Inside Cover:

Late in the war, photos were required to be affixed to the interior cover of the Soldbuch. The photos generally measure about 2" x 3" (and slightly smaller. These were affixed to the cover with two staples (less often with rivets), which were normally located in the upper right and lower left corners of the photos. For authenticity measures, the issuing unit would stamp the upper left and lower right of the image, with the soldier signing underneath the photograph, occasionally overlapping the picture.

The soldat was photographed turned slightly to his right, with any hats and glasses typically removed; display of the ear was an important identifying characteristic. The feldbluse was worn in the photo, and the image was framed from the bottom of his tunic pocket flaps upwards. Images should have a white border surrounding them.

Page 1: Basic Information

The first entry is the Serial Number of the Soldbuch, indicating only the sequential order in which the book was filled out. It was not the soldat's military number and would not necessarily match the number found on the Erkennungsmarke, especially if the book was issued later in the war.

The second entry is the rank of the soldat, current as of the time the Soldbuch was issued.

Within the box, subsequent promotions were recorded. The dates were listed in European format (day.month.year), with the promotion date listed as the first of the month awarded. Though usually handwritten, important promotions are occasionally stamped in.

Under the box, the soldat's first and last name are recorded by the issuing authority. Middle names weren't used.

The Erkennungsmarke number was handwritten in this section, with the issuing unit's name above the line and inscription. These were usually stamped but occasionally (in the case of early-war or replacement issue) the unit's name was handwritten.

Blood groups were normally recorded in red pencil, occasionally ink of various colors. Only the letter would be given, since the rH factor was not yet used.

There were three sizes of gas masks issued during the war: 1 (large), 2 (medium), and 3 (small). The smallest size was rare for combative soldiers, and typically seen only in women's issue.

Military ID numbers consist of five parts:

- Wehrbezirkskommando (the Soldat's Armed Forces Recruiting District Headquarters)
- Last two digits of the soldat's year of birth
- Number of the Military Police Precint in which the soldat registered
- Serial number of the roster induction sheet on which the soldat was listed
- Line number on which the soldat's information was recorded on the induction sheet