Big grouping for Feldwebel ( Soldbuch, Wehrstammbuch, licence and more )

[Danmark]

This grouping arrived today - I was lucky enough to get this through 'word of mouth' before it was broken up and sold separately!

As you can see, there is his soldbuch, a wehrstammbuch ( sort of a combined wehrpass + soldbuch ), a military drivers licence, sign-up papers, discharge papers, birth certificate, service summary, character assessment and on and on.....

Josef Rauch was only 26yrs old when he lost one foot and several toes to frostbite in early 1942 and the war that he was involved in through Poland, France and Russia war came to an end. His war service is laid out for all to see and I am quite excited to show you all of it ( and of course ask for assistance as we go ) there are many documents to scan and show.

Josef won an EK2, a GA badge, a black wound badge and an ostmedaille.
I hope you will indulge me a bit as we learn of the young Josef and his war....

Cheers, Dan

[hucks216]

Looks to be a very nice set. Pity the Wehrpass didn't manage to stay with the group (if it survives that is) but considering you have the Wehrstammbuch that isn't much of an issue considering that the Wehrstammbuch is more comprehensive and contains the same information (and more) that was entered into the WP.

[Danmark]

The first 2 are his birth certificate and military driving licence. Of interest is that he qualified for class 3 ( tracked vehicles ) - so maybe Josef drove a Sd.Kfz??? as part of 1. Kompanie, Panzerabwehr - Abteilung 7

- - Updated - -

Looks to be a very nice set. Pity the Wehrpass didn't manage to stay with the group (if it survives that is) but considering you have the Wehrstammbuch that isn't much of an issue considering that the Wehrstammbuch is more comprehensive and contains the same information (and more) that was entered into the WP.

Yes hucks, it certainly is packed with info!! It will take me some time to post all the images.
Dan

[Danmark]

Next is ( I believe ) Josef's call-up papers.....

[Danmark]

These are his discharge papers - note the reasons - " loss of the right front foot and the end members of the 1-4 left toe
and the whole left little toe.

[Danmark]

And finally for the time being, a summary of his service, showing his promotions to feldwebel, his service in Poland, France and Russia and his awards - EK2, wound badge ( black ) GA badge ( and in another place the ostmedaille )
Also his training in the Pak 37!!

How would I research more about this " above average" soldier???

Dan

[hucks216]

How would I research more about this " above average" soldier???

Dan

In terms of the soldier himself you have all the information you could possibly need contained within the Soldbuch and Wehrstammbuch. You then just have to trace the movements of his units while he was with them (books and internet etc). See this thread with reference to timelines and sites etc... https://www.warrelics.eu/forum/soldb...rigade-210315/

The Führerschein has a great photo of him with a clear shot of the embroidered cyphers on the shoulderboards. Looks like it bears the signature of a Hauptmann von Stetten.

[Danmark]

Thankyou Hucks I will do that - I actually meant 'after the war' - but realise that records must be non-existent as people tried to hush up their war service.

[hucks216]

Far from hushing up their war service (apart from those that had something to hush up obviously), they needed to produce war time service documents to qualify for any relevant pensions and payouts after the war. Obtaining the relevant post-war paperwork from the authorities would be pretty much impossible due to privacy laws. There is always the phone book as a hit & miss option but then, providing you find the relevant family, you risk opening a can of worms - maybe they aren't so proud that grandfather fought in the war, or maybe the reason that paperwork set was on the market is because it was stolen from the family many moons ago - or the family might of even sold it long ago but have regretted doing so ever since and will try and claim it back.

[Danmark]

Thanks, I'll leave the worm can closed - I just hope that after all this, he lived a long life!! There are some papers dated 1943 so they may relate to obtaining work outside the army? There is a character assessment letter and several card that I will scan that may add to Josef's story.

Soldbuch later today!
Dan