read more:Blog (EN) socialist resistance in Hall in Tyrol Johanna Wagner (1922-1990)Youth and Conflict with National Socialism At the age of 17, Johanna “Hanna” Wagner arrived in Hall in Tirol from Berlin in February 1939. At the time, the town was still often referred to as “Solbad Hall.” She attended the “Secondary School for Boys and Girls,” formerly the Franciscan Grammar School. There, she met Peter Zwetkoff and soon attracted the attention of school authorities because of her openly anti-Nazi views. Her critical remarks about the Nazi regime were reported to the school principal, Prof. Karl Cora (1880–1966), a committed National Socialist. As a result, Johanna Wagner was expelled from school. “Her views were reported to the school principal, an ardent National Socialist …” (Email from Harald Stockhammer, May 26, 2024) Resistance to National Socialist Education Johanna’s father enrolled her at the National Socialist-oriented boarding school Salem in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. However, she refused to attend the institution and initially remained in Tyrol. Eventually, she returned to her mother in Berlin in order to fight in juvenile court for the maintenance payments her father had denied her. The court ruled in her favor. Johanna then returned to Tyrol, where she was able to complete her secondary education and graduate from the “Secondary School for Boys and Girls” in Schwaz, formerly known as Paulinum. read more:Blog (EN) Josef_ Anton_ King paulinum.tsn.at Fotos Johanna Wagner. In: privat archives Sabine Wallinger, Schwaz. Joining the Zwetkoff Brothers’ Resistance Circle In 1943, Johanna Wagner returned to Hall in Tirol to begin studying medicine in Innsbruck. There, she met Michael Zwetkoff again. Their study meetings soon developed into close cooperation within the resistance circle of the Zwetkoff brothers. Johanna decided to actively participate in resistance against the Nazi regime. In her apartment in Hall, she printed and distributed anti-Nazi leaflets. She also supplied prisoners of war with food and took part in dangerous courier missions. Particularly remarkable was her support for the resistance group in Piburg in the Ötztal valley: by bicycle, she transported food, weapons, and ammunition over a distance of around 77 kilometers. The weapons came from a socialist resistance group made up of railway employees who, like Johanna herself, worked in wartime industries. read more:(EN) Michael und Peter Zwetkoff (EN) Friedrich Corazza Arrest by the Gestapo On November 7, 1944, Johanna Wagner was arrested by the Gestapo and imprisoned in Innsbruck until January 19, 1945. During interrogations, she took full responsibility in order to protect other members of the resistance group. She was to be brought before the People’s Court in Vienna — proceedings that frequently ended in death sentences. By pretending to suffer from mental illness, supported by the testimony of a friendly doctor, she managed to escape execution. read more:Blog (EN) Dr. Gottfried Uffenheimer Recognition After the War After the end of the war, Johanna Wagner’s extraordinary commitment was officially acknowledged. Anton Haller, leader of the Hall resistance movement, confirmed that: “… she proved herself in the Austrian resistance movement to the highest degree, repeatedly risking her life.” (Tyrolean State Archives ATLR Va.+Vf.-Opferfürsorge 1148) Today, Johanna Wagner is regarded as one of the courageous women of the Austrian resistance against National Socialism. Her commitment, civil courage, and personal sacrifice make her an important figure in Tyrolean contemporary history. read more:Anton Haller Resistance group The Long Silence About Johanna Wagner and the Tyrolean Resistance For decades, the story of Johanna Wagner remained almost unknown. Although she risked her life resisting National Socialism, she long held no place in Tyrol’s public memory culture. Historian Sabine Wallinger points out that, after 1945, resistance against the Nazi regime — especially when it was not religiously motivated — often remained socially stigmatized and was rarely discussed publicly. Johanna Wagner herself spoke very little about her experiences during the Nazi era. Only later historical research brought her courageous role within the resistance movement to light. “Johanna Wagner has no place in the Tyrolean resistance narrative. Neither she nor her closest comrades later spoke publicly about their underground activities. Resistance against the Nazi regime remained burdened with shame, especially when it was not religiously motivated.” (Sabine Wallinger, Women in the Resistance: Johanna Wagner – The Woman Who Cycled into the Ötztal Valley with Submachine Guns, in: Der Standard, December 11, 2022, supplement A4–A5) Johanna Wagner in: Wallinger, Sabine (2022): "The Narrow-Mindedness of National Socialism." In: Der Standard (Album supplement), December 10, 2022, A4–A5. "Johanna Wagner holds no place in Tyrol's resistance narrative. Neither she nor her closest comrades ever spoke publicly about their underground activities after the war. Resistance against the Nazi regime remained a source of shame—especially when it was not religiously motivated. Even though I was friends with Johanna for years, she mentioned to me only once that she had 'rolled dumplings for starving prisoners of war back then' and was imprisoned by the Gestapo with friends because of it." (Sabine Wallinger, Women in the Resistance: Johanna Wagner – The Woman Who Cycled into the Ötztal with Machine Guns. A Story of Post-War Silence and a Woman Who Risked Her Life, in: Der Standard, December 11, 2022, Supplement A4–A5. Online at: https://www.derstandard.at/story/2000141651709/johanna-wagner-die-mitmaschinenpistolen-ins-oetztal-radelte (accessed May 26, 2024). go backJohanna Wagner
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