Friedrich Corazza (1897-1944)

Born on December 7, 1897, in Steinhaus, Ahrntal (Bruneck district, South Tyrol, now part of Italy), Friedrich Corazza completed his education at the Franciscan Gymnasium in Hall in Tirol.
On February 12, 1917, during his fourth year of studies, he was drafted into the 1st Tyrolean Imperial Rifle Regiment (Kaiserjäger) to fight in World War I. He was deployed to the southern front at Pasubio, where he suffered combat injuries.
After the war, Corazza served in the Austrian Federal Army until May 1, 1931, after which he joined the municipal police force in Hall in Tirol.

Resistance Against Nazism

In 1932, as the Nazis in Hall became increasingly aggressive—distributing propaganda leaflets, attacking churchgoers, and painting swastikas--Friedrich Corazza remained loyal to Austria and became a determined opponent of National Socialism. His firm stance against illegal Nazi activities earned him many enemies within Nazi circles.

The 1934 Ski Championship Incident

A particularly challenging assignment came in 1934 when Police Inspector Corazza was tasked with maintaining order during the Tyrolean Ski Championships, held to inaugurate a new ski jump in Volderwald. The event was fully funded by local businesses, authorities, and residents of Hall, making it a significant occasion.
However, on January 13, 1934, after the first ski jumps, a major scandal erupted. Nazi athletes performed the Hitler salute mid-jump and were greeted at the finish line by Nazi supporters from Innsbruck and Hall, who sang the Horst Wessel Song (a Nazi anthem). Around 5,000 spectatorsattended, most of whom behaved peacefully.
Only a handful of police officers, including Corazza, and the district commissioner were present. The commissioner ordered the arrest of several Nazis and cancelled the event.

Targeted by the Nazis

Due to his decisive actions—including arresting key figures like Dr. Hans Angerer (who later became the provisional mayor of Hall under Nazi rule)--Corazza became a prime target of the Nazis.
Dr. Ernst Verdross, a prominent jurist, later described Corazza as:
"The only law enforcement officer who fought against the Nazi Party with full commitment during the illegal period before 1938."
Friedrich Corazza’s bravery in resisting tyranny remains an enduring legacy.

The Arrest of the Opposition – March 12, 1938, in Hall in Tirol

On the night of March 12, 1938, Friedrich Corazza was arrested by members of the SA and SS. Inside the police station at the town hall, he was brutally beaten and punched repeatedly. The SS thugs tore the insignia from his police uniform and hurled the vilest insults at him. He was then thrown into a holding cell, normally reserved for vagrants or drunkards.
Around 3 a.m., Dr. Ernst Verdross was brought into the same cell, where he found Corazza lying on an iron bed. Dr. Verdross later reported that Corazza’s face was swollen and bruised, his uniform torn, and his body battered from the mistreatment. The next day, they were marched like hardened criminals under armed guard to the Gestapo prison at the "Hotel Sonne" in Innsbruck. On May 31, 1938, Corazza was deported to Dachau concentration camp along with 60 other prisoners.

The Horrors of Dachau

For the first three months, Corazza was held in solitary confinement (the "bunker")--completely cut off from the outside world, surviving only on water and bread. He later recalled:
"That time was enough to drive a man insane! The windows were boarded up, and only a thin sliver of light managed to creep in from above. Day after day, week after week, I desperately tried to move closer to that faint light, hoping to catch even a fleeting glimpse of the outside world. Once, a guard caught me attempting this, and as punishment, I was denied food for three days. In that cell, I was overcome by the crushing feeling that they were trying to push me to suicide. It happened several times that I didn’t hear the guard bringing food. If I was too late to the door, I received nothing that day."
After this ordeal, he was transferred to Barrack 15, Room 2, where prisoners were condemned to a slow death without trial. Corazza described the forced labor:
"We were forced to work in a gravel pit, hauling stones up only to dump them back down—a meaningless, backbreaking task. The Kapos and overseers drove us, already half-dead, to work faster with whips and clubs. Everything had to be done at a run."

A Brush with Death

One day, a Kapo called out from the edge of the pit:
"Send that one up here!"
Corazza knew what that meant--many who were called up never returned. He pretended not to hear, but an overseer kicked him and snarled:
"You heard him—get up there!"
Terrified, he entered a nearby barrack--known among prisoners as the "Ascension Barrack" because no one ever left alive. A block leader pressed a pistol to his chest and screamed:
"You’re slacking off!"
"No, I’m not," Corazza replied.
The man struck him three times across the face. Corazza stood motionless, knowing that even raising a hand in defense would be an excuse to shoot him. Finally, the guard sneered:
"Why don’t you block the blows? Why don’t you cover your face?"
"Because it’s forbidden," Corazza answered.
The sadistic game ended. Miraculously, he was sent back to the pit. His fellow prisoners were stunned--no one expected to see him alive again.
"The block leader would have shot me if I had moved even slightly. He would have claimed I attacked him."

A Legacy of Defiance

Friedrich Corazza’s unbroken will in the face of Nazi brutality stands as a testament to his courage. His story is one of resistance, endurance, and the unyielding refusal to surrender dignity.

Friedrich Corazza - 1940 to 23 November 1944

Hoping military service might shield him from Gestapo persecution, Friedrich Corazza was finally conscripted on 13 April 1940 into the Railway Replacement Pioneer Battalion in Klagenfurt. Serving as Sergeant Major ("Spieß"), he endured the brutal 1941-42 winter campaign in Russia, seeing combat in both the Caucasus and Crimea.
By summer 1944, his unit - the 5th Railway Pioneer Replacement Battalion - was stationed in Strasbourg. When American forces and the French Resistance liberated the city on 23 November 1944, Corazza disappeared without trace.
Though this principled opponent of Nazism never lived to see Austria's liberation, his anti-fascist convictions lived on through his family. His story stands as testament to the quiet courage of those who resisted tyranny from within the system itself.