THE EXPLOITATION

OF

GERMAN DOCUMENTS

MILITARY INTELLIGENCE DIVISIONWAR DEPARTMENT

MILITARY INTELLIGENCE DIVISION
WAR DEPARTMENT

WASHINGTON 25, D. C.

The Enemy Says—

"The troops must make it their duty more than they have hitherto done to collect captured documents and send them back immediately. Captured documents include enemy mail. It must not happen that, as has been reported to the division, even full enemy mail bags are left untouched and not brought in as captured material. Captured documents invariably furnish important and reliable information concerning the enemy, which makes it possible to draw conclusions as to his organization, strength, and intentions and is likely to facilitate our war effort materially."

("Die Truppe muss sich mehr wie bisher angelegen sein lassen, Papierbeute aufzunehmen und abzuliefern. Papierbeute ist auch beim Feind vorgefundene Post. Es darf nicht vorkommen, dass, wie der Div. gemeldet worden ist, sogar gefüllte Postsäcke des Feindes liegen bleiben und nicht als Beute einqebracht werden. Beutepapiere vermitteln durchweg wichtige und zuverlässige Nachrichten liber den Feind, die Schlüsse auf seine Zusammensetzung, Stärke und Absichten zulassen und unsere Kriegführung wesentlich erleichtern können.")

From a captured Order of the Day signed by Captain Wagner, commanding the First Battalion of the German 90th Panzer Artillery Regiment on 4 January 1943.

THE EXPLOITATION OF GERMAN DOCUMENTS

MILITARY INTELLIGENCE DIVISION
WAR DEPARTMENT

WASHINGTON 25, D. C.

CONTENTS

Page

Section I. INTRODUCTION

1

1. Documents as a Source of Intelligence

1

a. General

1

b. Outstanding Feature of Documents

1

c. When is a Document Not Reliable?

1

(1) "Plants"

1

(2) Unintentional errors.

1

(3) Bogus papers

1

(4) False names

1

d. German Record-Keeping

1

e. Value of docments

2

2. Types of Documents

2

a. General

2

b. Basis of Classification

2

(1) According to place of capture

2

(2) According to authorship

2

(3) According to security classification

2

(4) According to general nature

2

(5) According to usefulness

2

3. Basic Principles of Exploitation.

2

a. Prerequisites

2

(1) Knowledge of German

2

(2) Training and experience

2

(3) Working conditions

2

(4) Access to reference material

3

b. Procedure

3

c. Types of Information

3

(1) Identification of units.

3

(2) Locations

3

(3) Field-post numbers

3

(4) Ersatz affiliations

3

(5) Personalities

3

(6) Organization.

3

(7) Technical information

3

(8) Logistic data

3

4. Field Operational Orders

4

5. Other Documents of Outstanding Value

4

a. Soldbuch

4

b. Kriegsstammrolle

4

c. Wehrpass

4

d. Kriegsstärkenachweisung

4

e. Soll-und Iststärkemeldung

4

f. Kriegstagebuch

4

g. Tagesbefehl Nr

4

h. AllgemeineHeeresmitteilungen

4

i. Heeres-Verordnungsblatt

4

II. DOCUMENTS CARRIED ON THE PERSON

5

6. Basic Information On Personal Documents

5

a. Means of Identification

5

(1) The identification disk

5

(2) The Soldbuch

5

b. German System of Personal Military Records

5

7. Erkennungsmarke (Identification Disk)

6

a. Where Found

6

b. Description

6

c. Issuing Unit

7

d. Records of Identification Disks

7

e. Navy Identification Disk

8

8. Soldbuch

8

a. Description of the Soldbuch

8

(1) Introduction

8

(2) Page-by-page analysis

8

b. Deviations in Air Force, Navy, and Waffen-SS Soldbücher

13

(1) Air Force

13

(2) Navy

14

(3) Waffen-SS

14

c. Other Comments on Soldbuch Analysis

14

(1) Frequency of errors

14

(2) Method of showing dates

14

(3) Method of designating units

14

d. Tactical Exploitation in Conjunction with IPW

15

(1) General

15

(2) Basic rule for the interrogator

15

(3) Procedure on specific points

15

e. Strategic Exploitation

16

(1) General

16

(2) Preparation of the Soldbuch worksheet

16

(3) Filling in the worksheet

17

--v--

Page

(4) Checking the worksheet against pages 4 and 17

18

(5) Procedure when pages 4 and 17 are missing

19

(6) Strategic report

19

(7) Examples of strategic exploitation

19

9. Other Official Documents of a Personal Nature

23

a. Identification Papers

23

(1) Ausweis (statt Soldbuch)

23

(2) Auweis Nr.

23

(3) Vorläufiger Ausweis

23

(4) Personalausweis

23

(5) Truppenausweis

23

b. Drivers' Licenses

23

(1) Wehrmachtführerschein

23

(2) Militärführerschein

23

c. Orders

23

(1) Marschbefehl

23

(2) Benachrichtigung

23

(3) Fahrbefehl Nr

23

d. Miscellaneous Military Papers

23

(1) Besitzzeugnis

23

(2) Bescheinigung

25

(3) Empfangsbescheinigung

25

(4) Wehrmachtfahrschein

25

(5) Reichsarbeitsdienst-Entlassungsschein

25

(6) Ausweis für die Truppe.

25

(7) Meldeblock

25

(8) Wachbuch

25

(9) Merkblatt

25

10. Unofficial Personal Documents

25

a. Letters

25

b. Photographs

25

c. Diaries and Notebooks

25

d. Personal Memoranda and Reports

26

e. Other Printed Matter

26

III. DOCUMENTS FOUND ON VEHICLES, WEAPONS, AND EQUIPMENT

27

11. Introduction.

27

12. Documents Found on Vehicles

27

a. Relating to the Vehicle.

27

(1) Kraftfahrzeugschein

27

(2) Begleitheft für Kraftfahrzeuge

27

(3) Bescheinigung (Vorläufiger Kraftfahrzeugbrief).

27

(4) Kraftfahrzeug-Stammrolle

27

(5) Bestandliste für Kraftfahrzeuge

27

b. Relating to Fuel, Spare Parts, and Repairs

27

(1) Betriebsstofftagebuch

27

(2) Ersatzteilliste

27

(3) Kontrollverzeichnis für Werkstattauftrage

27

13. Documents Found on Weapons and Equipment

27

a. Instructions

27

(1) Merkblatt für * * *

27

(2) Technical manuals

27

b. Performance Records

27

(1) Rohrbuch

27

(2) Berichtigungsheft

27

(3) Schiessbuch

27

c. Inventories

27

IV. DOCUMENTS KEPT BY GERMAN UNITS

28

14. Introduction

28

a. Administrative Functions in German Field Units

28

b. Safeguarding of Documents by German Units

28

15. Documents at Company Level

28

a. Personal Service Records

28

(1) Kriegsstammrolle

28

(2) Wehrpass

30

(3) Auszug aus dem Strafbuch

32

(4) Personal-Nachweis

34

(5) Beurteilung

34

b. Other Documents Relating to Personnel

34

(1) Kompanieliste

34

(2) Kompanieaufteilung

34

(3) Verwendungsliste

34

(4) Erkennungsmarkenverzeichnis

34

(5) Auszahlungsliste

34

(6) Truppenkrankenbuch

34

(7) Verlustmeldung

34

(8) Strafbuch

34

(9) Veränderungsbuch

34

c. Documents Relating to Organization and Strength

34

(1) Kriegsstärkenachweisung

34

(2) Soll-und Iststärkemeldungen

34

(3) Tagesmeldung

34

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Page

d. Documents Relating to Equipment

34

(1) Formblatt für Anforderung von Gerät

34

(2) Empfangsschein Nr.

34

(3) Waffen- und Gerätenachweis

34

(4) Bestandsliste

34

(5) Bestandsbuch G. u. M

34

(6) Kriegsausrüstungsnachweisung

34

e. Journals and Correspondence

34

(1) Kriegstagebuch

34

(2) Eingangsbuch

34

(3) Brieftagebuch

34

(4) Posteinlieferungsbuch.

34

(5) Correspondence files

34

f. Army Publications

34

16. Documents at Battalion Level

39

a. Introduction

39

b. Documents Relating to Personnel

39

(1) Personalien

39

(2) Namentliche Verlustmeldung

39

(3) Beurteilungsnotiz

39

(4) Urlaubsliste

39

(5) Offizierstellen besetzung

39

(6) Offizier- und O. A.-Angelegenheiten

39

c. Documents Relating to Strength and Equipment

39

(1) Strength and rations report

39

(2) Bestands- (Bewegungs-) Buch

39

d. Other Documents

39

(1) Tagesbefehle

39

(2) Brieftagebuch für Geheimsachen

39

(3) Special orders and schedules

39

17. Documents at Regiment Level

 

a. Filing System

39

b. Samples of Regimental Documents

39

(1) Fürsorge

39

(2) Geldabrechnungsnachweis

39

(3) Empfangsscheine

39

(4) Terminkalender

39

(5) Regimentstagesbefehle

39

18. Documents at Division Leveland in Higher Echelons

42

19. Documents at Hospitals

42

a. Hospital Rosters

42

(1) Truppenkrankennachweis

42

(2) Revierkrankenbelegschaftsliste

42

b. Other Documents

42

(1) Krankenblatt

42

(2) Buch U. v. D

42

(3) Correspondence

42

20. Army and Other Publications.

42

a. Army Publications

42

(1) AllgemeineHeeresmitteilungen

42

(2) Heeres-Verordnungs-blatt

42

(3) Field manuals

42

b. Unofficial Publications

47

INDEX

49

ILLUSTRATIONS

Figure

Page

1. Two types of Erkennungsmarke

6

2. Front cover of Army Soldbuch

7

3. Page 1 of Soldbuch

8

4. Page 3 of Soldbuch

9

5. Page 4 of Soldbuch

9

6. Pages 6 and 7 of Soldbuch

12

7. Page 15 of Soldbuch

13

8. Soldbuch Worksheet, Example A

20

9. Soldbuch Worksheet, Example B

21

10. Wehrmachtführerschein (military driver's license)

24

11. Kriegsstammrolle sheet for officer or official

29

12. Kriegsstammrolle sheet for noncommissioned officer or private

31

13. Pages 12 and 13 of Wehrpass

33

14. Pages 32 and 33 of Wehrpass

33

15. Kriegsstärkenachweisung (table of organization of an Army Group High Command)

35

16. Inside of Soll- und Iststräken der Unteroffiziere
und Mannschaften (Statement of Table of Organization and Actual Strength,
Noncommissioned Officers and Privates)

36

17. Formblatt für Anforderung von Gerät (requisition
for equipment)

37

18. Empfangsschein Nr. . . . (receipt for equipment)

37

19. Pages from Kriegstagebuch (War Journal) of First
Tropical Field Dock Battalion, Motorized (Heavy Projector Section)

38

20. Front page of Namentliche Verlustmeldung (itemized casualty report)

40

21. Strength and rations report

41

22. Page from Tgb. Nr. . . . (officer's promotion list)

43

23. Front page of Truppenkrankennachweis (statistical hospital report)

44

24. Title page of Allgemeine Heeresmitteilungen, published by the High Command of the Army

45

25. Title page of Heeres-Verordnungsblatt, published
by the High Command of the Army

46

Section I. INTRODUCTION

1.DOCUMENTS AS A SOURCE OF INTELLIGENCE

a. General

Captured German documents have proved increasingly to be one of the most valuable as well as voluminous sources of both tactical and strategic information and intelligence regarding the enemy forces. This is due, first, to the enemy's custom of putting down all sorts of military information in black and white; secondly, to the increasing numbers of men trained in the exploitation of documents; and thirdly, to the growing appreciation in all echelons of the vital importance of collecting, safeguarding, and transmitting every piece of paper with writing on it found where the enemy has been.

The purpose of this study is to catalog the principal types of enemy documents which have been found useful and to guide all personnel concerned in the most efficient methods of extracting the information from them.

b. Outstanding Feature of Documents

Captured documents differ from all other sources of intelligence in that they constitute the only method by which the enemy himself tells his own story authoritatively, voluntarily, and reliably; is only too anxious to furnish every detail as accurately as possible; and allows anyone the necessary time and leisure to study, check, and evaluate the information.

c. When Is a Document Not Reliable?

In general, captured German documents may be taken at their face value and the information contained in them may be considered reliable, subject only to the following reservations:

(1) "Plants."—If a document of a non-routine nature, such as a map, sketch, or operational is found under suspicious circumstances and contents are of obvious tactical importance, it may possibly have been planted by the enemy for purposes of deception. Such a ruse has not been used frequently thus far and is almost always quickly detectable. The vast majority of captured documents are either routine or personal and are obviously genuine.

(2) Unintentional errors.—Military information in personal documents, such as letters and notebooks, should be treated with reserve, because of the likelihood that the writer was misinformed, especially in matters outside of the scope of his own duties. Even official documents, especially paybooks and other papers which must be filled out by German noncommissioned officers, often contain errors resulting from failure to abide by the German regulations. These can almost always be detected by a careful document exploiter who familiarizes himself with the pertinent German regulations and methods.

(3) Bogus papers.—Certain individuals, such as Gestapo agents, may carry falsified paybooks or other identification papers. These should be properly evaluated.

(4) False names.—In rare cases unit identifications may be shown in all official papers under false names, usually intended to conceal an intelligence or sabotage organization. In Tunisia, for example, it was found that paybooks showing the "Krad-Schtz.Ers.Btl. 4" as the affiliated replacement unit ("zuständiger Ersatztruppenteil") really belonged to men sent out by the Lehr-Regiment Brandenburg.

d. German Record-Keeping

It is the German passion for keeping records in infinite detail that is responsible for the vast quantities of documents inviting capture at all German headquarters of companies and higher echelons. The German High Command continually issues orders reminding the units of the

--1--

--2--

importance of following instructions in the conduct of their complicated paper work and emphasizing the necessity of preserving the files at all costs. Should there be a forced withdrawal, unit commanders must not destroy the records but must take them back with them even if personal baggage has to be left behind. Destruction of documents is attempted by the enemy only if capture appears inevitable.

e. Value of Documents

To decide that any document is worthless is a very dangerous procedure. Even the most insignificant-looking piece of paper may contain that one little detail, that last link in the chain, which someone trying to solve an important problem has been seeking.

On the other hand, personnel in lower echelons should confine themselves to extracting information of tactical value and should not waste time working on material the importance—or unimportance—of which they fail to recognize. Above all, every document must be passed back to higher headquarters with the least possible delay.

2. TYPES OF DOCUMENTS

a. General

There are literally hundreds of different types of German documents that may be captured on the field battle. Although this study attempts to deal only with those that have been found most useful in the past, this does not exclude the possibility that other types not listed here may prove to be extremely valuable.

b. Basis of Classification

Documents may be classified according to any of the following methods:

(1) According to place of capture.—Most documents are found on the person, or on articles of equipment (guns, vehicles), or at unit headquarters. This is the method of classification followed in this study.

