Transport of concentration camp inmates to Tyrol
Encyclopedia
The Transport of Inmates of German Concentration Camps to Tyrol happened in late April 1945 and led to the only time such prisoners were liberated by German troops.
and SD
. On board were the camp's most important and prominent prisoners as well as family members of the 20 July plotters.
The officers in charge, Obersturmführer
Edgar Stiller and Untersturmführer
Bader, had orders to kill all the prisoners if in any fear of capture.
But on arrival at “Arbeitserziehungslager Reichenau”, Innsbruck
, camp authorities told the guards that they were not prepared to accept the prisoners. Instead the 139 prisoners were sent to the village hotel at Niederdorf, where they arrived on April 28.
Contrary to expectations, the building was unavailable as it was being used by three German Wehrmacht
generals. A delegation from the prisoners' committee—that included Colonel Bogislaw von Bonin
who had been imprisoned for allowing a retreat on the Eastern Front—made contact with the senior army officers and made known the identity of the high-status prisoners and the fear that they were to be executed before liberation by US troops.
A message was sent to Wehrmacht
troops at Bozen commanded by Captain Wichard von Alvensleben
, who decided to come and protect the prisoners with his soldiers.
On April 30 against the background of advancing US troops and Alvensleben’s unit, which had now surrounded the village, the SS guards decided to escape.
The free prisoners were then accommodated at the Pragser Wildsee Hotel until US troops marched into Niederdorf on May 5.
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Next to these prominent prisoners two inmates of the Dachau concentration camp, the cook Wilhelm Visintainer and the barber Paul Wauer were within the transport.
Vera Schuschnigg, wife of Kurt von Schuschnigg, and their daughter Maria Dolores Elisabeth had joined the transport voluntarily and were not officially imprisoned.
Transfer and liberation
On April 24, 1945 more than 130 prisoners from Dachau Concentration Camp were transferred to Niederdorf/Hochpustertal 70 km northeast of Bozen. The transport, which was composed of trucks and old buses, was guarded by several dozen troops from the SSSchutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
and SD
Sicherheitsdienst
Sicherheitsdienst , full title Sicherheitsdienst des Reichsführers-SS, or SD, was the intelligence agency of the SS and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany. The organization was the first Nazi Party intelligence organization to be established and was often considered a "sister organization" with the...
. On board were the camp's most important and prominent prisoners as well as family members of the 20 July plotters.
The officers in charge, Obersturmführer
Obersturmführer
Obersturmführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi party that was used by the SS and also as a rank of the SA. Translated as “Senior Assault Leader”, the rank of Obersturmführer was first created in 1932 as the result of an expansion of the Sturmabteilung and the need for an additional rank in...
Edgar Stiller and Untersturmführer
Untersturmführer
Untersturmführer was a paramilitary rank of the German Schutzstaffel first created in July 1934. The rank can trace its origins to the older SA rank of Sturmführer which had existed since the founding of the SA in 1921...
Bader, had orders to kill all the prisoners if in any fear of capture.
But on arrival at “Arbeitserziehungslager Reichenau”, Innsbruck
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
, camp authorities told the guards that they were not prepared to accept the prisoners. Instead the 139 prisoners were sent to the village hotel at Niederdorf, where they arrived on April 28.
Contrary to expectations, the building was unavailable as it was being used by three German Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
generals. A delegation from the prisoners' committee—that included Colonel Bogislaw von Bonin
Bogislaw von Bonin
Bogislaw von Bonin was a German Wehrmacht officer and journalist.- Early life :Bonin was born in Potsdam, Province of Brandenburg and joined the 4. Reiterregiment of the German Reichswehr in 1926...
who had been imprisoned for allowing a retreat on the Eastern Front—made contact with the senior army officers and made known the identity of the high-status prisoners and the fear that they were to be executed before liberation by US troops.
A message was sent to Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
troops at Bozen commanded by Captain Wichard von Alvensleben
Wichard von Alvensleben
Wichard von Alvensleben was a German agriculturist, Wehrmacht Officer, and Knight of the Order of Saint John. Alvensleben was the commander of Wehrmacht troops stationed in April 1945 at Bozen, whence he led his troops to liberate the prisoners being held by the SS at Tyrol.-Early Life:Alvensleben...
, who decided to come and protect the prisoners with his soldiers.
On April 30 against the background of advancing US troops and Alvensleben’s unit, which had now surrounded the village, the SS guards decided to escape.
The free prisoners were then accommodated at the Pragser Wildsee Hotel until US troops marched into Niederdorf on May 5.
Austria
- Konrad Praxmarer, author
- Richard SchmitzRichard SchmitzRichard Schmitz was the last Social-Christian mayor of Vienna, Austria.Richard Schmitz served as Vice Chancellor of Austria, as well as its Minister of Social Welfare and of Education, and as Commissioner of Vienna...
, former mayor of ViennaViennaVienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre... - Kurt SchuschniggKurt SchuschniggKurt Alois Josef Johann Schuschnigg was Chancellor of the First Austrian Republic, following the assassination of his predecessor, Dr. Engelbert Dollfuss, in July 1934, until Germany’s invasion of Austria, , in March 1938...
, Austrian chancellor
Denmark
- Hans Frederik Hansen, engineer
- Adolf T. Larsen, Farmer
- Hans Lunding, Capt., Chief of Danish Intelligence
- Max J. Mikkelsen, Merchant Marine Capt
- Jörgen Lönborg Friis Mogensen, Vice Consul
- Knud E. Pedersen, Merchant Marine Capt.
France
- Jeanne Léon Blum, wife of Léon Blum
- Léon BlumLéon BlumAndré Léon Blum was a French politician, usually identified with the moderate left, and three times the Prime Minister of France.-First political experiences:...
, former Prime Minister of France - Prince Xavier de Bourbon
- Armand Mottet
- Gabriel Piguet, Bishop of Clermont-FerrandClermont-FerrandClermont-Ferrand is a city and commune of France, in the Auvergne region, with a population of 140,700 . Its metropolitan area had 409,558 inhabitants at the 1999 census. It is the prefecture of the Puy-de-Dôme department...
- Ray N. Van Wymeersch, Free French Air ForceFree French Air ForceThe Free French Air Force was the air arm of the Free French Forces during the Second World War.-Fighting for Free France — the FAFL in French North Africa :...
Capitaine
Germany
- Bogislaw von BoninBogislaw von BoninBogislaw von Bonin was a German Wehrmacht officer and journalist.- Early life :Bonin was born in Potsdam, Province of Brandenburg and joined the 4. Reiterregiment of the German Reichswehr in 1926...
, Wehrmacht officer - Baron Fritz Cerrini, Private secretary of Prince Friedrich Leopold of Prussia
- Friedrich Engelke, merchant
- Alexander von FalkenhausenAlexander von FalkenhausenAlexander Ernst Alfred Hermann Freiherr von Falkenhausen was a German general. He was the head of the military government of Belgium from 1940–44 during its occupation by Germany in World War II....
, General, former military commander of Belgium and France - Wilhelm von Flügge, Director of I. G. Farben
- Prince Friedrich Leopold Prince of Prussia
- Franz HalderFranz HalderFranz Halder was a German General and the head of the Army General Staff from 1938 until September, 1942, when he was dismissed after frequent disagreements with Adolf Hitler.-Early life:...
, General, former Chief of the General Staff - Gertrud Halder, wife of Franz Halder
- Anton Hamm, Kaplan
- Erich Heberlein, Diplomat
- Margot Heberlein, wife of Dr. Erich Heberlein
- Horst Hoepner, merchant, brother of General Erich HoepnerErich HoepnerErich Hoepner was a German general in World War II. A successful panzer leader, Hoepner was executed after the failed 20 July Plot in 1944.- Life :Hoepner was born in Frankfurt an der Oder, Brandenburg...
- Joseph Joos, journalist and politician (ZentrumCentre Party (Germany)The German Centre Party was a Catholic political party in Germany during the Kaiserreich and the Weimar Republic. Formed in 1870, it battled the Kulturkampf which the Prussian government launched to reduce the power of the Catholic Church...
) - Karl Kunkel, Kaplan
- Franz Maria LiedigFranz Maria LiedigFranz Maria Liedig was a German Navy Officer and member of the military resistance against Adolf Hitler.-Biography:Liedig volunteered the German Imperial Navy in October 1916, was educated at the Naval Academy Mürwik and served as an Artillery Officer on a Torpedo boat...
, KriegsmarineKriegsmarineThe Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...
officer (AbwehrAbwehrThe Abwehr was a German military intelligence organisation from 1921 to 1944. The term Abwehr was used as a concession to Allied demands that Germany's post-World War I intelligence activities be for "defensive" purposes only...
