Heer Recruiters, Recruits, Teachers & Instructors:

Obergefreiter, Recruiting Wehrersatzamt Wehrkreis XI:

Wehrkreis was a regional command designed to relieve field commanders of as much administrative work as possible and to provide a regular flow of trained recruits and supplies to the Field Army Wehkreis XI was headquartered in Hannover and was responsible for recruit and replacement for over twenty Heer divisions.

Replacement and Recruitment for all branches of the Wehrmacht were handled by Abteilung Ersatzwesen u. Wehrersatzamt of the Wehrkreiskommando-Wkr.Kdo. through recruiting area inspectorates Wehrersatzinspektionen orW.E.I. and from there to the recruiting sub-area headquarters Wehrbezirkskommandos or W.B.K. These control the Military Reporting Offices Wehrmeldeämter or W.M.A. and set up the examining boards or Musterungsstab or Must. Stb.

Most Wehrkreis contain two or three recruiting areas with the number of recruiting sub-areas in each area varying between four and a dozen according to local needs. Each recruiting area is controlled by an Inspector of the Recruiting Area or Wehrersatzinspekteur, who is a general officer with the status and disciplinary authority of a division commander.  In some cases, he may be a naval or air officer, since the recruiting system operates jointly for all three branches. 

Recruiting sub-areas are commanded by lieutenant colonels or colonels selected from the class of officers whose suitability for active service in the field has ceased. They have the status of regimental commanders.

Conscription  During the spring of each year in peacetime, under directives issued by the OKW, those who were turning 20 years of age during the year were summoned by the Kreispolizei by means of public notices to appear at the local police stations for  Polizeiliche Erfassung or registration.  It should be noted that local police always have a complete roster of all residents of their precincts, based on compulsory registration.

The first examination  Shortly after the registration the recruiting the Wehrbezirkskommando would issue orders for the holding of the first examination or Musterung of the registrants. This is carried out according to local registration districts by the Musterungsstab which was a board that included military, police, civilian administrative authorities, and the Reichsarbeitsdienst, as well as medical officers.

On this occasion, the registrants are classified according to their physical fitness. Kriegsverwendungsfähig-Kv or fit for service, Bedingt kriegsverwendungsfähig or fit for limited service, Arbeitsverwendungsfähig -Av or fit for Labor Service, Wehruntauglich-Wu or totally unfit for service, Zeitlich untauglich or temporarily unfit for service.  Following their medical classification, the registrants are placed into the Ersatzreserve.

 The final Examination was taken at a second examination Aushebung or drafting. This was conducted by the same authorities as the first examination and resulted either in a deferment or indefinite assignment to a branch of service. The registrant then was told to go home and await orders.

Call-up or Einberufung is issued by mail by the recruiting sub-area headquarters in the form of an induction order or Gestellungsbefehl directing the registrant to report at a specified time at the headquarters of a replacement unit. 

Recruits reporting at a battalion headquarters are first subjected to roll-call and then distributed to the subordinate companies, where the final medical examination and actual induction or Einstellung takes place. Induction is followed by a mental and physical test to determine the most suitable employment for each man and the administration of the oath of allegiance.

 The Obergefreiter conducts lower-level administrative tasks and paperwork as well as moving groups of new recruits from station to station during their conscription process. 

The shoulder and collar insignia of his Feldbluse is piped in the orange-red Waffenfarb as is his Schirmmütz. During his duty day, he will wear matching trousers and Marchsteifel with a leather belt and buckle with no equipment or sidearm.

Rekruting  Feldwebel Wehrkreis XVIII Salzburg 1938:

The Wehrkreis system was set up throughout Germany to support the field army by doing as much administrative work as possible and to provide a regular flow of trained recruits and supplies.   

Each Wehrkreis controlled a Wehrbezirk Hauptquartier or District Headquarters which corresponded to the civilian political districts, in the case of XVIII this was Salzburg. 

Created following the annexation of Austria in 1938 XVIII set up Replacement Divison Staff 188 to control its replacement training units, mostly mountain troops.  Replacement Division Staff  418 was located in Salzburg.  XVIII was responsible for training 2., 3., 5., 6., 88., 188. Gebirgs, 118. Jäger and the 718. Infanterie Divisions.

Young German nationals were subject to service and the recruiting office functioned more as a selection branch than one of solicitation.  Following a young man’s 18th birthday he was tested both mentally and physically before his service in the Reichsarbietdienst or RAD which was the state labor corps. Following this period he would move into the military units supported by the Kreis for training. 

The Feldwebel wears a Feldbluse Model 36 which displays the Roman numeral cipher for the Wehrkreis in Salzburg.  The red-orange Waffenfarbe is particular to this branch. 

On the Bluse he wears the Sportsabzeichen in Bronze indicating he has tested and remains fit and competent in several military-oriented physical tasks such as marches with ruck, grenade throw, etc.  With the Bluse the Feldwebel most likely wears a  Schirmmütz with matching Waffenfarbe.

White Light Weight HBT Training Jacket:

The white lightweight “Work Uniform” that was received on enlistment, stayed with the recruits in their footlocker for if and when it was ever needed again. It was used so they would not soil their new uniforms, but that happened anyway, for training's sake.

The uniform was a spin on the general work outfits from the common citizen at the time of the 1800s into the 1900s it continued on and was the obvious pick for use with the recruits for the build-up to WWI as well as WWII. It was used throughout the war for these purposes, but I think from 1943 on as materials became harder to come by they were simply not available as the HBT became in demand for front-line use in camouflaged and gray uniforms.

The uniform was pretty much the same for all the services, and most times it ended up on the bottom of the footlocker. But not always, some, if it was taken with them, ended up in use on the front lines, in the bone-white, at first then they started dyeing them feldgrau.

These proved to be quite useful for summer use in Russia and later in 1944 on the Western Front as well, the white came in as an over-jacket for winter camouflage at times even, these were desperate measures for sure.