Soldbuch

Soldbuch
Document type	Pay book and identification document
Used by	German military personnel during active service
Historical period	Primarily the 1930s and Second World War
Typical contents	Personal details, units, rank, pay information, issued equipment, vaccinations, hospital admissions, awards, and leave
Carried by the serviceman?	Yes
Related document	Wehrpass

The Soldbuch was one of the most important personal documents carried by a German serviceman during the Second World War. It functioned as a pay book, an identification document, and a practical record of active military service.

Unlike the Wehrpass, which was normally retained by the military administration while a man served on active duty, the Soldbuch was carried by the serviceman himself. It could be consulted when he received pay, travelled, went on leave, entered a military hospital, collected equipment, or needed to prove his identity and military status.

For historians, collectors, and family researchers, a surviving Soldbuch can provide a detailed and personal view of a serviceman’s wartime experience. Its pages often preserve the traces of everyday military life: stamps, signatures, corrections, worn covers, replacement pages, hospital entries, and handwritten notes.

On Sanitäter.eu, Soldbücher are especially valuable because they can document the careers of medics, medical NCOs, physicians, dentists, pharmacists, veterinarians, ambulance drivers, and hospital personnel.

What was a Soldbuch?

The German word Soldbuch can be translated literally as pay book. In practice, however, the document served several purposes.

A wartime Allied handbook described the Soldbuch as the German soldier’s official means of identification. It recorded personal data and could also contain information about units, clothing, equipment, vaccinations, hospitalisation, promotions, pay, decorations, and leave." United States War Department, TM-E 30-451: Handbook on German Military Forces, 15 March 1945, Chapter I, Section II, “Personal Documentation”. Online edition: HyperWar: Handbook on German Military Forces.

A serviceman normally received his Soldbuch when he entered active service. He was expected to keep it with him.

The booklet was not intended to be an elegant commemorative record. It was a working administrative document used throughout military service. Many surviving examples show heavy wear because they were carried for months or years in a uniform pocket.

Soldbuch and Wehrpass

The Soldbuch and the Wehrpass were related documents, but they were not interchangeable.

Document	Main function	Normally carried during active duty?
Soldbuch	Pay book, identification document, and practical record used during active service	Yes
Wehrpass	Broader military-service record maintained by the responsible administration	No

The Wehrpass could provide a chronological overview of a serviceman’s military obligations and assignments. The Soldbuch often contained more immediate information about his daily military life.

When both documents survive, they should be studied together. A unit entry that is unclear in one booklet may be easier to interpret in the other. Hospital admissions, promotions, and awards may also appear in both documents with slightly different wording or dates.

Appearance of the document

A typical wartime Soldbuch was a small booklet designed to fit inside a uniform pocket. The cover was often grey, greenish-grey, or field-grey in appearance, although the precise colour and design could vary.

The front cover normally displayed the word:

Soldbuch

The booklet contained numbered pages, but the exact layout depended on the branch of service, the date of issue, and the version of the form. Army, Luftwaffe, Navy, and Waffen-SS examples can differ in their design and internal arrangement.

Some surviving Soldbücher contain:

• replacement covers;
• additional pages;
• pasted-in photographs;
• later stamps;
• handwritten corrections;
• crossed-out units;
• loose inserts;
• repairs made during or after the war.

These alterations do not automatically reduce the historical value of a document. In many cases, they are evidence of its use.

Variations between different Soldbücher

There was no single version of the Soldbuch that remained unchanged throughout the war.

Researchers may encounter differences caused by:

• the branch of service;
• the year in which the booklet was issued;
• wartime changes to the printed form;
• additional pages inserted when the original spaces were filled;
• changes in rank or status;
• reassignment between units;
• late-war shortages and administrative irregularities.

A page-by-page guide should therefore be treated as a general orientation rather than an inflexible rule. The same type of information may appear on different pages in different booklets.

The safest approach is always to examine the headings printed in the individual document.

Personal identification

The opening pages normally contain the serviceman’s basic personal details.

These may include:

• surname and given names;
• date of birth;
• place of birth;
• civilian occupation;
• religion;
• height;
• facial characteristics;
• distinguishing marks;
• rank;
• service number;
• military registration number;
• identity-disc details;
• signature of the owner.

