EKM Heer

[Feuerbach]

Well I know for fact its real, and where it was found, but the question is; which unit, and who was he?
This EKM was found on the island of Texel in Holland, against a German bunker. It is not the only one found there, and all have the same markings.
Could it be it belonged to a Russian soldiers (who volunteered to join the German Army after being taken prisoner in Russia), one of the victims of the Texel Massacre april 1945 (565 soldiers killed as resprial), or could it have belonged to one of the German soldiers that was killed by the Russians?

'(April 1945) On the island of Texel, just off the coast of Holland, 800 Russian soldiers (who volunteered to join the German Army after being taken prisoner in Russia) decided to mutiny against their German masters. They had been formed into the 822nd Infantry Battalion and were led by around 400 German officers and NCOs. One night at the end of April, the Russians, led by Lt. Loladze, stealthily entered the German quarters and killed 250 Germans as they slept. German battalions were sent from the mainland to secure the island and hunt down the rebels. Summary justice was then dispensed to the Russians, four or five being tied together and grenades placed between them. Only 235 Russians were left alive out of the original 800. During the hunt, 117 Texelers were also killed.'

[Woolgar]

No 1 Replacement Artillery regiment

Nice find

Nick

[Feuerbach]

Could it be; 1st Artillerie-Ersatz-Regiment 7? Trying to find my way through the lexion lists....

[Feuerbach]

Anyway of finding out more about this regiment? Or where to find more information?

[Woolgar]

Could it be; 1st Artillerie-Ersatz-Regiment 7? Trying to find my way through the lexion lists....

Ersatz is German for Replacement

Nick

[Feuerbach]

Thanks Nick, but that still doesn't answer the question. Did it belong to one of the Georgian soldiers of the 'Georgisches Infanterie-Bataillon 822'?
Or was it more likely to be from a soldier form the 'Artillerie-Ersatz-Regiment 7'?

[Matt L]

Actually, this is probably one of those markings that used to really confuse me until Stacez confirmed it really is what it says not what it might seem to be; the marking is specifically 2. Ersatz (formation of) Artillerie-Regiment 7- so it's not Artillerie-Ersatz-Regiment 7 (that would be marked 2./ A. E. R. 7, Art. Ers. Rgt. 7 or the like- i.e., the Ers would be second, not first). The Ersatz formation of AR7 was Artillerie-Ersatz-Abteilung 7, so that's what this is I think. I've not seen one like this before but have seen several Infanterie types that have the same unorthodox marking- like 2. Ers. I. R. 5, which actually refers to Infanterie-Ersatz-Bataillon 5, which supplied Infanterie-Regiment 5.

So to find information, you just have to look up Artillerie-Ersatz-Abteilung 7 in the Ersatztruppenteile secton of the Gliederung des Heeres section of the Lexikon der Wehrmacht- or just do a simple search for Artillerie-Ersatz-Abteilung 7- that usually gives the necessary page right away.

And he was a German Artillerist- I don't think Russian POWs were ever inducted into regular Wehrmacht units like AEA7; there were special eastern units for them, or they were HIWIs, which had field unit discs marked so; they didn't go to Ersatz units in Germany. That late in the war maybe he was an previously wounded man who couldn't serve at the front, but was suitable for guard duty in the rear, or was otherwise without his artillery and was moved into an ad hoc unit of 'infantrymen' or something.