Friedrich Rainer

[J. Duncan]

Friedrich Rainer supposedly wrote an account of the Nuremberg Trial (he was called as a defense witness for Seyss-Inquart). He wrote this tract while in prison in Yugoslavia where he was standing trial for war crimes (he was later sentenced to death). Has anyone read this document? According to translator Maurice Williams (who wrote a whole book on Friedrich Rainer titled "Gau, Volk, and Reich"), this small book shows Rainer to have been full of insight into the legal nature of the trial and that he held attitudes towards politics that were "typically Nazi". I think his book is mostly an apologia for National Socialism but Rainer is an important figure of study in Austrian NS / SS affairs. Links to books below:

http://www.amazon.com/Internment-Testim ... 832&sr=1-1

http://books.google.com/books/about/My_ ... 4mAQAAIAAJ

http://books.google.com/books/about/Gau ... pnAAAAMAAJ

Essay / article on the friendly relations between Friedrich Rainer and Odilo Globocnik (includes many photos of Globocnik, especially one photo that shows Globocnik as a young man):


http://www.holocaustresearchproject.org ... roles.html

Friedrich Rainer

[J. Duncan]

I now have the book and have read a good part of it. It is a very interesting document. Rainer describes his experience while a witness at the Nuremberg Trials (he was helping to defend his pal Seyss-Inquart). Editor Maurice Williams says that Rainer survived until 1950 writing various documents for his Slovene captors ( a survival technique employed by other SS men who delayed their executions by providing information and collaboration - much of their information being used to hang other Nazis!). Williams felt he did this to protect his family. He had 8 children.
Williams is fully aware that the official date of his death is 1947, but he documents that Rainer probably lived until 1950, when he was either finally executed or packed off somewhere. There is evidence that he lasted until 1950, but no proof of his execution then, although a death certificate was issued in 1947. He gives evidence of his speculation in his notations. Book has some unique photographs but they are not high resolution images. Rainer tells his story from a strict NS viewpoint (he never recanted his Hitlerism). He is quite arrogant, having been a young man when he had wielded so much power. He shared a cell with Siegfried Uiberreither (sic) and their conversations were recorded by a bugging device, whose discourse is transcribed in places in the book by Williams. Rainer believed the Americans had big plans for him and that included a return to politics. I recommend this book to those who have an interest in this man.

[trespasser07]

Hi JD did you manage to get a copy of Gau, Volk and Reich?

Kind regards

[filigranofil]

Hello,

Maurice Williams has researched Rainers life also in slovenians archives...but he was not focusing on Rainers acts as a Gauleiter (lack of Data in Engish Language, barrier with Data and researches in slovenian Languge). He was focused on Rainers story as defendant on trial and afterwards (collaboration with his Slowene captors).

Editor Maurice Williams says that Rainer survived until 1950 writing various documents for his Slovene captors ( a survival technique employed by other SS men who delayed their executions by providing information and collaboration - much of their information being used to hang other Nazis!). Williams felt he did this to protect his family. He had 8 children.
Williams is fully aware that the official date of his death is 1947, but he documents that Rainer probably lived until 1950, when he was either finally executed or packed off somewhere. There is evidence that he lasted until 1950, but no proof of his execution then, although a death certificate was issued in 1947. He gives evidence of his speculation in his notations. Book has some unique photographs but they are not high resolution images. Rainer tells his story from a strict NS viewpoint (he never recanted his Hitlerism). He is quite arrogant, having been a young man when he had wielded so much power. He shared a cell with Siegfried Uiberreither (sic) and their conversations were recorded by a bugging device, whose discourse is transcribed in places in the book by Williams. Rainer believed the Americans had big plans for him and that included a return to politics. I recommend this book to those who have an interest in this man.

Yes, it is clear, that official date of his death is not 18. August 1947.

Document of Military Court (Vojni sud in serbian Language on Document) about Rainers hanging is fake...




Enlargement...




Officially Document about death of all prisoners on 18. August 1947 between 05.00 and 06.45 is also fake...



source: Book A. Elste, M. Koschat, H. Filipic: Nacistična Avstrija na zatožni klopi, Celovec, Ljubljana, Dunaj 2002
There is also German version: NS-Österreich auf der Anklagebank.....

In this Book is mentioned also Dr. Ferenc statement in Enciklopedija Slovenije, where he put that execution was not done for sure one and a half year after sentence (without citing the Document).
The Authors of the Book make an intrwiew with prof. Dr. Tone Ferenc on 23.8.2000 and learned from him, that exist some reports from spring 1949 of Boris Kraigher, Minister of Interior of Slovenia, who sent report to Minister of Interior of Yugoslavia (and Chief of secret police) Alexander Rankovic that one "Gauleiter" and one General was writing some Comments on History of NS.
Gauleiter can be only Rainer.

