Austrians in the West, 1938-45

[daveshoup2MD]

There was a significant flow of refugees from Austria to the west after the German takeover in 1938; the majority were Jewish refugees who left for obvious reasons, but there were some Christians as well.The various border changes from 1918 on gave some of these people a passport other than German (I believe Georg Ludwig Ritter von Trapp actually had an Italian passport because of where his birthplace ended up after 1918, for example).

Anyone aware of a) the total number who left in 1938-40, and b) if there were other A-H WW I veterans (like von Trapp) who left for the west?

Danke

[Loïc]

I have seen «160 000» from Austria
despite that one would imagine that his neutral democratic mainly german-speaking closest neighbour would be a natural destination for exile, the Austro-Germans refugees preferred to reach United States, Great Britain, France and Palestine than Switzerland

I assume that obviously every man having around 40 years old and more had the basic profile to be a former Austro-Hungarian Army veteran

[daveshoup2MD]

Thanks for the number; that seems significant. 10 percent yields 16,000.

Any other WW I veterans come to mind, beyond von Trapp?