Austrian Freedom Front / Moosbierbaum Group Österreichische Freiheitsfront/Gruppe Moosbierbaum

The 'Gruppe Moosbierbaum' was established at the beginning of 1940 in the 'Werk Moosbierbaum', a refinery that belonged to IG Farben AG and was located in the village of Moosbierbaum, a cadastral municipality of the market town of Atzenbrugg in the political district of Tulln. The Labor and Education Camp (AEL) Moosbierbaum, in which forced laborers, prisoners of war and prisoners, mostly from the Stein prison, were housed, was also located there.

With the defeat of the Third Reich becoming increasingly apparent from 1943 onwards, more and more people outside the Moosbierbaum plant became convinced that the rule of National Socialism should be brought to an end.

In addition to the prisoners and forced laborers from 20 nations, Jews from Hungary were also deployed in 1944/45. Political prisoners from Stein Prison in particular managed to build up a resistance network at the Moosbierbaum factory by 1944. This network of resistance fighters included not only prisoners and forced laborers, but also residents of the surrounding villages and communities as well as Catholic priests. From 1944, the Moosbierbaum group called itself the 'Austrian Freedom Front' (ÖFF).

In the late fall of 1944, the Gestapo succeeded in infiltrating the resistance group as an informer under the code name 'Paul Wiesmayer'. His reports were the basis for the Gestapo's arrest operation, which began on January 16, 1945. Over 200 people, consisting of foreign forced laborers, residents of the surrounding villages and communities, political prisoners (Christian Socialists, Social Democrats and Communists) were arrested, between 120 and 140 were deported in several transports to the Mauthausen concentration camp, whereby seven demonstrably died of the prison conditions in the concentration camp and 40 others were murdered in the gas chamber before the concentration camp was liberated by US troops.

Among the Austrian members of the Austrian Freedom Front/Group Moosbierbaum were:

Maria Brenner, Wilhelm Breuer, Maria Brunner, Johann Brunner, Josef Bunzengruber, Josef Cwikla, Albin Czech, Franz Dorfmeister, Gustav Exinger, Marie Fajmann, Margarete Farkas, Rudolf Gottwald, Josef Göpfert, Robert Grubauer, Johann Hauer, Johann Heidecker, Franz Holzschuh, Josef Jellinek, Ferdinand Jilch, Emma Kantner, Josefa Keiblinger, Karl Krobanitsch, Johann Lingler, Alois Mandl, Karl Marischler, Leopold Markl, Maria Matzl, Eugen Metzl, Anton Öllerer , Paul Palkowitsch, Maria Pfeiffer, Franz Prinz, Peter Radkowitsch, Josef Rassinger, August Regelsberger, Josef Scharkösi, Josef Scherhaufen, Johann Schmid, Franz Schober, Johann Schöpf, Heinrich Tomaschko, Leopold Trofeit, Karl Wallner, Theobald Weber, Johann Zehetner, Karl Zischkin

Among the non-Austrian members of the Austrian Freedom Front/Gruppe Moosbierbaum were: