Transport of concentration camp inmates to Tyrol

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The Transport of Inmates of German Concentration Camps to Tyrol happened in late April 1945 and led to the only time such prisoners were liberated by German troops.

Contents 1 Transfer and liberation 2 List of the Prisoners 2.1 Austria 2.2 Czech Republic 2.3 Denmark 2.4 France 2.5 Germany 2.6 Great Britain 2.7 Greece 2.8 Hungary 2.9 Italy 2.10 Latvia 2.11 Netherlands 2.12 Norway 2.13 Poland 2.14 Russia 2.15 Slovakia 2.16 Sweden 2.17 Yugoslavia 2.18 The Kin Prisoners 3 References

[edit] Transfer and liberation

On April 24, 1945 more than 130 prisoners from Dachau Concentration Camp were transferred to Niederdorf/Hochpustertal 70 km northeast of Bozen. The transport, which was consisted of trucks and old buses, was guarded by several dozen troops from the SS and SD. On board were the camp's most important and prominent prisoners as well as family members of the 20 July plotters. The officers in charge, Obersturmführer Edgar Stiller and Untersturmführer Bader, had orders to kill all the prisoners if in any doubt of capture.

But on arrival at “Arbeitserziehungslager Reichenau”, Innsbruck, camp authorities told the guards that they were not prepared to accept the prisoners. Instead the 139 prisoners were sent to the village hotel at Niederdorf, where they arrived on April 28.

Contrary to expectations, the building was unavailable as it was being used by three German Wehrmacht generals. A delegation from the prisoners' committee, that included Colonel Bogislaw von Bonin, who had been imprisoned for allowing a retreat on the Eastern Front, made contact with the senior army officers and made known the identity of the high-status prisoners and the fear that they were to be executed before liberation by U.S troops.

A message was sent to Wehrmacht troops at Bozen commanded by Captain Wichard von Alvensleben, who decided to come and protect the prisoners with his soldiers.

On April 30 against the background of advancing U.S troops and Alvensleben’s unit, which had now surrounded the village, the SS guards decided to escape.

The free prisoners were then accommodated at the Pragser Wildsee Hotel until U.S troops marched into Niederdorf on May 5.

[edit] List of the Prisoners

(by country)

[edit] Austria Konrad Praxmarer, author Richard Schmitz, former mayor of Vienna Kurt Schuschnigg, Austrian chancellor [edit] Czech Republic Josef Burda, Merchant Josef Rozsévac-Rys, Journalist Jàn Stanek, Major [edit] Denmark Hans Frederik Hansen, engineer Adolf T. Larsen, Farmer Hans Lunding, Head of the Danish Intelligence Service Max J. Mikkelsen, Captain Jörgen Lönborg Friis Mogensen, Viceconsul Knud E. Pedersen, Captain [edit] France Jeanne Léon Blum, wife of Léon Blum Léon Blum, former Prime Minister of France Prince Xavier de Bourbon, Armand Mottet, Gabriel Piguet, Bishop of Clermont-Ferrand Ray N. Van Wymeersch, Capitaine of the Free French Air Force [edit] Germany Bogislaw von Bonin, Colonel Baron Fritz Cerrini, Private secretary of Prince Friedrich Leopold of Prussia Friedrich Engelke, merchant Alexander von Falkenhausen, General, former military commander of Belgium and France Wilhelm von Flügge, Director of I. G. Farben Friedrich Leopold Prince of Prussia Franz Halder, General Gertrud Halder, wife of Franz Halder Anton Hamm, Kaplan Erich Heberlein, Diplomat Margot Heberlein, wife of Dr. Erich Heberlein Horst Hoepner, merchant, brother of General Erich Hoepner Joseph Joos, journalist and politician (Zentrum) Karl Kunkel, Kaplan Franz Maria Liedig, Navy officer (Abwehr) Josef Müller, officer (Abwehr) Johann Neuhäusler, Domkapitular Martin Niemöller, Pastor Heidel Nowakowski Horst von Petersdorff, Colonel Prince Philipp of Hesse, diplomat Hermann Pünder, Officer Hjalmar Schacht, Fabian von Schlabrendorff, Officer, adjutant of Major General Henning von Tresckow Georg Thomas, General Amélie Thyssen, wife of Fritz Thyssen Fritz Thyssen, businessman [edit] Great Britain Sigismund Payne Best, Captain Jack Churchill, Lieutenant Colonel Peter Churchill, Captain, Special Operations Executive Thomas J. Cushing, Staff Sergeant Harry M. A. Day, Wing Commander Sydney H. Dowse, Squadron Leader Hugh M. Falconer, Squadron Leader Wadim Greenewich, Foreign Office, London. Bertram C. James, Flight Lieutenant John McGrath, Lieutenant Colonel Patrick O´Brien, Soldier John Spence, Farmer Richard H. Stevens, Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Walsh, Soldier, Aircraft Fitter [edit] Greece Constantin Bakopoulos, General Panajotis Dédés, General Vassilis Dimitrion, Soldier Nikolaos Grivas, Caporal (corporal) Georges Kosmas, General Alexandros Papagos, General, Commander in Chief of the Greek Army Jean D. Pitsikas, General [edit] Hungary Aleksander Ginzery, Colonel Josef Hatz, Major Samuel Hatz, Teacher, father of Josef Hatz Andreas Hlatky, Hungarian Secretary of State Miklós Horthy, Jr., diplomat, son of Miklós Horthy Géza Igmándy-Hegyessy, General Miklós Kállay, former Prime Minister of Hungary Julius Király, Colonel Desiderius Ónody, Secretary of Horthy jr. Peter Baron Schell, Hungarian minister of Interior [edit] Italy Eugenio Apollonio, Vice-Capo della Polizia (deputy Chief of the Police) of the Italian Social Republic in Salò Mario Badoglio, Son of Marshall Pietro Badoglio Davide Ferrero, Colonel Sante Garibaldi, General Tullio Tamburini, Chief of the Police of the Italian Social Republic in Salò

[edit] Latvia Gustavs Celmins, Captain of the Latvian Army [edit] Netherlands Johannes J. C. van Dijk, minister of defence [edit] Norway Arne Daehli, Captain [edit] Poland Jan Izycki, Pilot Officer, RAF Stanislaw Jensen, Pilot Officer, RAF Count Aleksander Zamoyski, major [edit] Russia Ivan Bessonov, General Victor Brodnicov, Lieutenant Colonel Fyodor Ceredilin, Soldier Vassily Kokorin, Lieutenant Pyotr Privalov, General Nikolay Ruchenko, Officer [edit] Slovakia Imrich Karvas, Professor [edit] Sweden Carl S. Edquist, Director [edit] Yugoslavia Hinko Dragic, Lieutenant Colonel Novak D. Popovic, Head of the post administration Dimitrije Tomalevsky, journalist [edit] The Kin Prisoners Fey von Hassell Pirzio Biroli, daughter of Ulrich von Hassell Annelise Gisevius, sister of Hans-Bernd Gisevius Anneliese Goerdeler wife of Carl Goerdeler Benigna Goerdeler, daughter of Goerdeler Gustav Goerdeler, brother of Goerdeler Marianne Goerdeler, daughter of Anneliese and Carl Goerdeler Irma Goerdeler wife of Ulrich Goerdeler, daughter in law of Anneliese and Carl Goerdeler Jutta Goerdeler, cousin of Benigna Goerdeler Reinhard Goerdeler, son of Anneliese and Carl Goerdeler (not at the Pragser Wildsee Hotel) Ulrich Goerdeler, son of Anneliese and Carl Goerdeler Käte Gudzent Franz von Hammerstein, son of Maria und Kurt von Hammerstein-Equord; (not at the Pragser Wildsee Hotel) Hildur von Hammerstein, daughter of Maria and Kurt von Hammerstein-Equord. Maria von Hammerstein-Equord wife of Kurt von Hammerstein-Equord Anna-Luise von Hofacker, daughter of Cäsar von Hofacker Eberhard von Hofacker, son of Cäsar von Hofacker Ilse Lotte von Hofacker wife of Cäsar von Hofacker Peter A. Jehle, (not at the Pragser Wildsee Hotel) Elisabeth Kaiser, daughter of Therese Kaiser Therese Kaiser Arthur Kuhn, lawyer Anni von Lerchenfeld, mother in law of Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg; died in the SS camp in Matzkau Lini Lindemann wife of General Fritz Lindemann Josef Mohr, brother of Therese Kaiser Käthe Mohr wife of Josef Mohr Gisela Gräfin von Plettenberg-Lenhausen, daughter of Walther Graf von Plettenberg-Lenhausen Walther Graf von Plettenberg-Lenhausen, merchant Dietrich Schatz, major, (not at the Pragser Wildsee Hotel) Hans-Dietrich Schröder, son of Ingeborg Schröder. Harring Schröder, son of Ingeborg Schröder Ingeborg Schröder Sybille-Maria Schröder, daughter of Ingeborg Schröder Alexander Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg, brother of Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg. Alexandra Schenk Gräfin von Stauffenberg, daughter of Markwart Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg Clemens jr. Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg, son of Markwart Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg Elisabeth Schenk Gräfin von Stauffenberg, wife of Clemens Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg Inèz Schenk Gräfin von Stauffenberg, daughter of Markwart Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg Maria Schenk Gräfin von Stauffenberg wife of Berthold Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg Marie-Gabriele Schenk Gräfin von Stauffenberg, daughter of Elisabeth Schenk Gräfin von Stauffenberg and Clemens Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg Markwart Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg (senior), Colonel Markwart Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg (junior), son of Elisabeth Schenk Gräfin von Stauffenberg and Clemens sen. Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg, (not at the Pragser Wildsee Hotel) Otto Philipp Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg, son of Elisabeth Schenk Gräfin von Stauffenberg and Clemens sen. Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg Isa Vermehren, Comedian, sister of Erich Vermehren

Next to these prominent prisoners two inmates of the Dachau concentration camp, the cook Wilhelm Visintainer and the barber Paul Wauer were within the transport.

[edit] References

• ECHO Tirol November 10, 2005 (German)
• georg-elser-arbeitskreis.de (German)
• Pragser Wildsee.com (German)
• Hans-Günter Richardi, SS-Geiseln in der Alpenfestung, ISBN 978-88-7283-229-5 http://www.raetia.com/index.php?id=338
• Fey von Hassel, Hostage of the Third Reich: The Story of My Imprisonment and Rescue from the SS, ISBN 978-06-8419-080-8
• Klaus-Dietmar Henke, Die amerikanische Besetzung Deutschlands (German), ISBN 3486561758