Vienna, Austria - Mass Grave of Nazi-Era Victims Foun Buried Under Army Barracks |
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Vienna, Austria - Remains of Nazi victims, including US and British air force pilots, are believed to be buried under army barracks in the southern Austrian town of Graz, the defence ministry said on Wednesday.
‘It is highly likely that remains of victims of the Nazi regime can be found in closed-up bomb craters on the grounds of the Belgier-Kaserne barracks in Graz,’ Defence Minister Norbert Darabos told a press conference in Vienna. ‘Crimes were also committed in the last days of the war against allied flight crews, Americans and/or Britons, whose remains are presumably also in the bomb craters,’ he added.
A research team enlisted by the ministry in 2008 found that bomb craters visible on aerial pictures of the barracks in April 1945, had disappeared on shots taken after a massacre of Nazi prisoners and opponents that took place nearby shortly afterwards. This seemed to indicate the victims were buried in the craters, although many of the bodies appear to have been removed by the Nazis to cover up their crime: later aerial pictures from US archives showed some craters re-opened.
According to the researchers, between 149 and 219 forced labourers, resistance fighters, prisoners of war and Hungarian Jews were killed on the compound in the dying days of the war. In May 1945, a mass grave with 142 bodies was found nearby. The area has now been closed off to allow digs and further searches, Mr Darabos said.
It is now up to the justice ministry to decide whether to investigate the whereabouts of two SS officers who carried out the massacre but disappeared in Germany after the war, he said.
The killing was ordered by local Nazi commander Sigfried Uiberreither, Dieter Binder, head of the ministry’s historical commission, told journalists. He said the massacre provided evidence that the Nazi system did not sink into chaos in the last days of the war as commonly believed.
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Read Comments (9) — Post Yours »
1
Mar 10, 2010 at 04:32 PM Anonymous Says:Report as Inappropriate
How does the massacre provide evidence that the Nazi system did not sink into chaos in the last days of the war? To order a massacre doesn't take much. My father’s concentration camp commanders were also ordered to put to death all its occupants a day before they were liberated, but they decided instead to use it as an alibi after the war, and they sent a message to the American troops to come liberate the camp.
2
Mar 10, 2010 at 06:34 PM anonymous Says:Report as Inappropriate
March 12, 1938 Hitler marched into Vienna and my nightmare began. My experience with the last days of Hitler is a bit different. April 11, 1945 the Americans liberated Buchenwald and the Nazis had ringed the camp with metal canisters of TNT and the camp should have been blown up and from Weimar the SS called the tower to blow up the camp which at that time was manned by political prisoners. Running away from the Americans the SS unloaded their machine pistols into the camp and the wood splinters injured some prisoners.
3
Mar 10, 2010 at 06:51 PM Askupeh Says:Report as Inappropriate
“ March 12, 1938 Hitler marched into Vienna and my nightmare began. My experience with the last days of Hitler is a bit different. April 11, 1945 the Americans liberated Buchenwald and the Nazis had ringed the camp with metal canisters of TNT and the camp should have been blown up and from Weimar the SS called the tower to blow up the camp which at that time was manned by political prisoners. Running away from the Americans the SS unloaded their machine pistols into the camp and the wood splinters injured some prisoners. ”
You need to write a book about what you went though. From the bits and pieces you have posted here in your many comments I can already put together a small book.
4
Mar 10, 2010 at 08:12 PM Anonymous Says:Report as Inappropriate
“ How does the massacre provide evidence that the Nazi system did not sink into chaos in the last days of the war? To order a massacre doesn't take much. My father’s concentration camp commanders were also ordered to put to death all its occupants a day before they were liberated, but they decided instead to use it as an alibi after the war, and they sent a message to the American troops to come liberate the camp. ”
To have the orders followed implies that chaos had not yet taken over. In some places orders were followed; in others, not.
5
Mar 11, 2010 at 06:05 AM Anonymous Says:Report as Inappropriate
you can find a few dieter binders in the austrian phonebook that are currently living in the region. i wouldnt be surprised if one of them is the nazi!
6
Mar 11, 2010 at 06:48 AM anonymous Says:Report as Inappropriate
“ You need to write a book about what you went though. From the bits and pieces you have posted here in your many comments I can already put together a small book. ”
Yes I could write a book but many years I bought seforim in N.Y. from aman named Biegelseisen, a Belzer chusid and emes a man of ahavas yisroel. I asked him about the so called chorbin literature. His answer "wieviel willt ir" the books were gathering dust on the shelf. This type of reading was not , is not and will be in vogue with very few. Why bother and one more item . The city of Graz was birthplace of the infamous and worst war criminal Ernst Kaltenbrunner, the head of the Einsatztruppe.. Last year I was invited to talk and an individual with long black coat and of course beard. Asked me how I enjoyed my talking. My response there is no enjoyment talking about the murder of my family. His response they got what they deserved. Greek mythology has an Aegeus stable which must be cleaned we too have one. Thnak you for your interest
7
Mar 11, 2010 at 12:58 PM Askupeh Says:Report as Inappropriate
“ Yes I could write a book but many years I bought seforim in N.Y. from aman named Biegelseisen, a Belzer chusid and emes a man of ahavas yisroel. I asked him about the so called chorbin literature. His answer "wieviel willt ir" the books were gathering dust on the shelf. This type of reading was not , is not and will be in vogue with very few. Why bother and one more item . The city of Graz was birthplace of the infamous and worst war criminal Ernst Kaltenbrunner, the head of the Einsatztruppe.. Last year I was invited to talk and an individual with long black coat and of course beard. Asked me how I enjoyed my talking. My response there is no enjoyment talking about the murder of my family. His response they got what they deserved. Greek mythology has an Aegeus stable which must be cleaned we too have one. Thnak you for your interest ”
Look, we too have some very stupid people among us, but one idiot telling you that "they got what they deserved", doesn't a trend make. If such a comment would’ve been made in front of any normal person I know, he would be strongly ostracized.
As to Biegeleisen, his store still exists on Sixteenth Avenue in Boro Park with both brothers taking care of their customers. Here in Boro Park, Chorben literature is still a hot item. The Biegeleisen’s have everything and lots of everything.
Even if you write under "anonymous" I easily recognize you in your comments, as there are so few of you out there, and to our delight you also know your way around a computer. I always read with earnest your comments and hope that you make many more comments to educate the new Dor who know so little.
8
Mar 11, 2010 at 09:29 PM Anonymous Says:Report as Inappropriate
i totally second askupeh"'s remarks.....hope u keep ur memory sharp forever, but you should start keeping some sort of a diary, to pass on for us (think of the younger generations who missed their grandparents and greatparents experiences)
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Mar 16, 2010 at 04:43 PM okie Says:Report as Inappropriate
My grandmother spent many years searching for information to find my uncle, a pilot, and his navigator who were shot down. I hope that those who have any information, even if it seems non-specific, would record that information for those that might be able to identify their family members someday from their recollections if not by finding their graves, and more importantly so that these events are not forgotten.