Friedrich Corazza (1897-1944) Becomes a Target of the Nazis: Arrest and Brutal Treatment

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Friedrich Corazza (1897–1944) – Austrian Police Officer and Anti-Nazi Resister

Photograph Friedrich Corazza (1917). In private archive Mungenast Vomp in Tyrol.

Friedrich Corazza was born on December 7, 1897, in Steinhaus im Ahrntal (then part of Austria-Hungary). He received his education at the Franciscan grammar school in Hall in Tirol.
In February 1917, during his fourth year of studies, he was conscripted into the 1st Tyrolean Kaiserjäger Regiment and served in World War I. He was deployed on the southern front near Monte Pasubio, where he was wounded in combat.
After the war, Corazza continued his service in the Austrian Federal Army until May 1, 1931. He then joined the municipal police force in Hall in Tirol.

Early Resistance to National Socialism in Austria

In the early 1930s, Hall in Tirol became increasingly affected by National Socialist activities, including propaganda campaigns, attacks on civilians, and swastika graffiti. During this period, Friedrich Corazza remained loyal to the Austrian state and emerged as a determined opponent of National Socialism.
His firm and consistent actions against illegal Nazi activities made him a target among National Socialist supporters.

The 1934 Ski Championship Incident

A defining moment in Corazza’s career occurred on January 13, 1934, during the Tyrolean Ski Championships, organized to inaugurate a newly built ski jump in the Volderwald area.
Shortly after the first jumps, the event escalated dramatically: National Socialist athletes performed the Hitler salute during their jumps and were greeted at the finish line by supporters singing the Horst Wessel Song. Many of these supporters had traveled from Innsbruck and Hall in Tirol. In contrast, the approximately 5,000 local spectators remained peaceful.
Only a small number of officers were present, including Corazza. Acting on the orders of the district authority, several National Socialists were arrested and the event was immediately canceled.
Corazza distinguished himself through his decisive actions, including participation in the arrest of Hans Angerer, who later held an important administrative role during the Nazi regime.

Photo newspaper article. In Anno Zeitschriftenportal 15. Jänner 1934. Online, https://anno.onb.ac.at/ (6.4.2026)

Here is the English translation of the provided German text:
Political Incidents during the staging of the Tyrolean Ski Championship.
The Tyrolean Ski Championship, which took place on Saturday and Sunday in Hall, came to an unexpected conclusion yesterday before the start of the ski jumping event. The cross-country race on Saturday and the downhill race on Sunday morning were carried out without issue. We report separately on these two races in today's edition of the "Neueste Sportzeitung". For the ski jumping competition, which was supposed to start yesterday at 2:00 PM on the Volderwald hill, several thousand spectators had gathered. However, the active Tyrolean skiers entered for the jumping competition presented several demands to the race committee, making their start dependent on these demands being met. Since fulfilling the demands was impossible for the race committee, and resolution could only have been carried out by the political authorities, who were not immediately reachable from the jumping hill, the jumpers refused to participate in the event. The race committee therefore had to cancel the ski jumping competition, meaning the final contest for the title of Tyrolean Ski Champion for 1934 could not be held. Following these events, political demonstrations occurred near the jumping hill and later also in the city of Hall. In Hall itself, part of the garrison was called up, which cleared the lower town square. Below, we publish the...

Target of Nazi Persecution

Due to his unwavering stance, Friedrich Corazza became a marked opponent of the National Socialist movement. The Austrian jurist Ernst Verdross later described him as the only law enforcement officer who actively and fully opposed the Nazi Party during its illegal period before 1938.

Arrest and Brutal Abuse (March 1938)

On the night of March 12, 1938, following the Anschluss of Austria, Friedrich Corazza was arrested by members of the SA and SS.
At the police station in the town hall of Hall in Tirol, he was subjected to severe abuse. He was beaten with fists, stripped of his rank insignia, and humiliated with degrading insults. Completely at the mercy of his captors, he was later thrown into a detention cell normally reserved for vagrants or intoxicated individuals.
Around 3:00 a.m., the Austrian jurist Ernst Verdross was brought into the same cell. Verdross later reported that Corazza’s face was badly swollen and his uniform torn—clear evidence of the brutality he had endured.
The following day, both men were transferred under heavy guard to the Gestapo prison “Hotel Sonne” in Innsbruck, treated like dangerous criminals.

