Adolf, Ferdinand Häninger (1920 - 2004)

Ordinary Soldiers in the Resistance

The late legal step of collectively recognizing deserters as resistance fighters against National Socialism was a significant milestone. It was only through the Act to Repeal National Socialist Injustices in the Administration of Criminal Justice of September 1998, as well as the resolution of the German Bundestag on May 17, 2002, that the sentences against deserters, conscientious objectors, and so-called “subverters of military strength” were officially annulled as Nazi injustices. The fact that this step of social and legal rehabilitation took place so late demonstrates how protracted the process of coming to terms with this history was. In 2002/2009, conscientious objectors and deserters from the German Wehrmacht were officially recognized as a victim group of National Socialism and included among those entitled to support from the National Fund of the Republic of Austria for Victims of National Socialism.
For each individual man who took this dangerous path, desertion meant an immediate, existential threat. Nazi military justice acted with extreme severity. Even “unauthorized absence from the unit” could be punished. For planned desertion, which often represented the only possibility of refusal, the death penalty was regularly imposed. Estimates suggest that approximately 15,000 to 23,000 death sentences were carried out against Wehrmacht members, a large portion of them for desertion. The military police (Feldgendarmerie) and the Secret Field Police were actively hunting deserters. Anton Walder, who issued false papers for deserters at the Wehrmacht registration office in Innsbruck, did so at great personal risk and likely saved many lives. (See Blog Anton Walder I and II)

Adolf, Ferdinand Häninger (1920 – 2004): An Austrian Soldier in the Norwegian Resistance

According to a record from the Documentation Archive of the Austrian Resistance dated November 27, 1945, Adolf, Ferdinand Häninger (1920-2004) was among the Austrian soldiers who deserted from the ranks and joined the Norwegian resistance.
Adolf, Ferdinand Häninger was born on January 26, 1920, in Hall in Tirol and was a member of the Protestant faith community. Before being drafted, he worked as a laborer for the city building authority in Innsbruck. Although he was born in Solbad Hall, he did not return there after the end of the Second World War. Instead, he remained in Norway and died in the municipality of Nesbyen, Norway. at the age of 84 in 2004.

Richard Huber from Innsbruck

Other Tyroleans were in the same resistance group:
"Richard Huber from Innsbruck, Austria, was a German soldier in the 'Rotterdam' camp in Algard from December 1944 until March 1945. During this time, he was in contact with the Norwegian resistance movement and provided them with information about German troops and their defensive measures. He also stated that in the event of an invasion, he would take the side of the Norwegians."