Austrian Armed Forces Commemoration for Nazi Resistance Fighter Bernardis
Bernardis is considered the highest-ranking Austrian resistance fighter against National Socialism and is, alongside Carl Szokoll, the most well-known. He was one of the few Austrian officers who played a central role in the assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler on July 20, 1944, and the associated coup attempt. For this, Bernardis paid with his life on August 8, 1944.
Striedinger honored NS resistance fighter Bernardis at Armed Forces commemoration as a role model
For Striedinger, Bernardis' life shows "the situations soldiers can find themselves in under a criminal regime," and that there is a point "at which obedience must be refused and consequences must be drawn." Bernardis is a role model, from his actions "we can learn and draw consequences for life and service." The current society is also exposed to threats, said Striedinger. These are of a socio-political nature, such as the radicalization of individuals, emphasized the Chief of General Staff: "It is necessary to be vigilant here." The Armed Forces play an important role in the area of conscription in shaping values. There is a need for personality development in the spirit of the thinking and actions of Robert Bernardis.
Granddaughter of NS resistance fighter Bernardis thanked for "special recognition"
Bernardis' granddaughter, Ingeborg Heidlberger, thanked on behalf of the family for the "very special recognition of my grandfather, 81 years after his execution, which was most brutal." It took a long time for her grandfather to be posthumously rehabilitated and honored, recalled Heidlberger. It almost seemed as if he were a "forgotten hero." It was not until 2018 that she received an official decree of his rehabilitation from the Federal President on the occasion of an ORF documentary. The remembrance of the military resistance on August 8 is important, said Heidlberger. However, it should not remain just an event, but must continue. It must be conveyed to the youth and passed on to the next generations.
Roßauer Barracks bears the name of NS resistance fighter Bernardis
In memory of Bernardis, the Roßauer Barracks was named after him and the officer Anton Schmid in 2020, who, as a member of the German Wehrmacht and head of the dispersal collection point in Vilnius, Lithuania, hid numerous persecuted Jews and helped them escape. He too was sentenced to death and executed.
(APA/Red)
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