Hoping for help on WP entry

[Archi]

Hi all !

I am hoping for some help in deciphering/translating some Geb.Jg. Wehrpass entries :

a.) deciphering his unit : 16.6.-4.7.42 : Feld-Ersatz-Batallion 1/5 .... ?

b.) deciphering/translating the 3 entries, regarding his woundings :
1.) 8.11.41 : Durchschuss re. Hand [= ... right hand ?!]

2.) 10.8.41 : ... Granat(?!) ... a.d.l. Schulter [ .. grenade ... ]
bei der Truppe verblieben [remained with the unit]

3.) 20.1.44 : Gr.[anat] Splitter re.[chte] Schläfe [grenade splinters right temple(?)]
... m.(it) ... [... with ... ?]
Oberarmschussbruch re.[chts] [bullet fracture on right upper arm ?!]

Thanks in advance for any help !

Best regards,

Archi

[peterm]

3) "mit Hirnbeteiligung" (brain wss injured too).

Best, Peter

[Ian Jewison]

2) Leichten Granatatensplitterverletzng an der links schulter.
Bei der Truppe verblieben.

[Archi]

Hello Peter and Ian !

Many thanks for your help !

Regarding the German word "Durchschuss" :
The best translation I found was : "through and through bullet wound".
Is that in deed the only /best translation for such a wounding ?

What I am really struggling with, is the word behind 1./F.E.B. 1/5 ...
Currently I have no idea. I cannot even figure out which letter it starts with !
It was a transport of replacements, with which this soldier returned to his unit after his wounding.
I would appreciate any suggestions, even its only a guess, or perhaps only the starting letter ...

Many thanks in advance and best regards,

Archi

[naxos]

1./FEB 1/5 - (1/5 = das 1. Feld Ersatz Bataillon der 5. Jäger-Division ) the first field-replacement battalion of the 5th light division

having a hard time myself trying to understand the word behind it - seems to start with " f "

[Archi]

Hello Naxos !

Many thanks for your additional help ! Really appreciated.
I guess, if you have difficulties in deciphering, it is really hard.
If it starts with a "F", I think the third letter should be either a "s" or "h" ?
What word could make sense here ?!

I'll post post the full page 12, perhaps that helps.

Regarding the FEB, I am not sure, but I need to check some files first and will
post later !

Thanks again and best regards,

Archi

[Gary T]

1./FEB 1/5 - (1/5 = das 1. Feld Ersatz Bataillon der 5. Jäger-Division ) the first field-replacement battalion of the 5th light division

having a hard time myself trying to understand the word behind it - seems to start with " f "

I don't think it is Feld Ersatz Batallion 5. His other units before and after were 1. GJD. Also 5. lei. ID was on its way to Demyansk at this time from Germany, 1 GJD was in the southern Ukraine.

FEB often has another identifying number as well as the company. The following are some actual ones I just pulled form my old database:
3./Feld-Ersatz-Batallion 121/4
5./Feld-Ersatz-Batallion 256/5
4./Feld-Ersatz-Batallion 134/6
1./Feld-Ersatz-Batallion 18/3
3./Feld-Ersatz-Batallion 290/8
1./Feld-Ersatz-Batallion 161/2
3./Feld-Ersatz-Batallion 215/1
5./Feld-Ersatz-Batallion 97/3

In each case the first number is the division. Frustratingly I did use to know what the last number represented and it was also explained in a book I recently read but can't recall which one....

So officially it should have been FEB 1 of 1 D but that was sat just outside Leningrad at this time and had been dissolved in 1941 at any rate.

I think it is the FEB of 1 GJD which should have been FEB 54 but maybe an admin mistake? Or perhaps some draft\transfer unit from Germany for 1GJD? As for what the word is Fahr... or Fuhr...

[Ian Jewison]

Regarding the German word "Durchschuss" :
The best translation I found was : "through and through bullet wound".
Is that in deed the only /best translation for such a wounding ?

Shot through

[naxos]

I don't think it is Feld Ersatz Batallion 5. His other units before and after were 1. GJD. Also 5. lei. ID was on its way to Demyansk at this time from Germany, 1 GJD was in the southern Ukraine.

FEB often has another identifying number as well as the company. The admin mistake? Or perhaps some draft\transfer unit from Germany for 1GJD? As for what the word is Fahr... or Fuhr...

Makes sense Ian

Thanks!

[Archi]

Hello Gary T. and Ian !

@Ian : Many thanks, that was what I was hoping for ! I thought that there must exist something shorter .

