Austria's Fight Against Germany In World War Ii

Austria was annexed by Germany on March 13, 1938, in an event known as the Anschluss. This union was supported by most Austrians, who enthusiastically welcomed the German troops. However, a small minority of Austrians resisted Nazi rule and fought against the German army during World War II. While Austria was technically not a participant in World War II as it ceased to exist as a sovereign nation before the war began, hundreds of thousands of Austrians fought as part of the German Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS.

The Anschluss: Austria's annexation into Nazi Germany

The Anschluss, which took place from March 11-13, 1938, was the annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany. The idea of a union between the two countries was not new, and had been mooted as early as 1919. However, it was the rise of Hitler and the Nazi Party in Germany that brought the prospect of unification to the fore.

The Background

The unification of Germany in 1871 had excluded Austria and the German Austrians from the Prussian-dominated German Empire. This left many Austrians feeling that their country was not economically viable without the lands previously held by the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which had collapsed in 1918.

Hitler's Rise

Hitler, himself an Austrian, had written in his earliest writings and speeches of his desire for a union between the two countries. When he rose to power in 1933, the prospect of unification became a distinct possibility. However, Hitler was not yet ready to act on his ambitions, and the Austrian Nazi Party was weak and ineffective.

The Austrian Response

In Austria, the idea of unification was supported by many citizens, particularly those on the political left and center. However, there was also opposition, and in 1933, the Austrian government banned the Austrian Nazi Party, forcing many Austrian Nazis to flee to Germany.

The Coup

In July 1934, Austrian and German Nazis attempted a coup, but it ultimately failed. An authoritarian right-wing government then took power in Austria, keeping perhaps half the population from voicing dissent.

The Annexation

In February 1938, Hitler invited the Austrian chancellor, Kurt von Schuschnigg, to Germany and forced him to agree to give the Austrian Nazis free rein. Schuschnigg later tried to repudiate the agreement by announcing a plebiscite on the question of unification. However, he was bullied into canceling the vote and resigning. On March 12, German troops invaded Austria, and the next day, Hitler annexed the country. A controlled plebiscite on April 10 gave a 99.7% approval for the union.

Austrians in the Nazi regime

On the 12th of March 1938, German troops entered Austria, receiving the enthusiastic support of most of the population. The next day, Austria was incorporated into Germany. In April, this annexation was approved in a plebiscite that was manipulated to indicate that about 99% of the Austrian people wanted the union (known as the Anschluss) with Germany.

The Anschluss was the first step in Hitler's plan to redraw the map of post-World War I Europe. He and the Nazis considered the postwar international borders unfair and illegitimate, claiming that Germans had been denied the right of self-determination.

The Austrian Nazi Party had been weak, divided, and ineffective in the late 1920s and early 1930s, but by 1931, the bulk of Austrian Nazis recognised Hitler as their leader. Austrian Nazis gained supporters in 1931-1932 as Hitler's popularity in Germany increased, and this was even more noticeable across Austria after Hitler was appointed German chancellor in January 1933.

Austrian Nazis waged a propaganda and terror campaign beginning in May 1933, encouraged and funded by Germany. They staged disruptive protests and brawls with political opponents and the police, and set off explosives and tear gas bombs in public places and Jewish-owned businesses. In the face of this Nazi terrorism, the Austrian government worked to maintain its power and preserve Austrian sovereignty. In June 1933, the Dollfuss regime banned the Austrian Nazi Party and its affiliates, but the Austrian Nazis continued to operate illegally within the country.

On July 25, 1934, Austrian Nazis attempted to overthrow the Austrian government. Members of the Vienna SS took control of the Austrian chancellery, where the cabinet had been meeting, and in the process, shot and killed Chancellor Dollfuss. Other plotters seized control of the state radio station in Vienna and prematurely announced the coup. Outside Vienna, other Austrian Nazis also revolted against the government. However, the majority of Austrians remained loyal to the government, and the Austrian military and police forces quickly defeated the conspirators. The coup attempt failed, and Mussolini sent troops to the Austro-Italian border to defend Austrian sovereignty.

