Heinrich Andergassen (1908-1946): Gestapo, Persecution, Deportations and Nazi Crimes | Parts 23/22/2026 Further article about Heinrich Andergassen:🇬🇧/heinrich-andergassen-gestapo-deportations-nazi-crimes| Part 1🇬🇧/heinrich-andergassen-anton-haller-exoneration-statementsBrief description of the photograph: Heinrich Andergassen during his war-crimes trial in Naples on January 15, 1946. Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (accessed August 14, 2026). IntroductionHeinrich, or Heinz, Andergassen, born in Hall in Tirol on 30 July 1908, was among the Austrian Gestapo and SS officials whose careers advanced rapidly after the Anschluss of 1938. This second part of his biography examines his work within the National Socialist security apparatus, particularly in Merano and Bolzano, his participation in the persecution and deportation of Jews, and his involvement in torture and murder in German-occupied northern Italy. At the same time, several statements issued immediately after the war describe Andergassen as accommodating or helpful toward individual former prisoners and persons connected with the Hall resistance milieu. These testimonies should neither be suppressed nor treated in isolation as evidence of an oppositional stance. They record individual experiences, while judicial, investigative and administrative records document Andergassen’s responsible role within the Nazi apparatus of persecution. This article therefore distinguishes between verifiable facts, contemporary statements, later recollections and historical hypotheses. Selective assistance to individuals does not negate participation in systematic persecution and serious acts of violence. PART II – Merano, Bolzano, flight and trialHistorical context: the Operational Zone of the Alpine FoothillsAfter the Italian armistice of 8 September 1943, Bolzano, Trento and Belluno were incorporated into the Operational Zone of the Alpine Foothills. Although formally part of the Italian Social Republic, they were effectively administered by German authorities under Gauleiter Franz Hofer. The Gestapo, Security Police and SD persecuted Jews, political opponents, partisans, deserters and Allied personnel. read more:en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operational_Zone_of_the_Alpine_FoothillsCareer within the Nazi security apparatusA trained machine fitter, Andergassen had served in the Austrian Federal Army and Federal Gendarmerie. After the Anschluss, he applied for NSDAP membership on 30 May 1938 and was admitted retroactively as of 1 May 1938. From October 1938 he worked as a criminal assistant at the Innsbruck State Police Office. He joined the SS on 15 November 1939. Following the German occupation of northern Italy, he was appointed head of the SD outpost in Merano. Some scholarly works later identify him as the officer responsible for Jewish affairs within the Security Police and SD command in Bolzano. Because that title is not directly documented in the archival records used for this article, it is not presented here as an independently verified official designation.  AI-generated historical reconstruction of the former Army Command building on Piazza IV Novembre in Bolzano, which was used by Gestapo offices during the German occupation from 1943 to 1945. This image is not an original historical photograph. Merano: arrest and deportation of the Jewish population As head of the Merano SD outpost, Andergassen bore responsibility for the raid during the night of 15–16 September 1943, in which twenty-five Jews present in the town were arrested. They were taken to detention sites and later deported to concentration and extermination camps. The original article identifies Reichenau near Innsbruck and, for later deportations, the Bolzano-Gries Transit Camp. Verification required: Survivor numbers and individual deportation routes should be accompanied by precise references to research on Merano’s Jewish community. Valeska, also called Valery or “Walli”, Baroness von Hoffmann, born in Rome on 26 November 1874 and a Liechtenstein citizen, was interned at Reichenau and deported to Ravensbrück on 22 July 1944 despite Swiss diplomatic interventions. Andergassen’s personal participation in the arrest of Elisabeth Charlotte Franke is possible given his office, but has not been directly proven. read more:www.meranoebraica.it/en/node/51www.jewishgen.org/databases/Holocaust/MeranoandBolzano.htmlValeska Baroness von HoffmannAmong those persecuted was Valeska, also known as Valery or ‘Walli’, Baroness von Hoffmann, born in Rome on 26 November 1874. She held Liechtenstein citizenship. Repeated interventions by the Swiss legation in Germany, which represented Liechtenstein’s interests, failed to protect her. She was taken to the Gestapo camp at Reichenau near Innsbruck, held there until 12 April 1944, and deported to Ravensbrück