Working group of Optanten for Germany

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The Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Optanten für Deutschland ( AdO ) came into being on January 30, 1940 and was an association of South Tyroleans who had voted in favor of emigrating from Italy to the German Reich when asked about the option .

history

Between 1928 and 1939 a resistance against the Italianization policy of the fascist regime formed in South Tyrol on various levels . In the catacomb schools the children were taught the forbidden German language , church media and associations defended themselves against the government of Mussolini under the protection of the Holy See , and with the Völkischer Kampfring Südtirols (VKS) an underground movement close to the NSDAP formed under Peter Hofer .

option

When, on October 21, 1939, Hitler and Mussolini concluded an agreement to assimilate the German and Ladin minorities in South Tyrol, the so-called option was decided and the South Tyroleans had to choose “stay or go”. Propaganda on both sides divided the South Tyrolean people, destroyed families and has an impact on today's society in the country. All optants for Germany were allowed to attend German courses and resume their Tyrolean customs .

On the instructions of the ADERSt , which was subordinate to Heinrich Himmler , and with the approval of the Italian government, the AdO was founded to provide an organization for the optants. The existing structures and people of the VKS were used, and Peter Hofer was appointed as head. Thus the NSDAP was able to strengthen its influence in South Tyrol.

Leaflet of the opponents of the option

The " Dableiber " also organized themselves and formed the Andreas Hofer Association , which gathered around Friedl Volgger and Hans Egarter .

German occupation

After the German Wehrmacht occupied South Tyrol in September 1943 and established the operational zone for the Alpine Foreland on September 10, 1943 , the AdO was dissolved and renamed the German Ethnic Group . Peter Hofer was promoted to " ethnic group leader ". Some members of the AdO formed the South Tyrolean security service and were, among other things, significantly involved in the deportation of the members of the Jewish community from Merano to the concentration camp ( transit camp Bolzano ) in September 1943 and in the following years ; The provisional mayor of Brixen , Hans Stanek , also sent the AdO district leader Wolfgang Seifert on September 20, 1943 “a list of those persons who are to be regarded as belonging to the Jewish race according to Italian law”. AdO members also tried to arrest fugitive Italian soldiers and dissidents and attacked “stayers” , although Commissioner Franz Hofer had “officially” banned this. After the death of Peter Hofer by an aerial bomb in December 1943, Karl Tinzl was appointed Prefect of the Province of Bolzano as his successor in the Alpine Foreland operational zone.

post war period

After 1945 none of the AdO leaders were held accountable for their activities. It is only recently that historians have ventured to come to terms with this dark period in the history of South Tyrol . Much remains to be clarified.

literature

  • Michael Wedekind: National Socialist Occupation and Annexation Policy in Northern Italy 1943 to 1945. Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag, Munich 2003. ISBN 3-486-56650-4 .
  • Margareth Lun: Nazi rule in South Tyrol: the Alpine Foreland operational zone 1943–1945. StudienVerlag, Innsbruck-Vienna-Bozen 2004. ISBN 3-70651-830-9 .
  • Klaus Eisterer, Rolf Steininger : The Option: South Tyrol between Fascism and National Socialism. Haymon, Innsbruck 1989. ISBN 3-85218-059-7 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Joachim Goller: The grip on Brixen. In: Hannes Obermair u. a. (Ed.): Regional civil society in motion. Festschrift for Hans Heiss. Vienna-Bozen: Wien-Bozen 2012. ISBN 978-3-85256-618-4 . Pp. 138–156, reference p. 143.

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