Hitler denied any involvement in the coup, and the fallout from the plot made it clear that the Nazis would have to wait to gain control of Austria. In February 1938, Austrian chancellor Schuschnigg traveled to meet with Hitler, who made a series of demands, including that Austrian foreign and military policies were to be coordinated with Germany's, and that Austrian Nazi Arthur Seyss-Inquart was to be placed in charge of policing and security matters. Hitler used the presence of several German generals to intimidate Schuschnigg, who gave in and signed the agreement, known as the Berchtesgaden Agreement.

On March 9, 1938, Schuschnigg attempted to assert Austrian independence by calling a plebiscite (referendum) on Austrian independence. The referendum was scheduled for March 13, but on March 11, the Germans pressured Schuschnigg to cancel the plebiscite and resign. That evening, Austrian radio announced the cancellation of the upcoming plebiscite on Austrian independence, and shortly thereafter, Schuschnigg announced his resignation in the face of German pressure.

Just after midnight on March 12, Austrian president Wilhelm Miklas reluctantly gave in to the last of Hitler’s demands, appointing Seyss-Inquart as chancellor of Austria. In turn, Seyss-Inquart announced a new cabinet filled with Austrian Nazis. This was a domestic change of power brought on by external pressure from Nazi Germany, but it was not enough for Hitler, and German troops crossed the border early in the morning of March 12. They were not met with armed resistance, but with cheers and flowers.

On March 13, Austrian Nazi Chancellor Seyss-Inquart signed the law called the “Reunification of Austria with Germany”. The word “reunification” was a misnomer, as Austria had never been a part of the German Empire. This law, sometimes called the Anschluss law, formally incorporated Austria into Nazi Germany, and gave the annexation the air of legality. Austria was now a province of Nazi Germany, and the Nazis wanted to get rid of any traces of a separate Austrian identity.

The Anschluss was a watershed moment in Nazi Germany’s foreign policy. The international community did not intervene to stop the Anschluss or punish Nazi Germany for violating international treaties, and thus, the annexation is one of the earliest and most significant examples of the international community’s appeasement of Adolf Hitler’s aggressive foreign policy.

Austria's role in the Holocaust

Austria played a significant and enthusiastic role in the Holocaust. After a period of economic stagnation, political dictatorship, and intense Nazi propaganda inside Austria, German troops entered the country on 12 March 1938 and were greeted by cheering Austrians with Nazi salutes and flags. Austria was incorporated into Germany the next day, and a manipulated plebiscite indicated that about 99% of the Austrian people supported the union (known as the Anschluss).

The persecution of Jews was immediate and violent. They were disenfranchised, and all Jewish organisations and newspapers were closed. Jews were subjected to public humiliation, forced to wash sidewalks and toilets, and rounded up on the Sabbath to be humiliated further. During Kristallnacht in November 1938, most synagogues in Vienna were destroyed, and Jewish businesses were vandalised and ransacked.

The Mauthausen concentration camp was established in the summer of 1938, becoming the main Nazi camp in Austria. Thousands of prisoners were worked to death, and subcamps were established near armaments factories. The Nazis also plundered Jewish property, seizing homes, businesses, real estate, financial assets, and artworks.

The deportation of Austrian Jews to death camps began in February 1941 and continued until March 1945. By the end of the war, more than 65,000 Austrian Jews had perished, and fewer than 800 Jews remained in Vienna.

While the majority of Austrians were not Nazis, many Austrians participated in the Nazi administration. Austrians were overrepresented in the system of terror against Jews and on the battlefields. Hundreds of thousands of Austrians fought as German soldiers, and a substantial number served in the SS. Austrians also comprised a large percentage of the bureaucrats and personnel who implemented the Final Solution.