@Gary T. : Many thanks for your contribution. I am collecting infos on those replacement transports, too.
And yes, I would think you are right and that was what I was thinking too, that the 1 is for the division
and 5 should be a running number, in the sense that this is the 5th replacement unit sent to 1.Geb.Div.
However, just as you pointed out, formally the designation would point to 1. Inf.Div. (which makes no sense).
Therefore, I would expect that word behind FEB 1/5 should act as a "qualifier" to make it more clear,
for which unit this FEB was intended.
I have seen examples with additions (Geb.) for Gebirgsjäger, (mot) or (Pz.) for
motorized Inf./Pz. units. etc.

But the word behind 1/5 doesn't come close to any of that. I found two words I could think of :
a) Frhont (which would have a major gramatically error, but at least the other letters could roughly match)
b) Ersatz (which is no good match letterwise, but would make sense somehow)
Any other suggestions are welcome, of course !

(I did now find the files I was looking for, and will post a summary soon, so that it becomes more clear,
why this small topic is so interesting.)

Thanks again to all helping and best regards,

Archi

[Gary T]

Remembered - the /5 etc is the number of the tranche (or battalion) of replacements sent to the division. Each one was supposed to be 1000 men. Whether that was a year or month I'm not sure but I've never seen it in double figures.

[Archi]

Hello all !

Here is a small summary, why I am so interested in the different designations of German
replacement transports to the front.

Likely, one major problem arises, because the German Army used the term : Feldersatz-Bataillon (or FEB)
for two different types of units :
a) at certain times a Feldersatz-Bataillon was an integral part of each division
b) at certain times a Feldersatz-Bataillon was used as a designation for replacement transports to the front

a) applies to :
- Sept. 1939 : the 1st wave Inf.Divisions and the Gebirgsjg.-Divs. at the start of the war.
- June 1941 : Almost all divisions, that were intendend to take part in Barbarossa.
- From ~mid 1943 onward, a Feldersatzbataillon became again an integral part of all combat divisions.

In spring 1940, prior to "Fall Gelb", most FEBs were dissolved for the formation of new divisions.
In summer 1941 most FEBs were used for replacing the exceedingly high losses (and had to be rebuild, if possible).
In 1942/43, the situation is unclear.

b)
- May 1940 : Prior to the attack against France, 88 Marsch-Btls. were raised (which might have been designated
FEB at times), but these were not attached to any specific division, so they were essentially replacements.

- Summer 1941: When it became clear, that the divisional FEBs were not sufficient, to replace the high losses
on the Eastern front, additional Marsch-Batallions were sent to the front as replacements.
In Summer 1941, these had designations like :
Marsch-Btl. 1006, 1026, 1046, (all originating from WK VI), 1004, 1024, 1044, etc. (from WK IV) and so on.
At some point later (I still don't know when exactly) the designation changed to : VI/1, VI/2 etc ...
Marsch-Btl. 1, 2 etc. ... from WK VI.

In early 1942 a general change occured :
Now the replacement battalions received a designation, starting with the number of the division they were
intended for, followed by a running number, showing whether this is the 1st, 2nd, 5th replacement batallion,
sent to this division (see scan).
In addition, for a very short time frame in early 1942, the terms Marsch-Btl. and Feldersatz-Bataillion had an
important difference. (This was caused due to the catastrophic supply situation in winter 1941/42,
where so many locomotives broke down).
- Marsch-Bataillons were transported only to the boarders of the Reich, and then had to walk by foot, to reach their
intended division (which might be 800 kms under Russian winter conditions => truly deserving the term "Marsch-" !).
- Feldersatz-Bataillone had the luck to be transported much closer to front.

At some time in summer/autumn 1942, the term FEB for such replacement battalions ceased to exist (the last one
I have, 161/4, was raised in ~Sept. 42)
and there were only Marsch-Bataillons (but from mid 1942 onward, when the supply situation relaxed, they were
most likely transported close to the front, despite their designation).

At some time in 1943, the designation changes again :
A typical designation now would be : Marsch.Btl. XI/ 111/ 13 (WK 11/Div. 111/13th repl. Btl. raised)

In 1944 the typical designation changes again (although the other one remained in use for quite some time) :
Now it seems to be a running number from 400 upwards, mixed with other ones (I haven't understood yet).

Marsch-Btls. raised in 1945 seem to have numbers upward of 900 (but I have only a few so far).

My general interest in understanding this topic is :
You have a Soldbuch, a Marsch-Btl. mentioned and from the designation you can say: He was there in 1942,
early 1944, late 1944 etc ...
(just as an example). I think it might be helpful at times. (there are also other ideas).
That is, why I am so nitpicking/annoying, regarding this question .

In the attachment, I'll show the order for the general change in designation in Jan. 1942 and some examples
of such Marsch-Btl. "qualifiers".
Nothing comes close to what is written in "my" WP !
Any idea would be appreciated. (and of course any correction/addition/examples to the summary above !).

Best regards,

Archi