) - Josef Müller, officer (Abwehr)
- Johann Neuhäusler, Domkapitular
- Martin NiemöllerMartin NiemöllerFriedrich Gustav Emil Martin Niemöller was a German anti-Nazi theologian and Lutheran pastor. He is best known as the author of the poem "First they came…"....
, Pastor - Heidel Nowakowski
- Horst von Petersdorff, Wehrmacht officer
- Prince Philipp of Hesse, diplomat
- Hermann Pünder, Officer
- Hjalmar SchachtHjalmar SchachtDr. Hjalmar Horace Greeley Schacht was a German economist, banker, liberal politician, and co-founder of the German Democratic Party. He served as the Currency Commissioner and President of the Reichsbank under the Weimar Republic...
- Fabian von SchlabrendorffFabian von SchlabrendorffFabian Ludwig Georg Adolf Kurt von Schlabrendorff , was a German jurist, soldier and member of the resistance against Adolf Hitler....
, Ordnance Officer, adjutant of Major General Henning von TresckowHenning von TresckowGeneralmajor Herrmann Karl Robert "Henning" von Tresckow was a Major General in the German Wehrmacht who organized German resistance against Adolf Hitler. He attempted to assassinate Hitler in March 1943 and drafted the Valkyrie plan for a coup against the German government... - Georg ThomasGeorg ThomasGeorg Thomas was a German general and a resistance fighter in the Third Reich. He was also heavily involved in the planning and carrying out of the economic exploitation of the Soviet Union, including in particular the Hunger Plan.- Career summary :Thomas was born in Forst , Brandenburg...
, General - Amélie Thyssen, wife of Fritz Thyssen
- Fritz ThyssenFritz ThyssenFriedrich "Fritz" Thyssen was a German businessman born into one of Germany's leading industrial families.-Youth:Thyssen was born in Mülheim in the Ruhr area...
, businessman
United Kingdom
- Sigismund Payne BestSigismund Payne BestCaptain Sigismund Payne Best OBE was a British Secret Intelligence Service agent during World War I and World War II...
, Capt., Secret Intelligence ServiceSecret Intelligence ServiceThe Secret Intelligence Service is responsible for supplying the British Government with foreign intelligence. Alongside the internal Security Service , the Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence Intelligence , it operates under the formal direction of the Joint Intelligence... - Jack ChurchillJack ChurchillLieutenant Colonel John Malcolm Thorpe Fleming "Jack" Churchill, DSO & Bar, MC & Bar , nicknamed "Fighting Jack Churchill" and "Mad Jack", was a British soldier who fought throughout World War II armed with a longbow, arrows and a claymore...
, Lt. Colonel , Special Operations ExecutiveSpecial Operations ExecutiveThe Special Operations Executive was a World War II organisation of the United Kingdom. It was officially formed by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton on 22 July 1940, to conduct guerrilla warfare against the Axis powers and to instruct and aid local... - Peter ChurchillPeter ChurchillPeter Morland Churchill DSO Croix de Guerre was an SOE Officer in France during World War II.He was a brother of Group Captain Walter Churchill DSO DFC and Major Oliver Churchill DSO MC who was also an SOE Officer during World War II.-Biography:...
, Captain, Special Operations ExecutiveSpecial Operations ExecutiveThe Special Operations Executive was a World War II organisation of the United Kingdom. It was officially formed by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton on 22 July 1940, to conduct guerrilla warfare against the Axis powers and to instruct and aid local... - Thomas J. Cushing, Staff Sgt.
- Harry M. A. Day, RAF Wing Commander
- Sydney DowseSydney DowseFlight Lieutenant Sydney Hastings Dowse MC was a Royal Air Force pilot who became a prisoner of war and survived The Great Escape during the Second World War.-Early life and RAFVR:...
, RAF Flight Lt. - Hugh M. Falconer, RAF Squadron Ldr.
- Wadim Greenewich, Foreign Office Passport Control Dept.
- Bertram JamesBertram JamesSquadron Leader Bertram Arthur "Jimmy" James, MC, RAF was a British survivor of The Great Escape.-Early life:James was born in India, the son of a tea-planter, and was educated at The King's School, Canterbury...
, RAF Flight Lt. - John McGrath, Lt. Colonel
- Patrick O’Brien, Soldier
- John Spence, Farmer
- Richard H. Stevens, Lt. Colonel
- Andrew Walsh, RAF Aircraft Fitter
Greece
- Konstantinos BakopoulosKonstantinos BakopoulosKonstantinos Bakopoulos was a Greek Army officer who rose to the rank of Lieutenant General. He fought in the Balkan Wars , played a crucial conciliatory role in Greek military politics during the 1930s and distinguished himself in the fight against the Nazis during World War II...
