German militaria

Erkennungsmarke Pol. Batl. III/5 indicating 5 Kompanie Polizei Bataillon III. This Polizei unit was first stationed in Warschau in 1939. It was moved to Norway in 1940 near Oslo, Trondheim, Koppela and Lillehammer.

In September 1941 it was sent to Südkarnten, Yugoslavia. It was merged with Polizei Regiment Endler and took part in Bandenkampf hunting partisans between Kranj, Krainburg, Bled unto the Austrian border.

On the 16th of December 1941 it was moved for the Zamosc Polizei barracks. The Polizei Bataillon 3 was to be used as a unit elsewhere in Russia; however, during the transport, the train carrying the battalion was diverted. There, the battalion commander, Arthur Seidel, was ordered to split up his unit and relieve the Reserve-Polizei-Bataillon 9. The staff remained in Zamosc and took over the companies of the Reserve Police Battalion 9. The companies of the Reserve Police Battalion 3, on the other hand, gradually left Zamosc. This replacement of the Reserve Police Battalion 9 by the Reserve Police Battalion 3 took place in December 1941 and January 1941 respectively. The replacement of the Police Battalion 9 by the Police Battalion 3 took place “due to serious disciplinary problems, which had sometimes manifested themselves in excesses and are to be seen as a direct result of the psychological stress caused by the execution of the mass killings.” Source here

The I. Abteilung of the Artillerie-Ersatz-Abteilung 211 was set up on September 6, 1939 in Wuppertal as a light artillery replacement Abteilung. The division was placed under the command of Division 156. On November 10, 1939, the division was relocated to Thorn in West Prussia. On August 20, 1940, the division was relocated back to Aachen. On December 19, 1942, the replacement department was renamed Artillerie-Ersatz-Abteilung I./211 and was deployed near Boulogne. In Boulogne, the reserve department formed the I. Department of the 149 Artillerie Regiment of the 49. Infanteriedivision on February 1, 1944 which fought between Boulogne and Paris. In 1945, the department was subordinate to Division 466 where it was stationed between Bocholt and Dorsten. On 24th of March 1945 it was stationed in the direct area of operation Varsity.

Rare Erkennungsmarke Stabsb. N./V.A.K. 410 reading Stabsbatterie N. Volks-Artillerie-Korps 410. The unit Artillerie-Korps (mot) 410 was formed 20 October 1944 in the area of Wuppertal. The corps was relocated to the west in preparation for the Ardennes offensive. On October 22, 1944, the corps was renamed Volks-Artillerie-Korps (mot) 410 and placed under the command of the Reichsführer SS as a “Volks-Verband”. During the Ardennes offensive, it was subordinate to the 5th Panzer Army and consisted of:

18 x 8,8-cm Pak auf Waffenträger
36 x 10,5-cm leichte Feldhaubitze 18/40
27 x 21-cm Werfer
12 x 12,2-cm schwere Feldhaubitze 396 (r)
12 x 15,2-cm Feldhaubitze 433 (r)

In Febuary it was attached to the 1. Armee which was ncircled near Kaiserslautern, but managed to break through the encirclement and retreat to the Danube, where the army was then destroyed. The rear has postwar unit and battle markings of a marker which could easily be removed with nail polish removed if wanted. A very nice and rare Erkennungsmarke!

Rare Erkennungsmarke reading Bttr. 21. CM Mrs. Nr. 691 indicating Eisenbahn-Batterie 691 which was a rare unit which was outfitted with the large 21 CM heavy howitzer guns. It was first called Schwere Artillerie Batterie (mot) 691 which was outfitted with 3, 21 CM Mörser. It was renamed to Eisenbahnbatterie 691 being issued large captured French 24cm heavy howitzer guns. The Erkennungsmarke is in very good condition. Finding a Artillerie Erkennungsmarke might not be the rarest; finding them of a Railroad artillery unit who were issued with the immense large train mounted 24 cm howitzers is very difficult!