This is a translated letter I received from Das Bundesarchiv today: "As a member of the unit 1st Battery Artillery Regiment 30 is on September 20 1941 in Bordowka / Russia fell. He was bearer of the dog tag: - 856 - 3. / l. A.E.A. 30 (= 3rd Company Light Artillery Replacement Division 30) His final resting place he found in Alschenka in a single grave, 23 kilometers north of Demyansk in Russia. Whether the grave still exists today or in what condition it is I can not make a statement."
Does this indicate if he was a Nazi or just a regular German guy who had to fight for the German army? What was his role in the military?
There's no way to tell. Given the location and information here I'd say he was a member of one of the two light artillery regiments of the Wehrmachts 30th Infantry Division meaning he probably manned some type of crew served gun like an anti-tank gun, a mortar, an AA-gun or something of that nature. During 1941 the 30th Division was a part of II. Armeekorps, Armeegruppe Nord.
Since there is no information about when he joined the division, his service record, rank or well, just about anything other than the unit and place of burial we can't even speculate about his personal beliefs. The 30th was a pre-war division raised in 1936 but even if he was an original member that doesn't tell us much about his personal beliefs. Since we're talking the 30th Division in mid 1941 he was likely a volunteer since most of the draftees went to newly raised divisions although we can't be sure of that either.
Did you receive these information from the WASt service (Die Deutsche Dienststelle)? If not, try to reach them because they have so much! The WASt service possesses the Werhmacht archives (at least the soldiers data) as well as graves data.
Hello there! As your question is related to looking for identification/information regarding military personnel, our Guide on Military Identification may be of use to you. It provides a number of different resources, including how to request service records from a number of national agencies around the world, as well as graphical aids to assist in deciphering rank, unit, and other forms of badges or insignia. While the users here may still be able to lend you more assistance, hopefully this will provide a good place to start!