, Lt. General - Panagiotis Dedes, Lt. General
- Vassilis Dimitrion, Soldier
- Nikolaos Grivas, Caporal (Corporal)
- Georgios Kosmas, Lt. General
- Alexandros Papagos, Lt. General, Commander in Chief of the Greek Army
- Ioannis Pitsikas, Lt. General
Hungary
- Aleksander Ginzery, Col.
- Josef Hatz, Major
- Samuel Hatz, Teacher, father of Josef Hatz
- Andreas Hlatky, Hungarian Secretary of State
- Miklós Horthy, Jr.Miklós Horthy, Jr.Miklós Horthy de Nagybánya II was the younger son of Hungarian regent Admiral Miklós Horthy and, until the end of World War II, a politician.-Biography:...
, diplomat, son of Miklós HorthyMiklós HorthyMiklós Horthy de Nagybánya was the Regent of the Kingdom of Hungary during the interwar years and throughout most of World War II, serving from 1 March 1920 to 15 October 1944. Horthy was styled "His Serene Highness the Regent of the Kingdom of Hungary" .Admiral Horthy was an officer of the... - General Géza Igmándy-Hegyessy
- Miklós KállayMiklós KállayDr. Miklós Kállay de Nagykálló was a Hungarian politician who served as Prime Minister of Hungary during World War II, from 9 March 1942 to 19 March 1944....
, former Prime Minister of Hungary - Julius Király, Col.
- Desiderius Ónody, Secretary of Horthy jr.
- Peter Baron Schell, Hungarian minister of Interior
Italy
- Eugenio Apollonio, Vice-Capo della Polizia (deputy Chief of the Police) of the Italian Social RepublicItalian Social RepublicThe Italian Social Republic was a puppet state of Nazi Germany led by the "Duce of the Nation" and "Minister of Foreign Affairs" Benito Mussolini and his Republican Fascist Party. The RSI exercised nominal sovereignty in northern Italy but was largely dependent on the Wehrmacht to maintain control...
- Mario Badoglio, Son of Marshall Pietro BadoglioPietro BadoglioPietro Badoglio, 1st Duke of Addis Abeba, 1st Marquess of Sabotino was an Italian soldier and politician...
- Davide Ferrero, Col.
- Sante Garibaldi, General
- Tullio TamburiniTullio TamburiniTullio Tamburini was an Italian soldier, adventurer and fascist official.Born in Prato, Tamburini had been a schoolteacher in Florence but was sacked from his job. He then made his way as a petty criminal before serving in the Italian Army during the First World War without distinction...
, Chief of the Police of the Italian Social RepublicItalian Social RepublicThe Italian Social Republic was a puppet state of Nazi Germany led by the "Duce of the Nation" and "Minister of Foreign Affairs" Benito Mussolini and his Republican Fascist Party. The RSI exercised nominal sovereignty in northern Italy but was largely dependent on the Wehrmacht to maintain control...
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Poland
- Jan Izycki, British RAF Pilot Officer
- Stanislaw Jensen, British RAF Pilot Officer
- Count Aleksander Zamoyski, major
Soviet Union
- Ivan Georgievich Bessonov, General
- Victor Brodnikov, Lt. Colonel
- Fyodor Ceredilin, Soldier
- Vassily Vassilyevich Kokorin, Lt.
- Pyotr Privalov, Major General
- Nikolay Rutschenko, Lt.
Yugoslavia
- Hinko Dragic, Lt. Colonel
- Novak D. Popovic, Head of the post administration
- Dimitrije Tomalevsky, journalist
The Kin Prisoners
- Fey von Hassell Pirzio Biroli, daughter of Ulrich von HassellUlrich von HassellUlrich von Hassell was a German diplomat during World War II. A member of the German Resistance against German dictator Adolf Hitler, Hassell was executed in the aftermath of the failed July 20 plot.- Family :...
- Annelise Gisevius, sister of Hans-Bernd Gisevius
- Anneliese Goerdeler wife of Carl Goerdeler
- Benigna Goerdeler, daughter of Goerdeler
- Gustav Goerdeler, brother of Goerdeler
- Marianne Goerdeler, daughter of Anneliese and Carl Goerdeler
- Irma Goerdeler wife of Ulrich Goerdeler, daughter in law of Anneliese and Carl Goerdeler
- Jutta Goerdeler, cousin of Benigna Goerdeler
- Reinhard GoerdelerReinhard GoerdelerReinhard Goerdeler was a German accountant who was instrumental in founding KPMG, the leading international firm of accountants. Goerdeler was born in Königsberg, East Prussia as the son of Königsberg's second mayor Carl Friedrich Goerdeler, a leading anti-Nazi activist.While his father was on...
