Nazi German Passport Issued in Luxembourg 1939
Nazi German Passport Issued in Luxembourg, October 1939
This is one of the rarest pieces in my personal collection: a German passport issued at the German Embassy in Luxembourg on 17 October 1939 — just three weeks after the outbreak of World War II and eight months before Nazi Germany occupied Luxembourg in May 1940.
What Makes This Passport Exceptional
A handwritten note on page one reads: “Tsch.Pass No.318 v. 14.4.1923, Paris” — indicating the couple previously held a Czechoslovak passport issued in Paris. The male bearer was born in Fürth, Germany; his wife in Audun-le-Tiche in northern France. That combination of origins, the Luxembourg issuance point, and the precise date make this one of the most historically layered Third Reich travel documents I have encountered in decades of collecting. In all those years, I have never come across another Nazi-era German passport issued in Luxembourg.
Historical Context — Luxembourg on the Eve of Nazi Occupation
Although Luxembourg was officially neutral, its position at the western end of the French Maginot Line made it strategically unavoidable for German war planners. On 10 May 1940, the Wehrmacht invaded Luxembourg simultaneously with Belgium and the Netherlands. The Grand Duchy was placed first under military administration, then civil administration, and was ultimately annexed directly into the Reich.
The Nazi regime viewed Luxembourg as a Germanic state and moved to suppress French language and cultural influences. From 1942, many Luxembourgers were conscripted into the German military as German nationals. Nearly 3,500 Luxembourgish Jews were murdered during the Holocaust in Luxembourg. Allied liberation began in September 1944 and was not completed until early 1945 due to the Ardennes Offensive.
Document Details
- Issued: 17 October 1939
- Issuing authority: German Embassy, Luxembourg
- Bearer birthplace (male): Fürth, Germany
- Bearer birthplace (female): Audun-le-Tiche, northern France
- Prior travel document: Czechoslovak passport No. 318, issued 14 April 1923, Paris
- Rarity: Only known Luxembourg-issued Nazi German passport in this collection
Related Passport History
If this document interests you, explore the brief history of the German passport in the GDR or browse rare passports available from the collection. For the full 500-year story of the passport as a document of power, control, and identity, see the book Let Pass or Die.
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Tom Topol | Passport Historian & Author
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