(2) According to authorship.—Documents may have been written by an individual soldier (notebooks), by a civilian friend or relative (letters), by a company noncommissioned officer, by any headquarters—ranging from company to the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (Armed Forces High Command)— or by official or unofficial agencies outside the armed forces (Wehrmacht).

(3) According to security classification.—German official documents are either "freie Sachen" (unclassified) or "Verschluss-Sachen'' (classified). The latter may be "Nur für den Dienstgebrauch" (Restricted), "Geheim" (Confidential), or "Geheime Kommandosachen" (Secret). Sometimes the additional notation "Nicht in Feindeshand fallen lassen" (Must not fall into enemy hands) is found.

(4) According to general nature.—Operational, administrative, technical, historical, doctrinary, etc.

(5) According to usefulness.—Documents may be primarily of tactical value, primarily of strategic value, or equally valuable for both tactical and strategic intelligence. In evaluating documents from this point of view it should always be remembered that the value of any captured document is not the same for everyone who handles it but will vary widely according to the type and scope of the mission for which information is wanted, the ability of the exploiter to find the significant facts and interpret them correctly, and the relationship of the document's contents to information obtained from other sources. The important point is that no document should be considered to be of no value merely because some particular person or agency has no use for it or is unable to detect its significance.

3.BASIC PRINCIPLES OF EXPLOITATION

a. Prerequisites

(1) Knowledge of German.—The exploiter must have a good knowledge of the language, including ability to read German script, and, particularly, must be familiar with German military nomenclature and abbreviations.

(2) Training and experience.—Strategic exploitation of documents requires thorough knowledge of the German order of battle and of German Army regulations and administrative procedure; tactical exploitation, familiarity with the current situation.

(3) Working conditions.—For strategic exploitation of enemy documents, adequate space, time, and freedom from distraction are essential, because this work requires intensive research.

--3--

importance of following instructions in the conduct of their complicated paper work and emphasizing the necessity of preserving the files at all costs. Should there be a forced withdrawal, unit commanders must not destroy the records but must take them back with them even if personal baggage has to be left behind. Destruction of documents is attempted by the enemy only if capture appears inevitable.

e. Value of Documents

To decide that any document is worthless is a very dangerous procedure. Even the most insignificant-looking piece of paper may contain that one little detail, that last link in the chain, which someone trying to solve an important problem has been seeking.

On the other hand, personnel in lower echelons should confine themselves to extracting information of tactical value and should not waste time working on material the importance—or unimportance—of which they fail to recognize. Above all, every document must be passed back to higher headquarters with the least possible delay.

2.TYPES OF DOCUMENTS

a. General

There are literally hundreds of different types of German documents that may be captured on the field battle. Although this study attempts to deal only with those that have been found most useful in the past, this does not exclude the possibility that other types not listed here may prove to be extremely valuable.

b. Basis of Classification

Documents may be classified according to any of the following methods:

(1) According to place of capture—Most documents are found on the person, or on articles of equipment (guns, vehicles), or at unit headquarters. This is the method of classification followed in this study.

(2) According to authorship.—Documents may have been written by an individual soldier (notebooks), by a civilian friend or relative (letters), by a company noncommissioned officer, by any headquarters—ranging from company to the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (Armed Forces High Command)— or by official or unofficial agencies outside the armed forces (Wehrmacht).

(3) According to security classification.—German official documents are either "freie Sachen" (unclassified) or "Verschluss-Sachen'' (classified). The latter may be "Nur für den Dienstgebrauch" (Restricted), "Geheim" (Confidential), or "Geheime Kommandosachen" (Secret). Sometimes the additional notation "Nicht in Feindeshand fallen lassen" (Must not fall into enemy hands) is found.

(4) According to general nature.—Operational, administrative, technical, historical, doctrinary, etc.

(5) According to usefulness.—Documents may be primarily of tactical value, primarily of strategic value, or equally valuable for both tactical and strategic intelligence. In evaluating documents from this point of view it should always be remembered that the value of any captured document is not the same for everyone who handles it but will vary widely according to the type and scope of the mission for which information is wanted, the ability of the exploiter to find the significant facts and interpret them correctly, and the relationship of the document's contents to information obtained from other sources. The important point is that no document should be considered to be of no value merely because some particular person or agency has no use for it or is unable to detect its significance.

3. BASIC PRINCIPLES OF EXPLOITATION

a. Prerequisites

(1) Knowledge of German.—The exploiter must have a good knowledge of the language, including ability to read German script, and, particularly, must be familiar with German military nomenclature and abbreviations.

(2) Training and experience.—Strategic exploitation of documents requires thorough knowledge of the German order of battle and of German Army regulations and administrative procedure; tactical exploitation, familiarity with the current situation.

(3) Working conditions.—For strategic exploitation of enemy documents, adequate space, time, and freedom from distraction are essential, because this work requires intensive research.

(4) Access to reference material.—This includes War Department publications regarding the German Army as well as all other information available at the headquarters concerned.

b. Procedure

(1) Survey the document as a whole with reference to the time, place, and circumstances of its capture. Consider the desirability of exploiting it in conjunction with other documents which are associated with it or of a similar nature or source. Relate the document to previous information. Determine whether the document is complete or whether a part may be missing.

(2) Note the following particulars:

(a) Authorship or issuing authority, including any signatures.

(b) Addressee (on field orders, note the distribution list, "Verteiler," usually at the end).

(c) Date, period of time covered.

(d) Security classification.

(e) Any annotations.

(3) Consider the question whether the document may be taken at its face value. In the subsequent study of it, be on guard against unintentional errors, whether of nomenclature, numbering, spelling, factual statement, or administrative routine.

(4) Extract all information that can possibly be of value. The method of extraction may vary according to the type of document, but when large numbers of documents are being processed it is best to establish a "running list" for each of the various categories of information. All pertinent details, as well as the source, should always be extracted in full.

(5) Exploit the information obtained. This may be done by building up card files on enemy units, personalities, etc.; working out connections between different bits of information in order to arrive at significant conclusions; or submitting reports to the appropriate persons or agencies. With respect to information of a technical nature, the entire document or a transcript or translation of it should be passed on to the technical branch concerned. It is not the province of a document-research specialist to make the final evaluation; his duty is merely to seek out, collate, analyze, and report information.

c. Types of Information

A separate running list should be used for the tabulation of each of the following types of information:

(1) Identification of units.—This may be subdivided into field units and Ersatz (replacement) units (see (4), below). Where many documents are being handled it may be further broken down according to arms. All units should be recorded, even if nothing but their existence at a given time is indicated.

(2) Locations.—The location of any unit at any time is significant. This list may be combined with the unit identification list.

(3) Field-post numbers.—Every field unit in the German Army has a field-post number (Feldpostnummer) of five digits (sometimes followed or preceded by a letter), which is used as a code name for the unit in addressing private letters as well as on some official documents. Any documentary evidence of the identity between a field-post number and a unit is of great value, and even if such identity cannot be established, the mere location of a field-post number at a certain time should be recorded and reported.

(4) Ersatz affiliations.—To every field unit is allotted a particular Ersatz unit, in the zone of the interior, to provide it with replacements. At present these are fed, as a rule, through an intermediate-training (Ausbildungs) unit. All affiliations between field units and their appropriate Ausbildungs and Ersatz units should be recorded and reported.

(5) Personalities.—This includes identifications of officers with their commands, the identification of General Staff Corps officers, and the location of important officers at a given time even if their commands are not known.

(6) Organization.—All information throwing light on the composition, personnel, and equipment of any unit is of value.

(7) Technical information.—This usually should be handled by supplying the document to the appropriate technical branch.

(8) Logistic data.—The movement of any unit over a given route during a specified period is significant. Itineraries may often be found in diaries and other documents.

--4--

4. FIELD OPERATIONAL ORDERS

Among captured enemy documents, the most important are operational field orders and tactical maps. Every possible effort should be made to obtain them. Documents of these types will be of immediate value to the troops in combat.

5. OTHER DOCUMENTS OF OUTSTANDING VALUE

Although almost any document may contain a scrap of information that ultimately will prove to be of inestimable value, there are described below a few of the important types that will always repay most careful and detailed study and that have provided a very large portion of our present knowledge of the German Army.

a. Soldbuch

Pay-rate and identification book carried by every soldier, containing the designation of his unit and its Ersatz affiliation and much information concerning his military history. (See par. 8, p. 8 ff.)

b. Kriegsstammrolle

Roster of personnel, kept by the unit and consisting of a separate sheet for each soldier with all pertinent personal data. (See par. 15a (1), p. 28 ff.) For other types of company rosters see section IV.

c. Wehrpass

Permanent military service record of each soldier, kept by his unit and supplementing the information contained in the Soldbuch. (Sec par. 15a (2), p. 30 ff.)

d. Kriegssträkenachweisung

Detailed table of organization for any given type of unit. (See par. 15c (1), p. 34.)

e. Soll- und Iststärkemeldung

Report submitted by every unit at stated intervals on its actual strength compared with its table-of-organization strength. (See par. 15c (2), p. 34.)

f. Kriegstagebuch

War journal kept by all units and recording their day-by-day activities. (See par. 15e (1), p. 34.)

g. Tagesbefehl Nr. . . .

Promotion and appointment list issued by the Army Personnel Office; found only at division and higher headquarters; contains a wealth of identifications of units and other information. (See par. 18, p. 42.)

h. Allgemeine Heeresmitteilungen

Semimonthly restricted publication of the High Command of the Army, containing numerous orders relating to organization, administration, personnel, and technical and other matters. (See par. 20a (1), p. 42.)

i. Heeres-Verordnungsblatt

Similar to the Allgemeine Heeresmitteilungen, but without security classification. (See par. 20a (2), p. 42.)

Section II. DOCUMENTS CARRIED ON THE PERSON

6. BASIC INFORMATION ON PERSONAL DOCUMENTS

a. Means of Identification

The German soldier, whether officer or enlisted man, is authorized and required to carry two personal documents as means of identification:

(1) The Identification Disk (Erkennungsmarke).—A disk made of metal and intended to be worn around the neck. (See par. 7, p. 6 ft.)

(2) The Soldbuch.—Literally a paybook, but actually a record of the holder's name, rank, home address, present unit, and past military career. (See par. 8, p. 8 ff.)

Among other identification documents of military or civilian origin that may also be found on German soldiers are drivers' licenses, party-membership books, and postal-savings books. Many soldiers carry personal letters addressed to them, and a surprising number are found to have diaries or notebooks, despite the general orders forbidding these. Very seldom will a German soldier carry any document not connected with his person, and any tactical orders or plans found on him should be viewed with suspicion as possible "plants."

b. German System of Personal Military Records

Every German of military age is registered at his local military headquarters, known as a Wehrersatzdienststelle (military-conscription office); this is usually the Wehrmeldeamt (recording office), but in some cases is the next higher regional headquarters, the Wehrbezirkskommando (recruiting subarea headquarters). Upon registration he receives a permanent registration number known as the Wehrnummer, which consists of the name of the town followed by several one or two-digit numbers separated by slanted strokes, the first two digits generally indicating the year of birth. For example: Erfurt 21/38/7/2.

The conscription office starts a folder on the man known as the Wehrstammbuch (permanent military record book), which is maintained throughout the period of his liability to military service. If he changes his domicile, the folder is transferred to the conscription office which is competent for his new place of residence.

The office in possession of this record at any particular time should appear on the man's personal documents as the "zuletzt zuständige Wehrersatzdienststelle" (latest competent conscription office).

As a second permanent record of his military career, the conscription office issues to the man, at the time of his first registration, a sort of military passport known as the Wehrpass (permanent military service record). This remains in the possession of the man as long as he is not in the armed forces (or Reich Labor Service), but he must turn it in at the time of his induction in exchange for a Soldbuch (or, in peacetime, for a Truppenausweis). It then follows him from unit to unit, always being kept in unit headquarters, and is not handed out to him again until the day of his discharge.

The recruit is ordered by the conscription office to report to a unit, usually located in his own military district (Wehrkreis). In wartime this is invariably an Ersatz unit. Here he is sworn in and issued his identification disk (Erkennungsmarke) and his Soldbuch. Until September 1942 the recruit also received his training in this unit before being transferred to an affiliated unit of the Field Army. Since that date, however, every Ersatz unit has a corresponding Ausbildungs (training) unit to which the men are first sent within a week or two of induction; this unit may be at the same location or in the same part of Germany as the Ersatz unit, but often it is located in one of the occupied countries. From

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here, after training, the men are sent in groups (Marschbataillone) or individually to the appropriate field unit.

In every unit in which a soldier serves, a special sheet is made out in the unit roster book for recording his personal data. In peacetime, and in Ersatz units in wartime, this sheet is called the Truppenstammrollenblatt. In Ausbildungs and field units it is known as the Kriegsstammrollenblatt. The serial number of the sheet within the unit is the soldier's Truppenstammrollennummer or Kriegsstammrollennummer (abbreviated K. St. R. Nr. or merely Kr.). If the man is transferred this record is not forwarded to his next unit but is returned to the competent conscription office for permanent filing.

Thus every soldier at any given time has three different numbers: the Wehrnummer (permanent registration number), the Erkennungsmarkennummer (identification-disk number—usually the name of the unit which issued the disk plus a personal number on the identification disk), and a temporary Stammrollennummer (unit roster number).

7. ERKENNUNGSMARKE (IDENTIFICATION DISK)

a. Where Found

The identification disk is carried by every member of the German Armed Forces and, according to the regulation, is to be worn around the neck on a cord. Some soldiers, however, have been found to have their disks in their wallets or elsewhere on their persons or even to be entirely without them.

b. Description

Usually the disk is made of zinc, but members of units having armored vehicles are provided with disks made of a special heat-resisting substance. The disk, oval in shape and measuring about 2 by 2% inches, is perforated so as to divide it into an upper and a lower part, each of which bears almost identical markings. In case of death the lower part is broken off and the upper part remains with the body. Each half shows the designation of a unit as well as a personal number often identical with the number of the man's Soldbuch. In addition the upper half shows the blood type (A, B, AB, or O). For samples of identification disks see figure 1.

Although no regulations are known that would account for the practice, some disks found show a five-digit number instead of the unit designation. It may be that such numbers have at times been used by field units in replacing lost disks, but it is not clear whether they represent the field-post number of the unit or some other code.

Figure 1.—Two types of Erkennungsmarke (actual size).
(Top, disk issued by a regular unit in peacetime; bottom, disk issued by a wartime Ersatz unit.)

If the word "neu" appears in parentheses after the unit designation, this indicates that the disk was issued by a unit reconstituted to carry on the traditions and the designation of a previous unit which was destroyed (for example, at Stalingrad). As the fact that such a unit is being or has been reconstituted may be new information, special attention should be paid to disks bearing the word neu.