Deportation to Dachau Concentration Camp

Prisoner registration record from Dachau Concentration Camp bearing the name of Friedrich Corazza, preserved in the Arolsen Archives. (6.4.2026)

On May 31, 1938, Friedrich Corazza was deported along with 60 other prisoners to the Dachau Concentration Camp.
For the first three months, he was held in complete isolation in the so-called bunker—cut off from the outside world and surviving only on minimal rations of bread and water.
Corazza later recalled:
“This time drove me to the brink of madness. The windows were boarded up, and only a narrow beam of light entered from above. Day after day, week after week, I tried desperately to move closer to that light, hoping to catch a glimpse of the outside world.”
When a guard caught him attempting to approach the light, he was punished with three days without food.
The isolation and systematic psychological torment led him to believe that he was being deliberately driven toward suicide. Even minor delays—such as not reaching the food hatch in time—resulted in the complete denial of meals.

KZ-Dachau. Die freie Enzyklopädie Wikipedia. Online unter, {Von T/4 Sidney Blau, 163rd Signal Photo Company, Army Signal Corps - U.S. Holocaust Museum photograph #37255 (also here)Credit: SC 206310, Credit NARA, College ParkSubject Classification: MAJOR CONCENTRATION CAMPS 1940-45 -- Dachau -- LIBERATION -- Views -- GeneralKeywords: DACHAU, CONCENTRATION CAMPS, BARRACKS, VIEWS, SURVIVORS, Gemeinfrei, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=542794}, (Stand 6.4.2026)

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Source: Friedrich Corazza concentration camp Dachau. Documents in private archives Marcus Ingman (grandson). Email to Elisabeth Walder, April 2026.

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Forced Labor and Camp Conditions

After this period of solitary confinement, Corazza was transferred to Barrack 15, Room 2. The prisoners held there were detained without trial and effectively condemned to a slow death.
He described the conditions:
“We were forced to work in a gravel pit in all weather conditions, carrying material up and dumping it back down again. Everything had to be done at a run.”
Prisoners were driven to exhaustion by kapos and guards using whips and sticks, often pushing them to the limits of human endurance.

Confrontation with Death

One of Corazza’s most harrowing experiences occurred during this time.
While working in the gravel pit, he was called out by a guard. Knowing that many prisoners taken from the pit in this manner never returned, he initially pretended not to hear.
Moments later, he was kicked by a guard and forced to comply.
He was taken to a nearby barrack—known among prisoners as the “death barrack,” as few who entered ever came out alive. Corazza was convinced that his execution was imminent.
“I said a brief prayer and thought of my loved ones at home. Then I entered the barrack, calm and prepared for whatever would come.”
Inside, a block leader forced him against the wall, drew a pistol, and pointed it at his chest. Accusing him of avoiding work, the guard began a brutal interrogation.
Despite repeated blows to the face, Corazza remained composed:
“I am not avoiding work.”
He was struck again and again; his face swelled, and the pain was intense. Yet he resisted any instinct to defend himself—knowing that even the slightest movement could be interpreted as an attack and used as a pretext for execution.
This extraordinary self-control ultimately saved his life.

Friedrich Corazza During the War (1940–1944)

Photograph Friedrich Corazza (1940). In private archive Mungenast, Vomp in Tyrol.

Friedrich Corazza hoped that serving in the Wehrmacht would protect him from persecution by the Gestapo. On April 13, 1940, he was conscripted into the Railway Engineer Replacement Battalion in Klagenfurt.
As a Staff Sergeant, he took part in the winter campaign of 1941/42 on the Eastern Front. He was deployed both in the Caucasus and in the Crimea, where he experienced the extreme conditions of war.
In the summer of 1944, Corazza was transferred to Strasbourg, where the Railway Engineer Replacement Battalion No. 5 was stationed. On November 23, 1944, the city was captured by Allied forces—American troops and the French Resistance. Since that day, Friedrich Corazza has been listed as missing.
Despite his clear anti-Nazi stance, he was not granted the chance to witness the end of the war or the liberation of Austria.

