Soviet Very interesting Red Army ID book!

[Noor]

Hello,

I got very interesting Red Army ID document. What you think about it, how it is possible that they even wrote in there, service in German army!?!?!?!

[Guest Rick Research]

Hard for me to read from the scan, but appears to have been issued in the Estonian SSR. Being "over the hill" and with the briefest of service in the Wehrmacht, apparently he was VERY lucky to have been cut some slack.

I've never seen one like this issued for release to the reserves at age 40 with ZERO service in the Soviet Forces.

[Chris Boonzaier]

Soooo... what does it say?

[Guest Rick Research]

Iokhannes-Ekart Kalom born in 1908, presumably released from obligation to serve as of 30 April 1948 when this was filled out (can't read all of stuff under water-buckled stamps in first scan)

Second scan says

In Soviet army

did not serve

Served in German

army as private

from 10.2.44 to 22.9.44

There should be other entries.

[Riley1965]

He served in the German Army and lived to tell about it?!!

Doc

[Guest Rick Research]

Well, real Germans did. I'm wondering whether he might have deserted and thus earned himself some points with the new regime. Any other entries might reveal more details.

I have seen paperwork from residents of Alsace-Lorraine who had served in the German army during WW1 (naturally, having been annexed in 1871) who were then punished by being forced to "make up for it" by doing compulsory draftee time all over again in the French army after 1918.

I wouldn't have been quite so surprised if that had happened to Johannes-Eckart here. But he does indeed seem to have been a "catch and release."

[Noor]

His name was Johannes- Egbert Kalm from Estonia and like I understand, he was a private in the german army. But what is the most weird is that he got this document almost just after the war. Usually even people who cooperate with the germans, end up in Siberia. People, who served in the German army definetly do or even got shot.

[Christian Zulus]

His name was Johannes- Egbert Kalm from Estonia and like I understand, he was a private in the german army. But what is the most weird is that he got this document almost just after the war. Usually even people who cooperate with the germans, end up in Siberia. People, who served in the German army definetly do or even got shot.

Gentlemen,

that case is another proof, how liberal the Soviet regime had been .

Maybe he also got some medals for participating in the GPW - wrong side, but who cares .

Serious: As a true and native German Mr. Johannes had some arguments towards the NKVD-interrogations, why he had to serve for some month in TR-Army. As a Russian, the NKVD would have shot him or sentenced for many years to labour camp in Siberia.

Very interesting case - many thanks for sharing to us .

Best regards

Christian

[kimj]

Nice book noor!

I don't think he was german at all. Most ethnic germans living in Estonia had been "resettled" back to Germany in 1939-41. So this guy is most likely Estonian. Being Estonian he was called up in the 1944 mobilisation in Estonia. All men born 1904-1923 were called in to the defence force, by order of 31 january 1944. In late september fighting in Estonia was almost over. Perhaps he desided to end the war as a POW...

Any other interesting notes in the book?

[Noor]

Hello,

Yes kimj. He must be Estonian, because Johannes is 100% Estonian name also Kalm is common in Estonia as well. I don?t understand much, what?s in there. My Russian language is not very good but I can understand some bits and pieces .

He was probably serving after the 1944 mobilization in some Estonian regiment (piirikaitser?gement) fighting near lake Peipsi. Germans used Estonian troops as a shield, when they start moving out, also Estonians didn?t wanted to go in Germany, because it wasn?t they war in there anymore. They main interest was protecting Estonia against communism.

When Red Army occupied Estonia in 1944 again, lots of families hiding in the forest, tried to escape west (using Sweden and Finland mainly) or left from country with German troops. Red Army did as well new mobilization in Estonia and even some man, who was German army, joined now with Red Army, to get ?clean papers?. Of course no one admit service in ?wrong side?. So, in last battles, I know there where even ex 20th Estonian Wafen SS Division volunteers in Red Army . But usually all of them ascertained by KGB and they finish in Siberia as well.

That?s the reason, why this document looks so mad to me! How it is possible, that he let wrote service in German army in his Red Army book and why he got it???? POW-s never got this kind a document. So, it must be included some service or work with Red Army after the war?

[kimj]

noor. We have some people namned Johannes here in Sweden too (8804 to be exact, altough some could be Estonian by birth. )

I wrote POW because then you can't lie about where you served, even if it was in the Wehrmacht. So that would end up in your ID. Also if you deserted to the Red Army it would be a plus, in their book. If all Estonian males born 1904-23 were in the German army 1944 then you will have some work ahead if you wanted to send them all to Siberia.

I am not familiar with soviet practice. But I would think that you would need some sort of paper to show that you have done your mandatory military service or good reason why not.

If you could post some pics from other pages like those with no.1-8, with rank, speciality etc. no.22; no.23-24 it would be interesting to see if 24 is filled in. That is the award section.

I?m sure that would get us closer to see what he did after/during the war.

Here is one of my books. You can see some of the stuff you can learn from it. No1-8 tells us lots of stuff what he did as a soldier. The book holding the reserve ID in place is the same guys ww2 ID.

/Kim

[Noor]

noor. We have some people namned Johannes here in Sweden too (8804 to be exact, altough some could be Estonian by birth. )

I wrote POW because then you can't lie about where you served, even if it was in the Wehrmacht. So that would end up in your ID. Also if you deserted to the Red Army it would be a plus, in their book. If all Estonian males born 1904-23 were in the German army 1944 then you will have some work ahead if you wanted to send them all to Siberia.

I am not familiar with soviet practice. But I would think that you would need some sort of paper to show that you have done your mandatory military service or good reason why not.

If you could post some pics from other pages like those with no.1-8, with rank, speciality etc. no.22; no.23-24 it would be interesting to see if 24 is filled in. That is the award section.

I'm sure that would get us closer to see what he did after/during the war.

Here is one of my books. You can see some of the stuff you can learn from it. No1-8 tells us lots of stuff what he did as a soldier. The book holding the reserve ID in place is the same guys ww2 ID.

/Kim

Of course not all of them didn?t served in the German army. Some of them were in the Red Army (Eesti Laskurkorpus), some of them escape to the Finland and fought in there (200th Infantry regiment in Finland) and some of them didn?t served at all. And those, who didn?t, Red Army tried to mobilize them first 1944.

When you must proof your past military service and you tell to the Red Army after the Second World War that you were in the German side, you never get any document! Just lots of problems ! I know that most of Estonians who fought with the Germans and cached by the Red Army 1944-1945 started they "trip" in the working camps and 1946 (when i am right) served in the working units in North-East Estonia. And then it is written to ID book, but not in this one.

I am in work at the moment and extremely busy, I try to make more pictures in coming days and I will post them here.

I start research now in the Estonia as well about the owner of this ID book. It would be interesting to know, what he did after the war.

MvH,

[Belaruski]

Interesting book!

I know a lot of Finns were allowed to change sides, but for this Estonian it would be the circumstances of German service, and leaving that would decide his fate. (Such as if he joined the Germans, then stole weapons and went to the partisans etc.)

[Noor]

This document goes for a trade or sale. Is anyone interested here maybe?