Austria's Role In World War Ii: An Overview

Austria was part of Nazi Germany from 13 March 1938 until 27 April 1945, when Allied-occupied Austria declared independence. During World War II, 950,000 Austrians fought for the Nazi German armed forces, and many others participated in the Nazi administration, from death camp personnel to senior Nazi leadership.

In the immediate aftermath of World War II, Austria was divided into four occupation zones and jointly occupied by the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, the United States, and France. Vienna was similarly subdivided, but the central district was collectively administered by the Allied Control Council.

Austria's role in the Holocaust

Austria played an active role in the Holocaust, which was the systematic persecution, plunder, and extermination of Jews by German and Austrian Nazis from 1938 to 1945. In the 1930s, Jews were prominent in Austria, with leading figures in the sciences, arts, business, and industry. However, the country also had a strong legacy of anti-Semitism, which found its full expression in Adolf Hitler, an Austrian himself.

In 1938, German troops entered Austria and received the enthusiastic support of most of the population. Austria was then incorporated into Germany, and anti-Jewish legislation was quickly extended to the country. The Mauthausen concentration camp, established in the summer of 1938, became the main Nazi camp in Austria. The camp was designated a special penal camp with a harsh regimen, where inmates were forced to carry heavy stone blocks in a section known as the "Stairway of Death".

The Kristallnacht ("Night of Broken Glass") pogroms in November 1938 were particularly brutal in Austria. Most synagogues in Vienna were destroyed, and Jewish businesses were vandalized and ransacked. Thousands of Jews were arrested and deported to concentration camps, leading to a dramatic increase in Jewish emigration. Between 1938 and 1940, 117,000 Jews left Austria, and by 1939, the Jewish population had decreased to around 57,000.

The persecution of Jews in Austria was immediate and violent. German racial laws were enacted, and Jews were disenfranchised and subjected to public humiliation. They were banned from public transport, and their property was seized and transferred to non-Jews. The Central Office for Jewish Emigration, established under Nazi Adolf Eichmann, facilitated the mass emigration of Jews from Austria.

In October 1939, the deportation of Austrian Jews to Poland began as part of a larger plan to gather all of Europe's Jewish population in one territory. The deportation of Jews to death camps started in February 1941 and was accelerated after the Wannsee Conference in 1942. The Viennese Jewish community was officially liquidated in November 1942, and deportations continued until March 1945.

As a result of the Holocaust, between 60,000 and 65,000 Austrian Jews lost their lives, with only a few hundred surviving until liberation. In total, an estimated 70,000 Austrian Jews were murdered, and 125,000 were forced to flee as refugees.

Austrian resistance to Nazism

One notable resistance group was led by the priest Heinrich Maier. This group sought to reestablish a Habsburg monarchy after the war and played a crucial role in providing intelligence to the Allies. They informed the Allies about the production sites of V-1, V-2 rockets, Tiger tanks, and aircraft, enabling precise airstrikes and minimizing civilian casualties. Maier's group was also one of the first to report the mass murder of Jews, utilizing contacts at the Semperit factory near Auschwitz.

In addition to armed resistance, many individuals provided support to Jewish families during the Holocaust. They hid individuals, managed or exchanged their property, and aided their escape from Nazi persecution, despite the immense personal risk involved. Rosa Stallbaumer and her husband, Anton, were arrested by the Gestapo in 1942 for their efforts. While Anton survived, Rosa was sent to Auschwitz, where she died at the age of 44.

Another form of resistance came from religious groups, particularly the Catholic Church. Three large regional Catholic-based resistance groups formed in response to anti-Catholic measures imposed by the Nazis. However, these groups faced challenges maintaining organizational cohesion due to the penal consequences of such activities. Despite this, they continued to provide crucial information to the Allies and support those resisting the regime.

The Austrian resistance also included military personnel within the Wehrmacht. One notable group was led by Major Carl Szokoll, which planned "Operation Radetzky" to assist the Red Army in liberating Vienna and prevent its destruction. However, the operation was betrayed, and several members, including Robert Bernardis, Heinrich Kodré, Karl Biedermann, Alfred Huth, and Rudolf Raschke, were executed.

Overall, the Austrian resistance to Nazism was a diverse and courageous movement that included individuals from various ideological, religious, and military backgrounds. They risked their lives to fight against Nazi oppression and played a crucial role in providing critical information to the Allies and saving countless lives.

The Anschluss

In the early 1930s, the Austrian government withdrew from economic ties with Germany, which was experiencing the Great Depression. However, by 1937, rapid German rearmament increased Berlin's interest in annexing Austria, which was rich in raw materials and labour.

