Resistance Groups in Hall in Tirol (1938 - 1945)

Caption:

A burning match as a symbol of resistance in Hall in Tirol. In the resistance group led by Anton Haller, a matchstick served as a covert sign of recognition. Members would meet in public places such as cafés or inns. The person seeking contact would sit at a table and place a box of matches visibly in front of them. If they took out a match without smoking and broke it in half, the other would respond with the phrase:
“Why are you wasting perfectly good matches?”
This seemingly trivial exchange confirmed the right contact — a silent gesture of courage in the face of dictatorship.

Resistance Groups in Hall in Tirol ​

​During the National Socialist era, several courageous groups in Hall in Tirol stood up against the regime. Though they were driven by different worldviews – monarchist, socialist-communist, or Christian – they were united by a common resolve not to remain silent in the face of injustice. This section presents three key resistance circles: the monarchist circle of local figures, the socialist-communist group, and the resistance group surrounding Anton Haller and Dr. Viktor Schumacher.

Blog 38 Monarchist-Legitimist Resistance in Hall in Tyrol

Blog 39 Socialist-communist resistance group

Blog 40 Resistance group Anton Haller

Widerstandsgruppe Dipl. Ing. Anton v. Hradetzky in Innsbruck/Hall

The resistance group surrounding Dipl.-Ing. Anton v. Hradetzky emerged in the Innsbruck and Hall in Tirol region and consisted of former senior civil servants, legal experts, engineers, and intellectuals—many of whom had held leading roles before 1938. After Austria's annexation by Nazi Germany, several members were dismissed from public service or imprisoned. Their resistance took the form of intellectual and organizational opposition: through regular meetings, they developed ideas for Austria’s democratic renewal. In the final days of the war, the group took active steps to secure a peaceful transition of administrative power in Tyrol.

Blog 68 Widerstandsgruppe Dipl. Ing. Anton v. Hradetzky

The resistance group Messner-Maier-Caldonazzi

The resistance group around chaplain Heinrich Maier and industrialist Franz Josef Messner provided the U.S. intelligence agency OSS with detailed information on Nazi arms production in Austria from 1942 onward. At the request of the Allies, they also passed on factory locations to enable targeted airstrikes and avoid civilian casualties. The Gestapo uncovered the group in early 1944. Eight members were sentenced to death.

The Resistance Group Messner-Maier-Caldonazzi

Blog Dr. Franz Josef Messner