Important passport issued in Japan
1942 German passport from Yokohama.
The document in the article here was issued in Japan at the height of WW2.
When I was browsing on the internet a few days ago a document caught my attention. The actual type of document is not rare. Being a regular issued NS passport. BUT, after examining it closely I realized it was rather a special issue, due to the location it was issued at and the period as well.
The article here will introduce to you an item that is not common and if one is fast enough, quick enough, then you may be able to add it into your collection, as I did recently.
German passport number 102/42 was issued at Yokohama by Wilhelm Worbker who just arrived at the city. He served there until the end of the war. Some brief information on him:
- First posting by the German AA was to Madrid in 1926.
- He moved to the embassy in Santiago, Chile in 1931.
- He continued to serve at Melbourne, Australia in 1938.
- The following year he was sent to Japan while enroute back home.
Though not used, without visas and travel, it was held by its holder up to the early 1950’s, still in Japan. We can see markings for Tokyo dating from the Allied occupation.
I have added images of this rare document.
Thank you for reading “Our Passports”.
Ross Nochimson - expert collector
Bravo – Neil – a wonderful document, how do you manage to find it!
Neil
Dear Ross,
Thank you for the comment! Yes, I was very lucky to grab this one fast enough!
You being an expert collector yourself have noticed the importance of this gem.
Thank you!
James
It’s interesting she was still using a Nazi era passport as ID as late as 1950 – I would have assumed she’d have had to exchange it for a West or East German passport by then. I never wondered before what happened to overseas Germans at the end of the war – I can’t imagine travelling around with a document covered in swastikas would have made them too popular.