being an unused or anonymous example, which considerably improves its documentary and collecting interest.

The personal-data page identifies the surname as Gehle and records a date of birth of 3 September 1895. The handwritten given names appear to read Heinrich Ernst Diedrich, although old German cursive can occasionally make individual names difficult to interpret with complete certainty. The original civilian identification photograph remains attached to the facing page and is accompanied by period official stamps and the holder’s handwritten signature.

What Was a Wehrpass?

The Wehrpass was one of the central personal military documents used by the German armed forces during the Wehrmacht period. It was issued when an eligible man was registered for military service and was designed to record personal information, medical classification, training, military assignments and, where applicable, promotions, campaigns, wounds and decorations.

When a man actually entered military service, the Wehrpass was normally retained administratively while the serviceman was issued a Soldbuch, which functioned as the personal service and pay book carried during active service. Specialist historical references describe the Wehrpass as a comprehensive military record containing the holder’s photograph and details relating to his military status and career.

This distinction is useful for collectors because a Wehrpass can document anything from simple registration and medical examination to an extensive wartime career. The historical value of each example therefore depends heavily on the entries found inside.

Kriegsmarine Marking and the 1943 Minden Entry

What makes this example particularly interesting is the visible Kriegsmarine marking combined with a late-war administrative history.

The Kriegsmarine was the naval branch of the Wehrmacht. Bundesarchiv documentation identifies the Kriegsmarine as the successor to the Reichsmarine from 1935 and records its substantial expansion during the Second World War.

On page 5 of this Wehrpass, under “II a. Musterung”, the holder is recorded as a Wehrpflichtiger, meaning a person liable for military service. A large purple stamp reads:

“Wehrbezirkskommando Minden 21. Juli 1943.”

This gives the document an exact administrative place and wartime date.

The lower handwritten entry appears to record “zeitlich untauglich zurückgestellt”, indicating that the holder was considered temporarily unfit and that his military processing was postponed. The accompanying date appears to extend the deferment into 1944.

That detail is significant because it provides more than a simple identification document: it records the actual wartime process through which an older German civilian was reassessed for military obligations during the later phase of the war.

At the same time, the available photographs do not show a definite naval unit assignment or a record confirming that Gehle subsequently entered active Kriegsmarine service. For that reason, the most accurate description is a Kriegsmarine-marked Wehrpass, rather than claiming a specific naval career that the photographed entries do not establish.

Named WWII German Military Document

Named documentation has a particular attraction for collectors because it preserves an individual history.

The identification photograph shows the holder in civilian clothing, while the adjacent page records his personal information, occupation and family details. The profession appears to be recorded as Arbeiter, or worker. Several official seals overlap the photograph and pages, while additional handwritten notes and signatures remain visible.

These elements are useful when assessing an original Wehrpass because they show the document functioning as an administrative record rather than simply surviving as a blank period booklet.

The German Federal Archives continues to preserve and research extensive personnel documentation relating to German military service up to 1945, including surviving records connected with individual servicemen and conscripts. Such archival material can sometimes provide further information when researching the person named in a Wehrpass.

Collector’s Interest

From a collector’s perspective, this Kriegsmarine Wehrpass combines several desirable characteristics without needing to exaggerate its historical importance.

It retains:

• the original Wehrpass cover;
• visible Kriegsmarine designation;
• original identification photograph;
• named personal details;
• official stamps and seals;
• the dated Minden military-authority stamp;
• wartime medical or mobilisation annotations;
• entries from the 1943–44 period.

The 1943 date is particularly useful because it places the administrative activity firmly within the later phase of the Second World War.

Collectors of German military documents often look for precisely these details: identifiable owners, photographs, legible dates, military-office stamps and evidence of how the individual moved through the wartime administrative system.

A heavily documented combat Wehrpass with recorded campaigns, decorations or a notable naval unit would normally occupy another level of the market. The appeal of this example is more documentary: it is a genuine named wartime record illustrating the mobilisation and examination process within Germany in 1943–44.

Condition

The document shows age and handling consistent with an original paper item more than eighty years old.

The cover displays rubbing, edge wear, surface marks and wear to the spine and corners. Internally, the pages show age toning, handling marks and occasional staining. Period stamps and handwritten entries remain visible, and the identification photograph is still present.

The overall appearance is appropriate for a document that was actually used rather than preserved unused.

The photographs form an integral part of the condition description and should be examined carefully.

Authenticity

Original WWII-period German Wehrpass.

The period printing, original photograph, handwritten entries, stamps, seals, paper ageing and administrative format visible in the supplied photographs are consistent with an original used Wehrpass.

No claim is made from the photographed pages that the named holder served with a particular Kriegsmarine vessel or operational unit unless additional internal pages provide such evidence.

Historical Responsibility Notice

This document is offered strictly as an original historical collectible for documentary, educational and collecting purposes.

Autographs & Militaria has no political or ideological affiliation with, or sympathy for, National Socialism, the Nazi regime or the organisations represented by this historical material.