Lot 701

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Description:

GAULEITER REQUESTS RELEASE OF A DACHAU PRISONER (3)
A fascinating group of three documents relative to the case of Leopold Brunner (1890-1941), an Austrian Roman Catholic interned at Dachau on May 24, 1938 for his participation in the 1934 Battle of Pyhrn Pass. For reasons not entirely clear, the Gauleiter of the Upper Danube region of Austria (Oberdonau) took an interest in Brunner and requested in his release. Brunner, however, had already been moved from Dachau to Mauthausen, where he died on Aug. 8, 1941. The first document is a T.L.S. on Reichgau Oberdonau letterhead signed by Adjutant Gauleiter Mittemair on behalf of Gauleiter August Eigruber, 1p. legal folio, Linz, Sept. 12, 1939, to the Linz Gestapo, in part: ‘…The former member of the HW Leopold Brunner, born Sept. 4, 1890 has been imprisoned in Dachau…since May 24, 1938. Brunner is said to have been involved in the fighting at the Pyrn [sic] Pass and to have beaten the National Socialists. If Brunner is not overburdened, the Gauleiter wants him released…I ask for a report and an opinion…'. On verso is a typed note dated Sept. 21, 1939, indicating that the request was sent to the Berlin Gestapo, and that ‘a decision has not yet been made'. The second document, a typed D.S. 1p. legal folio, from the Linz Secret Police to the District Administrator in Linz, Aug. 9, 1941, states that: ‘…Regarding the release of unskilled worker Leopold Brunner, divorced, born Pucking [referenced in] our letter dated June 21, 1938…it is reported that he died on Aug. 3, 1941…We request you take over the follow-up care according to instructions…'. The third document is a report on Brunner's death, comprising a two-sided typed D.S. from an unidentified Mauthausen garrison doctor, 1p. legal folio, Mauthausen, Aug. 5, 1941, then forwarded to the Berlin and Linz Gestapos, Sept. 17, 1941. Brunner' death is predictably grim: ‘…On Aug. 3, 1941 at about 11:40 I [examined] the corpse…a severely malnourished man with yellow skin…The investigation did not reveal any indications of use of force. The cause of death is given as ulcerative colitis. There are no objections raised as this is a misrepresentation…'. The relatively unknown battle of Pyhrn Pass was one of many important acts of Austrian resistance. At the start of the Nazi revolt in Vienna, SA groups in the provinces took up arms and began to seize strategic locations. Pyhrn Pass is a mountain pass in the Austrian Alps between Upper Austria and Styria, which no doubt would be useful from a military standpoint. On July 29, 1934, local SA men, bolstered by German volunteers who had infiltrated into the area as workers in German-owned factories, staked out positions in the pass and swore to fight to the death. With help of local militia, the Austrian Federal Army troops outflanked and routed the Nazis the next day. Documents in a fragile state, particularly that from Mauthausen. Brunner must have been a valuable prisoner due to the fact that survived in camps for more than three years, making this group worthy of further research.

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June 14, 2023 10:00 AM EDT
Chesapeake City, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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