Wehrpaß of Wolfgang Ernst Hermann Zinke

US/British Safe Conduct Pass Leaflet for German Soldiers in Europe
subject: A common allied safe conduct pass dropped on German soldiers post D-Day.
description: (Translation of the back side of the sheet) Principles of the Law of War Captives (According to the Hague Convention 1907, Geneva Convention 1929) From the moment of surrender, German soldiers are regarded as prisoners of war and fall under the protection of the Geneva Convention. Accordingly, their rights as soldiers will be fully respected. Prisoners of war are to be brought to collection points as soon as possible, far enough away from the danger zone to ensure their personal safety. They will receive the same food, in quality and quantity, as members of the Allied armed forces, and if sick or wounded, they will be treated in the same hospitals as Allied troops. Badges and valuables are to remain with the prisoners of war. Money may only be taken by officers at the collection points, and for this, a receipt will be issued. In the prisoner-of-war camps, sleeping quarters, allocation of accommodation, bedding, and other facilities are to be equivalent to those of the Allied garrison troops. According to the Geneva Convention, prisoners of war may neither be subjected to reprisals nor exposed to public curiosity. After the end of the war, they will be sent home as soon as possible. Soldiers are defined, under the Hague Convention (IV, 1907), as all armed persons wearing a uniform or a clearly recognizable insignia. Rules for Capture: To avoid misunderstandings during capture, the following is required: Lay down weapons, remove helmet and belt; raise hands and wave a handkerchief or this leaflet. US/QB-ZG61-1944
source: Acquired from Antiekcentrum Amsterdam in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Translation provided by ChatGPT.
date: 1944

Rafting and Bridging Military Training Pamplet No.74 Part III Assault Crossing Equipment
subject: Prepared by the War Office ahead of both the D-Day landings and operation Market Garden. A fascinating look at military river crossing technology during the final stages of war.
source: Acquired from Le Poilu in Paris, France
date: January 1944

The "Two Types" by Jon

German Propaganda Leaflet to Soviet soldiers on the Courland Front
subject: This leaflet contains an appeal from Vlasov's Russian Liberation Army (POA) that was collaborating with the Wehrmacht to Soviet troops fighting in the Courland area.
description: To all personnel of units and formations of the Red Army of the Courland Front ANNOUNCEMENT I have the honor to inform you that I, Captain of the Russian Liberation Army, former captain of the Red Army — Vasilyev Mikhail Fyodorovich, have been appointed by the Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia (KONR) as its Authorized Representative on the Courland Front. The tasks of my activity include: Popularization of the great ideas of the Liberation Movement of the Peoples of Russia among the broad masses of personnel of units and formations of the Red Army of the Courland Front. Carrying out measures for the incorporation of units and formations of the Red Army of the Courland Front into the Armed Forces of the Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia, whose Commander-in-Chief is Lieutenant General A. A. Vlasov. Providing assistance to Red Army prisoners of war and refugees. I am confident that in the measures I am carrying out I will meet full support from your side. Authorized Representative of the Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia on the Courland Front Captain VASILYEV (Other Side) To pilots, tank crews, artillerymen, and mortar crews of units of the Red Army of the Baltic Front ANNOUNCEMENT From reports coming across the front from my friends—former fellow servicemen of the Red Army—it has become known to me, the Authorized Representative of the Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia (KONR) on the Courland Front, Captain Vasilyev M. F., that many of you would like to join Lieutenant General VLASOV, who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the KONR, and place aircraft, tanks, and other equipment at his disposal. I CLARIFY: That Red Army servicemen, for the accomplishment of such a holy feat, which contributes to the overthrow of Stalin’s despotism and thereby to the deliverance of the peoples of Russia from the bloody nightmare of war, will be given the full opportunity to fight honorably unde…
source: Acquired from Ostland Militaria in Vilnius, Lithuania. Translation provided by Chat GPT
date: Most likely Late 1944 - Early 1945

