Fritz Maria Rebhann

Fritz Maria Rebhann was born on 12th May 1925 in Vienna. He was a member of a resistance group within the German Armed Forces and was arrested as a deserter due to his political views and on suspicion of going A.W.O.L.

In January 1945, I went on the run from the German Armed Forces to escape immanent arrest for undermining military morale. In early February, I was arrested near Würzburg and imprisoned in the local Armed Forces' Prison. From there I was transferred to Nuremberg for sentencing but I was able to escape from custody during an air raid and make my way to Vienna where, equipped with fake papers, I awaited the invasion of the Red Army.

After the war, Mr. Rebhann studied history and journalism and worked, among other things, as a journalist and in various fields of cultural politics. The development of nature conservation in Austria to protect the historical landscapes was a concern of his, for example. He also worked as a publicist and published numerous books on contemporary history, political and cultural subjects, including the trilogy "Das Einsame Gewissen", published by Herold Verlag; "Bis in den Tod: Rotweißrot – Österreichs Untergang im März 1938", published by the Bundesverlag and "Die Braunen Jahre – Wien 1938–1945" published in the Edition Atelier in the Wiener Journal Zeitschriftenverlag. Dr. Fritz Maria Rebhann died in 2000.

In the flap text of one of his books is written:

"Grief work is necessary, coming to terms with the past is necessary, preoccupation with this past is a necessary requirement".

Antifascism and tolerance, dealing truthfully with history, fostering understanding of the circumstances of an era; these were – as we were informed by his daughter in a letter – the essential guiding principles for the author. Thus a literary life's work exists in which Dr. Rebhann, even as early as the 1960s, endeavored to reappraise contemporary history.

First publication of this article in: Renate S. Meissner on behalf of the National Fund (Ed.): Lives Remembered. Life Stories of Victims of National Socialism. Vienna, 2010, pages 172-173.