Why are soldbuchs usualy in quite good condition

[Jean-Loup]

Hi guys

I have no soldbuchs, or Soldbücher, in my collection, but I understand the soldier was to wear them at all times. How is it that the Soldbuch didnt become completely ruined after just a few months, especialy when it was raining, etc?

JL

[Eric JB]

Hi Jean-Loup,

Soldiers could wear their Soldbuch in a protective cover, privately purchased, to give it a better protection against the weather influences.

But most of the Soldbücher are in used condition, or replaced by a second or even third one.

I have seen lot of them in bad to worse condition, separated / loose pages, missing pages, wartime and postwar repairs, water damage - so that stamps and handwritten entries are faded and by that hard of even no longer to read.

yours
Eric-Jan

[besslein]

Hi Jean-Loup,

Soldiers could wear their Soldbuch in a protective cover, privately purchased, to give it a better protection against the weather influences.

But most of the Soldbücher are in used condition, or replaced by a second or even third one.

I have seen lot of them in bad to worse condition, separated / loose pages, missing pages, wartime and postwar repairs, water damage - so that stamps and handwritten entries are faded and by that hard of even no longer to read.

yours
Eric-Jan

i agree,i have seen some realy hard used Soldbücher.

[Jean-Loup]

I also see some used ones being posted, but even they seem in relatively good condition. But if replacements were often made, then I understand.
I would love to find a Soldbuch one day from the wood work.

JL

[peter u]

Hello JL,

Forums like this and collectors give you a wrong idea about reality because collectors usually only go for good condition objetcs and usually only show their best collectables.
Also I have seen my fair share of well used, dirty, water damaged soldbuchs.

Cheers;
Peter

[Jean-Loup]

Yes, that is also true that a "natural selection" occurs for posted objects.

While I am at it, I would like to clear up an other point. It is my understanding that the Soldbuch was to be with the soldier at all times, and that the Wehrpass stayed in Germany, in the units base, or in some kind of administration. Is this correct? And if so, why are some Wehrpassen found from allied veterans who picked them up on the battlefield, for example this (very nice) one:

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...d.php?t=205538

JL

[peter u]

Hello JL,

Difficult one!

The sb isn't always in the soldiers pocket.
For example pilot and aircrew don't have their sb with them in the airplane, similar rule for fj's on an airborne mission.

Wp's are kept at home when not in actif service.
During actif service the wp normally iskept with the companies hq, this can be just in the middle of the fighting also.
When a soldiers is kia, normally the wp is sent home to his relatives.
It can be used by the family to get a deathcertificat so that they can claim insurance money and free the inheritance for example.
When a soldier gets mia, the wp is sent to an archive.
There are also cases known of soldiers that had their wp on them when they became pow.

Cheers,
Peter

[Jean-Loup]

Thanks for the explanations. In the WP in my link above, it is quite clear that a soldier was wearing it on him.
I wonder if the WASt still has WP of MIA soldiers today...

JL

[Edward]

JL, a good question. One reason also was that not everyone served at the front in a direct combat outfit. Even those combat units had support personnel at the front where such service members more often had a slightly more secure work environment that allowed for such items to be better protected. Then there were all those support units further to the rear of the front which went all the way back to Germany...that gives you some idea of why so many are sometimes found in better condition.

Jerry

[Andy F-P]

Hello,
If you wish to see a typically hard used Soldbuch, look at this link. If only it could speak!.
regards,
Andy

http://www.archivemilitaria.com/shop...=10130&phqu=10

[leigh kitchen]

Units had a number of "spare" SB covers, so if a cover needed to be replaced it could just be removed from the book & a new one stapled on, these replacements show visible staples on the spine rather than the staples covered by the cloth tape along the spine.

WP were kept by the unit HQ, so if a unit was destroyed / taken POW the WP could be detroyed or captured with it.

This is presumably the reason why some next of kin would be sent 2nd or 3rd replacement issue WP which had been filed "safely", back in Germany (often without photos), although of course the mans unit would have 2nd or 3rd issue WP if their originals had been destroyed or lost although the unit survived.

[Eric JB]

Hello,
If you wish to see a typically hard used Soldbuch, look at this link. If only it could speak!.
regards,
Andy

http://www.archivemilitaria.com/shop...=10130&phqu=10

Hi Andy,

It is a used Soldbuch.....but at one time, end of the war perhaps ripped in half - horizontal, and maybe even also verticale at the spine/back.
Because of that looking hard used.....and the postwar repair with that bad sticky tape did the rest to it.

When it wasn't ripped in half at the end of the war and so badly repaired it wouldn't be in such a hard used condition.

yours

Eric-Jan