David Held, a teacher, was born in Wolterdingen, in the Black Forest, in 1891. He was a veteran of the first World War. This Soldbuch was issued to him on September 1, 1939. He was, at that time, a Leutnant serving in Landesschützen-Bataillon II/V. He was promoted to Oberleutnant in April 1940 and was awarded the War Merit Cross Second Class with Swords in August 1940. In Novemer of 1940, he was promoted to Hauptmann, and then was discharged from the Army due to medical issues, but he was soon back in, as commander of 5. Kompanie, Landesschützen-Bataillon 422. This unit was tasked with POW guard duties in Germany, and served as guards for Stalag VA. Held suffered from the after-effects of a head injury and had a medical certificate stating he could not wear a helmet. He was issued a Czech pistol, and two flashlights (one with a battery, and one dynamo powered). Held carried this Soldbuch until the end of the war. With the Soldbuch are a number of wartime and postwar documents including his shooting records (he qualified with a light machine gun and a captured French rifle) and documents from his time as a POW. As a prisoner, he stated that he had been a member of the Nazi party because it was compulsory for him as a teacher.
