The ersatz unit that the soldier joins corrosponds to the same Wehrkreis where the soldier

lived at the moment of being called up.

Ersatz units fed men to specific units and had these units assigned to them. More to each
unit as the war went on and less if the unit was destroyed. Then the ersatz unit could be
reassigned, renumbered or dissolved. An Ersatz battalion normally has 5 companies but
there are exceptions. The first kompanie is the Stammkompanie. This is the reception
company for new draftees entering the army for the first time. Companies 1 and 2 handled
men who were prior service, being received in for transfer or reservist and landwehr class
men that were being called up. Kompanie 3 and 4 handled recovered wounded or sick men
returning to active service or men being discharged. So the unit that would be on his EKM
and on the first page of his soldbuch would be one of the first 3 companies. Except when the
soldier has been issued a new erkennungsmarke or received his erkennungsmarke later in
another unit.

After training, the soldier would be sent to sent to a unit that corresponds with the Ersatz
unit. The ersatz unit was stationed at a depot with several other units and transfers
happened between units that were stationed at the same depot as the ersatz unit. In a depot
divisions, regiments, battalions and company sized elements were stationed. All the units
stationed at a depot where raised from the same Wehrkreis. If you’re wounded and
recovered, but for some reason your old unit was transferred or already shipped out you
would be sent to another unit that your depot supplied and go through the 4th kompanie.
Inside a regiment transfer were easy. Regiment to regiment within a division generally
required to go through the feldersatz or Marsch BTL. of the unit. The feldersatz Btl. Is a
replacement and trying unit in the field that would bring in replacements, train them for the
area and tactics used where they were and then sent them out to regiments within its
division where the men were needed. The Marsch BTL was a transit battalion for men to
cycle through when returning to the front, especially if there regiment was in a hard to reach
position. These battalions could also be used as an infantry combat unit if needed.
There are only a few reasons how a man could be transferred to or assigned to units of
different Wehrkreises and units. First is gaining a commission. Officers went to a general
pool for assignments when needed. The second reason is while a soldier is in transfer to and
back from the front they could be drafted to ad hoc local defense actions. On most occasions
this was temporary and very very rarely permanent. The next is by volunteering to special
units. And the fourth reason is through punishment. If a soldier was court martialed and
sent the a punishment battalion and he survived he would be sent to a completely different
unit. The last reason a trough a mass transfer of men from one unit to another, or
redesignation. Where you are in this unit the next day and the other day in another. Your
depot would then be the depot of the division you were serving in then.