Two First War German Militärpässe; 5Th Lorrainese Infantry & Landsturm Infantry Kiel

Two military passports of WWI soldiers Niebert & Jürgens, 8.4 x 13.5 cm. Date of item: 1902. Condition: good, signs of aging. Two Militärpässe (military passports) of two soldiers that both started their service in 1902 and served in WWI.

The first soldier is Unteroffizier (Sergeant) Friedrich Wilhelm Niebert, born Nov 21st, 1883 in Gaditz (today a part of Kemberg, eastern Germany). He started his service in 1902 as a regiment’s musician of the 5th Lorrainese Infantry Regiment 144.

During WWI he served in the 3rd Company of the Ers.-Btl. Res.-Inf.-Regt. 26 (substitute battalion reserve infantry regiment), as well as the 6th Company of Reserve Inf.-Reg. 26 since Apr 1916. In July 1917 he was promoted, but the rank is indecipherable. He served as a musician, the details are indecipherable. During 1916 he fought in Russia, in 1918 in France. He included his discharge papers from 1918.

The second soldier Christian Jürgens. He was born Dec 11th, 1882 in Uetersen, Prussia, is a teacher, a protestant, and has one child with his wife is Rebekka Jürgens, nee Schütt. She lives in Bergedorf (today a borough of Hamburg).

He was drafted on Sep 26th, 1914 as part of the mobilization, and assigned to the 1st Company of the Landsturm infantry battalion Kiel. Between Nov 1914 and June 1916 he fought in Flandern, Belgium, with the 8th Company of Landstr. Inf. Reg. 31.

In July 1916 he was redeployed to the 13th (?) Landst. Inf. Batl. Posen V/48. From June 1818 until Jan 1919 he was stationed in Ukraine. He made lance corporal in 1916 and sergeant in 1917, and was discharged on Jan 1919. He was awarded an Iron Cross 2nd Class in 1917. He had his Ersatzreservepaß (passport of the reserve) for his time as Ersatzreservist Christian Jürgens stapled in. It has more pre-war deployment information, placing him in northern Germany, around Hamburg.