German WW2 Luftwaffe Construction Battalion Dog Tag – 2./Lw.-Bau-Btl. 3/XIII Bechhofen
Excellent condition.
Aluminium.
The details behind this specific tag reveal a fascinating operational history regarding Luftwaffe construction troops and their transition later in the war:
Luftwaffen-Bau-Bataillon 3/XIII was originally established in 1940 with three companies under Luftgau XIII (Air District XIII, headquartered in Nuremberg, covering Franconia/Bavaria).
The Significance of "Bechhofen": Bechhofen (located in Middle Franconia, Bavaria, within the recruitment/administrative reach of Wehrkreis XIII) served as a local station, deployment location, or garrison point for elements of this unit during its construction and engineering duties.
Later Wartime Evolution (The Shift to Prisoner-of-War Labor):
In 1943, the battalion was temporarily expanded to five companies.
Crucially, during the winter of 1943/1944, German personnel in the battalion were largely replaced by forced laborers and prisoners of war.
Following this transition, the unit was officially redesignated as Luftwaffen-Bau-Bataillon 103/XIII (K)—where the "(K)" denoted Kriegsgefangenen (Prisoner of War) status. The unit was ultimately disbanded in 1944.
Because this tag bears the original 2./Lw.-Bau-Btl. 3/XIII stamp alongside the Bechhofen location, it dates to the earlier, active German-manned phase of the battalion (between 1940 and late 1943) before it was converted into a forced labor formation.
Luftwaffe construction units (Luftwaffe-Bau-Bataillone) played a critical logistical and engineering role throughout the war. They were responsible for building, maintaining, and repairing infrastructure such as airfields, hangars, runways, and defensive installations. Military District XIII (Wehrkreis XIII, headquartered in Nuremberg) covered parts of Bavaria, and units stationed or tied to locations like Bechhofen were integral to regional military engineering and support operations.
