Anton Riezler

Anton Riezler studied Latin and Ancient Greek at the University of Innsbruck after graduating from high school and joined the Austria Innsbruck student fraternity in 1935. He is also involved in the student council.

He is arrested on the night of the German Wehrmacht's invasion of Austria. After his release, he finds his room in the Austria-Haus [dormitory of the Austria Innsbruck student fraternity] completely trashed. He therefore wrote to the Reich Chancellery to complain about the SA's actions. He is then summoned and abused, apparently the Innsbruck SA has received a reprimand from Berlin. He then writes to Berlin again and demands compensation. The result is a summons to the Gestapo and a fierce argument in which he makes no secret of his convictions. Two days later, he receives a call from a school friend who has contacts in the SS that his arrest and deportation to the Dachau concentration camp are planned. He then flees to Switzerland by bicycle, but is only granted a residence permit for three months. He chooses Uruguay as the destination for his further escape, where he finally arrives by ship via France and Belgium on December 8, 1938.

He works here as a farm worker, then as a night porter and finally begins his career as a factory owner in a cotton mill.