SOLDBUCH

INFORMATION SHEET

The Soldbuch

The Soldbuch (solt-booch), or paybook, was the soldier's formal identification book. Although the direct English translation of "Soldbuch" to "paybook" implies to the American mind that this was a record of monthly pay, it was not. In the German mind, the term applied to the authority inherent in the book itself, in other words, the holder of the book had the authority to draw military pay. In most cases, little or no pay was ever recorded in the Soldbuch. However, the book contained everything one would need to know about that particular soldier along with a record of equipment issued and returned, units served with, promotions and awards, leaves taken, dental records, etc.

The following rules are translated from the back cover flap of the Soldbuch:

1) The Soldbuch provides the soldier with personal identification in wartime and gives him the authority to receive pay from his own or other duty stations. It may also be used as identification for purposes of receiving mail, traveling on trains, detached service, and while on leave.

2) The Soldbuch must always be carried by the soldier in his tunic pocket. Leaving it in baggage, in quarters, etc., is not allowed. Taking good care of the Soldbuch is in the best interest of its owner.

3) The Soldbuch has to be kept in an orderly manner. The owner himself is required to make certain that changes in pay-rate due to transfer or promotion, are promptly entered at his duty station.

4) The Soldbuch is an official document. Entries in it can only be made by a duty station of the Armed Forces. Unauthorized changes to the Soldbuch will be regarded as falsification of official documents.

5) The loss of the Soldbuch must be reported at once by the owner to his unit or duty station where steps will be taken to issue a new Soldbuch.

A Word About Soldbuchs and Identification Numbers

Soldbuchs were issued to all soldiers, sailors, and airmen. However, what they actually carried varied widely. Just because you were in a Waffen-SS unit, you did not necessarily have a Waffen-SS Soldbuch. If one transferred from the Heer to the Waffen-SS, for example, his Heer Soldbuch would most commonly continue to be used. Transfers were not uncommon by mid-war. Many sailors and airmen were transferred into Waffen-SS units during the late war period as the need for them in the Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine ceased to exist as those organizations were pounded into ineffectiveness by the Allies.

In practice, Soldbuchs were seldom complete, however, there was a great deal of information in them none the less. Often information which was not provided for by the book's designers was added by putting it on a blank page (regardless what the page was supposed to be for!) or pasting in a preprinted note or extra page. We will use this method to keep track of certain unit information such as attendance at events, points accumulated, etc.

Although the Soldbuch was to be carried at all times in a breast pocket (generally the left), soldiers going out on pre-planned patrols generally turned their Soldbuchs into the company clerk (who kept them in an alphabetical file) prior to going out, lest all the information therein fall into enemy hands. The books were recovered on return. The book contained personal and military information. When inevitably asked "Papiere, bitte", one presented the Soldbuch. However, the inspecting guard was forbidden from taking the book out of the owner's sight, such as into a guard shack. When using the Soldbuch as identification with civilians – such as when billeting in civilian homes or sending a telegram, civilians were forbidden from touching the Soldbuch or seeing any more than the first three pages.

German identification numbers were – like so many Teutonic creations – overly complex and subject to innumerable variables. Soldbuchs and Erkennungsmarke (the ID tag or 'dog tag' in American slang) were issued within a few days of entry. In theory, the number shown at the top of page one of the Soldbuch and the one shown near the bottom of the page were the same when the Soldbuch was issued. If the unit was brand new, the book and tag numbers would coincide until someone lost his tag or book. Thereafter and forever, all numbers issued in the unit would be out of sync It was rare, therefore, that these numbers did match. On the third page of the Soldbuch yet another identification number is recorded, the Truppentammrollenummer the unit roster number. This number does not coincide with either the Soldbuch or the Erkennungsmarke number. It is the number of the line on which the individual's name appears on the unit's roster.

It is worth noting here that in most cases the name of the Ausbildung und Erstaz (Ausb. u. Ers.)(Training and Replacement) unit appeared on the Erkennumgsmarke, not the name of the field unit to which an individual was eventually assigned. Units were required to keep a number of pre-numbered Erkennungsmarken equal to 20% of their authorized strength on hand. These tags were issued to soldiers who lost their identity tag and therefore DID reflect the name of the field unit.

The number which you select for your Erkennungmarke be the number which will be recorded on our unit roster as your identity number. That is the number you should use to mark your equipment in the approved German manner.

Creating Your German Identity

To have your Soldbuch properly completed, you must first create for yourself your German (or other nationality) identity. Not only will this represent the name by which you will be known by in Wiking, but it will be the entire persona you will present when participating in living history events. You may have a particular relative or other person that you wish to recreate, however, experience has shown that the closer your "life" represents your real life today, the easier it will be for you to remember the details and to slip into the life and experiences of your alter-ego. For example, use your real parents actual names (Germanized if necessary) and professions. List your pre-service occupation the same as your real life job (assuming, of course, you are not a nuclear scientist or bioengineer!). Use the names and ages of your wife and children (again, Germanized if needed). The process of filling out this form will help you create your past and answer these questions.

