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Metal Detecting, German dog tags with POW number


AB45
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Hey

 

Today with friend pickup these three dog tags found at a U.S. airport.

The memory is a paratrooper dog tag with an additional number on the back.
We think this is a U.S. POW number.
Who can help

 

POW number 594767

Dog tag number

21 4 738

3091

 

214738 is :
4./Fallschirmjäger Ersatz Bataillon, Stendal und Aschersleben
9./Fallschirmjäger Ersatz Bataillon, Aschersleben
10./Fallschirmjäger Ersatz Bataillon, Aschersleben
4./Fallschirm Genesenden Bataillon 1, Aschersleben

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post-153035-0-88324500-1410805980.jpg

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I thought American POW tags weren't oval shaped?

 

EDIT: Neat find BTW!

 

Has indeed no one told.

It's about the number on the back.

Please read properly :rolleyes:

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I thought American POW tags weren't oval shaped?

 

EDIT: Neat find BTW!

This is a Dogtag issued to a German soldier, which is why it's oval. Most POW tags issued to POWs are rectangular, but some POW tags were indeed oval. Check the POW tag thread that is pinned for some examples.

 

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/4274-wwii-german-pow-dogtags-issued-to-americans/

 

Kurt

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This is a Dogtag issued to a German soldier, which is why it's oval. Most POW tags issued to POWs are rectangular, but some POW tags were indeed oval. Check the POW tag thread that is pinned for some examples.

 

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/4274-wwii-german-pow-dogtags-issued-to-americans/

 

Kurt

 

The fact that no U.S. POW's we know.

The number does not belong to the brand.

We assume that the prisoner has beaten his U.S. POW number on his German dog tag

 

is 594767 a US POW nummer ? yes or not ? it's not about the dog tag !

 

Mod please move

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This is a Dogtag issued to a German soldier, which is why it's oval. Most POW tags issued to POWs are rectangular, but some POW tags were indeed oval. Check the POW tag thread that is pinned for some examples.

 

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/4274-wwii-german-pow-dogtags-issued-to-americans/

 

Kurt

Thanks for the help Kurt. Didn't realize oval tags were issued to Americans. Learn something new every day. ;)

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The fact that no U.S. POW's we know.

The number does not belong to the brand.

We assume that the prisoner has beaten his U.S. POW number on his German dog tag

 

 

 

 

 

 

is 594767 a US POW nummer ? yes or not ? it's not about the dog tag !

 

Mod please move

There are a lot of examples of POW Mail from German Soldiers held by Americans and other Allies on Ebay. I would look for examples on Ebay and see if POW numbers on the mail is consistent with possible POW number( Gefangennummer ) punched into your tag. POW numbers assigned to Germans by the Brits, USA, and French all have different formats.

 

That is how I would approach it.

 

Kurt

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  • 4 months later...

I have quite a large number of ground dug Geerman Dog tags , Mainly SS . I can see the tag is to an Ersatz member ( replacement troop ) . It was not un-common for the soldiers Feldpost ( field post ) number to change as they got moved through different regiments in the later part of the war . Therefore I think it entirely possible that the reverse number is in fact his German identity number when transferred to a later regiment / division .Regards . James

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The fact that no U.S. POW's we know.

The number does not belong to the brand.

We assume that the prisoner has beaten his U.S. POW number on his German dog tag

 

 

 

 

is 594767 a US POW nummer ? yes or not ? it's not about the dog tag !

 

Mod please move

While you may be asking about the number, we can still discuss the tag if we want to. You posted it on a public forum didn't you? (= In either case nice finds, good luck with the research.
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  • 2 weeks later...

I have quite a large number of ground dug Geerman Dog tags , Mainly SS . I can see the tag is to an Ersatz member ( replacement troop ) . It was not un-common for the soldiers Feldpost ( field post ) number to change as they got moved through different regiments in the later part of the war . Therefore I think it entirely possible that the reverse number is in fact his German identity number when transferred to a later regiment / division .Regards . James

Hey

Can I use the dog tag ss see anywhere or can you make of it and show pictures?

Where the dog tags were found?

We're search in a pow camp where a lot of SS was.

 

I think it is a US number for german pow´s.

Here is an example for US pow camps

PW31G....and the US ID number.....

On the second pic you can see a drawing out of the book "So sah ich mich - Aufzeichnungen des PW31G - 5181013". The author draw very humorous his time in captivity.

 

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The tags worn by German POWs held by the U.S. were standard US Army notched dogtags. The full POW number with the PWG31g prefix would have been on it,

 

Kurt

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In all of my research on the German POW camp located in Clinton, Mississippi, I have never heard of the prisoners being issued any type of tag. The former POWs I have corresponded with and interviewed all carried an ID card with their number on it. Some provided me with copies. I also have an original set of the regulations for POWs and do not recall anything regarding the issuing of tags.

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In all of my research on the German POW camp located in Clinton, Mississippi, I have never heard of the prisoners being issued any type of tag. The former POWs I have corresponded with and interviewed all carried an ID card with their number on it. Some provided me with copies. I also have an original set of the regulations for POWs and do not recall anything regarding the issuing of tags.

here in AZ we have the papago Base (sorry if i spelled that wrong) and they have a military museum in it which is free to the public, in ww2 the base was used for german POWs and it has alot of examples of what they had and some funny stories of escape attempts and I must agree no mention of tags but they do say they had ID cards. im wondering if Tags may have been given to the first prisoners? but I've never heard of it

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I just wonder if different camps in the US had different rules. I know I have seen WWII US Style Tags with German Names with a POW ID number on them in the correct format. I wish I had pics of them but I dont. You would have thought tht Metal Detecting enthusiasts in the USA would have found some by now if they exist. I am not sure if you can metal detect near the old Papago Park camp,

 

Kurt

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yupp that'd be the one. not much left of the POW camp as said in the article there is still a small base with a heavily packed museum, but if you are to go i suggest you not be in the area with the huey when they fire the cannon right outside the big roll up door. its no fun when that happens lol

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I think that if the number added to the back of the German ID tag is indeed a POW number, it was merely put there in case of loss. Being that the tag does not include a name, the American camp personnel would not have a way of identifying who it belonged to if found. It is in no way "official."

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