The booklet could also contain the serviceman’s photograph. In many examples, the photograph was attached with metal fasteners and validated by an official stamp.

Researchers should check whether the stamp overlaps both the photograph and the page. This can help determine whether the photograph was attached as part of the official document rather than added later.

Wehrnummer

The Soldbuch normally records the serviceman’s:

Wehrnummer

This was his military registration number.

The number was established before active service and remained associated with the individual. It was used within the military administrative system and can help connect a Soldbuch with other surviving records.

A Wehrnummer often contains abbreviated information connected with:

• the responsible military registration district;
• the year of birth;
• the registration list;
• the individual entry on that list.

Researchers should preserve the exact spelling, spacing, and punctuation when transcribing a Wehrnummer.

Erkennungsmarke

Another important entry concerns the:

Erkennungsmarke

This was the military identity disc, sometimes informally called a dog tag.

The Soldbuch could record the inscription and number stamped on the identity disc. This information is especially valuable because it can connect the individual to the unit that originally issued the disc.

The identity-disc inscription does not always identify the serviceman’s current unit. A soldier could retain the same disc after being transferred elsewhere.

The German Federal Archives explains that identity-tag registers were used to document personnel movements and that gaps can remain because wartime record-keeping was not always fully implemented. Bundesarchiv, “Explanatory Notes on Identity Tag Registers”. Available online: Bundesarchiv.

Units and replacement affiliations

The Soldbuch could record the units in which the serviceman served and the units responsible for his replacement administration.

This is one of the most important parts of the document, but it can also be one of the most difficult to interpret.

Possible entries include:

• replacement units;
• training units;
• field units;
• reserve units;
• medical companies;
• hospitals;
• staff assignments;
• administrative offices;
• specialist formations.

Unit information may be entered as:

• official stamps;
• handwritten notes;
• abbreviations;
• crossed-out entries;
• later corrections.

A replacement unit should not automatically be confused with a frontline unit. The replacement organisation was often responsible for training, administration, and the supply of personnel.

For medical personnel, a Soldbuch may record assignments to formations such as:

• Sanitäts-Kompanie;
• Krankenkraftwagen-Kompanie;
• Feldlazarett;
• Kriegslazarett;
• Reservelazarett;
• Sanitäts-Ersatz-Abteilung;
• Sanitäts-Ersatz-Kompanie;
• medical sections attached to combat formations.

The precise meaning depends on the complete entry and the historical context.

Rank and promotions

A Soldbuch records the serviceman’s rank and may contain later promotions.

Common ranks include:

• Soldat;
• Gefreiter;
• Obergefreiter;
• Unteroffizier;
• Feldwebel;
• Oberfeldwebel;
• Leutnant;
• Oberleutnant;
• Hauptmann.

Medical personnel may have specialised titles.

Examples include:

German title	Approximate meaning
Sanitätssoldat	Medical soldier or medical orderly
Sanitätsunteroffizier	Medical NCO
Sanitätsfeldwebel	Senior medical NCO
Unterarzt	Medical-officer candidate rank
Assistenzarzt	Junior commissioned medical officer
Oberarzt	Senior lieutenant-grade medical officer
Stabsarzt	Captain-grade medical officer

Dentists could use physician-style officer titles with an identifying addition such as (Z) for Zahnarzt.

Veterinary officers used parallel titles such as Veterinär, Oberveterinär, and Stabsveterinär.

For a fuller overview, see German military medical ranks during the Second World War.

Pay information

As its name suggests, the Soldbuch played an important role in military pay administration.

The booklet could record:

• pay group;
• rank-related pay information;
• payments received away from the serviceman’s normal unit;
• advances;
• signatures and stamps confirming payments.

The details vary between booklets.

For many modern researchers, the pay entries are less immediately striking than unit or hospital records. Nevertheless, they form part of the document’s original purpose and can help establish where and when the booklet was used.

Clothing and equipment

A Soldbuch could contain a record of clothing and equipment issued to the serviceman.