But the Autors has no time or not be willing to find this Document.


The same situation was with Maurice Williams.
His statement from the Book: Gau, Volk und Reich; Klagenfurt 2005:

"What is certain now is that the Yugoslavs did have a special prison, probably in Ljubljana where they kept ranking Nazis, including those who had been convicted in various courts and sentenced to death. In Rainers case he went there for some time and worked for authorities. Still when and how he died is a mistery. It clearly was not in 1947, and it was probably not before early 1950, a certainty obvious from the documentation in the Slovene archives.*"

* Interwiew with Mag. Ljuba Dornik Šubelj, Archivist, ARS-III, October 1996

Also Maurice Williams do not put in the Book document about collaborating with Secret Police from the Year 1949.


It is clear that Rainer was worked for Yugoslavs in 1947, 1948 and 1949.
Maurice Williams found in Slovenian archives 52 analysis (Writings), which he put in Appendix of the Book.
Some Williams dated in late 1949/early 1950.


Williams statement:
"What is certain now is that the Yugoslavs did have a special prison, probably in Ljubljana where they kept ranking Nazis, including those who had been convicted in various courts and sentenced to death.

My statement:
It was several such prisons....


Document from Minister of Interior of Slovenia Boris Kraigher which inform Yugoslav Minister of Interior (and Secret Police) Alexander Rankovic was two:

first is dated: 26. October 1949: it is forbiden to talk, that Gauleiter and General are still in prison.

second is dated: 7. November 1949: after telephone conversation between Kraigher and Rankovic collaboration with Gauleiter and General is going further


I did not find exactly Date of Rainers death but it is clear, that on 7. November 1949 was stil alive.


regards
Darko

[filigranofil]

Hello,

after Dissertation (2009) and a Book of Ljuba Dornik Subelj: OZNA in prevzem oblasti 1944-1946, Ljubljana 2013 was
Rainer executed on 18.11.1950 in Ljubljana.

Till that Date was he collaborated with Secret Police (UDBA). He was locked up in secret part of Prison in Ljubljana (compulsory workshops).


regards
Darko

[filigranofil]

Hello,

this last Document about Rainer execution on 18.11.1950 is in Archive Slovenia, AS 1529, box 24.
This is private archiv Boris Kraigher (1914-1967). At the time of Rainer execution Kraigher was Minister of Interior of Slovenia, at the time of Kraigher death Kraigher was Deputy Prime Minister of Yugoslavia.



Private archiv Boris Kraigher (1945-1967) is opened for public from 31.12.1967. Family hand over his private archive to Archiv Slovenia on April 1967.
It include Document from period 1945 till 1967 and contain 31 boxes (4 m).

In the box 24 is one report from Deputy of Chief of Secret Police in Slovenia (UDBA) "Nikic" (=Niko Silih).



This Report says, that it was on 18.11.1950 several execution, which must be done earlyer:

Friedrich Rainer

Josef Vogt

Franz Müller

Paul Duscha

Josef Farnleitner

Emil Vogel

Franz Wiegele

Bosko Lazic (sentenced to death on 26.6.1947; collaborated with Secret Police (UDBA) till the death)



Nobody knows where this executions was done and also nobody knows where they was burried.


regards
Darko

[filigranofil]

Hello,

one of the Documents which quoted Maurice Williams in the Book: Gau, Volk and Reich was Rainers mention in one registry in the year 1947:

"That same year the Slovene secret police (UDV = in serb Language UDB) put together a registry of those condemmed and executed since 1945 which listed him a dying on 18 August.
This same registry, however, added more mistery because next to his name was Letter "O", a probable indication that he had had some sort of special treatment."*

*Spisek obsojenih oseb nad katerimi je bila izvršena smrtna kazen v casu 1945 do 31.12.1952, ARS-III, Mag. Ljuba Dornik Subelj, Archivist, to the author, 10.7.1998

Document...

First Page...




Rainer was mentioned on Page 17...





regards
Darko

[filigranofil]

Hello,

last speculation about Rainers death put Maurice Williams in the Book: Gau, Volk and Reich:

" In 1953 another rumour circulated that he (Rainer) had been seen the previous year in prison Bor, Serbia." *

* Höffkes, Hitlers politische Generale; Preradovich, Österreichs höhere SS-Führer


This rumour was started from Rainers son, ing. Friedrich Rainer. But this rumour has no foundation.
In the Book Elste,Koschat and Filipic: NS-Österreich auf der Anklagebnank authors said, that this romour is not possible to check.


regards
Darko

[filigranofil]

Hello,

after request od Rainers widow, Ada Rainer, Yugoslavia made on 1.April 1952 official Copy of death certificate...



