Stamm-Kp Gren.Ers.Batl.468 EKM

The dog tag or 'Erkennungsmarke' shows signs of wear. The soldier of the tag served in the Stammkompanie Grenadier Ersatz Bataillon 468. The bataillon was formed in September 1939 as Infanterie Ersatz Bataillon 468. This bataillon trained and supplied soldiers for the 268.Infanterie-Division. In November 1942 the bataillon was renamed in to Grenadier Ersatz Bataillon 468. At the beginning of 1944 the ersatz bataillon was also responsible for training and supplying soldiers for the 363.Infanterie-Division. This division was destroyed during the Normandy campaign in the Falaise pocket. It was rebuild again as 363.Volks-Grenadier-Division. The ersatz bataillon was renamed Grenadier Ersatz und Ausbildungs Bataillon 468 in July 1944.
A Stammkompanie was a unit that trained the soldiers. Often the soldiers of this kompanie were soldiers who had frontline experience and/or where no longer fully usable on the front due to injuries. Of course this changed later in the war and they also where put into action as there was a shortage of (front)soldiers.
The 'AB' on the tag stands for the bloodtype of the soldier.