THE O5 AUSTRIAN RESISTANCE AND THE OSS
Smoke and Mirrors
The O5 members had nerves of steel and some serious moxie. Only two blocks and a few staircases away, the Gestapo had occupied the luxurious Hotel Metropole as their headquarters. Digest that for a moment. Using the back alleys and nearby side streets, O5 members would enter and exit Ruprechtsplatz 5 under the cover of darkness to hold secret meetings and collaborate against the Nazis. Operating right under the Gestapo's noses, one can only imagine the constant fear these brave rebels endured. How they were able to operate at all is incredible since Vienna was completely under Nazi control.
Harboring Jews
Contrary to popular belief, the O5 did more than just print leaflets. This handful of silent heroes harbored Jewish men, women, and children and helped others evade persecution by Nazi authorities. These were not matters to be taken lightly. During this period, assistance to the Jewish community and subversive activities were punishable by torture and then death.
Ground Reconnaissance and Sabotage
The O5 was also focused on ground reconnaissance collection and sabotage. They ran a source network of Austrian doctors, lawyers, merchants, students, and disaffected civil servants and soldiers who collected intelligence in and around Vienna. Importantly, the O5 provided the OSS with the precise locations of clandestine industrial sites supporting the Nazi war efforts. The Allies used this valuable information to bomb these targets. Siemens operated a large facility that produced guidance, navigation, and control components for the V2 rocket. Messerschmitt and Heinkel had factories that produced fuselages and jet engines. Outside of Vienna, the Nazis controlled large oil reserves and production capabilities. The O5 network also collected intelligence on the timings of troop movements and weapons transportation on the Austrian railways as well as the travel of senior Nazi officials. With the location sketches of the production facilities, the Allied bombers were able to carry out precise air strikes and thus protect residential areas.
Operation Radetzky
One of the O5’s key achievements was Operation Radetzky. To save Vienna and its historic architecture from destruction, the O5 obtained the German plans to defend the city and clandestinely shared them with the Russians. Led by artist Hans Becker, Austrian army officer Alfons Stillfried, and German soldier and Catholic underground member Fritz Molden, the O5 was a rag-tag group of Catholics, Freemasons, Monarchists, and Communists, committed to undermining Nazi authority in Vienna.
Hans Becker
An outstanding artist and graphic designer, Becker created and distributed anti-Nazi propaganda using a printing press at Ruprechtsplatz 5. Becker was among the first arrested by the Gestapo after the Anschluss, the German annexation of Austria on March 12th, 1938. He was sent to the Dachau concentration camp. After his release, he returned to Vienna and continued to help Jews and other persecuted individuals escape Vienna. Becker was arrested again and this time he was sent to the Mauthausen concentration camp. He survived the war and became a prominent diplomat in post-war Austria.
Fritz Molden
Molden had some serious brass balls from an early age. When he was 14, he joined the Catholic underground. He relentlessly protested National Socialism and on more than one occasion, ended up in prison. Finally, in the Fall of 1942, Molden was transferred to a penal battalion on the Russian Eastern Front, where he was wounded. While in Vienna recovering, Molden contacted a German officers’ resistance group and offered his services. Tragically, the Gestapo infiltrated the group and Molden was on the run. He fled to Switzerland where he was immediately arrested by the Swiss Police. Molden cut a deal with the Swiss police. In exchange for information on the Wermacht, Molden was allowed to freely transit Switzerland. In September 1944, Molden returned to Austria to seek out his former collaborators.
A common thread among most resistance groups throughout history, the O5 needed money and resources. To obtain both, they had to convince the Allies that there was, in fact, a resistance movement in Austria. As you can imagine, this was a particularly hard feat to accomplish, especially in the country of Hitler’s birth.
In late 1944, Molden used forged papers to secretly shuttle back and forth in alias between Austria and Switzerland. His goal was to meet with Allen Dulles, the head of the American Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in Bern. Although Dulles was assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Zurich as a diplomat, his actual role was an open secret: he served as a contact point for informants and resistance fighters. Dulles maintained a one-person OSS station out of his residence at Herrengasse 23 in Bern. Incredibly, Dulles met many of his most sensitive sources in his home.
Smoke and Mirrors
Molden passed Dulles the locations of factories in Austria producing weapons and aircraft for the German war effort. Relying on his natural ability to influence others, Molden convinced Dulles the O5 had 75,000 resistance fighters waiting to take up arms against the Nazis. In reality, there were only a few hundred. Dulles took the bait and pledged OSS money and support. To protect his identity and their relationship, Dulles issued Molden the code name agent K-28. In all likelihood, Dulles and the OSS knew the O5 did not have 75,000 fighters. The Allies were entering into the late stages of the war and controlled the skies over Nazi Germany. A few hundred capable sources could provide valuable tactical intelligence to enable air strikes to take out strategic infrastructure and demoralize the enemy. In 1947, the United States awarded Molden the Medal of Freedom for contributions to the Allied victory.
Other Heroes
To provide a flavor for the other members of the O5, the following list contains key members and their unique contributions.
Alfons Stillfried: One of the leaders, Austrian army officer Alfons Stillfried served as a courier for the O5 resistance. Stillfried smuggled intelligence concerning clandestine industrial site locations and railway details to the OSS in Switzerland. In the final months of the War, Stillfried was arrested and sentenced to execution by firing squad. Miraculously, he was saved as the Russians invaded Vienna.
Roman Karl Scholz: A lawyer and journalist, Scholz was the leader of the O5's underground press.
Gerhard Fischer-Ledenice: A physician, Fischer-Ledenice was responsible for organizing medical care for resistance fighters and civilians.
Hans Zimmerl: A student and activist, Zimmerl was involved in smuggling weapons and explosives to the resistance.
Hanns-Georg Heintschel-Heinegg: A lawyer, Heintschel-Heinegg was one of the O5's most experienced organizers.
Karl Lederer: A journalist and activist, Lederer was responsible for editing and distributing O5 propaganda.
Rudolf Wallner: A railway worker, Wallner provided the O5 with valuable logistical support.
Alfred Miegl: A student and activist, Miegl was involved in distributing O5 propaganda and organizing resistance activities.
Augustin Grosser: A mechanic, Grosser was involved in repairing weapons and vehicles for the resistance.
Günther Loch: A worker at the Austrian State Railways, Loch provided the O5 with information about Nazi troop movements.
Jakob Kastelic: A worker at the Vienna Municipal Gasworks, Kastelic provided the O5 with information about sabotage targets.
Conclusion
Among the many resistance groups, the O5 was the most prominent. They were effective in conducting important tactical intelligence using a wide network of ground collection sources. The Allies used this intelligence to successfully destroy German military infrastructure in and around Vienna. Ultimately, the O5 provided critical intelligence that saved Vienna and its historic architecture from total devastation.
Why O5?
Why O5? The “O” in O5 stood for the first letter of Oesterreich, the German word for Vienna, and the “5” stood for “E,” the fifth letter of the alphabet, and the second letter in “Oesterreich.” The next time you visit St. Stephen’s Cathedral, look to the right of the main entrance. You will see an O5 etched into the cathedral’s exterior. “O5” was written on the Cathedral in Spring 1945 at the height of the Battle of Vienna and was later cut into the stone as a permanent monument.
Sources
The Documentation Archive of the Austrian Resistance (Doew)
Hans Becker: Hero Without a Monument
Hans Sidonius Becker Wikipedia