Original Item: One-of-a-kind. Genuine German Late WWII Hermann Göring Division identity disc (aka; Dog Tag) Erkennungsmarke, used to identify soldiers in the field. These were made of plated steel, aluminum, or zinc, and were designed so that if a soldier died, the bottom half of the tag would be broken off, while the other half remained with their body.
This example is made of stamped zinc and is in very good lightly patinated condition. It is marked as follows on both sides:
53398
539
“539” is the soldier’s ID number, and “53398” is the Luftwaffe Mobilierungs Nummer (Luftwaffe mobilization number) for 7. / Fallschirmjäger Regiment 5 (5th Paratrooper Regiment, 7th Company). This is a unit that was re-formed several different times during the war, generally after being nearly destroyed. As this dog tag is late war, we assume this is the one formed January 1944 in Reims, France, which was made up mostly from Veterans of the III Battalion, Fallschirmjäger Regiment 1. The regiment was almost totally destroyed in Normandy, and had to be reformed again in Oldenzaal, October 1944.
The 7th company would have been part of the II Battalion, which its previous incarnation did see action on the Eastern Front as part of the 2. Fallschirmjäger Division, before being destroyed January 1944 at Kirovograd. Definitely some great research potential in this dog tag!