Soldbuch of Iwan Stepanow

Soldbuch of Iwan Stepanow

Soldbuch written in Russian and German for a soldier in the POA. The soldier has a Russian name, but the nationality Russian is crossed out and Latvian is written next to it. This possibly indicates that he was an ethnic Russian who was born in Latvia prior to the war. The book is marked A.O.K.18 indicating Armeeoberkommando 18 or the Wehrmacht's 18th Army. The Army was a part of the Army Group North until early 1945, when it was subordinated to Army Group Kurland. In October 1944, the army was encircled by the Red Army offensives and spent the remainder of the war in the Courland Pocket. The latest date found in this Soldbuch is from July 5th,1944 possibly indicating that he was captured or killed prior to the closure of the Courland Pocket was cut off. Given the brutality of the fighting on the Eastern Front and harsh treatment accorded to former POA members that were captured by the Russians, it is most likely that Iwan Stepanow died in combat or was captured and sent to a Soviet Gulag.

Some pages translated below:

Page 2:

Rank: Frw. Soldat - Freiwilliger Soldat, Volunteer soldier
Surname: Stepanow
Name: Ivan
Dog tag:
Blood type:
Date of birth: 26.6.1922
Nationality: Russian (crossed) Lette - Lette means Latvian
Profession: - this one is hard to read

Page 3:
Marital status: Ledig - single
Number of childer: / - none
Date of voluntary enlistment: 11.3.1943
Date of taking the oath: 17.5.1944
List.No.
Reserve unit: Frw. Ers. Abt. AOK 18 - Freiwillige Ersatz Abteilung Armeeoberkommando 18
Military profession, specialty:
Page 7 only lists "Gasmaske" - gas mask, as equipment
Page 9 also states rank: Frw. Soldat, as well as date and military payment in Rm - 16 payment category, 12.50 RM
The page 18 is a typed memo saying that Stepanow has the right to wear German rank insignia (Russian volunteers were forbidden from wearing these earlier in the war)

Purchased from Ostland Militaria in Vilnius, Lithuania

March 11th 1943 - July 5th 1944