Examples may include:

• tunics;
• trousers;
• boots;
• shirts;
• coats;
• caps;
• blankets;
• belts;
• bread bags;
• gas-mask equipment;
• other personal military items.

The entries may be written as abbreviated item names, quantities, or issue marks.

These pages can offer a useful insight into the practical realities of military life. They show that the Soldbuch was not only a record of major events such as promotions or hospital stays. It was also an administrative tool used for routine matters.

Weapons and specialist equipment

Some Soldbücher contain entries relating to weapons, gas-protection equipment, or other specialist items.

Possible entries include:

• rifle;
• pistol;
• bayonet;
• gas mask;
• gas-mask canister;
• binoculars;
• specialist tools;
• medical equipment;
• personal protective items.

The type of equipment recorded may reflect the serviceman’s role.

A physician assigned to a hospital may have a very different equipment record from an infantryman. A medic attached to a frontline company may have been issued items associated with both ordinary military service and casualty care.

Researchers should avoid assuming that every listed item remained in the serviceman’s possession throughout the war. Equipment could be returned, replaced, lost, or reissued.

Vaccinations and medical entries

The Soldbuch may contain vaccination records and other health-related information.

Possible entries include inoculations against:

• typhoid;
• paratyphoid;
• cholera;
• tetanus;
• smallpox;
• other infectious diseases.

The exact vaccines recorded depend on the serviceman’s branch, location, period of service, and intended deployment.

Vaccination records are historically valuable because they illustrate the preventive side of military medicine. The medical services were concerned not only with battle wounds but also with disease control.

For Sanitäter.eu, these pages are particularly relevant because they show how military medicine affected every serviceman, not only those who entered hospital.

Hospital admissions

One of the most useful sections of a Soldbuch records hospital treatment.

Entries may include:

• date of admission;
• date of discharge;
• name or number of the hospital;
• responsible unit;
• signature;
• official stamp.

The reason for admission is not always stated. A hospital entry can therefore confirm that a serviceman received treatment without necessarily revealing whether he had been wounded, injured, or become ill.

Possible hospital types include:

German term	Approximate meaning
Lazarett	Military hospital
Feldlazarett	Field hospital
Kriegslazarett	War hospital, generally farther behind the front
Reservelazarett	Reserve hospital, often within Germany or an occupied territory
Ortslazarett	Local military hospital

A single hospital admission should not automatically be treated as evidence of a combat wound. Additional records may be needed.

Useful supporting sources can include:

• hospital documents;
• casualty reports;
• award certificates;
• letters;
• photographs;
• archival records;
• the individual’s Wehrpass.

Awards and decorations

A Soldbuch may record awards and decorations.

Possible entries include:

• Iron Cross;
• War Merit Cross;
• Wound Badge;
• campaign medals;
• service awards;
• branch-specific badges;
• foreign decorations.

An award entry may contain:

• date;
• name of the decoration;
• signature;
• rank of the approving officer;
• official unit stamp.

The absence of an award from the Soldbuch does not always prove that the serviceman never received it. Administrative entries could be incomplete, especially late in the war.

Award certificates, photographs, and other documents should be compared with the Soldbuch whenever possible.

Leave and travel

The Soldbuch could record periods of leave, known as:

Urlaub

Leave entries may contain:

• starting date;
• ending date;
• destination;
• reason for leave;
• approving signature;
• unit stamp.

These entries can help establish where a serviceman was at a particular time.

A period of leave may also explain why an individual was absent from his unit during an important event. Researchers should therefore check leave records before drawing conclusions from unit histories alone.

Detached duties and administrative stamps

A Soldbuch often contains stamps and notes added by multiple units and offices.

These can reflect:

• temporary attachments;
• detached duties;
• hospital treatment;
• equipment issue;
• leave;
• pay;
• travel;
• replacement-unit administration;
• discharge;
• changes in rank or status.

Some stamps are clear and easy to read. Others are faint, partly obscured, or placed over handwritten entries.

When transcribing a stamp, it is good practice to record:

• the visible wording;
• the date;
• the unit or office;
• the colour of the ink, when relevant;
• any uncertain letters;
• whether the stamp overlaps another entry.