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c. Issuing Unit

It is extremely unlikely that the unit shown on the disk is that in which the soldier is now serving. Ordinarily the man will be wearing the disk issued to him by the unit into which he was first inducted— in peacetime an active unit and in wartime an Ersatz unit. If he has lost his disk, he is issued a lew one by the unit in which he is then serving, heat-resisting disks, the present ones are more likely in these cases to show the present unit of the men.

d. Records of Identification Disks

Every unit keeps a record (Erkennungsmarkenverzeichnis) of the identification disks worn by all its members. All changes occurring in this list must be reported monthly to the Wehrmachtaus-

Figure 2.—Front cover of Army Soldbuch (actual size).

and this, under the regulations, will bear the name of that unit plus a personal number different from his original one. Only if this has happened recently and the man has not been transferred since will the unit shown be the man's present unit. Inasmuch as units containing armored vehicles were ordered, as recently as August 1942, to replace all disks of men in their units with the new

kunftsstelle für Kriegerverluste und Kriegsgefangene (Armed Forces Information Office for War Casualties and Prisoners of War) in Berlin. The unit's record of identification disks is likely to show a wide variety of unit designations, thus revealing the great extent to which German soldiers have been transferred from one unit to another in the course of the war.

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e. Navy Identification Disk

The disk used in the German Navy differs from that described above in that it shows the Navy roster number (Marmestanmirollennummer), the last two digits of which indicate the year of induction, and the holder's name. Example: N. 1686/41 K. Hans Müller.

8. SOLDBUCH

a. Description of the Soldbuch

(1) Introduction.—The Soldbuch (plural: Soldbücher) is by far the most important personal document carried by German soldiers and is one of the most valuable of all documentary sources of intelligence. It is not properly a paybook (as its name implies), because it shows only the rate of pay of its holder; it contains no record of individual payments except those made to him outside his unit. Actually, it is a detailed service record and identification book.

The Soldbuch should be found in the possession of every German officer and enlisted man encountered in the field and is carried, as prescribed by regulations, in a special inside pocket at the lower right front opening of the blouse. Only soldiers on patrol, who may have turned in their Soldbücher temporarily, are excepted from this rule.

The possibilities of Soldbuch exploitation are almost limitless. Besides information that may be of great immediate value in combat, the document contains a wealth of data of basic strategic importance. It should be used, therefore, both tactically and for long-range study. Excellent results also may be obtained with it in conjunction with IPW,1 both in the tactical squeeze (combat IPW) and in the strategic discourse at Central Enclosure.

For all forms of exploitation a thorough familiarity with the type of information contained on each of the 24 pages of the Soldbuch, as well as on inserts that may be found in it, is of prime importance.

(2) Page-by-page analysis.—The following particulars refer to the Soldbuch of the Army (Heer). Deviations occurring in the Soldbücher of the Air Force (Luftwaffe), the Navy (Kriegsmarine), and the Waffen-SS are described in subparagraph b, page 13.

1 Interrogation of prisoners of war.

(a) Cover.—Brown or brownish olive-green. On the front appear the eagle-and-swastika emblem (Hoheitsabzeichen) and the words "Soldbuch zugleich Personalausweis" (Pay-rate Book and Proof of Identity). (See fig. 2.) Unlike those of the other branches, the Army Soldbuch does not indicate on the cover the branch to which it pertains. On the inside of the back cover is a summary of the regulations regarding the keeping of the Soldbuch; this cover also has a special flap in which the soldier often keeps other personal documents. The latter should always be examined, as they may contain useful information.

Figure 3.—Page 1 of Soldbuch (slightly reduced).

(b) Page 1.—At the top is the serial number of the Soldbuch; this may be the same as the personal number on the holder's Erkennungsmarke or the same as his Stammrollennummer in the issuing unit as shown on page 4 of the book. Below this appears the holder's rank at the time the Soldbuch was issued, followed by a box containing subsequent promotions and their dates. (The last entry in the box indicates his present rank.) Below the box is the holder's full name

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Figure 4.—Page 3 of Soldbuch (actual size).

Figure 5.—Page 4 of Soldbuch (actual size).

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in its natural order, followed by the inscription on his Erkennungsmarke, his blood type and gasmask size, and his permanent registration number (Wehrnummer). (See fig. 3.)

(c) Page 2.—From the top down appear, in the following order, date and place of birth, religion and civilian occupation, personal description, signature of holder, location and date of issue, stamp and name of issuing unit, signature, rank, and position of issuing officer. If the place of birth is left blank, this may mean that the holder is a "racial" German from Russia. (Regulations provide for the omission of this entry in such cases to prevent punishment of the man as a deserter or traitor if he should be captured by the Russians.)

(d) Page 8.—This page provides for a record of any alterations made on pages 1 and 2, particularly promotions, with a certification as to their correctness in each instance. For each date of promotion shown on page 1 there should be an entry here under the same date showing the unit in which the man then served and the signature, rank, and position of the certifying officer. (See fig. 4.)

(e) Page 4-—This is the most significant page in the entire Soldbuch, for it shows the holder's present unit and all previous units in which he has served. (See fig. 5.) For this reason German units in the field sometimes order the men to tear out and destroy this page or to make certain entries on it illegible when in danger of capture. If any part of page 4 is filled, entries of the same nature are continued on page 17, and the latter may also be found to have been destroyed or mutilated. Fortunately, as will be demonstrated in the following pages, these security measures on the part of the enemy will seldom prevent an experienced exploiter from obtaining all the pertinent information from other pages of the Soldbuch and thus reconstructing the missing entries.

Page 4 consists of the following four sections, all but the first of which are continued on page 17:

1. Section A.—Latest competent conscription office, usually the Wehrmeldeamt (recording office), sometimes the Wehrbezirkskommando (recruiting subarea headquarters). This usually indicates the town or district in which the man resided at the time of induction.

2. Section B.—Ersatz unit from which the man was sent to the Field Army. Two or more entries in this section may indicate that the man was transferred back to the Replacement Army (Ersatzheer) as an instructor, because of wounds, for temporary discharge, or for other reasons, and was then sent off to the Field Army again. In the right-hand column opposite each unit the man's unit roster number (Truppenstammrollennummer) should appear.

8. Section C.—Units of the Field Army in which the holder has served. These should be in chronological order, but the man may have served in Ersatz units for intervening periods. All entries no longer valid are crossed out in such a way as to remain legible, and the last entry gives the holder's present unit. Training (Ausbildungs) units, although they belong to the Replacement Army, also will be found as a rule, in this section, as this is especially prescribed by regulations. In the right-hand column is the man's roster number (Kriegsstammrollennummer) in each unit. If this number is identical in two successive units, it means that the first unit has changed its name— that is, has been converted—into the second unit. This may be a very important discovery.

4. Section D.—This section includes two types of entries:

i. The units of the Replacement Army which are affiliated with the respective field units shown in section C. Each such entry is made by the field unit when the man joins it and therefore almost always is in the same kind of ink and the same handwriting as the corresponding field unit entry in section C. Such entries do not necessarily coincide with entries in section B. ii. Units within the Replacement Army to which the man was transferred from other Ersatz units.

In both the above cases the location (Standort) of the Ersatz units is indicated.

(f) Page 5.—Names and addresses of the holder's next of kin, in the following order: wife, parents, relatives, or fiancee. If wife and parents are entered, no other names will be found. If the entire page is blank, the holder may be presumed to be a former Russian prisoner of war, probably of German race.

(g) Pages 6 and 7.—Record of clothing and equipment issued. These pages may be in either of two slightly different forms, and in addition

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several extra pages, numbered 6a, 6b, 6c, etc., may be inserted or pasted over; in the latter case they must be pried loose in order to see the entries underneath. The first column on page 6 will show either the unit issuing the equipment or making an equipment check or the reason for the entry, for example, the transfer of the man to a field unit (Versetzung). The date of such an issue or equipment check is shown either in the second column on page 6 or in the last column on page 7. (See fig. 6.) These dates are important in the interpretation of page 4 and are particularly valuable if page 4 is torn out.

(h) Page 8.—Remarks concerning clothing, sometimes referring to dates and units.

(i) Pages 8a, b, c, and d.—Record of weapons and accessories issued, showing dates but not units. Some of the entries—for instance, the issue of a dagger or a telescope—may be significant. The entries may be illuminating with regard to the time and type of training and the approximate dates of transfer.

(j) Page 9.—Dates of smallpox vaccination and of inoculations against typhoid, typhus, dysentery, cholera, and other diseases. Units are not mentioned on this page, but some of the dates may be helpful. The date of vaccination coincides approximately with the date of induction and therefore will be useful in recognizing peacetime soldiers.

(k) Pages 10 and 11.—Although these pages are provided for the recording of eye-glass specifications, they often show units and dates entered in connection with physical examinations and with entries pertaining to the reclassification of convalescents and the like. The units shown are those of the certifying medical officer and are not necessarily identical with the book holder's own unit. There also may be an entry of a physical-fitness nature such as "k.v." for "kriegsverwendungsfähig" (fit for combat duty), "g.v.F." for "garnisonsverwendungsfähig Feld" (fit for limited service in the field), or "g.v.H." for "garnisonsverwendungsfähig in der Heimat" (fit for limited service in the zone of the interior).

(1) Pages 12 and 18.—Hospitalization record, showing (in columns from left to right) the name of the military hospital, date of reception, nature of ailment, signature of the commanding officer or first sergeant of the unit from which sent, date of discharge, remarks pertaining to the discharge, and signature of hospital official.

Ailments frequently will be found entered by one of 36 numbers according to an official list in the Truppenkrankennachweis report of hospitals. (See par. 19 (1).) Communicable diseases are numbered from 1 to 11 (1, typhoid and typhus; 5, smallpox; 7, influenza; 9, malaria; 10-11, tuberculosis). Venereal diseases are indicated by numbers from 13 to 15 (13, gonorrhea; 14, syphilis.) Numbers from 16 to 30 represent organic diseases (26, nervous and mental disorders). Injuries, including those sustained through enemy action, are numbered from 31 to 34 (31-a, bullets; 31-b, hand grenades or artillery; 31-c, burns; 31-d, bombings; 31-e, air combat; 34-h, fall from plane, not in combat; 34—i, suicide or self-mutilation attempt). The number 35 refers to inherited defects and deficiencies, and 36 to observation and to simulation of ailments.

(m) Pages 14 and 15.—Originally designed for a record of valuables taken into the hospital by the holder. Actually such entries are infrequent, and the pages may be used for other purposes. Page 14 may, for example, bear records of medical examinations. On page. 15 there should be a unit stamp with date, officer's signature, rank, and position, and holder's roster number, and the printed heading of this page should be crossed out. (See fig. 7.) This is in accordance with special orders providing for a security check early in 1943. Subsequent checks of a similar nature were planned, therefore stamps showing later dates may be found.

The unit shown on page 15 should be identical with the one on page 4 in which the holder is shown as having the same roster number. However, the unit on page 15 may be the higher echelon controlling the one on page 4, if the latter did not have a stamp of its own.

Regulations provide that stamps actually showing the name of the unit, not field-post-number stamps, must be used on page 15, but many units have been found to have violated this rule.

(n) Page 16.—Dental record (frequently blank).

(o) Page 17.—Continuation of page 4.

(p) Pages 18 and 19.—Pay-group record, showing original pay group and changes resulting from promotion, with the unit and signature of the paymaster in each case. The name of the unit some-

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Figure 6.—Pages 6 and 7 of Soldbuch (actual size)

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Figure 7.—Page 15 of Soldbuch (slightly reduced).

times differs from that of the unit in which the holder was serving at the time of the entry. This merely indicates that the unit named was the higher echelon controlling the holder's unit and handled the pay roll for the latter.

In the German armed forces are 16 pay groups, numbered according to rank, the lowest being 16 (private) and the highest 1 (full general). The numbers which apply to the holder are entered on successive lines headed "Stellengruppe," the original peacetime nomenclature, or "Wehrsoldgruppe," the correct term for wartime pay. The last entry indicates the holder's present rank and rate of pay.

Pages 18 and 19 also contain entries pertaining to family allowances and bonuses, issue of soap, tobacco ration card, and the like.

(q) Pages 20 and 21.—Record of payments received from units other than the holder's, such as hospitals. These units, as well as the date and nature of payments, are shown.

(r) Page 22.—Intended to be a continuation of page 21, but actually used in recording decorations, with date, unit stamp, and officer's signature, rank, and position. Sometimes a reference to the unit and combat action in which the decoration was earned will be found.

(s) Pages 23 and 24-—Record of leaves or furloughs of more than 5 days, giving dates of beginning and end; destination; reason; date when granted; signature, rank, and position of officer; and unit stamp (on the left).

Occasionally unnumbered pages may be found in a Soldbuch, usually containing records of issues of supplies, such as soap.

b. Deviations in Air Force, Navy, and Waffen—SS Soldbücher

(1) Air Force.—(a) Cover.—Usually blue but occasionally brown. Bears the inscription "Luftwaffe" at bottom of front cover. Inside the front cover are "Ten Commandments for the Conduct of War" (10 Gebote für die Kriegsführung).

(b) Page 1.—Carries one or more special box stamps, divided into quarters. Roman numerals are stamped into the various quarters to indicate that the book has been checked for a 3-month period.

(c) Pages 4 and 17.—Because the Air Force replacement system is considerably simpler than that of the Army, there is no section corresponding to section B of the Army Soldbuch (for Ersatz units from which the holder was sent to the Field Army). Sections B and C of the Air Force book correspond to sections C and D, respectively, of the Army book. The dates of entering and leaving all units are shown, but this advantage in the Air Force Soldbuch is offset by the fact that pages 4 and 17 are torn out much more frequently than in the Army books.

(d) Pages 6 and 7.—Correspond to pages 10 and 11 in the Army book.

(e) Pages 8 and 9.—Correspond to pages 12 and 13 in the Army book.

(f) Pages 10 and 11.—Correspond to pages 14 and 15 in the Army book. Page 11, however, is not used for security checks, which are unnecessary in the Air Force because of the special quarterly box stamp on page 1.

(g) Pages 12 and 18.—Correspond to pages 6 and 7 in the Army book. Only the dates are shown, not the units.

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(h) Pages 18 and 19.—Arranged somewhat differently from the same pages in the Army book, but contain the same type of information.

(2) Navy.—(a) Front cover.—Bears the inscription "Kriegsmarine." On the inside is a photograph of the holder, usually with unit stamp (field-post number).

(b) Page 1.—Box stamp for quarterly check as in the Air Force book. The pay-group number (16 to 1) is entered opposite the original rank and each promotion. An additional line at the bottom of the page shows the parent Ersatz unit (Stamm-Marineteil).

(c) Page 2.—Issuing unit, shown by its field-post-number stamp. In general, field-post-number designations are much more commonly used throughout the Navy book than in Soldbücher of the other branches.

(d) Page 4.—Corresponds to page 22 in the Army book (decorations).

(e) Pages 6 to 11.—Clothing and equipment: blue uniform on pages 6 to 9, and field-grey uniform on pages 10 and 11. No units are shown on pages 6 to 11.

(f) Pages 12 and 13.—Exchange of clothing and equipment. Units are shown in the last column on each page (field-post numbers).