Soldier's Service and Pay Book Army Book 64 for Sergeant Ronald Henry Ashby
subject: Sergeant Ronald Henry was born September 19th 1916. His home address was in Maidstone. He began the war in the 45th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery and then was converted to an infantry role in the Queen's Own Royal West Kents sometime in early 1945 due to manpower shortages. The inside front cover of the book shows the remnants of a leave pass for Cairo. There are also two leave passes tucked inside for Venice and Naples after he had been reassigned to the Queen's Own Royal West Kents. There is also a movement control infectious disease card stamped RAF Glatton upon his return to the UK.
description: 45th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery (45th LAA Rgt), was a British Territorial Army (TA) unit formed in July 1940. After serving in Anti-Aircraft Command during the Battle of Britain and The Blitz, it went to North Africa as part of Operation Torch and fought in Tunisia and Italy. It ended World War II as a garrison regiment. The regiment was formed on 10 July 1940 as part of the rapid expansion of Britain's Anti-Aircraft (AA) defences during the Battle of Britain. It was originally constituted with 500 to 507 LAA Troops, which had been formed on 1 July. It was then joined by 102 and 135 LAA Batteries, which had been formed on mobilisation of the TA (23–25 August 1939) and by 142 LAA Bty transferred from 22nd LAA Rgt, a TA unit based in Birmingham. It formed part of 1st AA Bde, which had been reformed after the Dunkirk evacuation and had been assigned by Anti-Aircraft Command to defend the industrial town of Crewe in the West Midlands under 4th AA Division. Light AA guns were usually deployed to defend Vulnerable Points (VPs) such as factories , rail junctions, airfields etc, but AA Command was suffering a severe shortage of suitable LAA guns: with too few of the preferred Bofors 40 mm guns available, the newly-formed regiments were largely equipped with Light machine guns (AALMGs) until 1942. As AA Command expanded, 4th AA Division was split, and 1st AA Bde at Crewe was assigned to a new 11th AA Division. The West Midlands was badly hit during the Blitz of November 1940 to May 1941. By the end of the Blitz 45th LAA Rgt with its three batteries had transferred to the command of a new 68th AA Bde in 11th AA Division. The regiment sent a cadre of experienced officers and men to 224th LAA Training Rgt at Aberystwyth where they provided the basis for a new 265 LAA Bty formed on 12 June 1941. When this battery was regimented with 45th LAA Rgt on 4 September 102 LAA Bty transferred to a new 82nd LAA Rgt forming in Norfolk. Later that month, while the regimen…
source: Acquired from the London Medal Company in London, UK. Unit info provided by Wikipedia.
date: March 15, 1939 - September 3, 1945

15 Poems Russian Red Cross
subject: A collection of poems sold for 1 shilling by the Socialist Party in Belfast, Northern Ireland in support of the Russian Red Cross. Includes Poems by W.R. Rodgers, Rayner Heppenstall, John Hewitt, William Adair, Maurice James Craig, James Mackinlay, R.P. Maybin, Colin Middleton, and Paul Potts
source: Acquired from Needful Things Antique store Dublin, Ireland
date: 1942

Journal of Wolfgang Schewe (Kriegsmarine)
subject: The journal of someone who served on a German U-Boat. The journal describes his time in training and the photos seem to show him during active duty. Most of the entries are during 1941, and the final date written near the logo for U-929 being in 1945 just 5 days before VE Day. The passenger/cargo motor vessel CARIBIA (12,049 GRT / 5480 tdw) was laid down in 1931, and launched on 1 March 1932 by the Blohm & Voss shipyard, Hamburg-Steinwärder, yard number 493. Completed on 5 Febr 1933 for the Hamburg-America Line (HAPAG) for their West Indies-Central America service. As a twin-screw vessel, Caribia was powered by two 8-cyl. MAN diesel engines with a total power of 11,500 HP, giving a service speed of 15 kn, maximum speed 17 kn. She could accommodate 447 passengers in three classes and had a crew of 198. Caribia begun her maiden voyage from Hamburg in March 1933, remaining on the West Indies route until 1939 before the outbreak of World War II. After 1 Sept 1939 the ship was first laid up and in 1940 requisitioned by the German Navy (Kriegsmarine) for the use as an accommodation ship in Flensburg-Mürwik, close to the Naval Academy. Caribia was painted overall gray and was armed with some AA-guns, remained in her role as a floating barrack throughout the whole war without any notable incident. German submarine U-929 was a Type VIIC/41 U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. She was ordered on 2 April 1942, and was laid down on 20 March 1943, at Neptun Werft AG, Rostock, as yard number 516. She was commissioned under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Werner Schulz on 6 September 1944. German Type VIIC/41 submarines were preceded by the heavier Type VIIC submarines. U-929 had a displacement of 769 tonnes (757 long tons) when at the surface and 871 tonnes (857 long tons) while submerged. She had a total length of 67.10 m (220 ft 2 in), a pressure hull length of 50.50 m (165 ft 8 in), an overall beam of 6.20 m (20 ft 4 in), a height of 9.60 m (31 ft 6 i…
description: Watch and Duty Small Watch Groups Watch Officer: Lieutenant Fraszezak Engineer Officer: Lieutenant Thielmann Chief Engineer: Senior Engineer Hegmann Helmsman: Petty Officer Meissner Division Commander: Captain z. See Gumprich The Training Period from 7 January to 31 May 1941 My Introduction to Active Service On January 7, 1941, around 6 p.m., I traveled with the 13th platoon from Berlin to the port of Stralsund. We arrived there at about 6 a.m., after a journey of several hours. Upon our arrival, we were assigned to the accommodation in the barracks and soon went to the naval training company. There was a lot of hustle and bustle! We were met by our commanding officers. “Gentlemen! You are now part of the submarine service!” We were given a short speech. Slowly, I began to feel proud to belong to such a company. Everything here was new and exciting. In the afternoon, we were assigned to our platoons and groups. I came to the 4th company for further training and was placed in the 3rd platoon, 9th group. Basic training began immediately afterward. ________________________________________ 3 Months of Basic Training Introduction Finally, the long-awaited day of basic training had come. For a long time, I had been preparing myself to fulfill the duties of a German sailor to the best of my ability. Although I already had an idea of what awaited me — the hardships and difficulties of a sailor’s life — I was still determined to give my best. We were now to learn everything that belonged to the foundation of military service: discipline, obedience, and physical endurance. The last days were spent with intensified exercises, and we were tested in the use of rifles and hand grenades. The training lasted four weeks. Training – Basic Exercises The Basic Training The first days of service were quite tough. In addition to the regular duties, we began with basic training. That meant: “Introduction to basic exercises!” The instructors were strict. The commands had to be carried out …
source: Purchased from Don Kochi and part of the Tom Long collection. Translation provided by ChatGPT. Information on the Caribia and Cordillera taken from ShipsNostalgia.com. Information on U-929 taken from Wikipedia.
date: January 7, 1941 - May 3, 1945

