Another Wehrpaß. Arrived before Christmas, but the house has been too busy for me to photograph and post new acquisitions. Barring the staining on the photograph, this one is in great shape. The spine is a little crooked, but all pages are present and firmly in place.
What I’ve been able to ascertain by myself: The man’s name was Ernst Nelke, born in 1911. Father’s name August, mother’s name Marta. His mother passed away in 1920.
Mustered in Hildesheim on the 8th of November, 1939. Assigned to an Infanterie (Panzer Jaeger) regiment, Kompanie 71. This last part is an educated guess, based on the abbreviations stamped on page 11.
Ernst seems to have received training in the use of the K98 rifle, and what looks like ‘Pak.’ Referring to the anti-tank gun? There is a third entry on this page which I do not recognise.

Looking at page 35, it seems Ernst was unfortunately a casualty of Operation Barbarossa, falling on the 10th of August, 1941. I’m not one hundred percent sure on this, but the last word of the first paragraph ‘gefallen’ seems to indicate this. I believe this entry describes the circumstances of Ernst’s death, but I cannot read it myself. Would the German War Graves Commission have any information on this man?

In my rather brief time on this forum, I am glad that I have learnt so much. Already, I can partially translate these identification documents, where before I could only stare at the pages in wonder and confusion. In time, I hope that I will learn enough to be able to read these documents as easily as I’d read a book. After that, I will be able to tell the stories of these individuals, lost in the details to the broader strokes of history.

Regards, B.B.