(g) Pages Ha to 14d.—Correspond to pages 8a to 8d in the Army book.

(h) Pages 15 to 22.—Correspond to pages 9 to 16 in the Army book, in the same order (add 6 to Army-book page number). If the holder has been transferred from the Navy to the Army but retains his Navy Soldbuch, the Army security check will be found on page 21 instead of page 15.

(i) Pages 23 to 26.—Replace pages 4 and 17 in the Army book but are arranged differently. Each is headed "Holder is transferred to" and shows, in columns from left to right: date of departure from old unit, field-post number of new unit, amount of money advanced for travel, field-post number of old unit, and signature of official in old unit. In case the holder has been transferred from the Navy to the Army and retains his Navy Soldbuch, it may be found that pages 24 to 26 are adapted by makeshift methods to the recording of the Ersatz and field units in the Army manner.

(j) Pages 27 to 32.—Correspond to pages 18 to 21 in the Army book (pay group, pay from outside units, allowances, etc.).

(k) Pages 33 to 35.—Intended to be a record of family allowances, but often blank. In case of transfer to the Army, Army decorations are entered on page 34, corresponding to page 22 in the Army book.

(1) Pages 36 to 40.—Correspond to pages 23 and 24 in the Army book.

(3) Waffen-SS.

(a) Cover.—Gray; bears the runic "SS" sign.

(b) Page 1.—Box stamp for quarterly check as in Air Force book.

(c) Pages 8 to 11.—Correspond to insert pages 6a to 6d in the Army book.

(d) Pages 12 to 28.—Correspond to pages 8 to 24 in the Army book, in the same order (add 4 to Army-book page number). No security check like that on page 15 of the Army book is provided for on page 19 of the SS book.

c. Other. Comments on Soldbuch Analysis

(1) Frequency of errors.—Anyone who examines a number of Soldbücher quickly discovers that German administrative personnel is unable to cope with the intricacies, constant changes, and frequent ambiguities of the regulations governing the making of entries in these documents. The commonest mistake is in the location of entries in the various sections on page 4, but there may also be confusion or inconsistency in nomenclature of units, and even omissions of important items. If he is constantly on the alert for these irregularities, however, the experienced exploiter usually can avoid being misled by any such unintentional deception on the part of the enemy.

(2) Method of showing dates.—It should be remembered that in German usage the day always precedes the month in dates. Thus 8.1.42 means 8 January 1942, not August 1, 1942.

(3) Method of designating units.—Units are designated in three different ways in the Soldbuch:

(a) By company and battalion.—Usually the practice in Ersatz units (Example: 2.Kp.Gr.Ers.Btl.179, or alternatively, 2./Gr.E.B.179 for the 2d company of Grenadier-Ersatz-Bataillon 179.)

(b) By company and regiment.—This is customary in field units. If the man is in battalion headquarters, the battalion, instead of the company, may be shown, with or without the word "Stab." (Examples: Inf.Rgt.433-14.(Pz.Jg.) for the 14th company (antitank company) of the 433d Infantry Regiment (Infanterie until October 1942, subsequently Grenadier). Stab Ill/Pz. Gren.Rgt. 63 for the headquarters of the third battalion of the 63d Armored Infantry Regiment.)

(c) By field-post numbers (for security reasons).— This may be combined with the word "Dienststelle" or with "F.P.Nr." (Examples: Dienststelle Feldpostnummer 37 741; F.P.Nr. 08 246).

d. Tactical Exploitation in Conjunction with IPW

(1) General.—In the lower echelons in the field it will seldom be found expedient to attempt any detailed exploitation of the Soldbuch except in conjunction with the interrogation of prisoners of war. For this purpose, however, the Soldbuch, if properly used, is an extremely valuable aid to the interrogator in eliciting the information he needs.

If Soldbücher are captured, without the soldiers to whom they belong, they should be examined at once for the identification of the field unit of their owners. This is the last entry, not crossed out, in section C on page 4 or page 17; both pages should be checked without fail. More detailed exploitation of these Soldbücher may then be left to those who are specially qualified for it.

(2) Basic rule for the interrogator.—In combat IPW the main purpose of a study of the Soldbuch is to facilitate the interrogation of the prisoner to whom it belongs. Time is of the essence in this type of exploitation. The interrogator need not ask questions—particularly with regard to name, rank, and serial number—that are already answered in the Soldbuch. By glancing beforehand at the most informative portions of the Soldbuch the interrogator will find himself in a position to put questions which not only will throw the prisoner off balance but will be much more searching from the very start and therefore more fruitful.

(3) Procedure on specific points.—The following will serve as a ready reference guide to the pages on which various types of desired information may be found in the Soldbuch. For details on particular points and an interpretation of the entries see the corresponding parts of the Page-by-Page Analysis in paragraph 8a (2), pages 8 to 13.

(a) Establishing identity.—In case of doubt, check the inscription on the identification disk against the entry following the word "Erkennungsmarke" near the bottom of page 1 of the Soldbuch. Also check the personal description and signature on page 2.

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(b) Personal information.

1. Name.—Page 1, lower middle.

2. Rank.—Page 1, the last entry in the box. If the box is blank, the entry above the box. If the terminology of rank is unfamiliar, check the last pay group (Wehrsoldgruppe) on pages 18-19. Basic ranks for the lower pay groups are as follows:

Wehrsoldgruppe 16Soldat or Obersoldat (Grenadier or Obergrenadier) with less than 2 years' service.

Wehrsoldgruppe 15Same as 16 with more than 2 years service; also Gefreiter and Obergefreiter.

Wehrsoldgruppe 14Unteroffizier.

Wehrsoldgruppe 13Unterfeldwebel.

Wehrsoldgruppe 12Feldwebel.

Wehrsoldgruppe 11Oberfeldwebel, Stabsfeldwebel, Hauptfeldwebel.

Wehrsoldgruppe 10Leutnant.

3. Serial number.—Of the several numbers carried by every soldier, the closest approach to our concept of the serial number is the inscription on the Erkennungsmarke, which appears also near the bottom of page 1 of the Soldbuch.

4. Date and place of birth.—Page 2.

5. Religion and civilian occupation.—Page 2.

6. Personal description.—Page 2.

7. Length of service.— Reliably indicated, as a rule, by the date of issue of the Soldbuch at the bottom of page 2. If a Soldbuch has been lost and a new one issued, it usually will be marked "Ersatzausfertigung" at the top of page 1 and will not include all the previous information; its date of issue then will be of later than the date of induction. The same is true with respect to reductions in rank (due to court martial), when a new Soldbuch is issued showing only the new rank. At all events it is worth while to note the date of smallpox vaccination (the first entry on page 9), as this usually is simultaneous with induction. Also check page 22 for any decorations awarded prior to the issue of an Ersatzausfertigung, as these are always carried over.

8. Home address.—Usually best obtained from the address of next of kin on page 5, as the location of the conscription office at the top of page 2 may no longer be the holder's place of residence.

9. Hospital record.—Pages 12 and 13.

10. Decorations.—Page 22.

11. Last furlough.—Pages 23 and 24.

c. Unit information.—

1. Present unit.—Last

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entry (not crossed out) in section C of page 4 or page 17 (check both pages). Note the roster number in the right-hand column opposite the name of the unit; if this is identical with the roster number immediately above it, it is probable that the holder's present unit is a converted or renamed version of the unit shown on the next higher line. This is important and should be exploited in interrogation.

If pages 4 and 17 are missing or mutilated, other pages should be scanned for unit stamps with recent dates. Most useful for this purpose are pages 6, 7, 15, 18, 19, 22, 23, and 24. (It should be remembered, however, that oh pages 15, 18, and 19 the next higher echelon rather than the unit itself is often shown.)

Unit entries are often in the form of field-post numbers to disguise the unit identification. If such numbers cannot readily be matched with then appropriate units by study of the Soldbuch alone, the information may be obtainable by interrogation. When several prisoners of war and their Soldbücher are being examined, it should be remembered that usually all men having the same field-post number belong to the same company; the number sometimes is followed by a letter in a series, such as A to E, indicating the different companies in a battalion.

2. Officers in present unit.—If the holder's present unit is established, pages 3, 15, 22, and 23-24 should be examined for an entry (stamped or in handwriting) showing the designation of that unit, accompanied by the signature of its commanding officer or other officer. Note whether the date of such an entry is recent.

3. Location of field hospitals.—Check pages 12 and 13 for entries with recent dates.

4. Other units.—Ordinarily, all indications of previous units in which the holder has served may be left to strategic exploitation.

(d) Special training and functions of the holder.—These may be indicated by any special nomenclature of rank on page 1 (Kraftfahrer for a motor driver, Funkmeister for a radio sergeant, Oberfeuerwerker for an ordnance sergeant, Kanonier for a gunner). The entires in section D on page 4 (or 17), showing the affiliated Ersatz units, may disclose present or past functions in specialized branches; for example, an engineer in an infantry unit should have as his competent Ersatz unit an "Inf.Pi.Ers.Kp." (replacement company for infantry engineers).

e. Strategic Exploitation

(1) General.—The missions of strategic Soldbuch exploitation are many and varied. They include statistical studies on manpower, age groups, rhythm of induction, type and duration of training, frequency of transfer, health, casualties, furlough policy, pay, ranks, decorations, allotment of weapons and equipment, and data on junior officers. These problems, being of a long-range nature, require the study of large groups of Soldbücher over an extended period, and the method of conducting such studies may best be left to the special research sections concerned with them.

The following pages deal only with the primary and immediate mission of strategic Soldbuch exploitation, namely, the tabulation of all available data on the identification, organization, location, affiliations, and history of units of the German Army. A proper performance of this mission will lead inevitably to an increasingly complete compilation of the order of battle of the German Army.

To read through a Soldbuch page by page and attempt to extract the pertinent data contained in it without a prearranged plan will lead only to confusion and misinterpretation. Entries are made in its various pages by different persons at different times and for different purposes, and do not always include the dates, full identifications, or other details that would be necessary to give a clear picture of the man's military career on the first perusal. Moreover, the significance of many entries cannot be grasped without a full understanding of the administrative regulations and procedures which underlie them. It is therefore imperative that a practical and foolproof system be adopted for extracting, tabulating, collating, and interpreting the wealth of information hidden in these documents.

(2) Preparation of the Soldbuch Worksheet.—The Soldbuch worksheet is a convenient and complete chronological tabulation of the dated entries in the entire Soldbuch, to serve as a preliminary step toward interpreting and evaluating the information and preparing a strategic report.

In preparing the worksheet, divide a large sheet of paper, held horizontally, into evenly spaced columns, providing one column for each year from the date of issue of the book to and including the present year. If there are 4 or more years, it is advisable to use two sheets. (Two examples of the Soldbuch worksheet, the details of which will be discussed later, are given in figs. 8 and 9.)

(3) Filling in the Worksheet.—Starting with page 1 and continuing through the entire book, enter on the worksheet every date in the Soldbuch, together with its accompanying information. Omit only those items that are pure duplications or which are obviously of no conceivable value (such as the second and third inoculations or the issue of additional equipment by the same unit.) Make every entry in its proper year-column and at the relative position in that column corresponding to the month and day. Use abbreviations where expedient, but be sure that all pertinent facts are transferred.

Inasmuch as there usually are no dates on pages 4 and 17, the entries found there will be disregarded in making out the worksheet. It is, in fact, the main purpose of the worksheet to furnish the basis for filling in the missing dates on these key pages and thus for tracing chronologically the units in which the holder has served and establishing their correct affiliations. Even when pages 4 and 17 are torn out it generally will be possible, with the help of the worksheet, to reconstruct most of the information that appears on them.

Since Air Force Soldbücher show the dates of transfer on pages 4 and 17, the worksheet is not needed when these pages are intact. But in view of the frequency of mutilation in Air Force Soldbücher, it often will prove necessary to resort to the worksheet method in the same manner as with the Army book.

There follows a guide to the transfer of entries from the Soldbuch to the worksheet. Units should be entered by field-post number wherever they are so recorded in the Soldbuch.

(a) Page 1.—Effective promotion dates and ranks.

(b) Page 2.—Date, name, and location of issuing unit.

(c) Page 3.—All dates and units certifying to alterations on previous pages.

(d) Pages 6 and 7 (including inserts 6a to 6f).— Designations of units issuing equipment, the dates of such issuance, and any other remarks in the first

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column on page 6, such as "Versetzung" (transfer). Do not copy details of equipment issue. In some types of Soldbücher the date will be found at the lower right-hand corner of page 7 with a number corresponding to the unit entry on page 6.

(e) Page 8.—Any dates and units shown.

(f) Pages 8a to 8d.—Dates of issue of rifle and bayonet. These may be helpful in determining when the holder joined a training or field unit. Dates of issue of certain other weapons and equipment, such as a dagger (Dolch) or a telescope (Fernrohr), may be significant in suggesting the nature of the holder's duties or the type of unit he was entering on the date shown.

(g) Page 9.—Date of smallpox vaccination and first date of each type of inoculation.

(h) Pages 10 and 11.—Dates of any medical examinations, with the resulting fitness classification, if any, and name of examining unit. (Such examinations may also be recorded on other pages and should be copied wherever found.)

(i) Pages 12 and 13.—Dates of reception in and discharge from military hospitals, names and locations of hospitals, and where sent upon discharge. It should be noted that a soldier is automatically sent to a replacement unit, indicated by "zur Ersatztruppe," if he has spent more than 4 weeks in the hospital as a member of the Army or 2 Weeks as a member of the Air Force).

(j) Page 15.—Any date, unit, and roster number (Kr.St.Nr. or Tr.St.Nr.) shown.

(k) Pages 18 and 19.—Pay-group numbers, with corresponding dates and paymaster units. (Dates shown are the effective dates of promotion and do not necessarily indicate that holder was in the certifying unit at that time. For example, a unit may make an entry omitted by a previous unit if the holder is not receiving his raise in pay and complains about this to his present unit.)

(1) Pages 20 and 21.—Dates of incidental payments and names of outside units (fremde Zahlmeistereien) making them.

(m) Page 22.—Dates of awards of decorations, and designations of units recording them, as well as dates and units referred to in connection with decorations.

(n) Pages 23 and 24-—Dates of furloughs, dates when they were granted, and names of units granting them.

Any entries of dates and units which are not covered by the above guide likewise should be

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copied on the worksheet if they appear to have any significance.

(4) Checking the Worksheet against Pages 4 and 17.—After all pertinent entries in the Soldbuch have been transferred to the worksheet, with dates, the resulting chronological account of the holder's activities since his induction should be examined in conjunction with the units recorded on pages 4 and 17. (For details as to the types of units supposed to be placed in secs. B, C, and D of these pages, see par. 8a (2) (e), p. 10.)

It should be borne in mind that German regulations on the placing of entries on these two pages have gone through several stages of development, with which the administrative personnel in the units has not always kept pace, and that therefore it must be expected that units will be found in the wrong section. Nevertheless the worksheet will almost always enable the experienced worker to place every unit on pages 4 and 17 in its proper category and relationship.

