Julius Schlegel (officer)
Julius Schlegel (born August 14, 1895 in Vienna ; † August 8, 1958 there ) was an Austrian officer in the Wehrmacht. He saved the art treasures of the monastery of Montecassino.
Life
Julius Schlegel served in the air force during World War I and was wounded in the Isonzo battles in 1917 . In 1939 he was called up as an officer in the Air Force (Wehrmacht) and took part in the campaign in the West , from 1941 to 1943 in the repair facilities of the Air Force in the German-Soviet War , in the Africa campaign and in the battle for Sicily . Transferred to Hermann Göring's Parachute Panzer Division 1 in May 1943 , as commander of the maintenance department, he recognized the increasing threat to the Montecassino Abbey as the situation developed on the Gustav Line . On October 14, 1943, he presented his fears to Archabbot Gregorio Diamare and offered help with a precautionary rescue operation. Initially suspicious, Diamare agreed. The transport of the goods to Vatican City began three days later . With the decision on his own responsibility Schlegel risked a court martial . On October 23, Allied broadcasters reported all over the world that Hermann Göring's division was looting the Montecassino monastery. Now Schlegel had to report the action to his division commander Paul Conrath and ask for approval. It was issued by the superior departments. The art treasures of the monastery were transported over the 140 km to Castel Sant'Angelo in 120 truckloads, some in specially made boxes . These included 70,000 volumes from the library, 1,200 irreplaceable manuscripts with works by Marcus Tullius Cicero , Horace , Virgil , Ovid and Seneca , 80,000 documents, cult objects made of precious metal and the relics of Benedict of Nursia . Valuable paintings that had been brought from the Museo di Capodimonte to the “safety” of Montecassino were also recovered, including paintings by Leonardo da Vinci , Domenico Tintoretto , Domenico Ghirlandaio , Pieter Bruegel the Elder , Titian and Raphael . The action was completed in November 1943. In a solemn act, the last pieces temporarily stored in Spoleto were handed over in Rome in December. Schlegel received a Latin certificate. Translated the text reads:
“In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! The Cassinians thank the illustrious and beloved military tribune Julius Schlegel, who saved the monks and goods of the Cassino monastery, with all their hearts and ask God for his continued well-being. "
The 1st Fallschirmjäger Division was later certified: “I truthfully assure you that at no time were German soldiers within the walls of the sacred monastery of Montecassino. Only three military police stayed there temporarily to monitor compliance with the neutral zone around the monastery. ”Due to the claim that the monastery was a German observation and defense base, 254 Allied aircraft took it with it on February 15, 1944 570 tons of bombs laid in rubble and ashes. In July 1944 Schlegel lost a leg in a fighter-bomber attack in Italy. When he returned to Vienna as a war invalid, he initially suffered from false accusations. He was arrested by the Allies as an alleged looter, but was finally acquitted of this charge thanks to the statements of the monks of Montecassino who had accompanied the transports to Rome. Schlegel was a member of the Vienna City Council for the Austrian People's Party in the 1950s . On August 14, 1958, he was buried in the Döblinger cemetery . He was honored, among others, by the abbot of the Schottenstift:
"At this hour, in which we hand over what was mortal in you to the earth, the bells of the Benedictine abbeys all over the world ring to commemorate your heroic deed, which not only saved the mother monastery of the Benedictine order from irreplaceable losses, it was also proof of how well a person was able to do good in difficult times and tribulations. "
The reconstruction of the monastery by 1955 was mainly possible because Schlegel had saved all the building plans.
memory
- Memorial plaque on his home in Vienna
- Monument in Wertheimsteinpark
- Memorial plaque in the crypt of the Schottenstift
- Schlegel's death mask , identification tag and binoculars from his personal belongings are exhibited in the Army History Museum ( Republic and Dictatorship Hall ).
- The 1958 war film The Green Devils of Monte Cassino deals with the rescue of art treasures by Schlegel, which was played in the film by Ewald Balser .
- Julius Schlegel Gasse in Stammersdorf
Web links
- Italy has not forgotten Julius Schlegel Die Welt , March 16, 1998
- Julius Schlegel - savior of the art treasures of Montecassino The Montacassino Foundation
- In memory of the savior of the art treasures of Montecassino Lieutenant Colonel Julius Schlegel , parish letter No. 2, summer 2008 of the deanery parish at the National Defense Academy Vienna ( PDF , 800kb)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b circular from Erich Ulber, Wiener Kameradschaft Kratzert, Association of Former Paratroopers in the Austrian Association of Comrades, June 1995
- ^ Press invitation: ÖVP Vienna - Wreath-laying ceremony in honor of Julius Schlegel , November 4, 2003
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Schlegel, Julius |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Austrian officer of the German Wehrmacht, savior of the art treasures of the monastery of Montecassino |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 14, 1895 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Vienna |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 8, 1958 |
| Place of death | Vienna |