concentration camp on 22 July 1944. read more:www.tracesofwar.com/sights/94741/Stumbling-Stones-Piazza-Steinach-4.htm Elisabeth Charlotte Franke Elisabeth Charlotte Franke was also persecuted. Given Andergassen’s position in Merano, his participation in her arrest is possible. No direct evidence of his personal involvement has yet been identified in the sources examined. Not conclusively established: Andergassen’s personal involvement in Franke’s arrest remains a research question. read more:🇬🇧 Blog (EN) Elisabeth-Charlotte Frankewww.gedenkort-hall.at/page.php?id=40The murders of Manlio Longon and Roderick Stephen HallManlio Longon, a leader of the Bolzano Committee of National Liberation, was arrested on 15 December 1944, tortured for days and killed on 1 January 1945. The sources used attribute his hanging to Andergassen acting on August Schiffer’s orders. United States Army Captain Roderick Stephen “Steve” Hall, an OSS member, operated behind German lines to reconnoitre and disrupt Brenner supply routes. Captured near Cortina d’Ampezzo on 26 January 1945, he was taken to Bolzano, interrogated and abused. Andergassen later admitted killing him on 19 February 1945 together with Albert Storz on Schiffer’s orders. The perpetrators attempted to portray his death as suicide. Camp physician Dr Karl Pittschieler stated on 1 June 1945 that Andergassen and Storz brought Hall’s body to the Bolzano Transit Camp on the evening of 20 February. The later date therefore concerns the transfer of the body rather than necessarily the time of death. read more:web.archive.org/web/20201018014546/https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/kent-csi/vol11no4/html/v11i4a05p_0001.htmSeizures and personal enrichmentA post-war witness accused Schiffer and Andergassen of unlawful seizures in the Passeier Valley. The witness described journeys with Andergassen and Storz to farms, where bacon and other food were taken, most of it allegedly for Schiffer’s personal use. Leather from Belluno, vehicle parts, tools and separately stored Gestapo property were also mentioned. Nature of evidence: This is a witness allegation. Where independent corroboration is lacking, it should not be converted into a final judicial finding. The exculpatory statements of 11–12 May 1945Several favourable statements were drafted immediately after Andergassen’s capture on 8 May 1945. Their chronological concentration is significant, but does not by itself prove coordination or an organised network. The statements may have been requested for the defence while also describing genuine experiences. Source: Dr. Ernst Fischer - May 11 , 1945 Affidavit issued by Dr Ernst Fischer on 11 May 1945 concerning Heinrich Andergassen’s conduct during Fischer’s detention and interrogation by the Gestapo in Innsbruck. The document bears Fischer’s handwritten signature. Source: Historical Archive of the Tyrolean State Police Directorate, Executive History Study Group, Presidential File III 1233/46 – Heinrich Andergassen. Transcription:„During the period from May 1939 to 1941, I was held in pre-trial detention in the police prison of the Gestapo in Innsbruck for monarchist activities. During this time, I was subjected to very frequent interrogations by the Gestapo. I can attest that during the course of these interrogations, Mr. Heinz Andergassen, in contrast to other Gestapo officials, always showed himself to be accommodating and benevolent. I find it particularly worthy of gratitude that, contrary to existing regulations, he secretly issued visitation permits to my daughter on multiple occasions, which was a great comfort to me. The conduct of Andergassen was also described by other prisoners as decent and accommodating. Innsbruck, May 11, 1945. (signed) Dr. Ernst Fischer former Vice President of the State Council in Vienna“ (Source: Historical Archive of the Tyrolean State Police Directorate; Executive History Study Group: Presidential File III 1233/46 – Heinrich Andergassen) Dr Ernst Fischer Dr Ernst Fischer (1891–1978) was Tyrolean leader of the Fatherland Front, a provincial-government member in 1934, and a member and second deputy chairman of the State Council from 1934 to 1938. Politically imprisoned from 1938 to 1941 and rearrested in 1944, he stated on 11 May 1945 that Andergassen had behaved benevolently during interrogations and had secretly issued visiting permits to his daughter. This is significant personal testimony but cannot be generalised to Andergassen’s entire conduct. Dr Heine Blaas- May 11, 1945Blaas stated that Andergassen handled two denunciations against him in a manner that prevented his arrest. Words that cannot be read securely in the original remain marked [illegible] and are not reconstructed. Source: Maria Hofer and Abdon Marsoner - May 11, 1945 Statement by Maria Hofer, dated 12 May 1945, concerning her arrests