Beginning with the earliest entry on the worksheet and continuing chronologically, all units appearing thereon should be checked against the entries on pages 4 and 17. Ordinarily, the only units on the worksheet that will not be found on these two pages will be hospitals, units conducting medical examinations, and units making incidental payments. Sometimes, however, the unit on the worksheet will be the higher echelon controlling the unit in which the holder served. In other cases field-post numbers may be used, and it may be necessary to attempt, by considering their chronological positions, to match these with their appropriate units on pages 4 and 17. For example, there may be three field units in section C on page 4, of which the first and third will readily check with units on the worksheet whereas the second will check only with a field-post number shown under a likely date.

It is probable that after the check has been completed one or more of the units on pages 4 and 17 will remain unaccounted for on the worksheet. It is then necessary to figure out how these surplus units fit into the picture. For this process the following hints may be helpful:

(a) Section B.—Any surplus units in section B of pages 4 and 17 probably are additional components of an Ersatz unit already accounted for. If so, they will show the same number, but the

holder's roster number changes. For example, the recruit may first have entered the Stammkompanie of a given Ersatz battalion, where he received his training, and then have been transferred to the Marschkompanie pool of trained replacements of the same Ersatz battalion to be held in readiness for transfer to a field unit. The Ausbildungs battalion corresponding to the original Ersatz battalion may also appear in section B and will bear the same number.

(b) Section C.—Surplus units in this section may be Marschbataillone (personnel transfer battalions), in which the man receives no roster number. Ausbildungs battalions also are found here. If a soldier has the same roster number in a certain unit as in his previous unit, it is probable that the unit underwent a change of name or was converted.

(c) Section D.—It will be recalled that this section contains two types of units; affiliated Ersatz units of field units shown in section C and units in the Replacement Army to which the holder is transferred from other Ersatz units. Unless the man actually has served in an affiliated Ersatz unit, it obviously will not appear on the worksheet. Some (but not all) of these Ersatz units can be recognized by the fact that their number is the same as that of the affiliated field unit; others may be identified by the similarity of the handwriting and ink. For every field unit in section C an affiliated Ersatz unit usually is entered in the same sequence in section D.

If the worksheet shows that a man was sent from a hospital to an Ersatz unit, usually to its Genesendenkompanie (convalescent company), it is extremely probable that this unit was the affiliated Ersatz unit of his field unit at the time. Hospitals often make mistakes, however, in this procedure.

It may be pointed out that entries on pages 4 and 17 are not necessarily in chronological order. An entry on page 17, for example, may have been made before the corresponding part of page 4 was full, and a subsequent entry may have been made on page 4.

Sometimes irregularities in the entries on pages 4 and 17 may have been caused by the desire of the German authorities to conceal the nature and mission of a special type of unit. Thus in one instance a field-post number found in section D

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was discovered, after considerable research, to be connected with the Brandenburg sabotage organization.

(5) Procedure when Pages 4 and 17 are missing.— If these two key pages are torn out, all important elements of the story often can be pieced together from the worksheet. Under these circumstances the worker would proceed immediately to the strategic report.

(6) Strategic report.—The final step in the exploitation of a Soldbuch is the preparation of a strategic report from the checked worksheet, with the addition of any surplus units from pages 4 and 17. The form of the report will depend, of course, upon the mission of the person or persons concerned. In any event, however, its main feature will be a list of all units (including hospitals), with dates, locations, affiliations, and all other significant information, as well as all field-post numbers, together with their equations with field units wherever these can be derived.

All worksheets on individual Soldbücher should be kept in a file organized, if possible, according to the units from which the holders came, with a view to subsequent long-range studies on manpower and other subjects.

(7) Examples of strategic exploitation.—The following two examples, taken from actual Soldbücher and illustrated in figures 8 and 9, show how the instructions given above are carried out in practice. Example A, from an orderly Soldbuch without unusual features, is given to demonstrate the procedure in an easily understandable way. Example B, from a rather difficult Soldbuch in which page 4 had been mutilated, was selected to show that even in a complicated case the application of the worksheet method will bring satisfactory results.

(a) Example A.—Soldbuch of an Oberschütze issued 21 August 1941 and captured in 1943. (Pp. 3 and 4 are reproduced in figs. 4 and 5, p. 9.)

1. First step.—Prepare worksheet with three columns, headed 1941, 1942, and 1943.

2. Second step.—Fill in worksheet as shown in figure 8.

3. Third step.—Check worksheet against page 4. (See fig. 4.) The following check-list is given to demonstrate how worksheet entries can be matched with entries on page 4, but it should be noted that it usually will not be found necessary

to draw up such a list in practice, because most entries can be checked off by merely examining the two documents.

Worksheet entry

Entry on page 4

21 Aug 41. Inf. Pz. Jag. Ers. Kp. 14 (connected with Inf. Ers.Btl. 11)

Section D, 1st line:

Inf. Pz. Jag. Ers. Kp. 14, Leipzig N. 22.

23 Oct 41. Feldeinkleidungskammer Inf.Ers. Btl. 11

Section B, 1st line:

Inf. Pz. Jäg. Ers. Kp. 14 (matches with "field clothing" unit, as this section is for units sending the man to the Field Army).

23 Feb 42. Furlough from unit FPN 14 227

Section C, 1st line:

Inf.Rgt. 433, 14. (Pz.Jäg.) Kp.

Section D, 2d line:

(Affiliated Ersatz unit— same ink and handwriting:)

Inf.Pz.Jäg.Ers.Kp. 209, Josefstadt

2 Jun 42. Paid by outside unit FPN 43 460

------------------------

26 Jul-1 Aug 42. Ortslaz, Iraklion

------------------------

2 Aug 42 Promoted (ernannt) by 14./I. R. 433

Section C, 1st line: Inf. Rgt. 433, 14. (Pz. Jäg.) Kp.

6 Aug. 42. Arrived in Africa

------------------------

10 Aug 42. En route to field unit

Section C, 2d line:

II./Pz. Gren. Rgt. (mot.) 433, Stab

Section D, 3d line:

(Affiliated Ersatz unit— same ink and handwriting:) Pz. Gren. Ers. Btl. 104, Landau

The last-named field unit and its affiliated Ersatz unit were not crossed out and therefore were valid at time of capture in 1943.

4. Fourth step.—Strategic report, containing the following unit information:

i. Inf.Ers.Btl. 11 was connected with, and presumably was the administrative controlling unit of, Inf.Pz.Jäg.Ers.Kp. 14 in Leipzig, N. 22, from 21 August 1941 to 23 October 1941.

ii. The 14th (antitank) company of Inf.Rgt. 433 is identified as existing from 23 February to 2 August 1942. Its field-post number was presumably 14 227. It was probably in Crete, because holder was in a military hospital at Iraklion from 27 July to 1 August 1942.

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Figure 8.—Soldbuch worksheet, Example A. (Soldbuch page references are given in the right margin of each column.)

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Figure 9.—Soldbuch worksheet, Example B. (Soldbuch page references are given in the right margin of each column.)

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iii. Field-post number 43 460 existed on 2 June 1942.

iv. The headquarters of the II. Battalion of Pz.Gren.Rgt. (mot.) 433 was in Africa early in August 1942. This regiment may be presumed to have been created at about that time from Inf.Rgt. 433 and to have been transferred from Crete.

v. The affiliated Ersatz unit of 14. (Pz.Jäg.) Inf.Rgt. 433 from 23 February to 2 August 1942 was Inf.Pz.Jäg.Ers.Kp. 209 at Josefstadt.

vi. The affiliated Ersatz unit of Stab II./Pz.Gren.Rgt.(mot.) 433 in August 1942 and until date of capture in 1943 was Pz.Gren.Ers.Btl. 104 at Landau.

(b) Example B.—Soldbuch of a Gefreiter issued on 31 July 1941 and captured in 1943. (Pp. 1, 6-7, and 15 are reproduced in figs. 3, 6, and 7, respectively, pp. 8, 12, and 13.)

1. First step.—Prepare worksheet with three columns, headed 1941, 1942, and 1943.

2. Second step.—Fill in worksheet as shown in figure 9.

3. Third step.—Check worksheet against pages 4 and 17. In this case page 4 was mutilated and page 17 was intact but contained only one entry, under section D. The mutilation of page 4 consisted in the cutting off of the outer two-thirds of the page, so that only the roster numbers, the locations in section D, and the last part of the unit designations in sections C and D were visible. The soldier mutilated the page in this way—a practice frequently resorted to—in order to avoid destroying the entries on page 3 that certify to the validity of his promotions. It proved possible, however, to check the worksheet entries despite this defect, as shown in the following check-list:

Worksheet entry

Entries on pages 4 (mutilated) and 17

22 Jul 41. Schützen Ers.Btl. 108, Dresden N. 15.

Section D, 1st line:

... 08 Dresden N. 15

14-29 Oct 41. Transfer to field unit (for identification, see under 27 Nov 41, below).

Section B, 1st line:

Only roster number 2112 is visible, presumably belonging to Schützen Ers. Btl. 108.

11 Nov 41. Dental treatment in Kraftfahrersatz-Abt. 23, Sorau.

Section D, 2d line:

... 3 Sorau (This entry was not, however, made by the unit itself, as it is in the same ink
and handwriting as the first entry of a field unit in section C,
of which it is the affiliated Ersatz unit; see below).

27 Nov 41. Furlough from Nachschub Kp. (mot.) 643.

Section C, 1st line: . . . mot.) 643; Kr. 637.

2 Mar-8 Apr 42. All entries are by Kf.Ers.Abt. 23,
Sorau, indicating that holder had been transferred from field unit to its affiliated Ersatz unit.

No entry necessary on page 4, as unit already had been entered as
affiliated Ersatz unit and is now still holder's "zuständiger Ersatztruppenteil" while he serves in it.

2 Mar-8 Apr 42. These entries also indicate that holder
was to be sent back to a unit of the Field Army (medical examination for tropical service, issue of equipment).

Section B, 2d line:

Roster number 341/42 shows that holder was sent to a field unit in 1942,
presumably by Kf. Ers.Abt. 23, Sorau.

1 May 42. HBK 5 Trupp 5 (outside unit paying holder in transit).

8 May 42. Arrived in Africa: Unit FPN (stamp) 40 810 corrected in ink to 40 813 on 16 June.

Section C, 2d line:

. . . Kf. Ers. Teile 3— stands for "Nachschubstab für Kraftfahrersatzteile 3."

1 Nov 42. Kfz. Ersatzteilst. 3

Section C, 3d line:

. . . ffel 3, roster number 129/42. Apparently Kraftfahrzeug-Ersatz-teilstaffel 3,
indicating a renaming of the preceding unit.

Section D, page 17:

(Affiliated Ersatz unit:) Kraftf. Ers. Abt. 6-Krefeld (formerly Dortmund, crossed out).

1 Nov 42. Paymaster FPN 44 989. Not holder's field unit, but administratively connected with it.

(Note: This FPN is on record for Nachschubstab 789, which was idenfied at Bizerte in March 1943.)

24 Feb 43. Kfz.-Instandsetzungs-Regiment 548— K. St. No. 129/42.
Identical roster number means this is higher echelon of present field unit.

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The last-named field unit and its affiliated Ersatz unit were not crossed out and therefore were valid at time of capture in 1943.

Note that all mutilated entries on page 4 have now been identified or explained, in their proper order.

4. Fourth step.—Strategic report, to be drawn up in the same manner as indicated in Example A. It should contain all information which is indicated or which can be deduced regarding the various units identified.

9. OTHER OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS OF A PERSONAL NATURE

a. Identification Papers

There are described below the principal types of official identification papers (Ausweise) other than the Soldbuch that are likely to be found in possession of German military personnel. It should be noted that all unit identifications on such papers (usually in the form of a stamp) are as of the date shown on the document unless otherwise indicated.

(1) Ausweis (statt Soldbuch).—Temporary certificate to replace a lost Soldbuch. Shows open unit designation or field-post number, presumably that of the bearer's present unit, with signature of issuing officer or noncommissioned officer.

(2) Ausweis Nr. . . . —Printed form, linen, in various colors, with a serial number. Found on flying personnel and paratroopers together with or in lieu of the Soldbuch. Shows unit, officer's signature, and box stamp for periodic security check as in the Air Force Soldbuch. May be a so-called "camouflage certificate" (Tarnausweis) given to personnel likely to be captured.

(3) Vorläufiger Ausweis.—Same as (2), above, but typewritten.

(4) Personalausweis.—White linen with a red cross. Certificate for medical noncombatants. Shows unit and signature of Commanding officer.

(5) Truppenausweis.—Identification certificate which was used in peacetime but has been replaced by the Soldbuch in wartime. Some, however, still may be extant.

b. Drivers' Licenses

(1) Wehrmachtfuhrerschein.—Grey linen printed four-page folder (see fig. 10). Authorizes holder to drive military vehicles of specified categories.

Holder may be a member of an auxiliary organization such as the Nazi Party Motor Transport Corps (NSKK).

(a) Front page.—Name of holder, unit designation or field-post number, location of unit if in Germany (otherwise probably blank), date and place of birth.

(b) Second page.—Text of license; name of holder and type of vehicle he is authorized to drive, generally a motor vehicle with internal-combustion engine (Verbrennungsmaschine). Category of vehicle is indicated by the designation Klasse 1, Klasse 2, etc. For example, Klasse 2 covers motorcycles and small half-tracks, and Klasse 3, large half-tracks. Place and date where license was issued are shown; if the place is in the field it is usually camouflaged as "Einsatzort" or "O. U." (Ortsunterkunft). The license also shows stamp of issuing unit, signature of commanding officer of battalion or equivalent administrative unit above holder's unit, and year and serial number.

(c) Third page.—Photograph of holder (sometimes missing), signature of holder, and unit stamp.

(d) Fourth page.—May contain entries pertaining to extension or limitation of license, with dates, units, and signatures. These units are always those in which the holder is serving at the time or their controlling higher echelons.

(2) Militärführerschein.—Peacetime version of the Wehrmachtführerschein, almost identical in form and content. Some are still extant.

c. Orders

(1) Marschbefehl.—Travel order, showing destination, route, and units concerned.

(2) Behdchrichtigung.—Travel order given a soldier when transferred by a unit of the Replacement Army.

(3) Fahrbefehl Nr. . . .—Order to travel by motor vehicle. Shows name of driver, destination, reason for trip, and signature of commanding officer.

d. Miscellaneous Military Papers

(1) Besitzzeugnis.—'White or ivory-colored half-sheet certifying to the possession of a decoration. Shows holder's unit, place and date of the award, unit stamp, and signature and rank of certifying officer. For the award of the Iron Cross and

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Figure 10.—Wehrmachrführerschein (military driver's license) (top, fourth and front pages; bottom, second and third pages), (Slightly reduced.)

--25--

other decorations for bravery the signature is that of a commander of division or higher echelon and is therefore very important as showing the command of a high-ranking officer at a given time. The signature itself is valuable, and a tracing should be made of it; if illegible, it may be studied and identified from other tracings on record.

