Dr. Franz Finstermann

On the night of March 10/11, 1938, medical student Franz Finstermann, who had joined the Vindobona I secondary school fraternity in 1929 and the Austria Wien student fraternity in 1933, marched through Vienna's VIII district with an Austrian propaganda group (CVers and workers) - together with his fraternity brothers Heinz Geiger and August Rettenbacher - shouting "Heil Schuschnigg". Schuschnigg" through Vienna's eighth district to stir up opposition to an annexation in the planned referendum. In front of the Café Florianihof on the corner of Florianigasse and Fuhrmannsgasse, there was a clash with members of SS-Standarte 89, during which Franz Finstermann was seriously injured by gunshots, as were his brothers Heinz Geiger and August Rettenbacher, who subsequently had to be treated in hospital.

Franz Finstermann later became involved in the resistance group "Geheimgruppe Dr. Lerch". This movement was divided into subgroups in such a way that it could not be investigated. "Everyone had to do on their own what could be useful to the others."