ORF-E
German
1 x 45 min

Austria in the spring of 1945. Despite the approaching liberation by the Allies from the east and west, isolated fierce defensive battles still occur in Upper and Lower Austria during the last days of the war, although the majority of the population longs for peace. In the central area of Linz – Amstetten – Steyr, people live with the destruction from the bombings that targeted the region’s infrastructure and armaments industry. Concentration camp prisoners are driven on death marches spanning kilometers, while young boys and old men are still being recruited for military service. At the same time, Nazis still convinced of final victory are executing or hanging deserters from the German army. During the advance of the Allies from the east and west, numerous soldiers save themselves by crossing the Enns or the Danube into the American zone, hoping to escape Russian captivity. American soldiers liberated the prisoners of the concentration camps. On May 8, the demarcation line between the Russian and American armies predominantly along the Enns and Danube becomes the border between east and west. Steyr and the Mühlviertel were temporarily divided. The prevailing chaos posed great challenges to the occupying powers and the appointed Austrian politicians.