and interrogations by the Gestapo and Heinrich Andergassen’s role in her cases. The document was co-signed by Abdon Marsoner, secretary of the Haller resistance movement, to certify the authenticity of her signature. Source: Historical Archive of the Tyrolean State Police Directorate, Executive History Study Group, Presidential File III 1233/46 – Heinrich Andergassen. Transcription:„accused of membership in a state conspiracy [Landesverrat] as well as the dissemination of atrocity propaganda. With the help of the interrogating Gestapo officer, Heinrich Andergassen, I managed to resolve the matter within 3 days. I have Mr. Andergassen to thank for the fact that the matter was settled in my favor in such a short time. From June 24 to June 28, 1042 [sic], I was again arrested by the Gestapo for refusal to work. I had never refused to work, but only objected to work that was intended for me by the Nazi Women's League. During my interrogation, Mr. Andergassen was not present, but I had already discussed the matter with him beforehand and I am convinced that this matter was also resolved through his indirect work. For the accuracy of the signature Abdon Marsoner Maria Hofer Secretary of the Chancellery of the Austrian National Socialist Party“ Source: Historical Archive of the Tyrolean State Police Directorate; Executive History Study Group: Presidential File III 1233/46 – Heinrich Andergassen Maria Hofer and Abdon MarsonerMaria Hofer attributed favourable outcomes in proceedings against her to Andergassen. Her statement of 12 May 1945 was countersigned by Abdon Marsoner, then secretary in Anton Haller’s office. According to an oral statement made by Marsoner’s niece to Elisabeth Walder, Abdon Marsoner returned from Munich to Hall only in April 1945 after his home had been destroyed by bombing. He had not been connected with the Hall resistance before early May 1945. Family tradition instead attributes support for Dachau survivor Dr Manfred Mumelter to his brother Alban Marsoner. Anton Haller and the resistance questionOn 11 May 1945 Anton Haller stated that he had regarded Andergassen as a possible aid in building the resistance movement and maintained continuing contact with him. He wrote that Andergassen had helped people recommended by Haller and dealt with matters in accordance with their stated aims. The term Ostmärker was used in Nazi language for Austrians, but Haller’s use of it does not by itself establish a political orientation. The document primarily proves Haller’s trust and his perception of favourable interventions. It proves neither Andergassen’s actual resistance membership nor planned infiltration. Unproven interpretation: The available documents do not establish that Andergassen deliberately built a post-war exculpatory network, obtained intelligence on the resistance, or transmitted such information to others.  Statement issued by Anton Haller, leader of the Austrian resistance movement in Hall in Tirol, on 11 May 1945. Haller describes Heinrich Andergassen as a loyal Austrian and credits him with assisting opponents of the Nazi regime—an assessment based on the position of trust Andergassen had gained within the resistance movement. Source: Historical Archive of the Tyrolean State Police Directorate, Executive History Study Group, Presidential File III 1233/46 – Heinrich Andergassen. read more:🇬🇧 Haller _Anton _Resistance _groupSt Magdalena in the Hall ValleyAgnes Larcher reported in 1978 that Anton Haller hid two machine-gun-armed Gestapo men at St Magdalena during the final days of the war. The source does not name them. A connection with Andergassen and Schiffer is conceivable but unproven. Flight, capture, trial and executionAndergassen and Schiffer left Bolzano for the north on 30 April 1945. A witness mentioned luggage, civilian clothes and two pairs of skis previously taken to Innsbruck. The witness suggested the Falkenhütte in the Karwendel as a possible destination; this remains conjecture rather than a proven escape plan. The United States Counter Intelligence Corps captured Andergassen near Innsbruck on 8 May 1945. He was transferred to South Tyrol on 29 June. A United States military court in Naples sentenced him, August Schiffer and Albert Storz to death on 15 January 1946 for the torture and murder of seven Allied servicemen. He was executed in Livorno on 26 July 1946. read more:en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinrich_AndergassenThe 1966 newspaper reportsOn 1 January 1966, the Tiroler Nachrichtenblatt of the Austrian People’s Party published a short retrospective report on the conviction of Andergassen and his co-defendants. The surviving versions use descriptions such as ‘German war criminals’ and ‘three devils’. The report contains factual inaccuracies, including divergent information about the number and ranks of the victims, the