III./I.R. 379 Erkennungsmarke

[gi0rgos p]

Hi all!

I would like to ask a question regarding a III./I.R. 379 Erkennungsmarke from my collection. The man's number was 113.

My question has to do with the fact that the 3rd battalion of the regiment was transferred to I.R. 583 on October 25, 1940, being replaced by men of the other battalions on November 5 of the same year.

So, is there a definite way of telling if the Erkennungsmarke belonged to a man transferred to the I.R. 583, keeping it, or to someone being transferred from some battalion of the same unit (I.R. 379) to fill the gaps of the missing 3rd and being issued with a new ID disk?

I would be really interested to know, since I.R. 583 was part of the occupation forces of the British Isles (Guernsey) and I would like to arrange a display with some photos of the fortifications, if that's the case.

Thanks in advance for any info!

Regards, Giorgos

[Matt L]

Hi Giorgos,

German soldiers kept the same Erkennungsmarke they were first issued with, regardless of where they might have been transferred to later in their service. Being a field unit, and not an Ersatz unit, it seems likely this man was with IR379 when the war began, and that's supported by his low serial number. If the whole Bataillon was transferred, it's certainly reasonable to expect this man was as well, although nothing's ever certain. If the disc is actually marked 'III.' and not just one of the Kompanien, it could be even more likely as the Batailon numeral would suggest a member of the Bataillon administration or staff, who would surely follow wherever the Bataillon went. He would have retained the same disc even if he were moved to IR583.

Matt

[gi0rgos p]

Thanks for the helpful reply Matt, I really appreciate it!

Regards, Giorgos