Josef Plieseis
Encyclopedia
Josef "Sepp" Plieseis was an Austria
n resistance fighter against the Nazi
regime.
Plieseis was born in Bad Ischl
and became a young member of the Socialist movement. He volunteered to fight in the Spanish Civil War
, where he was wounded twice. He was arrested in France and incarcerated in concentration camps in Gurs
, St. Cyprienne, und Argiles before returning to his home in Salzkammergut
. He was arrested at the border by the Nazi authorities and sent to Linz
, then Dachau, and finally to Dachau's annex in Hallein
.
He managed to escape from this camp and hid in the forests and mountains of his native area. He helped organize resistance activities based on his experience that persisted until the Nazi surrender and American occupation in 1945. After the war, he served in various political appointments in his home area and remained a member of the Communist Party of Austria
.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n resistance fighter against the Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
regime.
Plieseis was born in Bad Ischl
Bad Ischl
Bad Ischl is a spa town in Austria. It lies in the southern part of Upper Austria, at the Traun River in the centre of the Salzkammergut region. The town consists of the Katastralgemeinden Ahorn, Bad Ischl, Haiden, Jainzen, Kaltenbach, Lauffen, Lindau, Pfandl, Perneck, Reiterndorf and Rettenbach...
and became a young member of the Socialist movement. He volunteered to fight in the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
, where he was wounded twice. He was arrested in France and incarcerated in concentration camps in Gurs
Gurs
Gurs is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France.Gurs was the site of the Camp Gurs concentration camp. Nothing remains of the camp; after World War II, a forest was planted on the site where it stood.-Geography:...
, St. Cyprienne, und Argiles before returning to his home in Salzkammergut
Salzkammergut
The Salzkammergut is a resort area located in Austria. It stretches from City of Salzburg to the Dachstein mountain range, spanning the federal states of Upper Austria , Salzburg , and Styria . The main river of the region is the Traun, a tributary of the Danube...
. He was arrested at the border by the Nazi authorities and sent to Linz
Linz
Linz is the third-largest city of Austria and capital of the state of Upper Austria . It is located in the north centre of Austria, approximately south of the Czech border, on both sides of the river Danube. The population of the city is , and that of the Greater Linz conurbation is about...
, then Dachau, and finally to Dachau's annex in Hallein
Hallein
Hallein is a historic town in the Austrian state of Salzburg, the capital of the Hallein district. It is located in the Tennengau region south of the City of Salzburg, along the Salzach river in the shadow of the Untersberg massif, near the border with Germany. With a population of c...
.
He managed to escape from this camp and hid in the forests and mountains of his native area. He helped organize resistance activities based on his experience that persisted until the Nazi surrender and American occupation in 1945. After the war, he served in various political appointments in his home area and remained a member of the Communist Party of Austria
Communist Party of Austria
The Communist Party of Austria is a communist party based in Austria. Established in 1918, it was banned between 1933 and 1945 under both the Austrofascist regime, and German control of Austria during World War II...
.