Volkssturm in Mark Brandenburg

[ETN]

I've recently picked up a dog tag for Gau Mark Brandenburg for the I battalion 3. Kompanie (16/I/3).

I know the known history of the Volkssturm is far for complete. But would anyone know in which city (or maybe Kreis?) within Brandenburg this unit was stationed?

Thanks,
Erich

[PeterPaul]

Hello ET

As you know the numbers mean Gau nr.16 ,1 battl of 3. Company..So that would be Gau Mark Brandenburg.. I would say this guy was most likely in Aufgebot 1
that would be the first levy,or wawe of men...Simply bc of the dog-tag,they were very scares among VS and(just about)only issued to 1st Aufgebot...
The 1st Aufgebot could/would be put into action all over their homestead Gau,and sometimes beyond it in other places in the German Reich..The 2nd Aufgebot was only to go into the trenches when the enemy was littarly at the gates of their home towns..

I will get back to you and this subject later today,Im in a hurry !!!

[PeterPaul]

In the first part of febuar the VS in Mark Brandenburg was called into action..
32 batalions was put under wehrmacht command which means the batt.s would be close to or in a frontline service ....
1 battalion of the 1st Aufgebot was intended to be 649 men,but there could be less bc of different short-comings.. So 32 batts. is close to 20.000 men...
Orders was to build and occupy a new line of defence from Neise(river)to Muskau,Forst,Guben and the mouth of Oder..The VS had military training while digging trenches...
End of feburary the Soviets attacked the defences(VS still there)and again in early marts and again in mid-april..
"in schweren und opferreichen kampfen verbissen widerstand" K.Mammach book page 117 "Der VS.

Espically around Guben and Forst there was heavy fighting,and the Gau 16 VS was there ....

[PeterPaul]

Besides the active duty in the defencive line I already mentioned there was also VS zbv.
Each Gau was to put up 1 battalion of VS "to special service" this unit should be build on the Gaus finest human material and the best weapons available...
Mark Brandenburg also put up such a batt.and this unit was in action on the B1 defence line in East Preussian..
This info is from memory and I cant put any source on it,so there you go..