time of their deaths and the location of the court. Its value lies less in reconstructing the crimes than in showing how the trial was publicly represented two decades after the war. Between selective assistance and systematic violence The records show that some individuals experienced Andergassen as helpful. The existing article also names Maria Müller, Secretary Gutter and the Verdross family. He reportedly enabled Müller to attend her grandmother’s funeral; Gutter credited him with life-saving interventions. He appeared as a helpful neighbour to the Verdross family while also participating, as a Gestapo officer, in interrogation and intimidation. Only a few houses from Andergassen’s residence in Ritter-Waldauf-Strasse lived Karl Killinger, a Jehovah’s Witness who refused the Hitler salute, the oath to Hitler and military service on religious grounds. Arrested in 1939, he was deported first to Dachau and then to Gusen concentration camp, where he died as a result of the conditions of imprisonment on 19 January 1940. There is no evidence that Andergassen personally participated in Killinger’s arrest. His Gestapo role, local knowledge and physical proximity raise a research question but do not justify attributing individual responsibility for this case. The overall record remains decisive: Andergassen was a responsible Gestapo and SS official involved in persecution, deportation, torture and murder. Selective acts of assistance reveal the discretionary power and arbitrariness within the apparatus of persecution; they do not transform a perpetrator into a resistance member. Summary After 1938 Heinrich Andergassen advanced within the Nazi security apparatus. As head of the SD outpost in Merano, he bore responsibility for the arrest of Jewish residents. He later participated in interrogations, torture and killings in Bolzano. His victims included Manlio Longon and Roderick Stephen Hall. The exculpatory statements of May 1945 show that some politically persecuted persons experienced Andergassen as accommodating or helpful. They do not refute his involvement in systematic persecution and serious crimes. His motives for selective intervention remain partly unresolved. His relationship with the Hall resistance also requires careful differentiation. Anton Haller trusted him and issued a favourable statement, but Andergassen’s membership in the resistance has not been established. The identity of the Gestapo men hidden at St Magdalena and some stages of his attempted flight remain open research questions. Frequently asked questions (FAQ) What position did Heinrich Andergassen hold? He was a Gestapo and SS member, head of the SD outpost in Merano, and later served with the Security Police and SD command in Bolzano. What was his role in the persecution of Merano’s Jews?As head of the Merano SD outpost, he bore responsibility for the arrests during the night of 15–16 September 1943 and the subsequent removal of those detained. Who was Manlio Longon? Longon headed the Bolzano liberation committee. After torture he was murdered on 1 January 1945; the sources attribute the hanging to Andergassen acting on Schiffer’s orders. Who was Roderick Stephen Hall?Hall was a United States officer and OSS member. Captured during a mission behind German lines, he was murdered in Bolzano on 19 February 1945. What were Persilscheine? The colloquial German term refers to exculpatory statements issued after 1945. Each must be assessed according to its author, context and precise claims. Was Andergassen a member of the Hall resistance? No membership has been established. Anton Haller apparently regarded him as a useful contact within the Nazi apparatus. Did Anton Haller hide Andergassen in the Hall Valley?This has not been proven. A source mentions two hidden Gestapo men but does not name them. Why was Andergassen sentenced to death?A United States military court convicted him of the torture and murder of seven Allied servicemen. He was executed in Livorno on 26 July 1946. Sources and selected literature
Brief source note: This archived CIA historical feature recounts the wartime activities of OSS officer Roderick Stephen Hall and the Allied mission to disrupt German supply routes through the Brenner Pass during the final phase of the Second World War. The article was originally published by the CIA in 2010 and is now accessible through the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine.     Sources: Remembering „OSS“ Heroes: Roderick Steven Hall and the Brenner Pass Assignment. Online, https://web.archive.org/web/20131124192022/https://www.cia.gov/news-information/featured-story-archive/2010-featured-story-archive/oss-heroes-stephen-hall.html, (Access: August 14, 2026; Historical Document
Posted: Sep 30, 2010 10:56 AM Last Updated: Apr 30, 2013 12:41 PM)
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