Understanding german army units

[FWPlowman]

Hello,

Can anyone please help with my understanding of this unit designation which is on a German Army Gefreiter's ID tag (he was injured in Normandy on 7 Jun 44 and died in a UK hospital on 11 Jun 44):

Inf. Ers. Batl. 459
Stamm Kp.
201 BL.A

His address was Feldpost Nr 06519C but the on-line listing does not appear to help. When his Hauptfeldwebel wrote to his parents on 14 July 1944 - to say that he had lost contact with the Gefreiter at Bazenville (near Bayeux) - he also used Dienstelle 06519C. From photographs of the soldier it would seem that he was in the Wehrmacht.

I have succeeded in tracing - and meeting this soldier's family - but they were not able to tell me about their relative's Army service. Clearly he was caught up in the early fighting from D-Day and despite being evacuated to UK sadly died in hospital there.

Any help in understanding more about this unit would be very much appreciated.

Francis Plowman

[shamirnewell]

Inf. Ers. Batl 459 equals 459th infantry ersatz battalion ersatz is training battalion.

Stamm Kp. Is the cadre company of the battalion.

Bl. A is blood group A

[hucks216]

The Feldpost Number indicates that he served with 2./Grenadier-Regiment 915 (the 2./ indicating the 2nd Company) which was part of 352. Infanterie-Division.
These links should help, but if not just do a Google search for that division or regiment...
Normandy: The First 96 Hours http://www.aberjonapress.com/catalog/df ... xcerpt.pdf

http://www.dday-overlord.com/eng/normandy_landing.htm

[history1]

Inf. Ers. Batl 459 equals 459th infantry ersatz battalion ersatz is training battalion. [...]

Inf. Ers. Batl 459 equals "Infanterie Ersatz Battailon 459" = Infantry Replacement Battailon 459.

Hucks 216 is right with the company too. Though I can´t find a hint that it was part of the 352. ID?
He was part of the cadre comany at home but then part of a figthing company (2nd) when the unit was sent onto the front.
Source: http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gli ... t459-R.htm

[hucks216]

....

Hucks 216 is right with the company too. Though I can´t find a hint that it was part of the 352. ID?
He was part of the cadre comany at home but then part of a figthing company (2nd) when the unit was sent onto the front

With 2./Grenadier-Rgt 915 I was referring to the Feldpost Number as used by the Hauptfeldwebel in July 1944. However that FpNr does relate to 2./Reserve-Infanterie-Bataillon for 1942.
2.Kompanie being indicated by the C in the Feldpost Number.

[FWPlowman]

My grateful thanks to all you very kind and knowledgeable contributors. You have been absolutely crucial to my better understanding this young soldier's regiment. History1 Member is spot-on. The soldier was based in the Frankfurt (Main) area; he was a single man and when numbers of his cadre company were called forward to deploy to Normandy, he swapped places with a married soldier with children. Sadly he lost his young life. I am now trying to discover what Allied unit he may have come up against on 6/7 June 44 in the Bazaville (Bayeux) area of Normandy. Perhaps that unit may have war diaries that may yet throw up additional information? Meanwhile, thank you again to you all.
Francis Plowman

[hucks216]

Looks like it has been Google translated from French but gives you the information you seek...

915º Regiment of Grenadiers formed, with Reconnaissance battalion, Kampfgruppe Meyer, that was the reserve of LXXXIV Army Corps of the general ( Generalmajor ) Erich Marcks . The unit was put in alert status at night from the 5 to the 6 of June, to take part from the region of Bayeux towards Carentan against the American parachutists of 101ª American Airborne division . To the dawn, with the news of the amphibious assault, counter-order occurred, and the three battalions backed down towards Bayeux, their departure point, during all the morning of day 6. One of the battalions (the II/915 TO GO) was sent towards Omaha Beach ( Colleville ), whereas the rest of kampfgruppe went to the north of Bayeux to prepare a counterattack against 50th British Infantry division, that initiated a rupture of the weak German defensive line.

Source: http://www.myetymology.com/encyclopedia ... many).html

Also this website might help...
http://wwiihistorycenter.org/352nd/352history.html

[hucks216]

Actually this will help a bit more.
Taken from 50 DIV IN NORMANDY: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE BRITISH 50th (NORTHUMBRIAN) DIVISION ON D-DAY AND IN THE BATTLE OF NORMANDY...

Furthermore, the LXXXIV Corps created a robust reserve composed of the 915th Infantry Regiment, the 352nd Fusilier Battalion, the 1352nd Assault Gun Battalion, and the 352nd Anti-Tank Battalion.44 With the reserve located in the vicinity of Bayeux, it could rapidly counter-attack any invader in the center of the Normandy coast. Even with so many additional forces in the vicinity of the beach, Allied intelligence did not detect the 352nd Division’s movement forward until May 14.

Stationed near Bayeux, the 915th Infantry Regiment and the other units of the reserve had practiced counter-attacks towards Crepon and Gold Beach many times.14 Unfortunately, when ordered to counter-attack, the corps reserve was twenty miles west of Bayeux. At 4:00 A.M. on June 6, the 915th received orders to move to the Carentan-Isigny area to attack a reported airborne landing there. When the reports of the landing proved to be false, the LXXXIV Corps ordered the 915th’s battle group back towards Gold Beach, over twenty miles away.

At about 4:00 P.M., the German LXXXIV Corps’ reserve battle group, led by elements of the 915th Infantry Regiment, finally arrived back in the Gold Beach sector, meeting the 69th Brigade near Villers-le-Sec. With some of its forces diverted to assist in the defense of Omaha Beach, the German battle group had only two battalions of infantry and ten 88mm anti-tank guns. The 69th Brigade quickly destroyed the German forces, killing their commander and forcing the surviving infantry back across the River Seulles. One German account states that only 90 men survived the encounter with the 50th Division.

So it looks like the 2 remaining Battalions of Grenadier-Regiment 915 (including 'your' man) fought against 69th Brigade of the British 50th (Northumberian) Division.

[hucks216]

From what I can find out, 69th Brigade consisted of 5th Battalion The East Yorkshire Regiment, 6th Battalion The Green Howards & 7th Battalion The Green Howards.

See this link for the OOB for 50th (Northumbrian) Division... http://warchronicle.com/units/British/5 ... battle.htm

[FWPlowman]

Hucks216, THANKYOU! You are a veritable mine of information and looks like you have dramatically short-circuited my search for additional information. Fantastic information. From where the lad was last seen - Bazaville - I suspected that he had come up against British Forces from Gold beach. Moreover, he was amazingly quickly evacuated, probably with our own casualties, and returned to Gosport. I suspect that if he had been one of the 915th that had remained at Omaha he would have returned to SW England. But that's only a guess. I will follow-up on the 50th Div OOB and try and find out what medical evacuation policies were. I intend to let his (now distant) family have all the relevant information that I can garner. I also hope - in fullness of time - to write-up a brief pamphlet of this man's young life and who he came to rest in my local cemetery (Gosport) along with other German and British casualties. Thank you again. I welcome your input greatly!