Anton Dosch (1914 - 1979)– A Young Man in the Fight Against Nazism

Foto Prof. Anton Dosch (1970). In: Privatarchiv Monika Niederwolfsgruber Innsbruck.

Early Life and Education

Anton Dosch was a resistance fighter against the National Socialist regime and one of the very first individuals in Solbad Hall to take active steps against it. He was born on July 5, 1914, in Hall in Tyrol as the only son of postal official Josef Dosch. While attending grammar school, he used every free moment to receive both practical and theoretical painting lessons in the studio of Professor Franz Xaver Fuchs. He graduated in June 1935 from the Franciscan Gymnasium in Hall and then began studying law at the Leopold-Franzens University in Innsbruck.

Exclusion and Early Resistance

With the rise of National Socialism, Anton Dosch was expelled from university for being deemed politically unreliable. As early as March 1938, he joined the resistance circle around Anton Haller. Unlike the majority, who blindly followed Nazi promises, the 24-year-old recognized early on the insidious and dangerous nature of Nazi ideology and how it was slowly infiltrating society in order to establish a brutal dictatorship. He opposed Nazi rule with a steadfast belief in Austria and its eventual restoration.

Persecution and Military Service ​

Anton Dosch and his parents were harassed by the Gestapo through repeated house searches. The officers made it clear that these intrusions would stop if he voluntarily enlisted in the Wehrmacht. After being conscripted in 1939, the harassment ceased. In 1943, he suffered a lung rupture during military service and was discharged as unfit for further duty. He returned to Solbad Hall and rejoined the resistance group around Anton Haller. He immediately resumed his efforts, successfully recruiting prisoners of war from the Eichat camp to participate in the resistance.

Preventing the Destruction of Solbad Hall

Anton Dosch played a crucial role in the peaceful handover of Solbad Hall to American forces. During the night of May 2 to 3, 1945, a 200-man SS anti-aircraft unit was stationed near the Weißenbachgraben, about one kilometer from Solbad Hall. Their aim was to shell the town and cause maximum destruction. Together with prisoners of war from the Eichat camp and members of the Hall resistance movement, Dosch took up arms to force the withdrawal of the SS unit. The SS troops packed what they could into small vehicles and disappeared at dawn on May 3, 1945, heading toward the Lower Inn Valley.

A Town Saved

Thanks to the courageous efforts of Anton Dosch, the prisoners of war, and the men of the Hall resistance movement, the town of Solbad Hall was spared from destruction. As a result, the peaceful surrender of Solbad Hall to the approaching American forces took place without bloodshed.
(See blog post: Nibelungia Hall in Tirol)