Ex concentration camp prisoner drafted into the wehrmacht

[Christoph Awender]

Hello!

Just read a interesting article in our local Salzburg newspaper. It is about a 97 year old man who was put into concentration camp Buchenwald, Niederhagen and Ravensbrück in the early thirtees because he was a "Zeuge Jehovas".
By beating he got deaf on one ear and was never able to have kids because of his injuries.
1943 he was released with 28kg and returned home to a village near Salzburg.
A few weeks before the end of the war he got his draft notice but he fled into the mountains.

Until now Wehrmacht deserters are not officially rehabilitated in Austria like in germany.

I think an interesting story.

\Christoph

[Daniel L]

Interesting story, but what exactly do you mean by 'rehabilitated'?

Best regards/ Daniel

[Christoph Awender]

I am no expert in this matter but as far as I know people who deserted in the war or didn´t follow their draft order were still officially listed as deserters after the war also.
For sure they had real problems in the time after because many people still thought they were cowards and traitors.

For example the duty time of a prison camp guard is counted for his pension but the time a deserter spent in a CC not.
As I said I am no expert in these matters I just once saw a documentary here in austria where these deserters wanted to get officially rehabilitated by the austrian governement.
Maybe someone else can add more info.

\Christoph