Dr. Bruno Schmitz

Bruno Schmitz, the elder son of Richard Schmitz, studied law at the University of Vienna after graduating from the Jesuit College Kollegium Kalksburg. In 1931 he became a member of the Norica student fraternity. After completing his studies, he became a commercial lawyer. In 1934, he did military service in the Federal Army's Military Assistance Corps.

After the Anschluss, he was dismissed as a bank clerk and was unemployed. In 1938, he was drafted into the German Wehrmacht, serving in the CSR, Poland and Russia. In 1941, he was not accepted as an officer candidate for political reasons: "extremely active opponent of the movement" was the reason given. After several stays in military hospitals, he was assigned to the Groß-Wien army patrol (commanded by Major Karl Biedermann) on October 15, 1942, where he founded a resistance group that carried out acts of sabotage. On 8 November 1944, he was arrested on suspicion of high treason and treason against the country, aiding and abetting the enemy, subversion of the armed forces and aiding and abetting desertion.

Following his Gestapo detention in Vienna, Bruno Schmitz was transferred to Mauthausen concentration camp on 21 November 1944. During his stay in the concentration camp, he was again taken to Vienna for further interrogation by the Gestapo from 9.12.1944 - 15.2.1945. He was liberated from the concentration camp by the US Army in May 1945.

After 1945, Bruno Schmitz no longer joined the re-established Norica.