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15. 09. 09. - 15:00

Strache's deserter claim rubbished

By William Green

A leading political scientist had rubbished claims by FPÖ leader Heinz Christian-Strache that many deserters from the Nazi German army had murdered their colleagues before fleeing.

Political scientist Walter Manoschek said today (Tues) the Freedom Party (FPÖ) leader’s claim that 15 per cent of deserters had been murderers who had killed fellow soldiers was "completely absurd".

Manoschek conducted a 2003 study of 1,300 Austrian deserters from the German army called "Victims of National Socialist Military Justice" that found that only two cases of desertion, or 0.2 per cent of the total, had resulted in the deaths of other soldiers.

The Greens, the Social Democrats (SPÖ) and the People’s Party (ÖVP) are calling for amendment of the 2005 law on victims of the Nazis to provide for their wholesale rehabilitation.

Manoschek said deserters had not yet been completely rehabilitated since the 2005 law had not specifically mentioned them.

He said that 20,000 soldiers were convicted of having deserted the German army between 1939 and 1945, including 2,000 Austrians with 1,500 of them executed. "Only a few hundred who were not executed are still alive," he added.

Richard Wadani, the head of the committee for "Justice for the Victims of National Socialist Military Justice," claimed Strache’s comment had come from "deep within the treasure chest of legends propagated by apologists for National Socialism".

Wadani added that Strache had engaged in defamation of deserters and had "cemented himself in the corner of those without a clue." He called on the SPÖ, the ÖVP and the Greens to provide a clear answer by quickly amending the 2005 law.

Strache provoked a storm of controversy after he made his claims yesterday.

The FPÖ leader said up to 20 per cent of deserters had shot or murdered fellow soldiers and that in some cases deserters had been responsible for the destruction of entire military units.

Strache said any rehabilitation of deserters needed to proceed on a case-by-case basis.

Wadani said immediately after the comments: "Strache’s attempt to defame deserters as murderers and pigs is an effrontery and an unheard-of arrogance in treatment of men who paid with their lives for their decision to stop supporting Hitler’s extermination campaign.

"I deserted, went over to the Allies and helped the British army free Austria," Wadani said, calling on the Social Democrats (SPÖ), the People’s Party (ÖVP) and the Greens to agree on a common policy of support for rehabilitation of such deserters.

Green justice spokesman Albert Steinhauser said: "Strache is following an old Nazi tradition in claiming deserters were often murderers". He accused him of trying "to criminalise" desertion.

SPÖ President of Parliament Barbara Prammer said she had not expected anything different from Strache. She said she would hold talks with ÖVP and Green MPs about rehabilitation of German-army deserters in the near future.

Strache’s comments came after a failed attempt to erect a monument to German army deserters in Vienna’s Heldenplatz last week.

Vienna authorities ordered a memorial erected to them to be taken down just one hour after it had been put up, claiming they had not been properly informed about it.

The memorial featured two red brackets made of metal piping that organisers said symbolised the lack of commemoration of the victims of Nazi military justice.

Austrian Times

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