A word about age. From the very beginning, the average German soldat was several years older than his American counterpart. By 1944, men in their early fifties were being drafted. And photographic evidence indicates that the stress of combat adds several years of aging to a person's physical visage (a process which curiously reverses itself over a period of years after the stress is removed). Therefore, most reenactors – even the forty-or-fifty-somethings – can pass as a person their age within a span of seven to ten years (either way) of their actual age. There is no need to pretend you are 25 years old if you are 45. Just remember that according to your Soldbuch, you will always be the same age!

To ensure some level of uniformity within the unit's Soldbuchs, Wiking has established its impression date as Sep/Oct, 1944. Nothing in your Soldbuch will be dated after that date; the most recent entries may be days, weeks, or months prior to that date.

Completing the Questionnaire

Some information is requested as "fill in the blanks" and some as multiple choice. Please fill in the blanks in clearly printed English or German. If you do not know the proper translation, we will do it for you (i.e. if you were a "grocer", then you were a "kramer"). Some things will be inserted for you, such as the name of your basic training unit. Please write the month when writing dates; if you just write numbers it is often difficult to determine if you are writing in American or European format. Make a copy of your completed questionnaire to keep before sending it! You need not provide all the information requested, however, the more you provide, the more authentic your Soldbuch will appear.

If you have any questions, please contact Rich Iott at 419-878-2244 or rbisgs@aol.com. Viel gluck!

Historical Impression Information

European/German name …………………………………………………

Enlistment date ……………………………………….

Promotion Dates and Ranks (if you are an Oberpionier or higher)

…………………………….. ……………………………..

……………………………. …………………………….

Erkennnungsmarke number ……………..

(This is your dog tag number. It may be two or three digits. Some re-enactors use the last four digits of their SSN but for authenticity purposes, a two or three digit number was the most common. The number you select should be used to mark all of your equipment in the approved manner.)

Blood group (type) …………… (no + or -) Gas mask size 1 – Large 2 – Medium 3 – Small

Wehrnummer (Armed Services Registration Number) This will be created for you based on other information provided.

Birthdate ……………… Birth place (city and state) …………………………………….

Religion: Catholic Evangelical (generally Lutheran, but any Protestant – and 'politically correct' at the time) Atheist

Non traditional (i.e. Party member who accepts God but rejects traditional denominations)

Pre-military occupation ……………………………………………..

Height (in centimeters) ……………. Body build big small middle strong weak thin

Face shape round oval long square

Hair color ……… Eye color ……... (Either may include 'light' or 'dark' if appropriate)

Identifying marks (scars, tattoos, birthmark)………………………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...

Note: If you have surgical scar (i.e. appendectomy, knee surgery, etc., note it here. Note if you want it to be a pre-war surgery, a wartime surgery and, if the latter, as result of an accident or combat injury. Note location and size in centimeters.)

Do you wear a beard? yes no (Wiking policy requires no beards!)

Wears glasses yes no Shoe size (American) ………. Shoe width (American) ………….

Prior units and dates of service (only if in service prior to assignment to Wiking)

…………………………………. From ………………………. To ………………………………….

Wife's first name ……………… Maiden name ……………….

Street/town/state address ……………………………………………………………………

Father's first and last name ……………………

Mother's first name ……………………………

Mother's maiden name ……………………….

Father's profession …………………………..

If parents deceased, date …………………………….

Parent's street, town, state address …………………………………………………………………………………….

Any special equipment or clothing ( show issue and turn-in dates)

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Weapon, Gasmask, other equipment issued or turned in

(For this section, all soldiers will show having been issued a full basic kit. Please provide the type of weapon(s) you are carrying and its serial number. Also any models and serial numbers on your bayonet, gas mask, etc.)

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Eyeglass prescription. Get this from your modern optometrist. If you just need over-the-counter reading glasses, note "reading only" and the power (+1.00, +1.25, etc).

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Dental records. Get this information from your dentist regarding fillings, missing teeth, caps, etc. Ask for a copy of a your dental chart (you know, the little teeth illustration with all the marks on it).

Sickness requiring hospitalization (description and dates of hospitalization)

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Wounds (description and dates of hospitalization)

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Awards. (Unless the reenactment unit has officially awarded you an award, there are no awards. If you have awards, please note them and the WWII date for which they were awarded.)

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Photograph

Soldbuchs did not contain ID photos until 1944. However, at that time photos were added to most existing books and included in (nearly) all new books. Please submit a BLACK AND WHITE, head and shoulders photo of yourself. The photo should be approximately 4.5 x 6.5 cm (1 7/8 x 2 1/2 ") but sizes varied widely. The photo should be taken in uniform against a plain background and should include the head and shoulders down to a point roughly between the second and third buttons (counting top to bottom) of the tunic. The body and head should be turned slightly to the right so that the left ear shows for identification purposes (yes, honestly!). BE SURE YOU HAVE A GOOD, GARRISON TYPE HAIRCUT! While photos in civilian clothes were used, the percentages of those seen rule against anyone in our little unit having a civilian photo in their Soldbuch. Please submit your photo with this paperwork.

If you have any questions, please contact Rich Iott at 419-878-2244 or rbisgs@aol.com.

Send your completed questionnaire to:

Rich Iott

Braeburn Croft Farm

5245 Keener Road

Monclova, Ohio 43542-9707

YOUR REAL NAME _________________________________________

YOUR REAL ADDRESS ______________________________________

______________________________________