The Simon Wiesenthal Center announced today (Thursday) that it had recently submitted a list of one hundred and twenty-one Austrians who served in Waffen-SS units to the Austrian Government. The Waffen-SS units carried out Nazi war crimes during the Holocaust. The Wiesenthal Center is requesting that the cases be promptly investigated.
In a statement issued in Jerusalem by the Center’s chief Nazi-hunter, Dr. Efraim Zuroff, Zuroff noted that many of the individuals who served in Waffen-SS units carried out heinous crimes of persecution and mass murder, including the infamous Nazis,“Das Riech” (who committed crimes in Belarus in 1941 and in France in 1944); “Der Fuhrer” (France, 1944); “Totenkopf” (Soviet Union, 1941- 1942); “Viking” (Soviet Union, 1941); and “Prinz Eugen” (Yugoslavia, 1942-1943).
Zuroff said that during the past year the Center had decided to maximize its research on Austrian suspects due to the total lack of effort by the Austrian authorities to investigate, let alone prosecute, Austrian Nazi war criminals in past years. In fact, last year’s annual report from the Center on the worldwide investigation and prosecution of Nazi war criminals singled out Austria for special criticism. Seven months ago the Center launched a special program, “Operation: Last Chance,” in Austria to assist in identifying local Holocaust perpetrators.
This research effort has led to the submission of three lists of suspected Nazi war criminals—a total of one hundred and eighty suspects.
According to Zuroff, “The manner in which the Austrian authorities handle these investigations will be one of the ultimate tests as to whether official Austria has finally truly internalized the fact that in essence, in virtually every respect, their country was a full partner of the Nazis, rather than their victim.”
In a statement issued in Jerusalem by the Center’s chief Nazi-hunter, Dr. Efraim Zuroff, Zuroff noted that many of the individuals who served in Waffen-SS units carried out heinous crimes of persecution and mass murder, including the infamous Nazis,“Das Riech” (who committed crimes in Belarus in 1941 and in France in 1944); “Der Fuhrer” (France, 1944); “Totenkopf” (Soviet Union, 1941- 1942); “Viking” (Soviet Union, 1941); and “Prinz Eugen” (Yugoslavia, 1942-1943).
Zuroff said that during the past year the Center had decided to maximize its research on Austrian suspects due to the total lack of effort by the Austrian authorities to investigate, let alone prosecute, Austrian Nazi war criminals in past years. In fact, last year’s annual report from the Center on the worldwide investigation and prosecution of Nazi war criminals singled out Austria for special criticism. Seven months ago the Center launched a special program, “Operation: Last Chance,” in Austria to assist in identifying local Holocaust perpetrators.
This research effort has led to the submission of three lists of suspected Nazi war criminals—a total of one hundred and eighty suspects.
According to Zuroff, “The manner in which the Austrian authorities handle these investigations will be one of the ultimate tests as to whether official Austria has finally truly internalized the fact that in essence, in virtually every respect, their country was a full partner of the Nazis, rather than their victim.”