Enemy approaches from the rear, prep firearms for response
In the final stages of World War II, a little-known resistance movement emerged in the border regions of Austria and South Tyrol. Known as the Patria League, this clandestine organisation was instrumental in the fight against the Nazi regime and Italian occupation.
The Patria League, founded by Wilhelm Bruckner, a conservative Catholic actor, with the agreement of allied and Swiss intelligence services, was primarily active in Austria and South Tyrol. Bruckner, a Slovene anti-fascist, recruited activists for subversive missions from deserters in Swiss internment camps.
Among the recruits were Eduard Unsinn, a carpenter who had joined the Nazi Party in 1938, and Eduard Riedmann, a sticker by profession. These two men, along with others, were prepared for infiltration into Vorarlberg, given forged identities and documents, and trained in operating radio equipment.
On the night of April 14-15, 1945, Riedmann was stopped by a sentry at the Swiss-Austrian border. Fearing for his life, he fired his machine pistol. This incident sparked a preliminary investigation by the Feldkirch Regional Court on suspicion of murder.
However, the OLG Innsbruck later affirmed that the clash with the border guard was a military combat action, and the killing of an enemy in war cannot be considered murder.
Riedmann and Unsinn illegally crossed the German border two weeks after their failed mission, claiming they acted as resistance fighters, as "members of the Anglo-French-American resistance movement 'Patria'".
Key players in the resistance actions from exile included longtime left-wing antifascists like Karl Gerold and Hilde Meisel. Despite their efforts, there are no detailed historical sources on the Patria League's specific activities and intelligence relationships in Austria and South Tyrol during World War II.
In 1958, Unsinn demanded the return of the seized Patria documents from the District Court of Dornbirn, expressing bitterness about the case. The Supreme Court eventually overturned the decision regarding Unsinn's detention under the law "concerning the discontinuation of criminal proceedings and the pardon of penalties for fighters against National Socialism and Fascism".
The Patria League's activities, while not extensively documented, serve as a testament to the bravery and resilience of ordinary people in the face of adversity during World War II. Their story remains an important part of the history of resistance against fascism in Austria and South Tyrol.
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