Soviet Military ID Booklet (Военный билет)

Ministry of Defense of the USSR issued service record booklet, with translation and historically bounded interpretation.

Overview

This item is a Soviet-era «Военный билет» (Voyennyy bilet), a lifelong military identity and service-obligation booklet. These booklets functioned as both identification and a consolidated record of service, qualifications, awards, and reserve accounting. Many were re-issued or formally validated later in life when records were updated by local military commissariats.

Images

Cover of Soviet military ID booklet (Voyennyy bilet) — Cover: «Военный билет» with USSR emblem.

Personal identification page with photo and stamps — Identification page with photo and validation stamp (1963).

Service relationship pages with stamps and enlistment notes — Service relationship pages with enlistment notes and stamps.

Active duty service table with unit and dates filled in — Active duty table with unit and dates.

Awards and wounds pages with handwritten entries — Awards entry page and wounds section.

Weapons and technical property pages and reserve service page — Weapons/technical property page and reserve status page.

Military registration specialty and training assemblies pages — Military specialty and training assemblies pages.

Final deregistration or administrative closure stamp page — Administrative close-out and deregistration stamps.

Additional booklet page (image 9) — Additional booklet page..

Additional booklet page (image 10) — Additional booklet page .

Additional booklet page (image 11) — Additional booklet page .

Specifications

General Information
Document Type	«Военный билет» (Voyennyy bilet), Soviet Military ID / service record booklet
Issuing Authority	Ministry of Defense of the USSR (cover printed)
Booklet / Serial	НУ № 0776744
Named Individual	Ivan Petrovich Peretenenko (Иван Петрович Перетененко)
Date of Birth	12 May 1916
Birthplace	Odessa Oblast, Ivanivka District, Ukrainian SSR (village name handwritten)
Ethnicity / Nationality	украинец (Ukrainian)
Komsomol	Recorded as member since 1929
Party Membership	Listed as non-party (беспартийный)
Civilian Specialty	комбайнер (combine-harvester operator)
Marital Status	Married; wife listed as Fedina, Tatyana Grigoryevna
Validation / Stamp Date	24 March 1963 (local military commissariat notation)

Historical Summary

Document Context

The Voyennyy bilet served as the principal military document for Soviet citizens. It combined identification with a running record of military obligation, reserve accounting, specialties, and official notes from local commissariats. These booklets often show later-life administrative validation as records were updated, confirmed, or closed out.

Identification and General Information

Name: Ivan Petrovich Peretenenko
Born: 12 May 1916
Birthplace: Odessa Oblast, Ivanivka District, Ukrainian SSR (village name handwritten)
Ethnicity line: Ukrainian
Komsomol: recorded member since 1929
Party membership: listed as non-party (беспартийный)
Civilian specialty: combine-harvester operator
Marital status: married; wife listed

Interpretive note: Komsomol membership indicates participation in the Soviet youth organization, which was common among young Soviet citizens, including ethnic Ukrainians. Although he was a member of the Komsomol youth organization from 1929, he did not join the Communist Party and is recorded in the military ID as non-party (беспартийный).

Military Service Record (Active Duty)

Drafted / entered service: 1937; active duty began October 1937
Role / specialty: стрелок (rifleman)
Rank: рядовой (Private)
Unit recorded: 63 стрелковый полк (63rd Rifle Regiment)
Released / transferred to reserve: December 1939

Historically bounded interpretation: This reflects pre-war service during the Red Army’s late-1930s expansion and readiness cycle. The booklet pages shown here do not record a WWII (1941–1945) period in the active-service table; therefore, this profile treats the documented active duty as ending in 1939, with later obligation continuing through reserve registration rather than attributing undocumented wartime postings.

Awards and Distinctions

Recorded award: Medal «За боевые заслуги» (For Combat Merit).

Recorded award: Medal «За боевые заслуги» – Medal “For Combat Merit.” The Medal “For Combat Merit” is awarded for courage, skillful execution of military duties, important service under operational conditions, or specific meritorious actions. Because the documented active service ends in 1939 , the award is interpreted here as consistent with pre‑war merit such as the Winter war, Spanish Civil War, the Invasion of Poland and other conflicts rather than automatically attributing it to WWII frontline combat.

The wounds and contusions field are unfilled on the pages (no wounds recorded in the entry area shown).

Reserve Status and Qualifications

Reserve classification: first-category enlisted reservist within the Soviet Army (ground forces)
Military registration specialty: recorded via VUS codes (infantry rifle specialization)
Qualification: «Отличный стрелок» (Excellent marksman)
Reserve training assemblies: no entries visible on the page shown

Military Registration and Final Deregistration

Administrative reserve registration activity: recorded in 1953 (noted in the registration section)
Final removal from registration: 25 December 1967
Reason: age-based removal (maximum age limit for reserve obligation)

Interpretive note: The 1967 entries function as an administrative close-out of reserve obligation. These stamps and dates are not treated as proof of medical disability unless a specific exemption entry is present.

Collector Notes

Soviet military ID booklets are valuable research artifacts because they combine personal identification with a formal record of service obligation. Validation stamps from local military commissariats are commonly seen, particularly when records were updated later in life.

For best long-term preservation, store flat in an acid-free sleeve or archival binder page, avoid excessive handling of stamped pages, and keep out of direct sunlight to reduce ink and paper fading.

Return

Back to Field Gear Index