Here is a complete summary of the military service of Musketeer Siegfried Willi Hans Rütz, compiled from his military passport (Militärpaß)
Personal Background
Name: Siegfried Willi Hans Rütz
Date of Birth: March 30, 1897, in Groß-Lichterfelde (near Teltow, Prussia).
Civilian Occupation: Merchant / Businessman (Kaufmann).
Parents: Master painter (Malerbaumeister / Maleremeister) Rudolf Rütz and Bertha (née Schattschneider), residing at Bootstraße 7, Groß-Lichterfelde.
Enlistment & Training (1916)
Entry Date: August 1, 1916, entering service as a replacement infantry soldier (Ersatz-Infanterie-Soldat).
Initial Unit: 2nd Replacement Battalion, Infantry Regiment 64 (II. Ersatz-Bataillon Infanterie-Regiment 64), attached to the 3rd Recruit Depot.
Training & Prep: Sworn in on August 16, 1916. Trained on the Gewehr 98 rifle. Received a clothing/cleaning allowance (Putzzeuggeld).
Vaccinations: Received smallpox, cholera, and typhoid vaccinations in August and September 1916.
Early Transfers: Transferred to the Field Company Templin on October 16, 1916, and subsequently assigned to Infantry Regiment 20 (212th Infantry Division) on November 29, 1916. Later periods also involved administrative ties to Replacement Company Infantry Regiment 12.
Combat Service & Campaigns (1917–1918)
Serving as a front-line soldier on the Western Front,
Rütz participated in major engagements in Flanders and France:
Battle of Flanders: October 28 – November 26, 1917
Position Warfare in French Flanders: November 28, 1917 – January 26, 1918, and February 19 – April 8, 1918
Battle of Armentières: April 9–18, 1918
Position Warfare in French Flanders: April 19 – August 4, 1918
Battles before the Ypres-La Bassée Front: August 5–23, 1918
Battle of Monchy-Bapaume: August 24, 1918
Wound: Sustained a right lower-arm wound on August 24, 1918, near Kaplinowrk.
Decorations & Conduct
Awards: Awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class (Eisernes Kreuz II. Klasse) on September 13, 1918.
Conduct & Discipline: Consistently rated with good (gut) conduct throughout his service, with no punishments recorded (Strafen: keine).
Demobilization & Discharge (1919)
Discharge Date: Discharged in October 1919 via the Replacement Depot (Ersatz-Depot) in Bromberg under post-war demobilization guidelines.
Post-Service Residence: Authorized to relocate to Berlin (initially Bendlerstraße 11, and later registered at Friedrichshagener Straße 10 in Köpenick).
