Walter Krajnc

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Walter Krajnc (born February 22, 1916 in Hall in Tirol ; † July 29, 1944 near Avignon ) was an Austrian resistance member in the German Wehrmacht .

Life

Walter Krajnc, grew up in Hall in Tirol, studied law in Innsbruck and was a member of the Catholic student association AV Vindelicia Innsbruck in the ÖCV . He received his doctorate as Dr. iur. , but was dismissed from court service by the National Socialists as "unreliable" after only three months of legal practice .

Krajnc was part of the Catholic resistance group in Hall in Tirol. He belonged to Hall's Catholic Youth , whose members met regularly in secret even after 1938, despite the ban, but were betrayed, interrogated by the Gestapo and arrested at short notice.

In December 1940 Krajnc was drafted for military service in the German armed forces and after the occupation of southern France was transferred to Avignon. Krajnc made contact with the French population and became engaged to a young French woman. The Resistance soon contacted him. Krajnc, who worked as a radio operator , provided the Resistance with internal information and later joined their Cotre group himself . Denounced for critical remarks in connection with the shooting of hostages, he was arrested and sentenced to death by a court martial for his contacts with the Resistance. On July 29, 1944 Krajnc was shot and buried in the cemetery of Les Angles near Avignon. The tradition of the events at that time, which says that the conviction was (also) based on the refusal to take part in the shooting of hostages, has so far not been sufficiently proven historically.

A street was named after him in his hometown of Hall. The Tyrolean composer Werner Pirchner dedicated a flute piece to him.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Köfler, Gretl: “Dr. Walter Krajnc " in: Werner Pirchner, Instead of a monument ...
  2. ↑ From the correspondence with the historian Gretl Köfler, s. discussion
personal data
SURNAME Krajnc, Walter
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian resistance fighter against National Socialism
DATE OF BIRTH February 22, 1916
PLACE OF BIRTH Hall in Tirol
DATE OF DEATH July 29, 1944
Place of death near Avignon