Luftwaffe Soldbuch - Printed in the USA!

[Stormfighter]

I thought I would post this Luftwaffe Soldbuch because it's something I've never seen before and thought fellow Soldbuch collectors would also find it interesting. At first glance, it looks like a standard Luftwaffe Soldbuch, albeit, with a much lighter blue cover. However, on the back cover we see who printed the Soldbuch - The Cavalry School in Fort Riley, Kansas!

These Soldbuchs were obviously printed during the war for instructional purposes. A captured original was reproduced to show soldiers who were being sent to the European Theater what a Soldbuch looked like. I would assume if The Cavalry School reprinted a Luftwaffe Soldbuch, they must have also reprinted Army, Kriegsmarine and SS Soldbuchs.

Has anyone else ever seen a wartime produced Soldbuch printed in the U.S.?

Barry

[matthias_AC]

Completely new to me, but really interesting! Thanks for sharing, Barry!

[Ian Jewison]

Interesting I wonder when it was printed?

I have a couple somewhere printed in England and one in B.A.O.R. (British Army of the Rhine), however if I remember correctly both were for PoW purposes.

/Ian

[Daniele C]

First time i see one as well printed in the US

[mufasa]

very interesting ... printed in USAnmeans that it was not for a "reserved" use , right?

[matthias_AC]

very interesting ... printed in USAnmeans that it was not for a "reserved" use , right?

From what I've understood it was printed for educational purposes, kind of to familiarize US Army personell with German IDs.

[Archi]

Hello !

Very interesting topic. Never was aware of this !
Many thanks for pointing to this and showing such an example .

So comparing the contributions from Barry and Ian, there are even two different purposes ?!

These Soldbuchs were obviously printed during the war for instructional purposes. A captured original was reproduced to show soldiers who were being sent to the European Theater what a Soldbuch looked like. I would assume if The Cavalry School reprinted a Luftwaffe Soldbuch, they must have also reprinted Army, Kriegsmarine and SS Soldbuchs.

This seems very logic. I would assume most of those examples were thrown away, once enough "real" SBs were there from POWs ?

But what Ian wrote seems to be a different purpose :

I have a couple somewhere printed in England and one in B.A.O.R. (British Army of the Rhine), however if I remember correctly both were for PoW purposes.

So, were there even "SB-Zweitschriften" produced for POWs ?
Never heard of that too.

Best regards,

Archi

[Ian Jewison]

Hello !

Very interesting topic. Never was aware of this !
Many thanks for pointing to this and showing such an example .

So comparing the contributions from Barry and Ian, there are even two different purposes ?!


This seems very logic. I would assume most of those examples were thrown away, once enough "real" SBs were there from POWs ?

But what Ian wrote seems to be a different purpose :

So, were there even "SB-Zweitschriften" produced for POWs ?
Never heard of that too.

Best regards,

Archi

Now I have to look for them
I will get back to you when I find them......

[Stormfighter]

Interesting I wonder when it was printed?

I have a couple somewhere printed in England and one in B.A.O.R. (British Army of the Rhine), however if I remember correctly both were for PoW purposes.

/Ian

Ian,

If I had to guess, I would say it was printed a Fort Riley in 1944, perhaps early 1945. There is a manual titled Employment of Mechanized Cavalry printed at Fort Riley in 1944 that also has the same printing information, that is, Reproduced at the Cavalry School, Fort Riley, Kansas. The reprinted Soldbuch was given a reference designation, that is, S-193, which in my opinion, shows it was an officially produced document printed by the school's instructional or intelligence section.

Looking forward to seeing those British-produced POW Soldbücher.

Barry

[August]

Many thanks for sharing this super interesting find !