www.gd-uk.org

I was wondering if anyone could pass on any information they have in regards to Soldbuch photographs. This could includ any scans of originals, composition techniques, poses, dress and appearance etc.

The information I have collected thus far is as follows. Any additions would be warmly welcomed.


"The inside cover was blank in most cases. Some late war Soldbücher had the information from the back cover flap printed on the inside cover. As the war progressed there were two security measures introduced to this cover.

In late 1943 or early 1944 pictures were required to be placed in this spot. The photo, which was usually a 2”x3”, was either stapled or riveted into place. The photo was then rubber stamped at the top left corner and the bottom right corner. The stamped used was to be the unit stamp w/ the unit's name, but sometimes Dienststelle Nr. Stamps were used. The photo was almost always in uniform and the Soldat was always facing the camera so that his left ear could be seen. The ear was a integral part of positive identification.

The Soldat also was required to sign under his picture."


Source - http://www.soldbuchweb.com


"Sometime in 1944, photo-graphs were required to be affixed inside the front cover of Army Soldbuchs as an additional security measure. A genuine Afrika Korps Soldbuch will therefore not have a picture in it, unless it was added after the campaign. Books from the Normandy campaign may or may not have photos in them. Of the 45 books in our study group that were actually carried in the Normandy campaign, 8 of them had no photograph at the time of the battles. All of the specimen books carried by front-line soldiers during the Ardennes campaign (a total of 151 books) have or had a photograph at the time of the battle.


Normally, the photos were stapled in with two staples, one through the upper right and one through the lower left corners, then stamped with the unit seal over the upper left and lower right corners (see illustration 2). The soldier then signed his name in ink under the photo. The stamps were meant to prevent substitution of a different photograph.

Of course there are variations to the norm; some photos are just glued, not stapled (48 books), some photos are riveted in like Wehrpaß photos (6 books), and sometimes the positions of the staples and stamps vary: staples upper left and lower right, stamps upper right and lower left, or staples in the middle of the top and bottom or sides, etc.. (29 books). Sometimes the soldier signed his name right across the bottom of the photo itself rather than underneath it (51 books), both on and underneath the photo (15 books), or not signed at all (7 books).

There are some variations to the photos themselves, but the typical photo is about 1-3/4" wide by 2-3/8" tall including a small white border, showing the soldier in his wool field tunic, down to about the bottom of the flaps of his tunic breast pockets, and posed with the soldier turned looking slightly to his right. The soldier has removed his hat and glasses, his hair is neatly combed (and often oiled) back, and his collar is closed. Many are smiling slightly, but only one man out of our group is smiling so you can see any teeth! Actually, there is an amazing variety of expressions, probably depending on the subject's situation at the time: some look terrified or confused, some look bored, some glare at the camera as if they were trying to intimidate the photographer. Some look exhausted, and a few look back at you with such haunted expressions that it gives you goose bumps.

There are some neat variants in the size and scope of the photos: the smallest photo examined was only 1 x 1 1/2 inches, and the largest was 2 1/2 x 3 3/4. A half-dozen or so of the photos had black borders and four had no borders at all. The coverage of the photo ranged from a little as down to the points of the collar (21 photos) and as much as down to the belt buckle (6 photos). In 13 examples, the soldier is dressed in his dress uniform, and in 5 photos, they are dressed in the pocketless green HBT work tunic. One man had his photo taken in his Border Customs uniform. One soldier has his mountain cap on, two soldiers have not removed their glasses, 19 have their collars open, and two, surprisingly, are still in civilian cloths! 29 men are posed turned to their 'left', but only 5 are posed faced directly at the camera. Most photos appear to have been taken in a studio, but a few appear to have been taken outside, apparently against the outside of a building, and 3 photos are actually cut out of group pictures! Ah, sweet diversity!"

Source - http://www.dererstezug.com/SoldbuchAnatomy1.htm


I have found that the most common techniques that recreate the best impression are usually shot indoors with a neutral background. The subject is seated, head and upper body turned slightly to the right looking either straight at the camera, or off to the side (natural to their facing/positioning). Tunic is buttoned up, glasses and cap are removed. The composition fills the frame, taken from either breast pockets upwards or at collar level upwards.


Thanks,
Füsilier Prien