(2) Bescheinigung.—Name for any certificate. May be concerned with the award of a decoration, good conduct, or any other circumstance, or be the equivalent of a pass. Usually contains a unit stamp, signature, and date.

(3) Empfangsbescheinigung.—A receipt, often used in connection with the transfer of equipment.

(4) Wehrmachtfahrschein.—A railway pass. Title preceded by either "Kleiner" (small, for individual travel), with a blue diagonal line, or "Grosser" (large, for group travel). The small form authorizes travel of military personnel in 2d or 3d class or of dogs (on third line). States stations of departure and destination, route, date of issue, and unit, and shows signature and rank of issuing officer. On the reverse side appears the holder's rank and name and the reason for the trip, such as furlough or transfer.

(5) Beichsarbeitsdienst-Entlassungsschein.—Cetificate of discharge from Reich Labor Service. Shows dates and length of service in this organization.

(6) Ausweis für die Truppe.—Long printed slip to be made out by medical officer. Shows holder's name, rank, and unit, and officer's signature.

(7) Meldeblock.—Message pad of detachable sheets. Cover may show name and unit.

(8) Wachbuch.—Guard book, found on noncommissioned officers. Shows time of watch, name of guard, object to be guarded.

(9) Merkblatt— Printed instruction sheet, one or more of which usually are found inside the rear flap of the Soldbuch. Contains rules on health or other matters of interest to the individual soldier. Of no value unless it contains a unit stamp.

10. UNOFFICIAL PERSONAL DOCUMENTS

a. Letters

Personal letters found on soldiers may be classified as follows:

(1) Those written by other soldiers.

(2) Those written by civilians at home.

(3) Those written by the soldier himself but which he has not yet mailed.

On envelopes of the first two types and often also—as the return address—on envelopes of the third type, the name and rank of the soldier and the field-post number of his unit will appear.

Whenever a considerable number of letters is captured, all those bearing the same field-post number should be grouped and examined together. In this way the contents of different letters may supplement each other and make it possible to draw conclusions as to the activities of the unit in question. It is always best for a single worker to deal with all the letters in any such related group.

Although personal letters contain a vast amount of material on home-front morale and other subjects of only long-range interest, it should be borne in mind that if properly handled they will furnish considerable quantities of direct military information, such as unit identifications, personalities, and logistic data. There is no evidence of any censorship of mail addressed to members of the German Armed Forces except for occasional spot checks.

b. Photographs

Snapshots and other photographs often are found on German soldiers, sometimes in the Soldbuch flap and sometimes enclosed in letters. They range from family portraits to photographs of high-ranking officers, uniforms (sometimes with interesting insignia), weapons, equipment, ships, and military installations. Occasionally it will not be possible to determine the value of a photograph unless it is examined through a microscope or enlarged.

Prisoners of war often can render assistance in identifying photographs that appear interesting but puzzling. All information thus obtained should be noted on the reverse side as a permanent record, together with an adequate indication of the source and date.

c. Diaries and Notebooks

The number of German soldiers who keep diaries and notebooks is astonishingly large, considering that this practice has been prohibited repeatedly by the authorities. Many thousands of such documents have been captured, and enormous quantities of valuable information have been obtained from them.

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When feasible, diaries and notebooks should be examined in conjunction with letters from the same unit. They may often be identified with their units by field-post numbers inside the cover, on the first or last page, or elsewhere.

Information contained in diaries and notebooks includes particularly logistic data (itineraries), records of combat operations, and notes on tactics, organization, and weapons. It is imperative that even the most obscure portions of these documents be scrutinized, because very inconspicuous references buried among masses of worthless material frequently have provided the clue to the solution of highly intricate problems.

d. Personal Memoranda and Reports

Individual soldiers may be found to possess other forms of documents written by themselves, ranging from articles intended for publication and reports addressed to higher authority to bits of military information jotted down on scraps of paper. No piece of paper with writing on it found in the possession of a German soldier should be ignored.

e. Other Printed Matter

A great variety of certificates and printed blanks issued by agencies other than the military authorities will be found on the persons of German soldiers. They include such things as civilian driver's licenses, certificates of Aryan descent, labor books, marriage certificates, money-order blanks, and fishing licenses, and usually will be found to be of very little military interest.

The only documents worth mentioning in this category are those indicating Nazi Party or SS affiliations. These include membership cards in the party itself or any of its organizations, party badges, and party decorations. Gestapo agents in the armed forces, whether as members of the Secret Field Police (Geheime Feldpolizei) or in some other capacity, carry special identification papers (Ausweise) or metal disks (Metallmarken) with the inscription "Geheime Feldpolizei," "Kriminalpolizei," or "Geheime Staatspolizei," together with the holder's roster number. All such marks of identification bear the eagle-and-swastika emblem (Hoheitsabzeichen).

Section III. DOCUMENTS FOUND ON VEHICLES, WEAPONS, AND EQUIPMENT

11. INTRODUCTION

All enemy vehicles and equipment should be thoroughly searched for the following and any other documents. Some of these, though properly belonging to the vehicle or article of equipment in question, may be found on the person of the soldier in charge of it.

12. DOCUMENTS FOUND ON VEHICLES

a. Relating to the Vehicle

(1) Kraftfahrzeugschein.—Registration certificate. A green-linen, printed four-page folder. Contains the number of the license plate and data concerning the vehicle, together with the field-post number of the unit. License-plate numbers begin with WH for the Army, WL for the Air Force, and WM for the Navy.

(2) Begltitheft für Kraftfahrzeuge.—Printed form containing technical data on the vehicle. Usually shows unit and has signature of officer.

(3) Bescheinigung (Vorläufiger Kraftfahrzeugbrief).—Same as Begleitheft für Kraftfahrzeuge, but typewritten.

(4) Kraftfahrzeug-Stammrolle. — Printed form containing a list of motor vehicles belonging to a unit. This document must be kept by all units having motor vehicles and may be found at unit headquarters instead of on a vehicle.

(5) Bestandliste für Kraftfahrzeuge. — Bound book, similar in purpose to the Kraftfahrzeug-Stammrolle, but handwritten.

b. Relating to Fuel, Spare Parts, and Repairs

(1) Betriebsstofftagebuch.—Daily fuel record. Sometimes called B.-Liste or Tankliste. May mention units.

(2) Ersatzteittiste.—Printed manual, with illustrations and detailed technical specifications.

(3) Kontrollverzeichnis für Werkstattaufträge.— Check list for shop-repair orders.

13. DOCUMENTS FOUND ON WEAPONS AND EQUIPMENT

a. Instructions

(1) Merkblattfür * * *.—Technical instruction sheet or pamphlet regarding the employment and care of the weapon or article of equipment on which it is found. This document may be of great interest to the appropriate technical branch.

(2) Technical manuals.—Contain the same sort of instructions as the Merkblatt, but in much more elaborate form.

b. Performance Records

(1) Rohrbuch.—Gun-barrel record. Should be attached to every gun of whatever caliber or type, or may be in possession of chief gunner or technical official. Gives a record of the technical performance of the weapon. Front page may show unit.

(2) Berichtigungsheft.—Handwritten booklet containing information on performance of weapon, name of unit, and roster of gun crew. May also include an accessory list.

(3) Schiessbuch.—Score book for small arms. Small printed booklet that may be carried on the man's person. Gives name and rank of the man operating the weapon and designation of his unit.

c. Inventories

These usually are kept by the units. However, the Gerätebuch, a list of equipment, may be found in the possession of a noncommissioned officer in charge of a squad.

--27--

Section IV. DOCUMENTS KEPT BY GERMAN UNITS

14. INTRODUCTION

a. Administrative Functions in German Field Units

In the German Army the battalion generally is regarded as the basic administrative unit. It is in battalion headquarters that the paymaster is located, that rations and similar matters are handled, and that a regular office filing system, with standard folders and binders, will be found.

Despite this arrangement, many of the most useful field orders as well as documents relating to personnel and equipment will be found at the company level. Most of these are kept at company headquarters and are under the direct surveillance of the company commander and the first sergeant.

b. Safeguarding of Documents by German Units

Important documents are kept by German units in strongboxes or safes (Panzerschränke), possibly marked "V. S." or " V-Sachen" for "Verschluss-Sachen" (classified documents). In case of withdrawal it is the personal responsibility of the unit commander to preserve rather than to destroy those documents except in the extreme emergency. Thus whenever fleeing vehicles are intercepted, they should he immediately searched for strongboxes, safes, or special cases in which documents may have been packed. Every effort should be made to prevent the destruction of documents by burning or other methods.

15. DOCUMENTS AT COMPANY LEVEL

a. Personal Service Record

(1) Kriegsstammrolle.—Roster of personnel, consisting of a separate sheet for each member of the unit, known as his Kriegsstammrollenblatt, which contains all pertinent personal data. This is the basic record on which all personal changes are listed and from which entries are made in the Soldbuch and Wehrpass. There are separate forms for officers and officials (fig. 11) and for noncommissioned officers and privates (fig. 12).

The sheets are kept in a loose-leaf folder and are disposed of individually whenever an officer or a man leaves the unit. At that time an entry is made in space 41 showing the date and the name of the unit to which the officer or man is transferred or the particulars of his becoming a casualty. The transmittal of the Wehrpass to the receiving unit is recorded in space 41a. Inasmuch as the sheet then is sent back to the competent conscription office (Wehrersatzdienststelle), these spaces ordinarily will be blank when sheets are captured, hence they are not included in the analysis that follows.

All the entries listed below, except those of a basic nature, refer only to events that occurred during the period of service in the unit.

(a) Form for officers and officials.—1. Front (see fig. 11).Three spaces at the top are for the Wehrnummer (permanent registration number), the inscription on the Erkennungsmarke (identification disk), and the company roster number (Kriegsstammrollennummer). Below these is a space marked Kriegsstammrolle and showing the unit designation.

The remainder of the form is divided into spaces numbered irregularly and containing the following information:

Space 42: affiliated Ersatz unit of the field unit.

Space 1: family name.

Space 2: given name.

Space 3: date of birth.

Space 4: place of birth.

Space 6: religion.

Space 7: marital status.

Space 13: next of kin.

Space 19: dates of arrival of officer and of his Wehrpass in the unit.

Space 43: competent conscription office.

Space 23a: rank and date of rank.

Space 23b: function in unit.

--28--

--29--

Figure 11.—Kriegsstammrolle sheet for officer or official (front). (Slightly reduced.)

--30--

Space 8: civilian occupation for which trained, and occupation actually pursued. Space 22: training record and a record showing whether the officer has been detached for training purposes. Space 22a: other cases of detachment of the officer. Space 23: promotions and appointments, with ranks and dates.

2. Reverse.—

Space 24: decorations.

Space 28: participation in combat engagements, special achievements or performance, with dates, locations, theaters, and units. (This section, if filled out, is obviously of great value in tracing the recent history of the unit.)

Space 29: wounds, serious illnesses, inoculations.

Space 29b: hospitalization record, with dates.

Space 29a: granting of claims to compensation for war injury.

Space 25: discharge from active service. (This space will be blank.)

At the bottom is a space for remarks, followed by a space for unit stamp and signature of battalion commander or adjutant; the latter will be blank until the officer has left the unit and the record is closed.

(b) Form for noncommissioned officers and enlisted men (see fig. 12).—This form is essentially the same as that for officers and officials except for the following deviations:

1. Front.—Four spaces at the top, the extra one at the left being for the unit designation. The space marked Kriegsstammrolle is missing. The remaining spaces are arranged slightly differently from those on the officer's sheet, but the numbers refer to the same subjects except where indicated below:

Spaces 23 and 23a are reversed. Space 23b is replaced by an additional entry in space 22 (see below).

A space (41b) is added to show whether or to what extent the 2-year period of compulsory military service has been performed. The left column gives the pertinent dates if the service has been completed, and the right column shows the partial periods of service to be credited if it has not been completed.

Space 22: training record and qualifications, indicated as "a)" primary and "b)" secondary.

2. Reverse.—

Space 24a is added for a reference to a page in the record of punishments.

Space 24b is added to indicate whether an extract from the record of punishments has been forwarded to the next unit.

Space 24c is added for the man's final conduct rating. To the right of this is a space for the unit stamp, date, and signature of the commanding officer, to be entered when the man leaves the unit. (It will be noted that in the sample shown in fig. 12 these spaces are filled out; this is an unusual case of a roster sheet captured after the man had left the unit but before it could be transmitted to the conscription office.)

(2) Wehrpass.—Permanent military-service record kept by the unit in which the man is serving. As this document is not carried on the person, it is much more difficult to obtain than the Soldbuch. It is not even always kept by the unit; many units that went to Africa, for example, left their Wehrpässe in Italy or Sicily.

From the point of view of exploitation the Wehrpass is preferable to the Soldbuch in a number of respects. Being the permanent official service record of the man to whom it applies, it is much more reliable than the Soldbuch and much less exposed to mistakes and to deterioration. It contains the complete premilitary (Labor Service) and military history of the man in chronological order. All units and transfers are shown, with dates. All the combat engagements of the man, and their dates, are recorded, providing a wealth of material for compiling unit histories. The Wehrpass also lends itself much more readily than the Soldbuch to manpower studies and other forms of long-range research and in general is much simpler to exploit.

The one disadvantage of the Wehrpass, compared with the Soldbuch, is that it does not show affiliated Ersatz units unless the man actually has served in them. Even then the connection of such an Ersatz unit with its field unit is not necessarily apparent unless it bears the same number. Usually, however, the connection can be established by the juxtaposition and by comparing dates.

The following is a page-by-page description of the Wehrpass:

Cover: gray. The branch of service (Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, or SS) usually is stamped in the box near the bottom. The owner's initial is stamped in a small box in the upper right corner. Inside both the front and rear covers are flaps into which other documents may be inserted.

--31--

Figure 12.—Kriegsstammrolle sheet for noncommissioned officer or private (left, front; right, reverse).

--32--

Page 1: Permanent registration number (Wehrnummer), name, number of civilian identification card (Kennkarte), if any, number of labor book, number of identification disk (Erkennungsmarke); location, date, unit stamp, and officer's signature of recruiting subarea headquarters (Wehrbezirkskommando).

Page 2: Photograph and signature of the owner.

Page 3: Personal description and other personal data.

Page 4: Additional personal data, including language and occupational qualifications.

Page 5: First registration for military service (Musterung) as a conscript (Dienstpflichtiger) or volunteer (Freiwilliger); fitness classification and assignment to a conscription category (Wehrdienstverhältnis).

Page 6: Actual drafting (Aushebung) and decision regarding induction into the Reich Labor Service and into military service.

Page 7: Continuation of page 6.

Pages 8 to 10: Reich Labor Service record, with dates of induction and discharge.

Page 11: Second medical examination, date of induction, unit into which inducted, effective date of service, and date of taking oath.

