Wehrpaß – The personal military service notebook of Ernst Schütz, who served in the infantry regiment of the Landwehr (reserve) forces, 4th Company, in Nazi Germany. Issued on September 9, 1937, and stamped multiple times between 1937 and 1944.
According to the details, Ernst was born on May 29, 1896, in Stettin, Prussia, a citizen of the German Reich who worked as an engineer. A passport photograph of Ernst appears and is validated with the stamp of the recruitment office Wehrbezirks-Kommando Ludwigshafen. Ernst was transferred to the Landwehr on September 9, 1937; this was the reserve force of the German army, in which older men served (in this case – age 41). With the establishment of the Wehrmacht in 1935 and the sudden breach of the Versailles restrictions, Landwehr units were integrated as part of the reserve force for rapid expansion. Landwehr personnel were assigned to reserves in border areas or internal security duties, served as traffic controllers, transport and infrastructure defense personnel, and some were involved in observation and training of younger soldiers.
His booklet contains numerous records of enlistment and discharge (Anmeldungen / Abmeldungen) from various offices:
September 10, 1937 – Registration in Ludwigshafen
August 18, 1940 – Registration in the Mainz office
August 20, 1944 – Registration in Danzig
November 4, 1944 – Discharge to the city of Halle
January 8, 1945 – Registration in Berlin
In the front pocket of the booklet are several of Ernst’s personal wartime documents – two draft summons – Wehrpaß-Notiz (military booklet notice) issued by the Reichsarbeitsdienst (Reich Labor Service), obligating Ernst Schütz to respond immediately to any conscription order in times of peace or war, one dated 1938 and the other 1945 – both stamped with Nazi ink stamps. Also included is a letter to the military registration office in Mainz.
In January 1945, Nazi Germany was in a state of military collapse, and nearly every man was required to serve in the army or perform vital work (such as munitions production or fortifications). Even older men, born in the late 19th century, received such orders. The Wehrpaß-Notiz served as an official record that the person was registered and obligated to report as needed for the war effort.
52 pp. 15 cm. Good – very good condition.
