Original Item: One-of-a-kind Set. This is a great German late WWII Wehrpaß Identification Book, issued 17. 11. 44. in Amburg and named to RAD Labor Corps Arbeitsmann Kurt Georg Heldmann. This was the lowest rank, and translates to "working man", the basic member of the labor corps. It even still has his picture in the book, held in place by the correct hollow rivets with inspection stamps over the corners. During the NSDAP period many new types of identification were required, both for civilians and military personnel, both as a method of control and to help protect vital parts of the German war machine. These books often recorded quite a bit about the owners life, much more than just their basic information. These Wehrpaß identification books were required beginning in 1935 with the beginning of conscription in NSDAP-ruled Germany, and all eligible males were required to get one.

Heldmann was one such individual, and the book gives the pertinent information about his life, as well as his parentage, religion, and so forth. It has all the correct stampings, as well as his signature under his photograph. These documents make great translation projects, but in this case the Wehrpaß came with a translation and service summary, the highlights of which are as follows:

- During WWII Heldmann was registered 17 November 1944 at the recruiting sub-district Headquarters in Amberg. Born 17. 1. 28. in Schnaittenbach outside Amberg, Heldmann was only 16 years old when he was registered for military service.
- A few months later 12 January 1945 he was officially drafted in Bruschal, and found to be Fit for Service, and assigned the classification "Fit men under 35, who have not been trained".
- On 20 February 1945, Heldmann was formally inducted into the RAD Labor Service as an Arbeitsmann, and received the proper RAD training. He was assigned to Troop 2/421, Kindischbergerdorf, and served until 16 April 1945, when he was discharged.

A really great document from the late WWII era with some great research potential. The induction of 16 year olds into service shows just how desperate Germany had become by this late into the war, which would end less than a month after Heldmann was discharged.

Of note: some of the writing in this book is in Kurrentschrift, an older form of Germanic script writing, which is why the all the "u" letters are written as "ŭ". In this script the lowercase "n" and "u" are identical, so the latter gets the arc shaped mark over it. This is not indicative of an umlaut or other diacritical marking.

The basis of the RAD, Reichsarbeitsdienst, (National Labor Service), dates back, at least, to 1929 with the formation of the AAD (Anhalt Arbeitsdienst) and the FAD-B (Freiwillingen Arbeitsdienst-Bayern). Shortly after AH’s appointment as Chancellor in Jan 1933, the NSDAP consolidated all labor organizations into the NSAD (Nationalsozialist Arbeitsdienst), a national labor service. It served as an agency to help mitigate the effects of unemployment on the German economy, militarize the workforce and indoctrinate it with NSDAP ideology. It was the official state labor service, divided into separate sections for men and women.

On June 26 1935 the NSAD was officially re-designated RAD. Originally personnel serving with RAD wore a variety of earlier FAD/NSAD belt buckles until February 15TH 1936 when new pattern belt buckles for Officer’s and EM/NCO’s were introduced to provided uniformity in dress.