Description
WEHRPASS – JOHANN ZAHRADKA – AOK 12 – POLAND, FRANCE, BALKAN CAMPAIGNS
Original German WWII Wehrpass issued to Johann Zahradka, born 22 September 1908 in Vienna, an Austrian national employed as a locksmith (Schlosser). The Wehrpass was issued in Vienna on 26 March 1940 by Wehrbezirks-Kommando Wien III following induction into the Wehrmacht.
The document retains the original portrait photograph, properly affixed and stamped. Initial classification lists him as “kriegsverwendungsfähig” and assigned to the Ersatzreserve I.
Service history reflects early wartime duty connected to A.O.K. 12 (Armeeoberkommando 12), including:
- Participation in the Polish campaign (Feldzug in Polen), 1939
- Subsequent service securing the German western frontier
- Extensive involvement in the 1940 Western Campaign (France), including Luxembourg advance, breakthrough operations, and pursuit actions toward the Swiss border
Later wartime entries document transfer to the Balkans theater under AOK 12, including:
- Deployment to Romania and Bulgaria (1941)
- Participation in the Balkan Campaign
- Ongoing occupation and security duties in southeastern Europe through 1942–1943
Further entries show continued late-war service, culminating with assignment in 1945 to Stab Aufklarungs Abt. 116, indicating continued involvement in army administrative/logistical command structures during the final phase of the war.
Unit entries throughout include various motorized transport, staff, and supply formations (Kraftfahr-Ersatz, Nachschub, and related units), consistent with a logistical/support role.
Promotions recorded:
- Gefreiter (1 December 1939)
- Stabsgefreiter (1 October 1944)
Decorations and awards recorded:
- Sudetenland Medal with Clasp (Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 1. Oktober 1938 mit Spange)
- War Merit Cross 2nd Class with Swords (Kriegsverdienstkreuz II. Klasse mit Schwertern)
- Bulgarian Bronze Medal with Crown
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