Tragic Soldbuch grouping to young Gefreiter Johannes Stadtmüller from Bürstadt, who was killed shortly after his 19th birthday as a Grenadier fighting the Americans on the grounds of the "Domäne Schickelsheim" manor near Braunschweig, on 12th of April 1945.  

The Soldbuch is a first issue from June 1944. Stadtmüller was trained with Grenadier-Ersatz-Bataillon 17 in Braunschweig, and appointed officer candidate. He thus remained in officer training and with his reserve unit until well into 1945, when the front neared and he was thrown into battle against the Americans. On 12th of April 1945, the 30th US Infantry Division took the city of Braunschweig and pushed east. During their quick advance that day, Stadtmüller was killed and buried on the estate grounds, where he still rests today in an isolated grave.  

His dogtag was broken in half during the burial, one half buried with him and the other half kept with his blood stained Soldbuch. It was discovered half a year later by the new Schickelsheim mayor, and returned to the parents. Two letters by the mayor are included to the grouping, as well as a portrait photo (likely a relative?) and two nice extra documents: a Kriegs-Kraftfahrschein by the NSKK Motorstandaret 58 (Braunschweig) from 1942, and his Facharbeiterbrief by the Volkswagenwerk in Braunschweig from 1943.