Source: Photographs Friedrich Corazza. In private archives Marcus Ingman.

Resistance Within the Corazza Family

​Photo: Corazza family (1943). Front right: Friedrich Corazza; behind him Albert; next to him Martha; in front Elisabeth; alongside mother Berta and Maria. Private archive of Katharina Mungenast, Vomp/Tyrol.

The family’s opposition to National Socialism continued even in his absence. Particularly noteworthy is his wife, Berta Corazza, who lived in Absam.
She sheltered two members of the resistance movement for fourteen days, who posed as wounded soldiers. In doing so, she demonstrated remarkable courage and took considerable personal risks.
Grandfather Karl Ebenbichler, born on December 15, 1861 in Ampass and a locksmith at the salt mine in Halltal/Absam until his death on August 30, 1945, also supported his daughter’s family during difficult times. (father of Berta Corazza nee Ebenbichler)

Persecution and Hardship

The Corazza family faced severe persecution and social exclusion during the Nazi era. In a 1953 report to the Tyrolean provincial government, Berta Corazza described her situation:
“I was left with four children and no income, ostracized and insulted. The windows of our home were smashed. Even my husband’s 80-year-old father was spat on in the street. Everyone bearing the name ‘Corazza’ was persecuted—simply because we openly declared our loyalty to Austria.”
Because Friedrich Corazza was officially listed as “missing in action” rather than recognized as a resistance fighter, Berta Corazza received no state support. She had to raise her four children alone, relying only on help from extended family members.

The Children of Friedrich Corazza

Albert Corazza (1926–2021)

Photograph Albert Corazza. In private archive Mungenast Vomp/Tyrol. 

Albert Corazza was conscripted into the paratroopers at the age of 18. In his diary, he wrote:
“I am fighting for a free Austria.”
This statement could have led to a court-martial. However, thanks to the intervention of his commanding officer, he was instead assigned to a penal company.
Shortly thereafter, he was sent to the front, where he suffered a serious shoulder injury. After being treated in a military hospital, he was taken prisoner by American forces.
Following the war, he returned to Hall, completed a degree in architecture, and later emigrated to Sweden, where he started a family with three children. He passed away at the age of 95.

Martha Corazza (1927–2001)

Photograph: Martha Corazza. In private archive Mungenast Vomp/Tyrol.

Martha Corazza attended secondary school in Hall. At the age of 17, in 1944, she risked her life by participating in a weapons transport to the Ötztal region in support of the resistance movement.
After the war, she worked for the municipal utilities in Hall until 1956, when she married and moved to Helsinki. Two years later, she relocated with her husband to the outskirts of Stockholm, where she raised three children and worked in childcare.
She passed away in June 2001.

photograph letter from Friedrich Corazza to Martha (daughter). In private archive Marcus Ingman Sweden.

In the Field, June 1, 1944
My dearest, faithful Martha,
what is actually wrong with you that I haven’t received a letter from you for some time now? Is something troubling you? Is your little heart heavy?
You are my dear daughter, and all my love belongs to you. Every time I had to leave again, it was hardest to say goodbye to you. I am quite sure that you are still the same: faithful to your faith, your fatherland, and your loving parents.
I hope that your love for home is still just as strong as ever – firm, faithful, and constant, just as strong as your dear Papa and everyone in the Corazza family have held it. Not one of them has fallen... You are so strong and faithful that I am always sure I have a brave daughter.
If something is weighing on you, please tell me. I would like to help you and advise you. You do think that is right, don’t you?
Albert is a strong young man and will soon have to stand alone in the wide world. He must fight his way through and find his own path. He will surely help and advise you too, don’t you think? Stay close to him – together you are a wonderful pair of siblings, of whom everyone can be proud.
How are you otherwise? Are you healthy and well? Seek your joy in your parents’ home and not with strangers – It's all lies and deception ("much there is not honest"). Do not forget the dear Lord and pray diligently.
And now, my dear Martha: Write back to me soon, stay healthy.
Many loving kisses,
Your loving, faithful, unforgettable Papa

​Last letter from Friedrich Corazza to his daughter Martha
November 19, 1944 – a few days before his death on November 23, 1944 near Strasbourg

Source: last letter Friedrich Corazza to his daughter Martha (19.11.1944). In private archive Marcus Ingman Sweden.

