Description
WEHRPASS – FRANZ ZAKRZEWSKI – OBERGEFREITER – ARTILLERIE REGT. 68 / 122 – 23. INFANTERIE-DIVISION – POLENFELDZUG – WESTFELDZUG – OSTFRONT (HEERESGRUPPE NORD) – LENINGRAD / DEMJANSK – WOUNDED 30.11.1941 – KILLED IN ACTION 08.12.1943 (NEWEL) – EK II (POSTHUMOUS) – OSTMEDAILLE – WOUND BADGE BLACK
DETAILS:
Wehrpass issued to Franz Zakrzewski, born 18 December 1916. Catholic; occupation Transportarbeiter. Entered active service on 15 November 1938 with Nachrichten-Zug, Artillerie-Regiment 68.
Zakrzewski served throughout the war in artillery signal and staff roles, initially with Artillerie-Regiment 68 and later with Artillerie-Regiment 122 of the 23. Infanterie-Division. His service spans the Poland Campaign, Western Campaign, and extensive combat on the Eastern Front with Heeresgruppe Nord, including operations in the Leningrad sector and Demjansk region.
During Operation Barbarossa, he advanced through Lithuania toward Leningrad, participating in fighting around the Luga line, Lake Ilmen, and subsequent defensive battles in the northern sector. He was wounded on 30 November 1941 (gunshot wound to the arm), later returning to duty after recovery.
By 1943 he was serving in divisional reconnaissance/fusilier elements attached to the division. On 7 December 1943 he was seriously wounded while acting as a messenger. He was evacuated to a main dressing station near Newel (Nevel) and was killed the following day, 8 December 1943, during a Soviet air attack on the medical facility.
AWARDS:
Eisernes Kreuz II. Klasse (Iron Cross 2nd Class) – awarded 9 December 1943 (posthumous)
Ostmedaille (Eastern Front Medal / Winter War Medal 1941–42) – awarded 27 July 1942
Verwundetenabzeichen in Schwarz (Wound Badge in Black) – awarded 28 April 1942
Based on the Wehrpass campaign entries and the documented movements of Infanterie-Regiment 67 and the 23. Infanterie-Division, Franke’s awards can be closely tied to specific operational phases. The Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen, awarded 30 July 1941, corresponds directly to his participation in the opening weeks of Operation Barbarossa, when the division advanced from East Prussia through the Białystok–Minsk sector and into western Russia, engaging in heavy combat near Suraz and in the forest fighting around Suprasl in late June 1941—actions consistent with the regiment’s rapid forward movement toward the Luga line and the Leningrad axis. His Verwundetenabzeichen in Schwarz (awarded May 1942) reflects the wound sustained on 23 July 1941 during this same advance phase, when the division was still engaged in mobile offensive operations before transitioning into prolonged defensive fighting in the northern sector. By the time of the wound badge award, the division was already entrenched in the Army Group North front, involved in the stabilization of the front around the Leningrad region following the failed attempt to take the city, a period characterized by static warfare, attrition, and recovery of earlier casualties—precisely matching the timeline seen in his Wehrpass entries.
PROMOTIONS:
Gefreiter – 1 November 1940
Obergefreiter – 1 June 1942
WOUNDS:
30 November 1941 – Gunshot wound (arm), Eastern Front
7 December 1943 – Severe/fatal wounding prior to death
NOTES:
Served in signals (Nachrichten) and artillery staff roles before later reassignment to divisional reconnaissance/fusilier elements. Continuous frontline service with 23. Infanterie-Division from 1939–1943.
Included with the Wehrpass is an original official condolence letter sent to his mother following his death. The letter states that Zakrzewski was first wounded on 7 December 1943 while carrying out his duties as a messenger, then transported to a main dressing station near Newel. It confirms that he was killed the following day, 8 December 1943, during a Soviet air attack on the medical facility. The wording follows the typical period format, describing him as a loyal and dependable soldier who “gave his life for Führer, people, and fatherland,” providing direct family-level confirmation of his death and circumstances.
STATUS: Killed in action 8 December 1943 (Eastern Front, Newel sector)
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