Forced Removal: Haffner's Dismissal from the University of Innsbruck due to his Catholic Convictions. Dr. August Haffner (1869 – 1941).

Dr. August Haffner, Professor of Semitic Linguistics at the University of Innsbruck, was dismissed by the Nazi authorities in March 1938 and retired without benefits in June. Haffner was a sharp opponent of National Socialism. He was removed from his position because of these political views.

The Accusations

The accusations against Dr. Haffner were as follows:
"[...]Endeavours towards the clericalization of our university[...]". The accusation likely implied that he was allegedly trying to bring the university more under church influence.

The Request for Dismissal

Dr. August Haffner was removed from his post, even though he was already 70 years old at the time of his dismissal. This is documented by a letter from the provisional head of the Nazi Lecturers' League, Ludwig Kofler, a professor of pharmacognosy, who demanded Haffner's dismissal with the following words:

"I request that the ministry be petitioned for the immediate removal of Prof. Dr. August Haffner. For years, Prof. Haffner was a leading figure in the endeavours to clericalize our university. He was a confidant of Minister Hans Pernter (1887-1951), Federal Minister of Education from 1936 to March 11, 1938, and a sharp opponent of National Socialism. His continued presence at the university is therefore untenable."

Death and Later Recognition

In 1941, the death of university professor Dr. August Haffner was also recorded. He owned the villa on Rudolfstraße, as reported in the parish chronicle. Dr. August Haffner died on June 1, 1941.

The geologist Raimund Klebelsberg, known for his German-nationalist views, wrote in his Innsbruck memoirs in 1953:
​"In Haffner, I knew I had an opponent. Though always in the best form, he was precisely for that reason not easy to deal with. Haffner was the strongest personality of his persuasion at the university, the spiritus rector of those endeavours which would have liked to see the university aligned in an activist-Catholic direction."

Biography

A detailed biography of Univ. Prof. Dr. August Haffner was published three years ago by Dr. Peter Goller from the Office of the Vice-Rector for Digitalization and Sustainability, which can be accessed at the following links:
https://www.uibk.ac.at/universitaetsarchiv/august-haffner/