Dear Martha,
Well, my dear little bunny, how are you? Have you already mustered the necessary courage to become a civil servant and overcome the difficulties to get the approval? It will work out, dear Martha. Seriously, up to now you have had to take care of yourself alone and have always kept your courage. Soon you will be a young lady with your worries and sorrows, but you are hungry – I know it, we stand close together. Life is such a struggle, and I am sorry that you and Albert had to grow up right in this terrible time. Mama and I haven't had it easy either, and that is a comfort to us. But we still want to hope for a beautiful future, and then our hearts shall be filled with joy. In any case, we want to look to the future with confidence and trust in God, and not let ourselves be led astray, okay Martha? We'll manage somehow, just stay brave and loyal and firm in your faith in our dear Lord. Don't forget dear Albert, that good boy has to go through terrible things right now.
I wish you good luck as a civil servant, many greetings and kisses with your father's blessing, from your dear Papa.
​
Source:
Marcus Ingman, grandson of Friedrich Corazza, Sweden (family estate).

Historical note:

Friedrich Corazza fell on November 23, 1944 near Strasbourg. This letter to his daughter Martha is counted among his last signs of life.

Historical Context:

Friedrich Corazza was stationed in the Strasbourg area in November 1944 as a member of the cadre of the Railway Pioneer Replacement Battalion No. 5. The capture of the city by the 2nd French Armored Division (General Leclerc) and US forces took place between November 22 and 23, 1944. While the Allies took the city relatively quickly, heavy rearguard actions by the German Wehrmacht occurred north and west of the city, particularly in the Vosges region and around the fortress installations.
The fact that Friedrich Corazza has been considered missing since the capture of Strasbourg is typical, in this military context, of the chaotic disintegration of German troops during that phase. Railway pioneer units were often not directly on the front line, but they were in great danger during the Wehrmacht's withdrawal and the Allied occupation of the city. They were indispensable for the supply system (repairing tracks, bridges, defusing explosives) and often suffered heavy losses due to demolitions or Allied air attacks.
No documentation exists regarding the exact circumstances of his death (killed in action, died of wounds in captivity, or perished in fighting with the French resistance movement).

Gratitude and Personal Remembrance

Elisabeth Kluckner, née Corazza, the youngest of Friedrich Corazza's four children, has been living in Vomp, Tyrol, since her marriage in the 1970s — and still lives there today at the advanced age of 92.
The photographs used for this web article were kindly provided through her daughter. For this valuable support and the trust placed in me, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to Elisabeth Kluckner, née Corazza, and her family. My special thanks go to Mr. Marcus Ingman, the grandson of Friedrich Corazza, for providing valuable documents and photographs, which he preserves in his family archive. He visited the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site, as well as Strasbourg and Hall in Tyrol, to commemorate his grandfather.
Thanks to their contribution, the memory of Friedrich Corazza's life and work remains alive and can be passed on to future generations.

Commemoration and Remembrance (2026)

Photograph Memorial Plaque WIDER.STAND, Franz-Reinisch Platz 1, 6060 Hall in Tyrol. In private archive K. Walder Hall in Tyrol.

Remembering individuals like Friedrich Corazza is of great importance. Their stories of courage, resilience, and resistance against totalitarian regimes must not be forgotten.
The Corazza family stood firmly against National Socialist injustice and made significant personal sacrifices. Their contribution to resisting Nazism deserves recognition and a lasting place in public memory.
Based on this research, a memorial plaque was installed in 2025 by Jakob Patsch at the WIDER.STAND, Franz-Reinisch-Platz 1 in Hall in Tirol.
The plaque lists 237 names of resistance fighters—including Albert, Berta, Friedrich  and Martha Corazza—and serves as a visible symbol of remembrance and historical responsibility.