, son of Anneliese and Carl Goerdeler (not at the Pragser Wildsee Hotel) - Ulrich Goerdeler, son of Anneliese and Carl Goerdeler
- Käte Gudzent
- Franz von Hammerstein, son of Maria und Kurt von Hammerstein-EquordKurt von Hammerstein-EquordKurt Gebhard Adolf Philipp Freiherr von Hammerstein-Equord was a German general who served for a period as Commander-in-Chief of the Reichswehr...
; (not at the Pragser Wildsee Hotel) - Hildur von Hammerstein, daughter of Maria and Kurt von Hammerstein-Equord.
- Maria von Hammerstein-Equord wife of Kurt von Hammerstein-Equord
- Anna-Luise von Hofacker, daughter of Cäsar von Hofacker
- Eberhard von Hofacker, son of Cäsar von Hofacker
- Ilse Lotte von Hofacker wife of Cäsar von Hofacker
- Peter A. Jehle, (not at the Pragser Wildsee Hotel)
- Elisabeth Kaiser, daughter of Therese Kaiser
- Therese Kaiser
- Arthur Kuhn, lawyer
- Anni von Lerchenfeld, mother in law of Claus Schenk Graf von StauffenbergClaus Schenk Graf von StauffenbergClaus Philipp Maria Justinian Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg commonly referred to as Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg was a German army officer and Catholic aristocrat who was one of the leading members of the failed 20 July plot of 1944 to assassinate Adolf Hitler and remove the Nazi Party from...
; died in the SS camp in Matzkau - Lini Lindemann wife of General Fritz Lindemann
- Josef Mohr, brother of Therese Kaiser
- Käthe Mohr wife of Josef Mohr
- Gisela Gräfin von Plettenberg-LenhausenHouse of PlettenbergThe House of Plettenberg is a Westphalian noble family of the Uradel. It dates back at least to 1187, when Heidolphus de Plettenbrath was mentioned in a document by Philip I...
, daughter of Walther Graf von Plettenberg-Lenhausen - Walther Graf von Plettenberg-Lenhausen, merchant
- Dietrich Schatz, major, (not at the Pragser Wildsee Hotel)
- Hans-Dietrich Schröder, son of Ingeborg Schröder.
- Harring Schröder, son of Ingeborg Schröder
- Ingeborg Schröder
- Sybille-Maria Schröder, daughter of Ingeborg Schröder
- Alexander Schenk Graf von StauffenbergAlexander Schenk Graf von StauffenbergAlexander Franz Clemens Maria Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg was a German aristocrat and historian.Alexander was the younger twin of Berthold Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg...
, brother of Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg. - Alexandra Schenk Gräfin von Stauffenberg, daughter of Markwart Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg
- Clemens jr. Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg, son of Markwart Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg
- Elisabeth Schenk Gräfin von Stauffenberg, wife of Clemens Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg
- Inèz Schenk Gräfin von Stauffenberg, daughter of Markwart Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg
- Maria Schenk Gräfin von Stauffenberg wife of Berthold Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg
- Marie-Gabriele Schenk Gräfin von Stauffenberg, daughter of Elisabeth Schenk Gräfin von Stauffenberg and Clemens Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg
- Markwart Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg (senior), Colonel
- Markwart Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg (junior), son of Elisabeth Schenk Gräfin von Stauffenberg and Clemens sen. Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg, (not at the Pragser Wildsee Hotel)
- Otto Philipp Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg, son of Elisabeth Schenk Gräfin von Stauffenberg and Clemens sen. Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg
- Isa Vermehren, Comedian, sister of Erich VermehrenErich VermehrenErich Vermehren, also known as Erich Vermeeren de Saventhem or Eric Maria de Saventhem, was an ardent anti-Nazi and is best known as the German agent of the Abwehr, the German intelligence organization, whose well-publicized defection to the British in early 1944 led directly to the abolition of...
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Next to these prominent prisoners two inmates of the Dachau concentration camp, the cook Wilhelm Visintainer and the barber Paul Wauer were within the transport.
Vera Schuschnigg, wife of Kurt von Schuschnigg, and their daughter Maria Dolores Elisabeth had joined the transport voluntarily and were not officially imprisoned.