WWI Veteran Wehrpass 1938 – Kanonier, Garde-Feldartillerie 1916–1919, Kiel / Eckernförde

Description

This original German Wehrpass, issued at Kiel on 31 May 1938, belonged to Wilhelm Nöhren of the Eckernförde district, a First World War artilleryman. Its key page records his active service in the old Imperial Army from 28 November 1916 to 4 February 1919, with the rank of Kanonier. The same booklet then follows him through the Wehrmacht reserve system to 1943.

Who was the holder?

The Wehrpass is made out to Wilhelm Nöhren; in the handwriting the vowel could also be read as ü, giving Nühren. The personal-data pages record:

• Born: 9 December, in the Eckernförde district (the year runs into the page edge in the photographs)
• Nationality: German; religion: Protestant; family status: married
• Schooling: Volksschule; occupation: worker (Arbeiter)

His original civilian portrait remains fixed in the booklet, with his signature below it. The Wehrnummer is Kiel / Eckernförde 98/182/5, and the Arbeitsbuch number 90/52413.

What does the First World War entry record?

Page 12 carries the stamped heading Aktive Dienstzeit in der alten Armee (active service in the old army), with these entries:

• Service: 28 November 1916 to 4 February 1919
• Parent unit: written in abbreviated form, reading as 1. Garde-Feldart.-Regt. (1st Guards Field Artillery Regiment)
• Last rank: Kanonier, the basic enlisted rank of the artillery

The entry is signed for the Wehrbezirksoffizier and stamped by the Wehrmeldeamt Eckernförde. It confirms that he served as an artilleryman in the last two years of the war and into the demobilisation of early 1919. It does not, by itself, place him at any particular battle.

How was he treated by the Wehrmacht?

The Musterung page records two examinations at the Wehrmeldeamt Eckernförde, which classified him as Wehrpflichtiger d.B. (a conscript of the reserve):

• 10 February 1938: found fit (tauglich) and placed in Landwehr I.
• 6 May 1943: re-examined, stamped kriegsverwendungsfähig (fit for war service), Landwehr I, signed by an Oberleutnant.

No campaign entries, front-line units or Second World War decorations appear on the pages shown. This is the Wehrpass of a First World War veteran kept within the reserve system, not a combat record, and it should be read that way.

Collector’s Note

What I like about this Wehrpass is the single page that ties two armies together. A Kanonier of the Imperial Guards artillery in 1916 becomes, twenty-two years later, a Landwehr reservist examined again in the middle of the Second World War. For the price, it is an honest, clearly legible example of how the Wehrmacht recorded the service of the older generation. For background, see our guides how to read a German Wehrpass and German military abbreviations.

Why does a veteran’s Wehrpass matter?

Most surviving Wehrpässe belong to men who were young in 1939. A Wehrpass of this kind shows the other side of the system: the older reservists whose First World War service was copied into the new booklet and who were then examined again as the war went on. Read alongside a combat Wehrpass, it helps explain how the Wehrmacht drew on two generations at once.

Condition

• Cover: grey cloth cover with handling wear, rubbing and edge wear.
• Interior: clean and legible, with original handwriting 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

Did the holder serve in the First World War?
Yes. The Wehrpass records active service in the old army from 28 November 1916 to 4 February 1919.

What was his rank and unit?
Kanonier. The parent unit reads as the 1. Garde-Feldartillerie-Regiment, written in abbreviated form.

Did he serve at the front in the Second World War?
The pages shown record reserve examinations in 1938 and 1943, but no front-line units or campaigns.

Why is the Wehrpass dated 1938 if he served in 1916?
The Wehrpass was only introduced after 1935. Veterans received one when they were registered, and their earlier service was entered retrospectively, as here.

Is the original photograph present?
Yes, fixed with two eyelets, as is standard.

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.