HISTORY. The ”Erkennungsmarke” (EK…..German Dog Tag) is were German organization when totally off the rails. Without a doubt, the most complex arrangement for identifying a soldier. The unit that is identified on the tag is the issuing unit, not the assigned unit. The individuals name never appears on the tag, just a number. The “Kompanie” = company keeps a list of identification tags, but if a body was found and you didn’t know which company the individual was part of, you had to go all the way to Berlin to identify the soldier. The complexity is so mind numbing, it makes for the perfect hobby to collect, research and identify the many identification tags.

The EK reads, “SS -/T.STUBA ORANIENBERG” with a number of 496. I’m not a 100% sure on this one, but my guess is this is the SS reception office in Oranienburg, Germany operating for the local Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp (located about 30 miles north of Berlin). If this is the correct interpretation, this is a bargain price for a rare concentration camp ID tag.

A11254