The Socialist-Communist Resistance in Hall in Tyrol: (1934-1945)

Historical Context

After being banned in 1934 by the government of Federal Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuß, the socialist-communist resistance movement became accustomed to operating underground. In cases of arrest, affected members often turned to the Innsbruck-based lawyer Gottfried Uffenheimer, who frequently took on their defense free of charge.
The movement’s activities included distributing leaflets and painting hammer-and-sickle symbols on house walls to demonstrate their continued presence. The focus was on propaganda measures, carried out both orally and in writing.
Thanks to the underground work already carried out before 1938, the individual cells were able to seamlessly continue their socialist-communist agitation after the Nazi takeover and actively contribute to combating the regime.

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Dr. Engelbert Dollfuß (English)

Photo Josef Terrabona. Held in: 
City Archive / Picture Archive Hall in Tirol, 14_2-2, Vice Mayor Josef Terrabona, Pensioner (BB Pension Fund).

Composition and Cooperation of the Resistance Movement

Unfortunately, there are no written records or reliable evidence that allow for an exact determination of the number of people involved in the socialist-communist resistance movement. An exception is only those men and women who formed the municipal council on May 13, 1945, and are known as resistance fighters.
A defining feature of the resistance was close cooperation across party-political boundaries. Different political groups worked together to undermine the influence of the Nazi regime. In this context, they also cooperated with the resistance group around Viktor Schumacher and Anton Haller. The aim of this cross-party collaboration was to actively work toward overthrowing the National Socialist city government.

Organization and Networking of the Resistance (from 1941)

In 1941, socialist and communist members of this group joined the resistance circle around Anton Haller to strengthen their joint struggle against the Nazi regime. Key actors included Viktor Wachter, Josef Terrabona, and Heinz Ehrenreich Thöni, all of whom were employed as metalworkers at the German Reichsbahn.
The group maintained close contact with Johanna Wagner as well as with the resistance circle around Michael Zwetkoff and Peter Zwetkoff. Johanna Wagner in particular played an important role as a courier, ensuring the exchange of information between the various actors.

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Johanna Wagner (English)

Michael and Peter Zwetkoff (English)

Cooperation in the Resistance Circle and Activities

These members were firmly integrated into the resistance circle led by Haller. Josef Terrabona, in particular, worked closely with Viktor Schumacher, who informed him about planned and ongoing, sometimes highly risky actions.
The socialist resistance group made a significant contribution to various acts of resistance. These included the provision of weapons for a planned uprising, acts of sabotage, and the transmission of important information within the network.

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Anton Haller resistance group in Hall in Tyrol

Dr. Viktor Schumacher (English)

Captain Johann Baumgartner (English)

Persecution, Flight, and Key Events in May 1945

After betrayal within the Haller resistance group, Heinz Ehrenreich Thöni was forced to flee to Tulfes during the night of May 2–3, 1945. Nevertheless, he returned to Hall the same day and transported Anton Haller by motorcycle from Gnadenwald to Solbad Hall.
At the constituent city council meeting on May 13, 1945, Mayor Viktor Schumacher—elected by the entire resistance group—expressly thanked Thöni for his courageous efforts and decisive contributions in the fight against the Nazi regime.

Members of the Socialist Resistance Circle

Among the members of the socialist resistance circle were:

• Franz Bucher (1899–1975), Reichsbahn worker
• Nikolaus Laimgruber (1893–1980), Reichsbahn employee
• Josef Schaidreiter (1904–1948), worker
• Ing. Hubert Schittelkopf (1909–1968), postal official
• Stefan Schwaiger (*1893), Reichsbahn signal master
• Josef Terrabona (1898–1986), Ö.B.B. master mechanic
• Heinz Ehrenreich Thöni (1894–1971), Reichsbahn metalworker
• Viktor Wachter (1890–1960), Reichsbahn mechanic
• Felix Ragonig (*1897), civil servant
• Josef Wappitsch (*1901), bricklayer
• Josef Weigand (*1899)
• Florian Wirtenberger (?), farmer
• Nikolaus Holzhammer (*1898), saltworks official

Together with twelve resistance fighters from the Austrian People’s Party, they formed the first municipal council in Solbad Hall on May 13, 1945, thus laying the foundation for the political new beginning after the end of Nazi rule.

