Replacement Battl versus Replacment Compnay?

[Benzeen]

Many tags I have say ERS BATTL (replacement battalion) and other says ERS KOMP (Replacement Company). I am trying to understand the positions these soldiers had. If I understand it correctly, ERS BATTL was a training battalion where soldiers were sent to train in their specific specialty. So basically those who had tags with ERS BATTL where instructors and teachers. YES? Towards the end of the war, were these guy out into infantry units to fight due to a shortage of soldiers? Next, what was a replacement company? Thanks

[Pervitin]

Yes..Ausbildungs und Ersatz Bataillons and Kompanies were training units. When one got his first military training he went to one of theses units and normally became his first ID disc there.
No..you can never know the owner of an ID disc with Ausb. or Ers. was a teacher or instructor. Most of these were new soldiers. If you have an ID disc with "Stab/Ersatz Bataillon xy" you have a good chance he was an experienced soldier and normaly "Stamm Kp./Ersatz Btl." should be trainers but were although not. So you can say nothing without Soldbuch.

[BlackCat1982]

Sorry, but the Stamm kompanie were not trainers, they were the core around which the kompanie were formed, they were administration staff overseeing the running of the unit. The training of a unit would be the responsibility of the ausbildungs unit.

[Benzeen]

Ok, so a new soldier that went to a training unit, would his first ID disk say Ausbildung or Ersatz Bataillon? Or would have a regular disk of the unit he was going to? Thanks

[TWS]

Ok, so a new soldier that went to a training unit, would his first ID disk say Ausbildung or Ersatz Bataillon?

Yes.

[EskeBrok]

Can I just jump in for a quick related question, please? On the EKM, is it possible that the Ersatz is sometimes not shorted to Ers., but only E. or e.. Or does this bear another meaning? Thank you.

[BlackCat1982]

Ok, so a new soldier that went to a training unit, would his first ID disk say Ausbildung or Ersatz Bataillon? Or would have a regular disk of the unit he was going to? Thanks

Sorry, only just seen this. There isn't a simple answer to your question, as there were various types of regiments, infantry, motorised, artillery etc. Ersatz (replacement) units fed trained manpower into regular Army/Luftwaffe regiments, Divisions.

When a soldier moved between a training unit and a line unit then in theory he could be issued a new ekm. But we see from practice that this is not always the case. If you compare page 1 of many Soldbucher you will see that in many cases the "erkennungsmarke nummer" often refers to a training unit, because the Soldbuch stays with the owner throughout his career, unit changes are recorded but not often is the ekm changed (although there are always exceptions).

To answer Eskebrok, Ersatz could be shortened to Ers and sometimes to E. If you find an ekm stamped E... it may be Ersatz or Eisenbahn. Again better to post pictures here so we can see what you have, again there can be surprises..

During the lifetime of these Ersatz units their designation did sometimes change from Ersatz (replacement) to Ersatz und Ausbildungs (replacement and training). There isn't a one size fits all answer, so ekm have to be examined on each of their own merits.

[EskeBrok]

I'm sure you're right. The mark read L. Art. E. Abt. Must be a Leicht Artilleri Eisenbahn Abteilung.

[BlackCat1982]

Could be, not sure about the Leicht part though, perhaps you can post a picture to confirm and we can all have a look?

[Benzeen]

Thank you BlackCat..