Help needed on ID discs found in Normandy

**woodin43** · 06-17-2012, 02:26 PM

Hi, I live near to Utah Beach in Normandy. I have found 2 German ID discs in my garden and wondered if anyone could help me identify them please.
1. SS-Pz Gren. Ers Btl 9
2. 3/JNF. ERS. BTL 37.

Thanks for any help.

**Espenlaub Militaria** · 06-17-2012 02:26 PM

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**Adrian Stevenson** · 06-17-2012, 02:36 PM

Hi, and welcome to the forum!

The first one is for SS Panzer Grenadier Ersatz-Batailion 9.

The second is for 3rd Kompanie/Infanterie-Ersatz-Bataillon 37.

Infanterie-Ersatz-Bataillon 37 - Lexikon der Wehrmacht

Cheers, Ade.

**woodin43** · 06-17-2012, 02:41 PM

Thanks Ade, do you know of any way to find out more about these batallions? Is it possible to trace the actual men?

**Adrian Stevenson** · 06-17-2012, 02:59 PM

Can you show the actual tags? It would be helpful to see them. Are they full tags or halves?

If issued, they should be marked the the soldiers Roll number: this will usually be a 3 or 4 digit number. Also they will be marked with his blood group letter.

Sadly there is no way to trace the men, as the records are closed.

Cheers, Ade.

**woodin43** · 06-17-2012, 03:06 PM

Thanks for the info Ade. Yes, the roll numbers are there and a blood group O on the 2nd one. We know that there were 2 German soldiers billetted in our house, one was a doctor and the other was a Czech conscript. We found out recently that the Czech shot and killed the doctor on D-Day, and he was buried in the garden for a time. It would be nice to know if these belonged to those men, but that seems impossible now if the records are closed, but thanks for your help anyway.

**Matt L** · 06-17-2012, 11:40 PM

It's unlikely one of the discs belonged to the doctor- both are infantry type units, not medical, nor the kind of units a doctor would have entered I should think. The Infanterie unit was stationed in a town just west of Danzig, so it's pretty far to expect a Czech conscript to be sent. Plus if the murdered doctor's body was moved exhumed and moved, one would think his identity disc would have gone with him...

As for the units, Ade posted a link tp IEB 37, and there seems to be very little on SS-Pz.Gren. Ers. Btl. 9- all I have is that it was SS-Ersatz-Bataillon "Der Führer" that on 1.5.1943 was redesignated SS-Panzergrenadier-Erstaz-Bataillon 9 (der Division Hohenstaufen) and it was possibly based in Stralsund. So we can know that soldier couldn't have been in the Waffen-SS before mid-1943. And since the Infanterie disc is that and not 'Grenadier', we know that soldier was in service prior to 11.1942 when the term Infanterie was changed to Grenadier.

**Jan S** · 06-18-2012, 06:24 AM

by woodin43

Thanks for the info Ade. Yes, the roll numbers are there and a blood group O on the 2nd one. We know that there were 2 German soldiers billetted in our house, one was a doctor and the other was a Czech conscript. We found out recently that the Czech shot and killed the doctor on D-Day, and he was buried in the garden for a time. It would be nice to know if these belonged to those men, but that seems impossible now if the records are closed, but thanks for your help anyway.

That would be very interesting for me, Czech citizen... Do you know more about the Czech conscript or his story Woodin?

Jan

**woodin43** · 06-18-2012, 08:02 AM

by Jan S

That would be very interesting for me, Czech citizen... Do you know more about the Czech conscript or his story Woodin?

Jan

Sorry Jan, I know nothing more as yet, but I will be contacting a lady who was here as a young girl and hopefully, she can give us more details. If she does, I'll let you know.
Matt - thanks for that info. Its looking more likely then, that these discs were maybe picked up as souvenirs from somewhere. How they found their way here is a mystery. I assumed that as there were 2 Germans here and I found 2 discs, that they might match. 2 + 2 = 5!

**Matt L** · 06-18-2012, 03:05 PM

Indeed it's often very difficult to explain why things are where they're found- particularly because often the markings on a disc don't help idenify a definite field unit that fits with the known history of the area. I don't even know if there were any SS-Panzergrenadiere near Utah beach- that's something to research to see if an explanation can be found. It certainly would've been convenient were they to fit reasonably with what you know about the two men who were there- although it's a bit more fun that it doesn't so the story isn't perhaps so simple

**woodin43** · 06-18-2012, 04:39 PM

Yes, we find so many ww11 relics in the house and garden that its difficult to work out whats been left here and what was brought in as souvenirs. I know that the last find, at a depth of about 8 inches in the ground, of 48 .303 spent cartridge cases and 3 live tracers were left here. Trying to piece together the events of d-day regarding our house.