Franz Rudolf Hüttenberger (1884 - 1966)

Connection to the Social Democratic Resistance in Innsbruck

The social democratic resistance group in Solbad Hall maintained close contact with the circle around Franz Rudolf Hüttenberger in Innsbruck. Hüttenberger had already been a leading figure of Social Democracy in Tyrol before 1934 and was arrested during the events of the Austrian Civil War by the government under Engelbert Dollfuß.
After the banning of the Social Democratic Workers’ Party and during the Nazi period, he became a central figure in the social democratic resistance of the Tyrolean labor movement. Following the Nazi takeover in 1938, Hüttenberger was imprisoned again. On August 22, 1944, he was arrested for the third time and interned in the Reichenau concentration camp until November 1944.
The harsh conditions of imprisonment and the abuse he suffered caused severe health damage, leading to his release in November 1944 in a seriously ill state. Nevertheless, he continued his resistance activities and remained actively involved in preparations for an uprising against the Nazi regime, including within the circle of Karl Gruber.
On May 3, 1945, he officially assumed leadership of the Social Democratic Workers’ Party in Tyrol. In the newly formed provincial government of the Second Republic, he was subsequently appointed Deputy Governor of Tyrol.

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Franz Rudolf Hüttenberger 

Dipl. Ing. Dr. Karl Gruber (English)

Photo: Tomb of Heinz Ehrenreich-Thöni in the municipal cemetery of Hall in Tirol. From the private collection Walder, Hall in Tirol.

Communists in the Resistance

In his daily domestic situation report of December 4, 1939, to the Reich Commissioner for the Reunification of Austria with the German Reich, the Inspector of the Security Police and SD in Vienna noted that communist activities had temporarily subsided but were still clearly perceptible.
The central forms of action of communist resistance groups included writing, duplicating, and distributing leaflets, as well as spreading slogans by defacing notice boards and posters. These measures primarily served to maintain political presence and mobilize opposition against the Nazi regime.
In connection with such a leaflet campaign, a total of 20 people were arrested in Tyrol, highlighting the ongoing repression of any form of resistance.

Johann Bauer and the Communist Resistance Movement in Hall in Tyrol

Johann Bauer (1892–1977) was a known resistance fighter of the Communist Party in Solbad Hall and worked as a railway official. He joined the local socialist-communist resistance group early on and participated in its activities against the Nazi regime.
On June 19, 1940, Bauer was arrested by the Gestapo and sentenced under the so-called Heimtücke Law. He subsequently spent four months in prison.
After the end of Nazi rule, Bauer was sworn in as a member of the municipal council on October 5, 1945. The oath was administered by Mayor Viktor Schumacher during a council meeting.

Excerpt from the Mayor’s Report

“The mayor opens the meeting by noting that the new city administration has now been in operation for five months and that, thanks to the good cooperation between the parties, it has been possible to overcome the most difficult period. He welcomes Hans Bauer as representative of the Communist Party.
Dr. Viktor Schumacher then thanks all collaborators for their assistance, especially Vice Mayor Thöni, the members of the housing committee, and the civil service.
Motion by Hubert Schittelkopf to review employees burdened by National Socialist affiliations.”

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Johann Bauer

Communist-Socialist Resistance in Hall in Tirol

The resistance of individual communist and socialist actors in Hall in Tirol during the Nazi era represents an often overlooked chapter of local history. Despite surveillance, repression, and significant personal risk, courageous men and women opposed the regime in discreet ways. Their actions ranged from distributing critical information to supporting those who were persecuted. These individual acts of resistance reflect strong political conviction, moral courage, and a commitment to justice and freedom under extreme conditions.

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Adam Steidl

Johann Oberleitner

Anna Hutter

Margarethe Banke

Adolf Frena

Alois Ebster