Pages 12 to 15: Chronological record of all units in which the owner has served in the Army or the Air Force. (See fig. 13.) The last entry is his present unit. In each case the dates of transfer to and from the unit and owner's roster number within the unit are given. In the field units (and in some training units) the roster number is preceded by Kr. If a field unit and an Ersatz unit have the same number, or if a field unit is followed by an Ersatz unit, an affiliation between these two units is definitely established (barring errors in German administrative routine).

Pages 16 and 17: Chronological record of service in shore stations of the Navy.

Pages 18 and 19: Chronological record of service in sea stations of the Navy and of the Air Force.

Page 20: Training on weapons.

Page 21: Other types of training; at the bottom, medals.

Page 22: Promotions.

Page 23: Continuation of page 22, with space at the bottom for decorations.

Pages 24 and 25: Detailed data on discharge from active service (normally blank in captured Wehrpässe).

Pages 26 and 27: Space for supplementary information. Important: If, prior to November 1943, the owner was first inducted into a construction unit (Baueinheit) before his service in the regular units of the Army, the construction unit should appear on page 26 and the regular unit to which he was transferred from it will be shown as his induction unit on page 11 and as his first unit on page 12.

Pages 28 to 31: Training and maneuvers while in reserve status.

Pages 32 and 33: Complete record of combat operations and other military actions engaged in, with dates and locations. (See fig. 14.) These entries should be compared carefully with the dates on pages 12 to 19 to compile unit histories.

Page 34: Wounds and serious illnesses.

Page 35: Space for supplementary entries, especially medical examinations, with dates and examining units.

Pages 36 to 45: Service records while in reserve status, including changes in classification, promotions, decorations, and attendance at special lectures. Pages 41 to 45 may contain stamps showing a change of residence; if so, the last stamp indicates the owner's present conscription office (Wehrersatzdienststelle) in lieu of the one shown in the Wehrnummer on Page 1, and this may account for his connection with a unit from a Wehrkreis other than that which his place of birth or original Wehrnummer would indicate.

Page 46: Blood type, size of certain personal equipment, and space for supplementary entries.

Pages 47 to 51 are blank but should be checked for possible entries.

Page 52: Instructions regarding the purpose and safeguarding of the Wehrpass.

In case of death the Wehrpass is sent to the next of kin as a memento. Otherwise it is returned to the owner upon discharge from active service and must be retained by him until he is 60 years of age.

(3) Auszug aus dem Strafbuch.—Individual record sheet of all disciplinary and other offenses, warnings, and punishments received by a soldier during his service with a unit. Extracted from the unit record book of punishments (Strafbuch). (See par. 15b (8).) Upon transfer, this sheet is forwarded to the receiving unit together with the Wehrpass.

--33--

Fig. 13.—Pages 12 and 13 of Wehrpass (slightly reduced).

Fig. 14.—Pages 32 and 33 of Wehrpass (slightly reduced).

--34--

(4) Personal-Nachweis.—A four-page printed folder containing an individual record of personal military history.

(5) Beurteilung.—Efficiency report, especially on officer candidates.

b. Other Documents Relating to Personnel

(1) Kompanieliste.—Company roster (typewritten). Shows names, ranks, and components.

(2) Kompanieaufteilung.—Company roster showing distribution of duties (typewritten).

(3) Verwendungsliste.—Similar to Kompanieaufteilung, above.

(4) Erkennungsmarkenverzeichnis.—Record of all identification disks of members of the unit. (For purpose and significance of this document see par. 7d, p. 7.)

(5) Auszahlungsliste.—Pay record (printed folder) kept by the company accountant (Rechnungsführer).

(6) Truppenkrankenbuch.—Record of wounds and illnesses of members of the unit.

(7) Verlustmeldung.—List of casualties.

(8) Strafbuch.—Record of punishments.

(9) Veränderungsbuch.—A printed book in which is kept a record of all changes pertaining to personnel, such as furloughs, sickness, transfers, and rations.

c. Documents Relating to Organization and Strength

(1) Kriegsstärkenachweisung.—Printed table of organization for the unit, issued by the High Command. Shows personnel, weapons, and vehicles. (See fig. 15.) The type of unit is shown at the top of the main left-hand column, the date of issue of the T/O at the extreme lower right, and the code number of the T/O at the extreme upper right of the first page. These code numbers, of which there is one for each type of unit in the German Army, are arranged according to arms. The numbers 1 to 99 are for higher headquarters; the 100's and 200's, for infantry units; the 300's, for cavalry units; the 400's and 500's, for artillery; the 600's, for chemical-warfare units; the 700's, for engineers, the 800's, for signal troops; the 1100's, for Panzer troops; and so on.

(2) Soll- und Iststärkemeldungen.—Statements of table-of-organization strength compared with actual strength. These are submitted at prescribed intervals and take many different forms, depending on the type of unit and the orders of higher authorities. The shown one in figure 16 is

entitled Soll- und Iststräken der Unteroffiziere und Mannschaften and derives from an air-signal unit.

(3) Tagesmeldung.—Morning report (strength)

d. Documents Relating to Equipment

(1) Formblatt für Anforderung von Gerät.— Printed form for requisitioning equipment (see fig. 17). Shows ordering unit and supplying unit, with proper shipping addresses of each, as well as description and quantities of equipment ordered.

(2) Empfangsschein-Nr. . . .—Printed form for receipt for equipment (see fig. 18). Shows sending and receiving units and description of equipment.

(3) Waffen- und Gerätenachweis.—Record of weapons and equipment.

(4) Bestandsliste.—Inventory of articles on hand and record of changes (Bewegung).

(5) Bestandsbuch G. u. M.—Inventory of equipment and ammunition.

(6) Kriegsansrüstungsnachweisung.—Tables of basic allowances. Numbered similarly to Kriegssträkenachweisung (see par. 15e (1)).

e. Journals and Correspondence

(1) Kriegstagebuch.—War journal (see fig. 19). In this important document, which is kept by every unit and staff having a separate table of organization, all significant activities and events are recorded. Eventually, it is sent back to the Army Archives Office as a permanent historical record.

(2) Eingangsbuch.—Folder containing typewritten and mimeographed communications from higher echelons.

(3) Brieftagebuch.—Printed form for recording incoming and outgoing mail.

(4) Posteinlieferungsbuch.—Field-post record of the receipt of parcels.

(5) Correspondence files.—These are kept in a variety of forms and contain communications between the unit commander and outside civilian and military agencies and persons.

f. Army Publications

At company level as well as in all higher staffs and headquarters are to be found copies of the Allgemeine Heeresmitteilungen, the Heeres-Verordnungsblatt, and numerous field manuals. These publications are described in paragraph 20, page 42 ff.

--35--

Figure 15.—Kriegsstärkenachweisung (table of organization of an Army Group High Command) (slightly reduced).

--36--

Figure 16.—Inside of Soll- und Iststräken der Unteroffiziere und Mannschaften (Statement of Table-of-Organization and Actual Strength, Noncommissioned Officers and Privates).

--37--

Figure 17.—Formblatt für Anforderung von Gerät (requisition for equipment).

Figure 18.—Empfangschein Nr. . . . (receipt for equipment).

--38--

Figue 19.-Page, from Kriegstagebuch (War Journal) of First Tropical Field Dock Battalion, Motorized (Heavy Projector Section).

--39--

16. DOCUMENTS AT BATTALION LEVEL

a. Introduction

Most of the above types of documents found at company level also will be found at battalion headquarters. In addition the battalion has the documents described below.

b. Documents Relating to Personnel

(1) Personalien.—List of names of all personnel in the battalion. Often yields important data regarding organization.

(2) Namentliche Verlustmeldung.—Itemized casualty report, compiled from reports submitted to the battalion by its component units. (See fig. 20.) This report is transmitted through channels to the Wehrmachtauskunftsstelle für Kriegerverluste und Kriegsgefangene (Armed Forces Information Office for War Casualties and Prisoners of War) in Berlin.

(3) Beurteilungsnotiz.-—Efficiency report on each member of the battalion.

(4) Urlaubsliste.—Folder or booklet containing records of furloughs.

(5) Offizierstellenbesetzung.—Typewritten list of officers' assignments, broken down to components of unit.

(6) Offizier- und O.A.-Angelegeriheiten.—Folder containing Offizierstellenbesetzungen (see above) and other matter pertaining to officers and officer candidates.

c. Documents Relating to Strength and Equipment

(1) Strength and rations report.—Divided into three sections: A, Personal-Stärkenachweis (Report of Strength in Personnel); B, Verpfiegungsabrechnung (Rations Account); C, Tabakabrechnung (Tobacco Account). The first page, shown in figure 21, has space for a list of the component units of the battalion which are entitled to receive pay and rations from it, together with their established strength. The second page itemizes the changes in personnel since the previous report and gives a new total.

(2) Bestands- (Bewegungs-) Buch.—Printed in standard book form, with 400 pages. Complete inventory of weapons and equipment, subdivided into categories (Stoffgliederungen), and changes in the inventory.

d. Other Documents

(1) Tagesbefehle.—Battalion orders of the day, usually called either Bataillons-Tagesbefehle or Abteilungs-Tagesbefehle. Carbon copies of these orders are kept in a special folder.

(2) Brieftagebuch für Geheimsachen.—Record of confidential documents, indicating their contents, origin, and disposition. If secret, the record is marked "Geheime Kommandosachen" instead of "Geheimsachen."

(3) Special orders and schedules.—Usually arranged in folders with such titles as Dienstpläne (Duty Schedules), Befehle (Orders), and Unterrichtspläne (Training Schedules).

17. DOCUMENTS AT REGIMENT LEVEL

a. Filing System

The regimental headquarters has a special section known as the Registratur to handle incoming and outgoing papers, and a rather elaborate filing system is maintained. Documents are kept according to the various sections (Abteilungen) of the staff which they concern; these include Ia (operations), Ic (intelligence), IIa/b (personnel), and IVa (administration). Ordinarily the regiment has much larger quantities of documents on hand than the lower echelons, including most of the types described in paragraphs 15 and 16 as well as other documents which are not to be found below regiment level.

b. Samples of Regimental Documents

(1) Fürsorge.—Folder containing furlough forms and regulations concerning welfare matters.

(2) Geldabrechnungsnackweis.—Finance record, including information on pay and rations in the entire regiment.

(3) Empjangsscheine.—Folder containing small red receipts. This should be found in the Registratur.

(4) Terminkalender.—Schedule of reports to be submitted on specified dates or at specified intervals.

(5) Regimentstagesbejehle.—Regimental orders of the day, often bound together with communications from component battalions and from division.

--40--

Figure 20.—Front page of Namentliche Verlustmeldung (itemized casualty report).

--41--

Figure 21.—Strength and rations report (left/ front page; right, second page).

--42--

18. DOCUMENTS AT DIVISION LEVEL AND IN HIGHER ECHELONS

A division headquarters is much more complex and extensive than headquarters of lower units and naturally has a much more intricate filing system for documents. As it normally divides into a forward and a rear echelon, with the large and important Ib (supply) section at the rear echelon, the documents will be situated in different places. Moreover, the division, because of its involved administration, has a great many additional types of documents. By far the most valuable of these, so far as is known, are the long promotion and appointment lists issued by the Army Personnel Office (Heerespersonalamt) at frequent intervals, which embody all promotions and assignments of officers throughout the German Army. (See fig. 22.) These lists contain great numbers of unit identifications, a considerable proportion of which are likely to be new. The lists are mimeographed and are headed Tgb.Nr. . . . (Tagesbefehl Nr., that is, Order of the Day No. . . .).

The foregoing comments apply also to headquarters higher than division.

19. DOCUMENTS AT HOSPITALS

German military hospitals (Lazarette) keep a number of interesting records pertaining to the men who pass through them and the units from which they come and to which they are destined.

a. Hospital Rosters

(1) Truppenkrankennachweis.—Statistical report on patients, broken down by units and by ailments. (See fig. 23.) This is drawn up monthly or in some instances, thrice monthly. The inside pages (not shown in the figure) use a numbering system for ailments which was described in paragraph 8a (2) (1), page 11.

(2) Revierkrankenbelegschqftsliste.—List of patients.

b. Other Documents

(1) Krankenblatt.—Individual sick reports and case-history folders of four pages each.

(2) Buck U.v.D.—Notebook kept by medical noncommissioned officer on duty (Sanitäts-Unteroffizier vom Dienst). Contains brief daily report on hospital turn-over, with unit identifications.

(3) Correspondence.—The communications passing constantly back and forth between military hospitals and field as well as Ersatz units are concerned to a very large extent with the affiliations between these units. Such correspondence is therefore extremely valuable for document exploitation.

20. ARMY AND OTHER PUBLICATIONS

a. Army Publications

(1) Allgemeine Heeresmitteilungen.—Army orders, in the restricted category, issued by the High Command and found in every echelon down to and including companies. (See fig. 24). They appear on the 7th and 22d of each month and contain orders emanating from Hitler, the Armed Forces High Command (OKW), the High Command of the Army (OKH), the various sections of the General Staff, the Army Personnel Office (HPA), the Chief of Army Equipment and Commander of the Replacement Army (Ersatzheer), and the various inspectorates of arms. Besides important measures affecting the organization, administration, personnel, training, replacement system, uniforms, awards, discipline, and morale of the Army, they include changes in the tables of organization of types of units and announcements of new tables of organization (the titles only, not the T/O's themselves) and a technical supplement on weapons and equipment.

In the past the study of this document has been the basis of much of our present knowledge of the detailed structure and functioning of the German Army. When new issues are captured they should first be examined carefully by higher headquarters in the field and then passed back as rapidly as possible for thorough research.

(2) Heeres-Verordnungsblatt.—The unrestricted counterpart of the Allgemeine Heeresmitteilungen. (See fig. 25.) Contains orders by the same authorities and on the same subjects, but usually of a less fundamental nature. Frequently, nevertheless, they disclose important trends. The special significance of this publication lies in its pictures and long lists of missing soldiers, usually with the numbers on their identification disks and often with field-post numbers or open unit designations.

(3) Field manuals.—These are almost innumerable and cover every aspect of Army activity.

--43--

Figure 22.—Page from Tgb.Nr. . . . (officers' promotion list) (slightly reduced).

--44--

Figure 23.—Front page of Truppenkrankennachweis (statistical hospital report).

--45--

Figure 24.—Title page of Allgemeine Heeresmitteilungen, published by the High Command of the Army (reduced).

--46--

Figure 25.-Title page of Heeres-Verordnungsblatt, published by the High Command of the Army (reduced).

--47--

Although most of them are unclassified, they are not made available to the general public in Germany or abroad; some are restricted (Nur für den Dienstgebrauch) and a few are confidential (Geheim). Even the unclassified ones, however, afford an insight into German military concepts, tactical doctrine, and unit organization.

