1947 U.S. Army Occupation of Germany 793rd Military Police Battalion “Eagle Youth Club” Membership Card-Named with Photograph

Original post-WWII occupation-era membership card issued for the Eagle Youth Club under the U.S. Army’s 793rd Military Police Battalion in Germany. The front is printed bilingually in German and English as an “Ausweis-Karte / Membership-card” and bears a clear 1 MAR 1947 date stamp.

The interior is filled out to a German youth identified as Helmut Gast, born 28 January 1931, with a handwritten residence entry that appears to read Nürnberg (Nuremberg). An original black-and-white identification photograph is stapled inside and bears part of a purple Youth Club / MP Battalion / U.S. Army validation stamp. The card also contains the member’s signature and additional club authorization signatures/stamps.

The historical context is particularly interesting. The 793rd Military Police Battalion entered Germany in early 1946 and was assigned to the Nuremberg area, where it performed occupation law-and-order duties and provided security connected with the Nuremberg Trials. Official U.S. Army lineage records confirm the battalion’s WWII service and subsequent occupation presence in Germany. 

The bilingual wording states that the holder was permitted to participate in club activities but that the card granted no other privileges. The reverse contains a printed grid presumably intended for attendance, validations, or activity entries.

Condition is good for an approximately 79-year-old paper identification document, showing substantial honest use including fold wear, edge wear, staining, toning, small tears, staple oxidation, and handling marks. The photograph remains firmly present and the important printed and handwritten information is still quite legible. Please review all photographs carefully for exact condition.

This is a very interesting piece of early American occupation history, combining U.S. Army Military Police, postwar German civilian life, Nuremberg, and youth-relief/recreation history in one personalized document.