Help Request for Waffen-SS Unit

Discussion in 'Axis Units' started by The-Bull, May 3, 2013.

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  1. The-Bull

    The-Bull Member

    Hello

    I have recently got my grandfathers service records and am trying to identify a unit listed...2.Kompanie/SS-Ersatz-Battalion 6. Does anyone know which SS-Divison this unit would have been attached to?

    Thank you for your time
     
  2. Ron Goldstein

    Ron Goldstein WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    The-Bull

    Welcome aboard !

    You say:
    Do we assume that your Grand-dad was in the British Forces at the time in question ?

    Ron
     
  3. Wills

    Wills Very Senior Member

  4. Combover

    Combover Guest

    An Ersatz Battalion is usually a replacement battalion for wounded soldiers being returned to battle/ the front - they would be run through the Ersatz battalion as a sort of transition/ distribution depot.
     
  5. The-Bull

    The-Bull Member

    No sir not British...he was Waffen-SS
     
  6. The-Bull

    The-Bull Member

  7. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Hello and welcome to the forum.

    Hopefully Kate (Heinbrent) will be along at some point to answer your query - If I was a gambling man I'd bet she knows more than most on here about the Waffen SS and feel sure she'll be able to answer your question.

    Good luck
    Andy
     
  8. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

  9. The-Bull

    The-Bull Member

    Thank you sir
     
  10. Heimbrent

    Heimbrent Well-Known Member

    The problem with the German ID tags is they usually only give info about unit a soldier was assigned to when he joined.
    In your case it gets more complicated because the recruiting and replacement system was less stable in the Waffen-SS as in the Heer, and things got even more complex with the massive expansion in 1943.
    Like Combover said, wounded soldiers were sent to Ersatz units where they either recovered and were sent back to their unit (or a different unit, depending on circumstances) except those who were not sent back to a fighting unit. At least in the Heer a Ersatz unit was usually linked with a specific unit in the Feldheer to keep ensure strong ties within units (especially from 1944 on it was however difficult to keep up this system due to expansion and high losses).

    Personnel files of members of the Waffen-SS are in the former BDC, now Bundesarchiv-Lichterfelde. The same material should also be available in the National Archives. I am planning to go to Berlin in June; if you would like me to do some research on your behalf, let me know.
    I also ordered Absolon's "Die Wehrmacht im Dritten Reich" from the library to check if there is anything on the Ers.Btl. you mentioned (NB: In German, Btl. is spelled 'Bataillon').

    You are likely to get more help on your query on AHF than here by the way - still, welcome to the forum!
     
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  11. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Ever the modest Kate :D
     
  12. Bond

    Bond Senior Member

    As far as I understand how the system worked, each replacement battalion was linked to the division of the same number, so 6th battalion would have been used to send replacements to the 6th SS division Nord.
     
  13. The-Bull

    The-Bull Member

    I have seen that as I researched more...and am starting to think that is most likely. I just wish I could find some kind of documentation that stated the connection...so far no luck.
     
  14. The-Bull

    The-Bull Member

    Thank you very much...I am quite new to researching WWII especially German records and it is quite daunting. I am not sure if any more records exist for my Grandfather since the WASt letter I got said his personnel file was lost due to enemy actions and seems to have pieced the information they gave me mainly from his hospital records and then POW records from the Americans.

    From the letter it seems he served in the following:
    -13.Kompanie/SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 4/SS-Division Das Reich til 04/25/1942 and rank was SS-Sturmmann
    -04/25/1942 til 01/16/1943 in Military Hospitals
    -01/16/1943 was released to SS-Kraftfahr-Ersatz-Abteilung Berlin-Lichterfelde
    -By September 1944 til capture by Americans as a SS-Rottenfuhrer in 7.Kompanie/SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 38/17th SS Division GvB

    Only other listed was the 2.Kompanie/SS-Ersatz-Battalion 6 from the dogtags which does not appear to fit any of the above units...so missing something somewhere. Other than the above I don't know much else except he turned 18 on the Eastern Front in Russia but would gladly provide any information I can get that might help.

    Thank you again
     
  15. Heimbrent

    Heimbrent Well-Known Member

    If the WASt claims his file was lost then it probably was.
    Usually it is more difficult to find info on lower than on higher ranks; still, it should be possible, albeit challenging to gather more info from other sources than personell files.
    Why don't you send me a PM with your grandfather's name and DOB and tell me what exactly you want to find out? I will try to help out as best as I can.
     

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