Two Japanese Soldiers in Etchu Fundoshi
subject: This is a photo of two Japanese soldiers Etchu Fundoshi (loincloth underwear) wearing their helmets and carrying their Type 38 rifles with backpacks hanging off of the ends. They are also wearing their leather cartridge belts across their upper torsos like a bandolier. In the background there are some other soldiers and possible a mule near a body of water.
description: The remnants of stickers at the corners of the photo indicate that this was taken from a larger photo album. Without the larger album for context, the soldiers names, unit, and location are difficult to determine. The grass seems more China or Manchuria than a pacific island, but this is only a guess. They might be getting ready to swim or bathe in the river.
source: Purchased from Vintage Productions at the Pomona Fairgrounds show.
date: 1937-1945

Bekanntmachung
subject: An announcement regarding an attack by Dutch Resistance fighters on a Wehrmacht soldier and the reprisals measures that will be taken by German authorities. This announcement issued by Johann Baptist Albin Rauter (4 February 1895 – 24 March 1949) was a high-ranking Austrian-born SS functionary and war criminal during the Nazi era. He was the Higher SS and Police Leader in the occupied Netherlands and therefore the leading security and police officer there during the period of 1940–1945. Rauter reported directly to the Nazi SS chief, Heinrich Himmler, and also to the Nazi Reichskommissar of the Netherlands, Arthur Seyss-Inquart. After World War II, Rauter was convicted in the Netherlands of crimes against humanity and executed by firing squad. In May 1940, he was appointed Generalkommissar für das Sicherheitswesen (General Commissioner for Security) and Höherer SS-und Polizeiführer (Higher SS and Police leader) for the occupied Netherlands. In his position as police commander and highest ranking SS leader in the Netherlands, Rauter was responsible for the deportation of 110,000 Dutch Jews to the Nazi concentration camps (6,000 survived) and the repression of the Dutch resistance. He had 300,000 Dutchmen deported to Germany for forced labour. His first victims to die were those killed during the armed break up of the February strike on 26 February 1941, accounting for 9 dead that day: he also immediately declared a state of emergency and ordered summary executions. He was the chief promoter of terror through summary arrests and internment in the Netherlands. The SS set up a concentration camp named Herzogenbusch after the city of 's-Hertogenbosch, but located in the neighboring town of Vught that gave the camp its name: Kamp Vught. In total this camp detained 31,000 people, of whom some 735 were killed. Also, his SS manned a so-called polizeiliches Durchgangslager or police transit camp near Amersfoort, known as Kamp Amersfoort, in fact also a concentration camp, wher…
description: ANNOUNCEMENT On January 30, 1943, a member of the German Wehrmacht was shot in the back in the municipality of Haarlem. As a reprisal for this attack, the curfew in the municipalities of Haarlem, Bloemendaal, and Heemstede is immediately moved forward from 24:00 (midnight) to 19:00 (7:00 p.m.) until further notice. Furthermore, the mayors of the aforementioned municipalities are instructed to immediately assign residents of the communities to a yet-to-be-determined patrol duty. Further measures will follow. The Hague, January 31, 1943 The Higher SS and Police Leader and Reich Commissioner for Security Affairs, RAUTER, SS-Gruppenführer
source: Purchased from Antiekcentrum Amsterdam, Netherlands. Translation provided by ChatGPT and additional information taken from Wikipedia.
date: January 31, 1943