Wehrpass - decorated Artillery officer, wounded Eastern Front

2nd edition Wehrpass for Hauptmann der Reserve Münz (Reserve Captain). From Reutlingen, Germany, he was born in 1915. He joined the army in July 1937, having served in the RAD in 1936. He enlisted as a private (Gefreiter), was promoted to Unteroffizier (NCO) before the war began, was promoted to the officer rank of Leutnant in April 1940, followed by Oberleutnant and reached the rank of Hauptmann in December 1943. 

He was awarded the Sudetenland Annexation medal, the SA Sports Badge, the Equestrian Badge, a gunner’s badge (Richtkannonier abz.), a shooting / marksmanship badge (schiessauzeichnung Stufe I), the Eastern Front Campaign medal (Ostmedaille), the Iron Cross 2nd Class (EK2), the Iron Cross 1st Class (EK1) and the Wound Badge. He also had a multi class military driver’s license (Wehrmacht Führerschein kl. I-III). 

He was trained to use the standard Gewehr 98k rifle, the MG34 machine gun and the MP38 submachine gun. He was trained on operating 8 different artillery pieces: the standard 105mm, 150mm and 210mm guns, as well as the rare 17cm K 18 in MrsLaf (an excellent artillery gun, fewer than 350 produced during the war) and two captured Soviet guns (12.2cm and 15.2cm, both used extensively by the Wehrmacht). 

He first served with the 41st artillery regiment, later serving with several different artillery units, several of them motorized. He saw extensive action in France in 1940 (combat around Sedan, along the Oise and Aisne rivers, etc), followed by coastal protection duty on the Belgian coast (summer 1940 - February 1941). He participated in the invasion of Russia, fighting in several historically notable battles in 1941: Bialystok-Minsk encirclement (Doppelschlacht v. Bialystok u. Minsk), Battle of Smolensk, fighting around Vitebsk, the Vyasma - Bryansk encirclement and the advance on Moscow (fighting around Kalinin and the Moscow Canal). He was in a defensive position until the spring of 1942, then participated in the defense of the Rzhev salient (the so-called “Rzhev Meatgrinder”). He fought in the iconic battle of Kursk in early July 1943, then saw action around Bryansk and Orel before taking a defensive position along the Dniepr river in late 1943. 

He was declared “war wounded” in December 1944 (unsure if he continued to serve until the end of the war). His uniform and gasmask size is specified, as well as his blood type and physical stats (he was tall guy, 188cm). 

A fairly rare artillery officer’s Wehrpass, all entries and stamps are photographed. Very collectible given how decorated and experienced this soldier was, very cool the number of weapons he was trained to use.