Johann Baumgartner

Johann Baumgartner was born in Vienna as the legitimate son of railroad employee Ignaz Baumgartner and Agnes, née Ötvös. After compulsory schooling, he completed an apprenticeship as a car mechanic in 1923. He then worked as a mechanic's assistant for various employers before completing his military service with Infantry Regiment 3 between 1925 and 1926. He then became the managing director of a company for three years.

In 1929, Johann Baumgartner joined the Social Democratic Workers' Party (SDAP) [today: SPÖ] and the Schutzbund. He married in 1931, but the marriage broke up. In the same year, he left the SDAP and joined the Communist Party, but remained a member of the Schutzbund. He took part in the socialist uprisings in February 1934 as a machine gunner in the municipal building in Quellenstraße. He then joined the Autonomous Protection League, where he became battalion commander and district leader. On January 9, 1936, he was arrested for his illegal activities for the KPÖ and remained in custody until July 24, 1936, when his trial for high treason was dropped.

He was arrested again during an illegal meeting of Schutzbund members on May 9, 1937, and remained in custody until December 18, 1937.

On March 12, 1938, he witnessed the downfall of a free and independent Austria. On April 7, 1938, Johann Baumgartner was arrested by the Gestapo on suspicion of participating in a communist demonstration and remained in custody until July 10, 1939. On January 1, 1940, he was drafted to the Schwechat air base.

Together with the communist Franz Maly, Johann Baumgartner set up a duplicating machine for flyers in Maly's allotment garden hut and produced anti-Nazi communist flyers there. He also got a typewriter for the communist Johann Romanyszyn so that he could produce more leaflets.

However, the communist resistance group was discovered and Johann Baumgartner was arrested by the Gestapo on February 9, 1940. In a trial before the Vienna Higher Regional Court on November 4, 1941, he was sentenced to five years in prison.

He served his sentence in Siegburg prison, where he witnessed the liberation of Austria. On May 9, 1945, Johann Baumgartner is released from prison by the American liberators.

In the re-established Republic of Austria, Johann Baumgartner is initially unemployed before finding work again as a car mechanic. He joins the newly founded Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) and the ÖVP-Kameradschaft der politisch Verfolgten und Bekenner für Österreich.