Hans Lepperdinger

Hans Lepperdinger (born June 29, 1905 , † March 30, 1984 ) was a colonel in the Wehrmacht in World War II and the last combat commander in Salzburg . On May 4, 1945, he surrendered the city to the Americans without a fight, contrary to orders to defend it under all circumstances.

The Americans let Lepperdinger know what would have happened had he obeyed the order given by the general several times: 200 bombers were ready to bomb Salzburg that day. The reason: For the Americans, Salzburg was the key city of the legendary Alpine fortress of the Wehrmacht. Lepperdinger's staff had also been assigned to two Salzburgers: Captain Norbert Nürnberger and Lieutenant Wolfgang Exner. They stood unconditionally behind the colonel and, like him, risked their lives to save Salzburg from extensive destruction.

As early as the late evening of May 3, Lepperdinger had SS units prevented from opening the bridges. The SS gave in, although a whole SS battalion was stationed in Glasenbach .

Lepperdinger said goodbye to the Salzburgers in the morning hours of May 4th on the radio: “Salzburger! I do it for you, stand by me unconditionally. So do all my officers and all the police. "

Lepperdinger, who came from Aubing near Munich, remained connected to Salzburg. On all the milestones of his courageous deed, he returned to Salzburg and met his old comrades in a wine cellar in the Toscaninihof, his former command bunker.

Honors

Salzburg did not thank Hans Lepperdinger with a memorial, as had often been requested, but with the award of honorary citizenship . He died in 1984. The city dedicated an honorary grave to him in the municipal cemetery .

But not only the city of Salzburg commemorated Lepperdinger. The street in the Salzburg suburb of Wals-Siezenheim , on which the new football stadium of the state capital is located, is named after the colonel. That was not the first appreciation that Lepperdinger received in this neighboring municipality of Salzburg. In his first meeting after the war, and thus before the Salzburgers, the local council granted him honorary citizenship.

Hans Lepperdinger spent his twilight years in Marquartstein in Bavaria .

Web links

• Honorary grave of Hans Lepperdinger , stadt-salzburg.at
• Salzburg mayor receives son of Colonel Hans Lepperdinger