Today I would like to present a unique Soldbuch and Wehrpass grouping I acquired back in June.
Adolf Ballauf was an Austrian born carpenter who married to his wife in 1939, shortly before he was conscripted in the German Wehrmacht in January 1940. He spent a lot of time in reserve units, such as the Landesschützen-Bataillon 898 and the Landesschützen-Bataillon 866. Ballauf was what you would call... not a softy. He had been convicted several times by Austrian judges before the war, for violations such as public indecency, violence and theft. In February 1942, he was convicted again by the Kommandatur of his home city Vienna for prompting others to participate in a serious crime. After one year in prison, he was released on probabtion until the war's end... it was clear that his quiet life was over and he was to be sent to a front unit. He ended up with the leichte Gebirgsjäger-Kolonne 749, in September 1943 renamed to Jäger-Regiment 749. This unit was part of the 117. Jäger-Division and saw anti-partisan action on the Greec islands. In December 1943, they were responsible for the Massacre of Kalavryta, killing nearly 700 civilians.
Obviously, Ballauf again misbehaved during these turbulent anti-partisan months. On the 7th of February 1944, he was brought before the Feldkriegsgericht of the 117. Jäger-Division and sentenced to two years in prison for "Diebstahl, militärische Unterschlagung und Urkundenfalschung": theft, military misconduct and the forgery of (award) documents.
From this time on, entries in Ballauf's Soldbuch are only minimal. He must have been kept in various places, though only one stamp reveals that he was in the Wehrmachtgefängnis Glatz. Eventually he ended up with the Feldstrafgefangenen-Abteilung 14 on the Western Front. Half November 1944, the Abteilung was in the French Alsace, near the German border.
Although much detail about this grouping is already known, some of the answers arise new questions. Did Ballauf try to flee or surrender to the Free French? Or did the Abteilung not know what to do with these 'troublemakers' with the allies on their heels? Either way, this is what we do have certainty about: with the Free French forces only a few miles away, the commander of the Feldstrafgefangenen-Abteilung 14 summoned a Standgericht, a drumhead court-martial, on the 18th of November 1944 in 'Le Halbach', a tiny hamlet consisting of only a few houses, part of the municipality Bionville, about halfway between Nancy and Strassbourg. Officers of the 716. Infanterie-Division seated in the court-martial. This division is well known for its involvement in Normandy and by November had retreated to the Alsace area. The accusation for Ballauf and a few other prisoners was tough: "gemeinsamer Fahenflucht": joint desertion. Ballauf was convicted, and executed by a firing squad that very same day, probably together with several or all of the other accused. I have no idea about the location of his grave. For all I know, his body may still be hidden somewhere in the forests of Le Halbach. He left behind a widow and child.
Having written a book on German executions in occupied Belgium four years ago, I have always had a high interest in this matter, so it was a great find for me. I noticed a few Soldbucher and Wehrpässe have been shared here on the forum to soldiers who were executed after the war. But this was the first time I saw one to a soldier executed by a German Standgericht during the war - though thousands of soldiers must have known this sad fate. It has taken quite some time to research this grouping; I acquired his personal file from an Austrian archive which was a vital source, other paths were to date without success, like my contacts with the local French authorities. Hope you 'enjoy' the story and scans of a tragic grouping.
Adolf Ballauf was an Austrian born carpenter who married to his wife in 1939, shortly before he was conscripted in the German Wehrmacht in January 1940. He spent a lot of time in reserve units, such as the Landesschützen-Bataillon 898 and the Landesschützen-Bataillon 866. Ballauf was what you would call... not a softy. He had been convicted several times by Austrian judges before the war, for violations such as public indecency, violence and theft. In February 1942, he was convicted again by the Kommandatur of his home city Vienna for prompting others to participate in a serious crime. After one year in prison, he was released on probabtion until the war's end... it was clear that his quiet life was over and he was to be sent to a front unit. He ended up with the leichte Gebirgsjäger-Kolonne 749, in September 1943 renamed to Jäger-Regiment 749. This unit was part of the 117. Jäger-Division and saw anti-partisan action on the Greec islands. In December 1943, they were responsible for the Massacre of Kalavryta, killing nearly 700 civilians.
Obviously, Ballauf again misbehaved during these turbulent anti-partisan months. On the 7th of February 1944, he was brought before the Feldkriegsgericht of the 117. Jäger-Division and sentenced to two years in prison for "Diebstahl, militärische Unterschlagung und Urkundenfalschung": theft, military misconduct and the forgery of (award) documents.
From this time on, entries in Ballauf's Soldbuch are only minimal. He must have been kept in various places, though only one stamp reveals that he was in the Wehrmachtgefängnis Glatz. Eventually he ended up with the Feldstrafgefangenen-Abteilung 14 on the Western Front. Half November 1944, the Abteilung was in the French Alsace, near the German border.
Although much detail about this grouping is already known, some of the answers arise new questions. Did Ballauf try to flee or surrender to the Free French? Or did the Abteilung not know what to do with these 'troublemakers' with the allies on their heels? Either way, this is what we do have certainty about: with the Free French forces only a few miles away, the commander of the Feldstrafgefangenen-Abteilung 14 summoned a Standgericht, a drumhead court-martial, on the 18th of November 1944 in 'Le Halbach', a tiny hamlet consisting of only a few houses, part of the municipality Bionville, about halfway between Nancy and Strassbourg. Officers of the 716. Infanterie-Division seated in the court-martial. This division is well known for its involvement in Normandy and by November had retreated to the Alsace area. The accusation for Ballauf and a few other prisoners was tough: "gemeinsamer Fahenflucht": joint desertion. Ballauf was convicted, and executed by a firing squad that very same day, probably together with several or all of the other accused. I have no idea about the location of his grave. For all I know, his body may still be hidden somewhere in the forests of Le Halbach. He left behind a widow and child.
Having written a book on German executions in occupied Belgium four years ago, I have always had a high interest in this matter, so it was a great find for me. I noticed a few Soldbucher and Wehrpässe have been shared here on the forum to soldiers who were executed after the war. But this was the first time I saw one to a soldier executed by a German Standgericht during the war - though thousands of soldiers must have known this sad fate. It has taken quite some time to research this grouping; I acquired his personal file from an Austrian archive which was a vital source, other paths were to date without success, like my contacts with the local French authorities. Hope you 'enjoy' the story and scans of a tragic grouping.
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