From the Book: Elste,Koschat and Filipic: NS-Österreich auf der Anklagebnank


It is strange that entry of Rainers death was made in death register first on 25.8.1950.
It is also stranged that there was no mentioned the name of wife and also not cause of death nor the date and place when and where he was burried.


regards
Darko

[filigranofil]

Hello,

editors of the Book Maurice Williams: Gau, Volk, and Reich; Friedrich Rainer and the Paradox of Austrian National Socialism, Klagenfurt 2005 is Ulfried Burz and Claudia Fräss-Ehrfeld.

It is interesting Editors Remarks in the Book:

"In 1941, Friedrich Rainer, Gauleiter of Salzburg, made a farewell speech in which he exhorted the spirit of the National Socialists movement. It was the ocassion of his promotion to the highest administrative post in his home province, Gau Carinthia, and a jubilant Rainer reminded his listeners of what he considered the core strength of his party:

"Never cease to be straight-forward, uncomromising marchers!"

A take-no-prisoners-mentality may very well have been the basic driving force the most Nazis. It became the secret of their success but also explains why their movement was doomed to failure. Too many marchers but allowed themselves to be (mis)guided onto a terrain where milions of people died senselessly.
...
Rainer called himself a "harmless Germanizer", and "an upstanding and desent National Socialist.
...
Not once during his interrogations did he demonstrate signs of guilt, a bad conscience, or even regret. He deniet all responsibility for war crimes commited in the Adriatic Alpine territorry under his command, claiming that important decisions had been made by his superiors in the Reich. He had been nothing but a conduit for commands issued by Berlin.
"I only did my job, " he asserted.

Rainer may have been a gifted administrator, but his political stance proves him an uncompromising marcher.
During the show-trials at Ljubljana in 1947, he said:
" My religion was the Führer."
...

Rainers close and personal Friendship with Odilo Globocnik, the "Butscher of Lublin", never suffered from doubt or discord, and continued until the very end. Even though Rainer never felt he had participated in wartime atrocities to the extent of Globocnik, historian Galiano Fogar of Trieste calls Rainer "a butscher with fine manners".



regards
Darko

[filigranofil]

Hello,

it was in the year 2010 when ORF (Oestereichische Rundfunk) had big interes in new findings in Archive in Slovenia.

It was Diary of Minister of Interior of Slovenia Boris Kraigher for the year 1950.

Boris Kraigher put the cross beside the name of executed persons in the middle of November 1950. Between them was also Rainer.

Photo from Diary on ORF site...



link to ORF site: http://ktnv1.orf.at/stories/438703


regards
Darko

[trespasser07]

Very interesting, is this the end of the Rainer mystery?

Regards.

[filigranofil]

Hello,

I suppose, that in slovenian archives it is inpossible to find other authentic Document about Rainers death.
Now is Archive of UDBA opened, but the problem is, that Archive was before opening totally "settled" (read: demolished). It is true, that most of the demolition was made in the time, when was in the time of Informbiro danger that Soviets can attack Yugoslavia. In that time also UDBA (State Secret Police) execute Rainer.

Maybe there are some possibillity to find some new Documents in Belgrade UDBA Archive, but today it is very small possibility for the foreigners to check that archive.

regards
Darko

[filigranofil]

Hello,

maybe can Rainers Writings in Yugoslav Captivity be helpful for some researcher.

List of Writings from the Year 1947 till 1950 are from the Book Maurice Williams: Gau, Volk, and Reich, Klagenfurt 2005:
















All Writings are kept in Archive of Slovenia, Ljubljana and it is opened to public.

regards
Darko

[filigranofil]

Hello,

Hello,

one of the Documents which quoted Maurice Williams in the Book: Gau, Volk and Reich was Rainers mention in one registry in the year 1947:

"That same year the Slovene secret police (UDV = in serb Language UDB) put together a registry of those condemmed and executed since 1945 which listed him a dying on 18 August.
This same registry, however, added more mistery because next to his name was Letter "O", a probable indication that he had had some sort of special treatment."*

*Spisek obsojenih oseb nad katerimi je bila izvršena smrtna kazen v casu 1945 do 31.12.1952, ARS-III, Mag. Ljuba Dornik Subelj, Archivist, to the author, 10.7.1998



regards
Darko

I allready put two Pages of this Document on forum.

On the web site of Archive of Slovenia (Arhiv Slovenije) is now possible to see entire Document...

link: http://www.arhiv.gov.si/fileadmin/arhiv ... sojeni.pdf


This one was shown to M. Williams.


regards
Darko