The perpetrators of the Novemberpogrom 1938 in Innsbruck were longtime, illegal NSDAP party members as well as SS-members. By command of Gauleiter Franz Hofer and SS-Oberführer Johann Feil, SS-Sturmbandführer Erwin Fleiss, SS-Hauptsturmführer Dr. Leopold Spann of the Gestapo Innsbruck, SS-Untersturmführer Dr. Adolf Franzelin of the police authority Innsbruck, SS-Untersturmführer Gustav Fast, SA-Brigadeführer Vinzenz Waidacher and Engineer Hermann Duxneuner, Plenipotentiary for Aryanisation, arranged groups in civilian clothes for a brutal crackdown on the Jewish population of Innsbruck.
In addition to the SS also different organizations of the National Socialists rioted in the Pogrom, amongst others members of the Sturmabteilung (SA), the National Socialist Motor Corps (NSKK) as well as the Hitler Youth (HJ).
SS-Hauptsturmführer Hans Aichinger, SS-Obersturmführer Alois Schintlholzer, SS-Untersturmführer Rudolf Exner and Rudolf Schwarz, SS-Stabsscharführer Benno Bisjak, SS-Oberscharführer Gottfried Andreaus,Franz Dobringer, Robert Huttig, Hans Müller and Herbert Rendl, SS-Scharführer Walter Sauerwein and SS-member Ferdinand Kurz were among the perpatrators against Richard Graubart and Karl Bauer.
SA-Sanitäts-Obersturmführer Dr. Theodor Tapavicza, SA-Hauptscharführer Dr. Hubert Stoiber, SA-Scharführer Max Adermann and Wilhelm Eder, SA-Brigadeführer Vinzenz Waidacher, SA-Hauptscharführer Rosenbaum, Obersturmführer Stanzl and SA-Sturmmitglieder Richard Dietrich, Alfred Gnesetti and Anton Haupt formed the group against the families Brüll, Diamand, Alfred Graubart as well as Gottlieb and Jutta Fuchs.
SS-Studentensturmführer Gerhard Lausegger and SS-Untersturmführer Robert Duy and Walter Hopfgartner murdered Richard Berger.
SS-Führer Walter Linser and SS-Oberscharführer Gottfried Andreaus and others were involved in the devastation of the Synagogue.
The Gestapo supplied two men for each Jew as “protection”. The 21 year-old Gestapo agent Ferdinand Obenfeldner was involved in the capture of Richard and Viktor Schwarz in Falkstrasse 19. Dr. Wilhelm Harster, chief of the Gestapo, prevented an exact investigation by the criminal investigation department as well as an autopsy of both murdered William Bauer and Richard Graubart. By his command the corpses were transferred to Munich and cremated there. Further, he placed an ultimatum to the entire Tyrolean Jewish population to move to Vienna until March 31st 1939 and to emigrate then.
Dr. Egon Denz, mayor of Innsbruck and highest commander of the fire brigade, prevented an intervention of the fire brigade.
The President of Police in Innsbruck, SS-Untersturmführer Dr. Adolf Franzelin, gave order not to pay attention to calls of emergency in the pogrom night.
Not until after the war were some of the perpetrators of the Novemberpogrom 1938 in Innsbruck arrested and sentenced by the people´s court at the national court of Innsbruck. >>> Post-War Justice