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German military identification and service record book (Wehrpass) belonging to Georg Floß, also transcribed as Floss, born on 20 September 1899 in Steinbach, Dillkreis district, Hesse. His civilian occupation was typesetter (Schriftsetzer). The document records his nationality as German (Deutsch), religion as Protestant (Evangelisch) and marital status as married (Verheiratet).
The Wehrpass was issued on 15 May 1937 by the Wehrbezirkskommando Mainz (Mainz Military District Command), under registration number Mainz 89, Ord. B. 16. It contains numerous handwritten entries, signatures, official stamps and military records documenting aspects of his service during the First World War, his subsequent reserve status and his military position during the Second World War.
Page 3 retains the original identification photograph, showing the holder wearing glasses, a civilian suit and tie. The photograph is secured by two rivets and partially covered by official stamps. The document also records family information, education, language skills and professional training.
One of its most significant features is the documentation of Georg Floß’s military service during the First World War (1914–1918). Units mentioned in the service records include:
The document also contains references to military hospitals (Lazarett) and other service assignments.
Pages 32 and 33 include the section entitled “Im Kriege mitgemachte Gefechte, Schlachten, Unternehmungen”, recording the engagements, battles and military operations in which the holder participated.
The Western Front sectors and operations mentioned include:
These entries document his association with several sectors of the Western Front. The operations relate to different periods and cannot necessarily be attributed to a single unit.
The Wehrpass records his discharge from military service on 1 December 1918, shortly after the end of the First World War.
During the interwar period, Georg Floß remained connected with the German military administration. The issue of his Wehrpass in 1937, together with subsequent entries, documents his inclusion in the Wehrmacht’s reserve registration and mobilization system.
Pages 27–29 contain entries relating to his reserve status, including stamps from the Wehrbezirkskommando Mainz and references to Wiesbaden.
Page 33 includes an entry dating from 1939–1940, possibly concerning guard or security duties. However, the available information does not establish his participation in front-line combat during the Second World War.
The document also preserves military training records from 1943. One entry refers to a course held between 6 and 9 April 1943, apparently related to weapons or military equipment.
Another entry covers the period 13 September to 10 November 1943, referring to Ausbildung im Führungsdienst, a term which may indicate training in command, leadership or communications-related duties, depending on the precise military context.
One of the most important documents in the group is an official Luftwaffe communication dated 7 December 1944, issued by the Wehrbezirkskommando Mainz, Sgb. Luftwaffe, Az. 21.
The letter is expressly addressed to:
“Herrn Major d. R. a. D. Georg Floß”.
This designation identifies the holder as Major der Reserve außer Dienst, meaning a reserve major no longer on active service.
The communication concerns certain administrative reporting obligations and provides documentary evidence of his military status in late 1944.
The identification as Major d. R. a. D. is particularly significant, confirming that Georg Floß had attained the rank of Major in the reserve, an officer rank substantially above that of enlisted personnel. An entry on page 27 apparently referring to Major d. R. is consistent with this identification.
The group is historically notable for bringing together personal military records relating to both World Wars, including First World War infantry units, Western Front operations, reserve records, military training during the Second World War and an official Luftwaffe communication from December 1944.
German Wehrpass of Georg Floß (born 1899), First World War veteran and Major der Reserve außer Dienst during the Second World War. Issued by Wehrbezirkskommando Mainz on 15.05.1937. Contains identification photograph, service records relating to several infantry regiments, Western Front combat entries from 1914–1918, military discharge dated 01.12.1918, reserve records and training entries from 1943. Accompanied by an official Luftwaffe communication dated 07.12.1944 addressed to “Major d. R. a. D. Georg Floß”. German military documentation covering the period 1914–1944.
Military identification and service record book (Soldbuch) of the Army of the Grand Duchy of Hesse (Großherzogtum Hessen), forming part of the Imperial German Army, belonging to Georg Floß, born on 20 September 1889, possibly in Neuenbach, Dieburg district, Hesse, according to a reading requiring confirmation. His civilian occupation was typesetter or compositor (Schriftsetzer). He is recorded as unmarried and Protestant (evangelisch).
The document was issued in Mainz on 2 October 1911 and relates to a serviceman assigned to the 7. Kompanie of Infanterie-Regiment Großherzogin (3. Großherzoglich Hessisches) Nr. 117, an infantry regiment of the Imperial German Army associated with the Grand Duchy of Hesse.
Georg Floß is identified as an Einjährig-Freiwilliger (one-year volunteer), a military service category within the German Empire that allowed eligible young men meeting specific educational and financial requirements to complete a reduced period of military service. This system also offered a potential route to a reserve officer commission, subject to the required qualifications.
The Soldbuch contains various identification details and a physical description of the holder. His height is recorded as 1.75 m, with a slender build (schlank), blond hair (blond) and incipient facial hair (Bart: Anflug). Entries concerning his chin, nose and mouth do not indicate any notable distinguishing features. The document also includes body measurements associated with the issue of uniforms and military equipment.
The section for decorations and awards (Orden und Ehrenzeichen) contains a dash, with no awards recorded on the pages examined. This absence of entries does not establish whether the holder subsequently received decorations during his military service.
The document is of particular historical interest because of its possible connection with a later Wehrpass issued in Mainz in 1937 in the name of Georg Floß, recording military service during the First World War and referring to Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 117, among other units.
Both documents share the holder’s name, his civilian occupation as a typesetter (Schriftsetzer), geographical associations with Hesse and Mainz, and references to the same infantry regiment. However, there is a discrepancy in the year of birth: 1889 in this Soldbuch and 1899 according to the initial reading of the Wehrpass. The identification of the two holders as the same individual must therefore remain provisional until the original entries have been verified.
Although the Soldbuch was issued before the outbreak of the First World War, its historical significance is associated with the military service of Imperial German Army personnel who subsequently took part in the conflict of 1914–1918. The examined documentation establishes his assignment to Infantry Regiment No. 117, but does not independently confirm a specific posting to a machine-gun unit (Maschinengewehr) or identify the combat operations in which he may have participated.
Soldbuch of the Army of the Grand Duchy of Hesse, German Empire, belonging to Georg Floß, born on 20.09.1889. Issued in Mainz on 02.10.1911. One-year volunteer (Einjährig-Freiwilliger) of the 7. Kompanie, Infanterie-Regiment Großherzogin Nr. 117. Contains personal identification details, physical description, equipment measurements and military records. Possibly associated with a later Wehrpass bearing the same name and documenting First World War service, identification requiring confirmation. Period German military document predating the First World War.