German Army manuals are issued by the Army Printed Regulations Administration (Heeresdruckvorschriftenverwaltung) in Berlin and bear a number between 1 and 500, preceded by H.Dv. and sometimes followed by a slanted line and a second number. The letter "g." between H.Dv. and the number stands for "geheim." There is another series, consisting mostly of technical manuals, which is designated by "D." and a number; here a plus sign after the "D." means restricted and a double plus means confidential. Manuals without numbers are usually Merkblätter or Merkhefte. By studying the numbering system and cataloging all available manuals by number, it is possible to look up many references found in other manuals or in Army orders.

b. Unofficial Publications

Books in the possession of captured German personnel or units may be of considerable value if they deal with technical or military subjects and if they are of very recent date. In this case they should be turned over to the technical branches concerned.

German magazines and newspapers have proved very useful in establishing identifications and locations of units and obtaining information regarding military personalities, despite the strict German control of the press. In this, as in all other forms of exploitation of enemy documents, a high degree of training, experience, and, above all, perseverance on the part of the exploiter will be rewarded.

INDEX

This index includes only German terms and abbreviations, except the word "units," which is used instead of "Einheiten." Page references in boldface (heavy) type refer to pages which contain

A

Abt. (abbrev. for Abteilung) 22

Abteilung (en)  39

Abteilungs-Tagesbefehl(e)  39

Allgemeine Heeresmitteilungen (fig. 24)  4, 34, 42

Ausbildungs units  3, 5, 6,10, 18

Aushebung 32

Ausweis(e) 23, 26

für die Truppe  25

Nr.   23

Personal-  23

Soldbuch zugleich Personal-(fig. 2)  8

Tarn-  23

Truppen-  5, 23

Vorläufiger 23

Auszahlungsliste  34

Auszug aus dem Strafbuch  32

B

B. (abbrev. for Bataillon)  14

Bataillons-Tagesbefehl (e)  39

Baueinheit(en)  32

Befehl(e)  39

Abteilungs-Tages- (Abteilungstages-)  39

Bataillons-Tages- (Bataillonstages-)   39

Fahr-, Nr.   23

Marsch-  23

Regiments-Tages- (Regimentstages-)  39

Tages-, Nr. . . . (fig. 22) 4, 42

Begleitheft(e) für Kraftfahrzeuge  27

Benachrichtigung(en)  23

Berichtigungsheft (e)  27

Bescheinigung(en)  25

Empfangs-  25

(Vorlaufiger Kraftfahrzeugbrief)  27

Besitzzeugnis (se)  23

Bestands- (Bewegungs-) Buch 39

Bestandsbuch G. u. M  34

Bestandliste(n) or Bestandsliste(n)  34

für Kraftfahrzeuge  27

Betriebsstofftagebuch  27

Beurteilung(en)  34

Beurteilungsnotiz(en)  39

definitions of the terms. Plurals and variant compounds, where it appears desirable to indicate them, are shown in parentheses.

Bewegungs-Buch. See Bestands-.

B. -Liste (abbrev. for Betriebsstoffliste)  27

Brandenburg  19

Lehr-Regiment  1

Brieftagebuch  34

für Geheimsachen.  39

Btl. (abbrev. for Bataillon).  14, 19, 22

Buch, U. v. D  42

D

Dienst:

-gebrauch, Nur für den  2, 47

-pflichtiger  32

-plan (plane)  39

-stelle Feldpostnummer  15

Dolch  17

E

E. (abbrev. for Ersatz)  14

Eingangsbuch  34

Einsatzort  23

Empfangsbescheinigung(en)  25

Empfangsschein(e)   39

-schein Nr. . . . (fig. 18) 34

Entlassungsschein, Reichsarbeitsdienst 25

Erkennungsmarke(n) (fig. 1)5, 6-8, 10, 15, 28, 32

"neu" 6

-nummer(n) 6

-verzeichnis(se) 7, 34

Ers. (abbrev. for Ersatz) 14, 16, 17, 22

Ersatz:

-ausfertigung(en) 15

-heer 10, 42

-teilliste 27

-truppe 17

-truppenteil, zuständiger1,22

units 3, 5, 6, 7, 10, 13, 14, 16, 18, 19, 22, 23, 28, 30, 32, 42

F

Fahrbefebl Nr 23

Feindeshand, Nicht in—fallen lassen 2

Feldeinkleidungskammer 19

Feldpostnummer(n) 3, 15

--49--

--50 --

Feldwebel 15

Fernrohr 17

Formblatt für Anforderung von Gerät (fig. 17) 34

F. P. Nr. (abbrev. for Feldpostnummer) 15

freie Sache(n)2

Freiwilliger (Freiwillige) 32

fremde Zahlmeisterei(en) 17

Funkmeister 16

Fürsorge 39

G

garnisonverwendungsfähig:

Feld 11

in der Heimat 11

Gebote, 10 — für die Kriegsführung 13

Gefreiter 15, 22

Geheim 2, 47

-e Feldpolizei 26

-e Kommandosache 2, 39

-e Staatspolizei (Gestapo) 26

-sachen, Brieftagebuch für 39

Geldabrechnungsnachweis 39

Genesendenkompanie 18

Gerät:

-ebuch 27

-enachweis, Waffen und 34

Formblatt für Anforderung von (fig. 17) 34

Gestapo 1, 26

Gr. (abbrev. for Grenadier) 14

Gren, (abbrev. for Grenadier) 15, 19, 22

Grenadier(e) 14, 15

Grosser Wehrmachtfahrschein 25

G. u.M. (abbrev. for Geräte und Munition) 34

g.v.F. (abbrev. for garnisonverwendungsfähig Feld) 11

g.v.H. (abbrev. for garnisonverwendungsfähig in der Heimat) 11

H

Hauptfeldwebel15

H. B. K. (abbrev. for Heeresbetriebsstoffkolonne).- 22

H. Dv. (abbrev. for Heeresdruckvorschriften) 47

Heer 8, 30

Ersatz- 10, 42

-esdruckvorschriftenverwaltung 47

-esmitteilungen, Allgemeine (fig. 24) 4, 34, 42

-espersonalamt42

-es- Verordnungsblatt (fig. 25) 4, 34, 42

Hoheitsabzeichen 8, 26

HPA (abbrev. for Heerespersonalamt) 42

I

Inf. (abbrev. for Infanterie) 14, 16, 19, 22

I. R. (abbrev. for Infanterie-Regiment) 19

J

Jag. (abbrev. for Jäger). See Pz. Jäg. J. R. (abbrev.). See I. R.

K

Kanonier 16

Kennkarte(n) 32

Kf. (abbrev. for Kraftfahr) 22

Kfz. (abbrev. for Kraftfahrzeug) 22

Kfz. -Ersatzteilst. (abbrev. for Ersatzteilststaffel). 22

Kfz. -Instandsetzungs-Regiment 22

Klasse 1, 2, 3 23

Kleiner Wehrmachtfahrschein 25

Kompanie(n):

-aufteilung 34

Genesenden- 18

-liste 34

Marsch- 18

Stamm- 18

Kontrollverzeichnis für Werkstattaufträge 27

Kp. (abbrev. for Kompanie)14, 16, 19, 22

Kraftf. (abbrev. for Kraftfahr) 22

Kraftfahr:

-er 16

-ersatzteile, Nachschubstab für 22

-zeugbrief, Vorläufiger 27

-zeuge, Begleitheft für 27

-zeuge, Bestandliste für 27

-zeugersatzteilstaffel 22

-zeugschein(e) 27

-zeug-Stammrolle(n) 27

Kranken:

-belegschaftsliste, Revier- 42

-blatt- 42

-buch, Truppen- 34

-nachweis, Truppen- (fig. 23) 11, 42

Kr. (abbrev. for Kriegsstammrollennummer) 6, 17, 22, 32

Kriegerverluste 7, 39

Kriegs:

-ausrüstungsnachweisung 34

-führung, 10 Gebote für die 13

-gefangene 7, 39

-marine8, 14, 30

-stärkenachweisung (fig. 15) 4, 34

-stammrolle(n) 4, 28-30

-stammrollenblatt (figs. 11, 12) 6, 28

-stammrollennummer 6,10, 28

-tagebuch (fig. 19) 4, 34

kriegsverwendugsfähig 11

Kriminalpolizei 26

Kr. St. Nr. See Kr.

K. St. No. See Kr.

k. v. (abbrev. for kriegsverwendugsfähig) 11

L

Lazarett(e) 42

Lehr-Regiment Brandenburg 1

Leutnant 15

Luftwaffe8, 13, 30

M

Mannschaften, Soll- und Iststärken der Unteroffiziere und (fig. 16) 34

--51--

Marinestammrollennummer(n) 8

Marsch:

-bataillon(e) 6 18

-befehl(e) 23

-kompanie(n) 18

Meldeblock 25

Meldung(en):

Namentliche Verlust- (fig. 20) 39

Soli- und Iststärke- 4, 34

Tages 34

Verlust- 34

Merkblatt (Merkblätter)25, 47

für * * *  27

Merkheft(e) 47

Metallmarke(n) 26

Militärführerschein(e) 23

mot. (abbrev. for motorisiert) 19, 22

Musterung 32

N

N. (abbrev. for Nord) 19, 22

Nachschubstab 22

für Kraftfahrersatzteile 22

Nachweis(e):

Geldabrechnungs- 39

Personal- 34

Personal-Stärke-(fig. 21) 39

Truppenkranken- (fig. 23) 11, 42

Waffen- und Geräte- 34

Nachweisung(en):

Kriegsausrüstungs- 34

Kriegsstärke- (fig. 15) 4, 34

Namentliche Verlustmeldung (fig. 20) 39

neu 6

Nicht in Feindeshand fallen lassen 2

NSKK (abbrev. for Nationalsozialistisches Kraftfahrkorps) 23

Nur für den Dienstgebrauch 2, 47

O

O. A. (abbrev. for Offiziersanwärter) 39

Oberfeldwebel 15

Oberfeuerwerker 1

Obergefreiter

Obergrenadier

Oberkommando der Wehrmacht 2, 42

Oberschütze

Obersoldat

Offizierstellenbesetzung(en) 39

Offizier- und O. A.-Angelegenheiten 39

OKH (abbrev. for Oberkommando des Heeres) 42

OKW (abbrev. for Oberkommando der Wehrmacht) 2, 42

Ortslaz. (abbrev. for Ortslazarett) 19

O. U. (abbrev. for Ortsunterkunft)

P

Panzerschrank (Panzerschränke)

Personalausweis 8

Soldbuch zugleich (fig. 2)

Personalien 39

Personal-Nachweis 34

Personal-Stärkenachweis (fig. 21) 39

Pi. (abbrev. for Pionier) 16

Posteinlieferungsbuch 34

Pz. Gren. (abbrev. for Panzergrenadier) 14, 19, 22

Pz. Jag. (abbrev. for Panzerjäger) 19, 22

Pz. Jg. (abbrev. for Panzerjäger) 14

R

R. (abbrev. for Regiment). See I. R.

Rechnungsführer 34

Regiments-Tagesbefehl(e), (Regimentstagesbefehl(e)) 39

Reichsarbeitsdienst-Entlassungsschein 25

Revierkrankenbuchbelegschaftsliste 42

Rohrbuch 27

S

Sache(n):

freie 2

Geheim- 39

geheime Kommando- 2, 39

Verschluss- 2, 28

Sanitäts-Unteroffizier vom Dienst 42

Schiessbuch 27

Schüitze(n) 22

Soldat(en) 15

Soldbuch (Soldbücher) (figs. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9) 4, 5, 6, 8-23, 25, 28, 30 Soll- und Iststärken der Unteroffiziere und Mann-

schaften (fig. 16) 34

Soll- und Iststärkemeldung(en) 4, 34

Stab (Stäbe) (see also Nachschubstab)14, 19, 22

Stabsfeldwebel  15

SS, Waffen-8, 14, 30

Stammkompanie(n) 18

Stamm-Marineteil(e) 14

Stammrollennummer(n) 6, 8

Kriegs- 10, 28

Marine- 8

Truppen- 6,10

Stellenbesetzung(en), Offizier- 39

Stellengruppe(n) 13

Stoffgliederung(en) 39

Strafbuch 32, 34

Auszug aus dem 32

T

Tabakabrechnung(en) (fig. 21) 39

Tagebuch:

Betriebsstoff- 27

Brief- 34

Brief-, für Geheimsachen 39

Kriegs- (fig. 19) 4, 34

Tagesbefehl(e):

Abteilungs- 39

Bataillons- 39

Nr. I . . (fig. 22) 4, 42

Regiments- 39

--52--

Tagesmeldung(en) 34

Tankliste(n) 27

Tarnausweis(e) 23

Terminkalender 39

Tgb. Nr. . . . (abbrev. for Tagesbefehl Nr. . . .) (fig. 22) 42

Tr. St. Nr. . . . (abbrev. for Truppenstammrollennummer) 17

Trupp 22

Truppen:

-ausweis 5, 23

-krankenbuch 34

-krankennachweis (fig. 23) 11, 42

-stammrollenblatt 6

-stammrollennummer 6, 10

U

Unterfeldwebel 15

Unteroffizier(e) 15

Soll-und Iststärken der—und Mannschaften (fig. 16) 34

vom Dienst, Buch 42

Unterrichtspläne 39

Urlaubliste 39

U. v. D. (abbrev. for Unteroffizier vom Dienst) 42

V

Veränderungsbuch 34

Verbrennungsmaschine(n) 23

Verlustmeldung (en) 34

Namentliche (fig. 20)  39

Verpflegungsabrechnung(en) (fig. 21) 39

Verschluss-Sache(n) 2, 28

Versetzung(en) 11, 17

Verteiler 3

Verwendungsliste(n) 34

Vorläufiger: 

Ausweis

Kraftfahrzeugbrief 27

V. S. (abbrev. for Verschluss-Sachen) 28

V.-Sachen (abbrev. for Verschluss-Sachen)  28

W

Wachbuch 25

Waffen-SS 8, 14, 30

Waffen- und Gerätenachweis 34

W. B. K. (abbrev. for Wehrbezirkskommando).. 5, 10, 32 Wehr:

-bezirkskommando(s)5, 10, 32

-dienstverhältnis 32

-ersatzdienstelle(n) 5, 28, 32

-kreis(e) 5, 32

-macht 2

Oberkommando der  2, 42

-machtauskunftsstelle für Kriegerverluste und

Kriegsgefangene 7, 39

-machtfahrschein(e) 25

-machtführerschein(e) (fig. 10) 23

-meldeamt 5, 10

-nummer(n) 5, 6, 10, 28, 32, 33

-pass (Wehrpässe) (figs. 13,14) 4, 5, 28, 30, 32

-soldgruppe(n) 13, 15

-stammbuch 5

Werkstattaufträge, Kontrollverzeichnis für 27

WH (abbrev. for Wehrmacht, Heer) 27

WL (abbrev. for Wehrmacht, Luftwaffe)27

WM (abbrev. for Wehrmacht, Kriegsmarine) 27

W. M. (abbrev. for Wehrmeldeamt) 5, 10

Z

Zahlmeisterei(en), fremde 17

zuletzt zuständige Wehrersatzdienststelle 5

zuständiger Ersatztruppenteil.  1, 22