A small minority of Austrians actively participated in the resistance against Nazism. However, the Austrian resistance was hampered by political antagonism, and most resistance groups were exposed and executed.

In the aftermath of World War II, many Austrians sought comfort in the myth of Austria as the first victim of the Nazis, denying responsibility for Nazi crimes. It was not until the 1980s, following the Waldheim affair and the rise of Jörg Haider and the Freedom Party of Austria, that Austrians began to confront their mixed past on a large scale.

Austria's resistance to Nazism

Austria was part of Nazi Germany from 13 March 1938 until 27 April 1945, when Allied-occupied Austria declared independence from Nazi Germany. The annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany, known as the Anschluss, was met with enthusiasm by most of the Austrian population. However, a small minority of Austrians resisted Nazism and fought against it.

The Austrian resistance was formed in response to the rise of fascism across Europe and, more specifically, to the Anschluss and the resulting occupation of Austria by Germany. It is estimated that around 100,000 people participated in this resistance, with thousands subsequently imprisoned or executed for their anti-Nazi activities. The resistance groups reflected the spectrum of political parties before the war, including left-wing resistance groups (mostly communists, with a smaller number of socialists), conservative resisters (mainly Christian Socialists and monarchists), and armed resistance groups.

One of the most prominent resistance groups was led by the priest Heinrich Maier. This group sought to re-establish a Habsburg monarchy after the war and played a crucial role in providing the Allies with information on Nazi production sites for weapons such as V-1 and V-2 rockets, Tiger tanks, and aircraft. Maier's group was also one of the first to report the mass murder of Jews, utilising contacts at the Semperit factory near Auschwitz.

In addition to armed resistance, numerous individuals risked their lives to provide support to Jewish families during the Holocaust. They hid individuals, managed or exchanged their property, and aided their escape from Nazi persecution. Rosa Stallbaumer and her husband, Anton, were arrested by the Gestapo in 1942 for their efforts. Rosa died at Auschwitz at the age of 44, while Anton survived.

The symbol and voice of the Austrian resistance was Crown Prince Otto von Habsburg, who would have been Kaiser of Austria had the monarchy been re-established. Otto denounced Nazism and actively opposed the Anschluss, even offering to return from exile to lead the resistance against the Nazis. As a result, he was sentenced to death by the Nazi regime.

The Austrian resistance maintained their activities throughout the war, despite the challenges posed by the Anschluss, which made resistance a penal offence. They primarily focused on issuing counter-Nazi political leaflets, collecting donations for the families of those arrested, and providing the Allies with valuable information.

Austria's post-war victim theory

The Annexation of Austria

The annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany, known as the Anschluss, took place on March 13, 1938, and was met with enthusiasm by most Austrians. During World War II, 950,000 Austrians fought for the Nazi German armed forces, and many others participated in the Nazi administration, including senior Nazi leadership.

The Victim Theory

The victim theory stated that the Anschluss was an act of military aggression by Nazi Germany, and Austria's statehood had been interrupted. Therefore, the newly revived Austria of 1945 could not be held responsible for the Nazis' crimes. The theory insisted that all Austrians, including those who supported Adolf Hitler, were unwilling victims of the Nazi regime.

This theory became a fundamental myth in Austrian society, allowing former political opponents to unite and bring former Nazis back into social and political life. The Austrian state denied any continuity with the political regime of 1938-1945 and actively cultivated an image of national unity. Veterans of the Wehrmacht and the Waffen-SS were honoured, while the struggle for justice by the actual victims of Nazism, primarily Jews, was dismissed.

The End of the Victim Theory

In 1986, the election of Kurt Waldheim, a former Wehrmacht intelligence officer, as federal president, put Austria under international scrutiny. External pressure and internal political discussions forced Austrians to reconsider their attitude towards the past. Starting with the political administration in 1988, and followed by most Austrians, the nation admitted its collective responsibility for the crimes committed during the Nazi occupation and officially abandoned the victim theory.

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