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Welcome to WW2Archive.de
Preserving and researching the personal documents of the Second World War

WW2Archive.de is an independent historical archive devoted to the study, preservation, and interpretation of personal German military documents from the Second World War.

The archive focuses particularly on surviving Wehrpässe and Soldbücher. These documents were carried or maintained for individual servicemen and can provide valuable information about their military careers, including units, ranks, training, equipment, hospital stays, awards, campaigns, and transfers.

Although they were originally administrative records, every Wehrpass and Soldbuch also represents the life of an individual. Handwritten entries, official stamps, amendments, signatures, and attached photographs can help reconstruct a personal history that might otherwise have been lost.

Wehrpässe

The Wehrpass was a military service record containing information about a man's eligibility for service, training, postings, promotions, campaigns, wounds, awards, and eventual discharge or death. It was generally retained by the appropriate military authority rather than carried by the serviceman during active duty.

Today, surviving Wehrpässe are important sources for researchers attempting to reconstruct the military career of an individual. Their pages may document years of service across several units and theatres of war.

Soldbücher

The Soldbuch served as a soldier's pay book and personal military identity document. Unlike the Wehrpass, it was normally carried by the serviceman.

Soldbücher often contain a portrait photograph, personal details, unit information, pay records, issued equipment, weapons, vaccinations, medical treatment, hospital admissions, leave, awards, and other administrative entries. Because they were used regularly, many surviving Soldbücher contain corrections, loose papers, additional stamps, and handwritten notes.

Purpose of the archive

The purpose of WW2Archive.de is to create an accessible reference work for collectors, family historians, researchers, and anyone interested in military and social history.

The archive aims to:

• document original Wehrpässe, Soldbücher, and related records;
• explain military terminology, abbreviations, stamps, and handwritten entries;
• reconstruct the service histories of individual servicemen;
• provide background information about military units and organisations;
• preserve historical documents through photography and transcription;
• encourage careful, critical, and respectful historical research.

Whenever possible, information is based directly on the surviving documents. Uncertain readings, incomplete entries, and historical interpretations should be clearly identified as such.

More than military administration

A Wehrpass or Soldbuch is more than a list of units and dates. These documents may reveal periods of training, combat service, illness, injury, captivity, reassignment, or disappearance. Together with photographs, letters, casualty records, and archival sources, they can help restore part of the human story behind the administrative record.

WW2Archive.de therefore approaches these documents not as objects of glorification, but as historical evidence of individual lives shaped by war.

Historical responsibility

The material presented on this website is provided exclusively for historical, educational, and research purposes. The appearance of military terminology, organisations, uniforms, documents, or period symbols does not imply approval of the ideology or actions of the National Socialist regime.

For further information, please consult the WW2 Archive.de:General disclaimer.

Every document tells the story of a person.
WW2Archive.de preserves those stories for historical research.