In February 1938, Austrian chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg met with Hitler, who forced him to agree to give the Austrian Nazis, led by Arthur Seyss-Inquart, a free hand. Schuschnigg then announced a referendum on Austrian independence, to be held on March 13. Infuriated, Hitler threatened an invasion and demanded Schuschnigg's resignation and the appointment of Seyss-Inquart as chancellor. On March 11, Hitler gave the Austrian government an ultimatum, demanding that the referendum be cancelled and his demands met by noon. Schuschnigg gave in, but without waiting for an answer, Hitler had already signed the order to invade.

On the morning of March 12, the German Wehrmacht crossed the Austrian border, unopposed by the Austrian military. Hitler himself crossed the border at his birthplace, Braunau am Inn, and was greeted by cheering Austrians with Nazi salutes, flags, and flowers. The "invasion" without shots fired was dubbed the Blumenkrieg ("Flower War").

On March 13, Seyss-Inquart signed the "Reunification of Austria with Germany" law, formally incorporating Austria into Nazi Germany. Austria was now a province of Nazi Germany, initially referred to as the Ostmark. A plebiscite held on April 10, in which around 300,000 to 400,000 Austrian citizens were forbidden to vote, gave a 99.7% approval for the union.

Austrian occupation after WWII

Austria, officially the Republic of Austria, was very much involved in World War II, and its history during this period is complex and intriguing. After World War II, Austria underwent a unique occupation and reconstruction process, which had a significant impact on the country's future. Here is an overview of the Austrian occupation during the post-World War II years:

The end of World War II saw Austria liberated from Nazi rule, but the country found itself occupied by the Allied forces. The Allies, consisting of the United States, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, and France, had agreed on a plan for the occupation and reconstruction of Austria, outlined in the Potsdam Agreement in July 1945. According to this agreement, Austria was divided into four occupation zones, with each power taking control of a specific zone. The US, UK, and France jointly administered the capital city of Vienna, which was further subdivided into sectors for each power.

The occupation of Austria was markedly different from that of Germany, as the Allies recognized that Austria had been the first country to fall victim to Nazi aggression and annexation. As a result, the occupation policies were generally more lenient, and the Austrian people were treated as victims of Nazi rule rather than perpetrators. The primary objectives of the occupation were to denazify the country, rebuild its economy, and establish a democratic government.

The Allied Control Council, consisting of representatives from the four powers, oversaw the occupation and made decisions regarding Austria's reconstruction. The council implemented various reforms, including the disbandment of all Nazi organizations, the removal of Nazi-era officials from positions of power, and the establishment of democratic institutions. The Austrian people were encouraged to participate in the political process, and elections were held in 1945, leading to the formation of a coalition government.

The economic reconstruction of Austria was a key focus of the occupation. The Allied powers provided significant aid and support to rebuild the country's infrastructure, industry, and agriculture. The US, in particular, played a major role in the economic recovery through the implementation of the Marshall Plan, which provided financial assistance and helped to stabilize the Austrian economy. By the early 1950s, Austria had made significant progress in rebuilding its economy and establishing a stable democratic government.

The occupation of Austria came to an end with the signing of the Austrian State Treaty in May 1955. The treaty, negotiated between the Allies and the Austrian government, officially ended the occupation and established Austria as a neutral, independent, and sovereign state. All occupation troops were withdrawn, and Austria committed to maintaining its neutrality and not joining any military alliances. The treaty also guaranteed the rights and freedoms of the Austrian people and paved the way for the country's integration into the wider European community.

In conclusion, the occupation of Austria after World War II played a pivotal role in shaping the country's future. Through the collaborative efforts of the Allied powers and the Austrian people, Austria emerged from the war as a democratic, neutral, and economically stable nation, setting the stage for its successful integration into post-war Europe.

Austrian reparations to the Soviet Union

Austria was not included in the Potsdam Conference or the Paris Peace Treaties of 1947, which outlined the reparations to be paid by the Axis nations to the Allied governments. However, Austria did pay around $2 billion to the Soviet Union, which was somewhat offset by the massive amount of aid given to Austria by the United States through the Marshall Plan.

Austria was divided into four occupation zones, jointly occupied by the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, the United States, and France. While the Western Allies and the Soviet Union treated Austria as a defeated Axis power, they also acknowledged that it was a victim of Nazi Germany, and so it avoided some of the harshest consequences of defeat.

In the immediate aftermath of World War II, local governments were obliged to feed and clothe the occupying armies, which was an enormous burden on the war-ravaged country. The Soviet Union, in particular, deployed NKVD (Soviet secret police) teams of professional looters to extract reparations through requisitions. The historian Walter Iber estimated that, from 1946 to 1955, Austria paid the Soviet Union 36.8 billion Schillings, or two percent of its accumulated GDP.

In addition to the financial and material costs, the Soviet occupation of Austria was marked by mass sexual violence and looting. The historian Barbara Stelzl-Marx estimates that there were around 8,000 so-called "soldier's children" born in Austria between 1946 and 1953, but the real number may have been as high as 30,000.

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