Soldiers from Solbad Hall in the Resistance

In occupied territories, members of the Wehrmacht often detached themselves from their units and joined local resistance movements. Due to the dense informant network of the Nazi regime, the focus of resistance was primarily on individual actions and small, often less numerous groups, as they could operate more agilely. Smaller units had the advantage that if arrests were made by the Gestapo and subsequent interrogations followed, the identity of other resistance members could not be revealed, as they did not know each other.
One of the most well-known individuals from Hall in the foreign resistance was Dr. Walter Krajnc; see separate blog post.

From Soldier to Resistance Fighter: The Story of Massimo Hermes

Early Life and Opposition

Dr. Massimo Hermes was born on January 14, 1915, in Innsbruck. He attended the Franciscan Gymnasium (high school) in Hall in Tirol. As a Jesuit frater, he was actively involved with the parish youth group in Arzl near Innsbruck and was known as an opponent of National Socialism. On June 28, 1939, the local Nazi party leader in Arzl reported him to the Innsbruck district leadership.
In September 1939, he was conscripted into the Wehrmacht. The mountain infantry company he was assigned to was sent to Norway, from Traufors (central Norway) to Kautokeino, deep into the tundras of Northern Norway, in Lapland. His comrades knew he was not a National Socialist and rejected the ideology. While there were no open political debates among the soldiers, even though some holders of the "Blood Order" (a high Nazi award) were serving as non-commissioned officers in the company, Hermes was subjected to taunts from his comrades, who called him an "ideological failure." He did not believe his comrades who warned him that a group of SA and SS men within the company were planning to bring him before a court-martial.

Court-Martial and Conviction

Nevertheless, on March 30, 1941, he was brought before a court-martial in Dalberg. The Nazi authorities had thoroughly researched Massimo Hermes's background. During the trial, they presented him with photographs showing him with the parish youth group in Innsbruck-Arzl, where he had worked before being drafted. They also held against him that his older brother had been a sergeant in the Austrian army before 1938, had refused to swear the oath of allegiance to the Führer after the Anschluss, and had consequently been court-martialed. Furthermore, his mother had refused to sell pictures of Hitler and postcards with Nazi themes in her stationery shop on Anichstraße in Innsbruck, for which she was arrested by the Gestapo, and the shop was rented out to a National Socialist.

The charges against Massimo in Norway were:

1. He had claimed that war would break out between Germany and Russia.
2. He had stated that the National Socialists had murdered [Engelbert] Dollfuß.
3. He had influenced Norwegian women by warning them about German soldiers, advising them to avoid and reject them.
4. He had given 1 kg of chocolate to a Norwegian instead of sharing it with his comrades.
5. He had misused his official travels to advise employees of the Norwegian fur monopoly to significantly increase the prices for silver foxes.
6. In the Kautokeino area, he had caused the price of hand-knitted woolen goods (gloves, sweaters) to increase.
7. He had advised the Sami people to charge higher prices for transports with reindeer sleds and boats.
8. He had also recommended that they not sell reindeer for slaughter.

Massimo Hermes was sentenced to four years in prison for "undermining military morale" and "serious breach of comradeship."

Secret Resistance Work

What the court-martial did not know was that Massimo Hermes had joined a resistance group consisting of officers and NCOs in Wörgl as early as September 1939, while he was a recruit. In Norway, he had made contact with the resistance group of the Royal Guard via the then-Bishop of Trondheim and a student named Kosmo. Had this been discovered, it would have meant a death sentence for him.
After serving six months of his prison sentence, he was assigned to a penal company. Following combat deployments on the front lines in Norway and Russia, he returned to Tyrol severely wounded.

Post-War Life

During a hospital stay in Innsbruck in 1944/45, he joined the Austrian resistance movement and participated in preparations for the liberation of Innsbruck. This group included Lieutenant Steiner, Major Schneeberger, and Dr. Karl Gruber. His brother, Pius Massimo, also fought for Austria's freedom and was used as a liaison for recruiting troops in the Landeck barracks.
After the war ended, following extended hospital treatments, he began studying philosophy at the University of Innsbruck. He earned his doctorate (Dr. phil.) in 1949 with a dissertation titled "Der Begriff des Wagnisses bei Sören Kierkegaard" ("The Concept of Risk in Søren Kierkegaard"). He worked as a librarian at the Austrian Patent Office.

Ordinary Soldiers in the Resistance

In 2002/2009, conscientious objectors and deserters from the German Wehrmacht were officially recognized as a victim group of National Socialism. They were included among those entitled to support from the National Fund of the Republic of Austria for Victims of National Socialism.

Adolf 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 Häninger (1920-2004) was among the Austrian soldiers who deserted from the ranks and joined the Norwegian resistance. Adolf 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 Hele-Norge at the age of 84 in 2004.
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."

Unauthorized Absence from the Unit: Josef Pontoi's Decision with Severe Consequences

Josef Pontoi (1911 – 1943)

Josef Pontoi was born on July 31, 1911, in Hall in Tirol. He lived at Weissenbachstraße 12 in Hall in Tirol. Prior to his conscription into the Wehrmacht, he lived in Ampass, near Innsbruck, and worked as a gardener in Innsbruck. He was drafted into the German Wehrmacht and stationed in Lehrte, a town in the district of Hanover.
During his service as a rifleman (Jäger) in Lehrte, Josef Pontoi went absent without leave from his unit. This led to him being sentenced to death for desertion on August 7, 1943. His execution was carried out on August 9, 1943, at 4:30 PM in Brandenburg-Görden.

Johann Anderle: An 18-Year-Old Soldier

Johann Anderle was born on October 12, 1922, in Hall in Tirol and lived with his father, also named Johann Anderle, at Münzerhof 6 in Hall in Tirol. After being conscripted into the Wehrmacht, he went absent without leave from his troop. This had severe consequences for the 18-year-old youth. He was deported to the Dachau concentration camp on October 4, 1940, and imprisoned there until August 28, 1941.
He survived the Second World War and was registered by the British authorities. In 1946, he briefly returned to his parents in Hall in Tirol. After that, his trail was lost, and after ten years, his family declared him dead. Despite intensive searches by his mother and sister, no sign of him was ever found.