Germany, Heer. A Wehrpaß to Heinrich Podolske, Afrika Korps MIA

(Heer Wehrpaß). Constructed of a field-grey paper stock binding, the interior 52 paginated pages featuring extensive handwritten entries, the former indicating that the Wehrpaß belonged to Heinrich Podolske and details his service on the Western and Eastern Fronts as well as Africa, with all pages intact, the bearer’s photo has been removed, in otherwise extremely fine condition.

Footnote: Heinrich Ernst Podolske was born on 15 October 1916 in Kiel. He registered for service on 26 May 1936, and was sworn into the Wehrmacht on 21 November 1938, with service time retroactive to 1 October of the same year. Podolske was trained on the Karabiner 98k rifle, Pistole 08, and the MP 40 submachine gun. He initially served with Infanterie-Regiment 26, seeing combat in Poland (including the Battle of the Bzura), followed deployment to Belgium and France in the spring of 1940, where he participated in other key engagements, such as the Battle of the Lys. After occupation duty in France and the Netherlands, Podolske was deployed to the Eastern Front during Operation Barbarossa, where he suffered a gunshot wound to the chest in Russia on 16 August 1941. After recuperating in Denmark on sentry duty through the end of 1942, Podolske was ruled fit for both desert and winter combat, and was deployed to North Africa in January 1943, where he served with Feld-Ersatz-Bataillon 33 (15. Panzer Division). He is listed as missing in action on 7 April 1943, and does not appear on casualty or Red Cross missing persons list, and was presumably taken prisoner shortly before his unit was destroyed. Podolske was a recipient of the 1939 Iron Cross II Class (27 June 1940), the Infantry Assault Badge in Silver (10 April 1942), and the Black Grade Wound Badge (10 April 1942).