6./Luftlande-Sturm-Regiment 1 Erkennungsmarke (FJ)

Very nice Fallschirmjäger dogtag that belonged to a soldier that served in 6.Kompanie II Bataillon Luftlande-Sturm-Regiment 1. Formed in the autumn of 1940 in order to expand Sturm-Abteilung Koch from just 1 bataillon into a total of 3 bataillons. (Sturm-Abteilung Koch was the unit that invaded Belgium in May 1940 and attacked the Eben-Emael Fortress). The II Bataillon saw its first action during the invasion of Crete (Raum Malene) in May/June 1941. They lost quite a lot of soldier in that battle. In the autumn of 1941 they were put into action on the eastern front together with Fallschirmjager Regiment 1 in the Leningrad area. In May 1942 the bataillon was used to form II.Bataillon Fallschirmjager-Regiment 5 and in July of that year the bataillon was send to Afrika and joined Brigade Ramcke. Parts of the II.Bataillon Fallschirmjager-Regiment 5 managed to escape to Italy and fought in September 1943 in Rome under command of 2.Fallschirmjager-Division. Later that year the were send to Ukrain. In Januari 1944 they were shipped back to Germany and used to form Fallschirmjager Regiment 16. When the Allied invasion in Normany began the Regiment was rushed to Abbeville, Normandy. In late June they were pulled back and in July shipped to Raum Wilna in Litauen. The 2.Bataillon was surrounded by Russian troops and destroyed in the Wilna area. In Oktober 1944 Regiment 16 was rebuild on the Dutch-German border where it fought the last months of the war in areas like Hollandsch-Diep, Gennep, Emmerich, Kleve, Xanten, Doetinchem, Varsseveld, Holten-Hellendoorn. They were captured in the Amersfoort-Nijkerk Raum in May 1945.
Interesting dog tag