Goldegg study: DÖW sees NS trivialization – salzburg.ORF.at
This view of things is contained in a recent letter to the Salzburg state government – written by Gerhard Baumgartner, the long-time head of the DÖW, an international researcher and historian who has published extensively on National Socialism. He now sees a “political memory scandal” in Salzburg at the state level.
“NS opponents only marginal figures of the brochure”
Baumgartner refers to a new and official brochure of the Salzburg State Archives, which appeared in 2022 – under the editorial leadership of Oskar Dohle, the head of the Salzburg State Archives. The author of the brochure and the new study is the historian Johannes Hofinger from the Salzburg City Archives.
The evaluation and weighting of the National Socialist acts of violence and murders against the population of Goldegg in the new publication is “completely unacceptable” for DÖW historian Baumgartner. The suffering of the 14 Goldegger victims – and many other men and women in the resistance – would only be mentioned in passing.
“Brochure as a further insult to the victims”
At the center of the current official presentation of the state archive are over 30 pages of the technical achievements of the NS regime for Goldegg – such as a new water pipe, road construction, foreign traffic and available forced labourers. In addition, according to historian Baumgartner, there are “almost affectionate descriptions” of the activities of the Hitler Youth in the new brochure.
What happened in Goldegg?
In 1944, for example, Gestapo informers revealed that some deserters were hiding in the mountains around the town and wanted to wait out Hitler’s downfall. The opponents of the regime were supported by some of the locals. SS soldiers and gendarmes then went after Karl Ruppitsch, Peter Ottino, August Egger, Ernst Klug, Sebastian Bürgler, Simon Hochleitner, Alois Hochleitner, Georg Köstner, Richard Pfeiffenberger and Franz Unterkirchner. In July 1944, the SS rearranged their hiding place. The battle-hardened Peter Ottino killed two SS men before fielding himself. The other gifts up. Simon and Alois Hochleitner were shot from behind a little later while they were being transported away.
Karl Ruppitsch and August Egger died in the Mauthausen concentration camp. Austrian “comradeships”, traditional SS and Wehrmacht associations then defamed these resistance fighters as “traitors” for decades.
In addition, as in the old, very controversial local chronicle from 2009, old rumors and hearsay stories would be dished up again. The documentation archive of the Austrian Resistance criticizes that these are apparently intended to further relieve SS people. The senior DÖW expert literally sees the new brochure as “further abuse of the victims”.
memorial association disappointed
The private association of the “Friends of the Deserter Monument in Goldegg” says that for years they had hoped for a clean revision of the historical depictions by the Salzburg expert Hofinger. This would have been urgently needed because the existing local chronicle of Goldegg from 2009 was amateurish, one-sided and tendentious in terms of historical policy – with the hint of a trivialization of Nazi ideology.
The new brochure is now the next disappointment on this subject, according to the association’s board of directors in a broadcast. In this work, too, the names of the 14 victims and many other opponents of the Nazi regime are not listed, their personal fates are not mentioned. The fact that families of opponents of the regime were slandered and defamed in the village for decades after 1945 is also not an issue. The memorial association agrees with the DÖW’s demand that the state government and state archive should return this brochure.
Author sees “big misunderstanding”
The historian Johannes Hofinger, author of the brochure, rejects the DÖW’s allegations. When asked by the ORF, he spoke of a major misunderstanding that existed here: “At the time, I was commissioned by the Goldegg municipality to rewrite their history during the Nazi era. At that time, many critics complained that the old local chronicle was not acceptable. I have now put the topic on a new scientific footing – also on the basis of new sources. And I tried to do that as best I could – including the period from the rise of the NSDAP in the 1930s to denazification in the 1950s.”
Hofinger emphasizes that his work assignment was dedicated and not his own account of the history of the Goldegger deserters. Of course, he is aware of the fate of these Nazi victims: “If the memorial association or the municipality had commissioned me to write a history of the deserters, I would have done such work to the best of my knowledge and belief.”
Hofinger is convinced that he didn’t do anything wrong with his work: “Apparently there were just very different expectations.”
Heated debate to listen to:
Uni or DÖW as a new partner in Goldegg?
Would Hofinger now write an extra deserter story for Goldegg? He is now probably a “too burnt sheet” for that, replies the expert. He suggests that all partners improve communication overall through more conversations: “We should get away from using mailing lists, newspapers or other media to align things. We should really do what was planned – also as part of a discussion evening where the new version will be discussed. Then one can express the criticism that the deserters occur too little. And then, for example, the community could initiate follow-up research.”
However, this continuation will then most likely no longer be in his hands, according to the scientist: “The state archive would probably no longer be a partner, I’m thinking more of the university or the documentation archive of the Austrian resistance.” The scientist adds that he has found new sources on the fate of the Goldegger deserters in the course of his previous work. Other colleagues are also happy to provide this information.
Prime Minister: “We are working on a solution”
The office of Governor Wilfried Haslauer (ÖVP) is informed that this is a technical discussion between highly qualified experts. The state government is working to find a solution to this conflict that is acceptable to all.