A cropped image of the stamp can be extremely useful for other researchers.

Soldbücher of medical personnel

The Soldbücher of medical personnel deserve particular attention.

A booklet may belong to:

• a frontline medic;
• a stretcher-bearer;
• a medical NCO;
• an ambulance driver;
• a hospital orderly;
• a pharmacist;
• a dentist;
• a physician;
• a veterinarian;
• a medical administrator.

The document may reveal whether the individual served:

• with an infantry unit;
• in an armoured formation;
• with artillery;
• in a medical company;
• in an ambulance unit;
• in a field hospital;
• in a reserve hospital;
• in a replacement and training organisation;
• at a headquarters;
• in a Luftwaffe, Navy, or Waffen-SS formation.

The word Sanitäter should be used carefully. Not every man in a medical unit was a frontline medic, and not every medical professional was a physician. A Soldbuch must be read in combination with rank, unit, training, and occupational information.

Reading a Soldbuch carefully

A Soldbuch can reveal a great deal, but it is not a complete biography.

Researchers should keep several principles in mind:

1. Begin with a full-page photograph or scan. Context is important.
2. Transcribe the original wording first. Expand abbreviations only after recording what is actually visible.
3. Distinguish stamps from handwriting. They may have been added at different times.
4. Check all dates. A later entry may refer to an earlier event.
5. Do not confuse replacement units with frontline units.
6. Do not assume that hospitalisation proves a combat wound.
7. Compare the Soldbuch with the Wehrpass. The two documents may clarify one another.
8. Preserve uncertainty. A provisional reading is better than an incorrect definitive statement.
9. Consult external records. Archival files, casualty reports, identity-tag registers, and unit histories may provide additional context.
10. Remember the limitations of wartime administration. Records may be incomplete.

Older German handwriting, military abbreviations, overlapping stamps, and damaged pages can make interpretation difficult. Even experienced researchers may disagree about a unit number or handwritten word.

Researching the individual

A Soldbuch is an excellent starting point for further research.

Useful questions include:

• What was the serviceman’s full name and date of birth?
• What was his civilian profession?
• Which branch of the armed forces did he serve in?
• What was his identity-disc inscription?
• Which replacement unit was responsible for him?
• Which field units appear in the document?
• Did his rank change?
• Did he receive specialist medical training?
• Was he admitted to hospital?
• Did he receive awards?
• Did he go on leave?
• Are there unexplained gaps in the timeline?

The German Federal Archives preserves a large quantity of person-related military material. Its online guidance explains how to submit enquiries about individual servicemen and notes that some records remain incomplete or are not indexed by name.<ref name="BundesarchivResearch">Bundesarchiv, “Personal Documents of Military Provenance”. Available online: Bundesarchiv.</ref>

A negative search result should therefore not automatically be treated as proof that no additional documents survive.

Historical context

A Soldbuch is an administrative document, but it should not be studied in isolation from the historical context in which it was used.

The German armed forces served the National Socialist state and fought a war that caused immense suffering across Europe and beyond. Medical personnel were part of that military system. Their documents can help us study wartime medicine and reconstruct individual lives, but they should not be used to romanticise the war or the institutions that produced them.

Sanitäter.eu approaches these documents as historical evidence: carefully, critically, and respectfully.

Summary

The Soldbuch was a German military pay book and identification document carried during active service.

A surviving Soldbuch may contain:

• personal details;
• a photograph;
• rank;
• military registration number;
• identity-disc information;
• unit entries;
• replacement affiliations;
• pay information;
• clothing and equipment records;
• vaccinations;
• hospital admissions;
• awards;
• leave records;
• stamps and signatures from military offices.

For researchers, the document provides a practical view of an individual’s wartime service. It is especially valuable when studied together with the Wehrpass, archival records, photographs, letters, and other surviving papers.

References

<references />

See also

• Understanding the Wehrpass
• Soldbuch
• Soldbuch document archive
• Wehrpass document archive
• German military medical ranks during the Second World War
• German military medical abbreviations
• Researching an individual serviceman
• Medical units of the Wehrmacht
• Sanitäter
• Krankenträger