Heeres Erkennungsmarke 1. Kompanie Infanterie Ersatz Bataillon 61

1.Kp./Jnf/Ers/Btl.61 Soldier 136 Bloodtype A

Formed on October 15, 1935, in Munich (Wehrkreis VII), Infantry Regiment 61 was a core unit of the 7th Infantry Division. Its battalions were raised entirely in Munich, with the 3rd Battalion later relocating to Traunstein in 1936.

The regiment participated in the Austrian Anschluss and the Sudetenland occupation in 1938, before moving to the Slovak-Polish border in August 1939. From Cadca, it advanced through Barania, Węgierska Górka, Myślenice, and Ostrów, eventually reaching and capturing Lviv (Lemberg) on September 21, 1939.

Transferred west in October 1939, the regiment deployed to Mönchengladbach, Tüddern, and Geilenkirchen. During the Western Campaign (1940), it breached fortifications at the Juliana Canal, crossed the Meuse, Albert Canal, and Dyle, suffering heavy losses near Pecq while fighting along the Lys. It continued through Lomines, broke through the Daladier Line, and attacked Lille, which capitulated on May 31, 1940.

Afterward, the unit moved to Burgundy, then marched via St. Remy–Bar-sur-Aube, Baigneux, and Précy, before relocating to Lille–Roubaix in July 1940 to prepare for the planned invasion of England.

Ideal for collectors and historians, this summary offers insight into the regiment’s movements through Central and Western Europe during WWII.