| Ado (south Tyrol) |
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BACKGROUND Between 1928 and 1939 various Resistance Group s formed in South Tyrol to fight the fascist Italian Regime . Children were thought the prohibited German in the Catacombe Schools and the Catholic media and associations resisted the forced integration under the protection of the Vatican . The underground resistance movement, the ''Völkischer Kampfring Südtirols'' ( VKS ), was formed by '' Peter Hofer ''. OPTION IN SOUTH TYROL When Hitler and Mussolini reached an agreement on the assimilation of the German and Ladin speaking minorities, the so called Option was put forward. The South Tyroleans had to choose between remaining in Fascist Italy or emigrating to the Third Reich . All those in favour of leaving were allowed to take German classes and take part in Tyrolean associations again. Peter Hofer, with the help of the German authorities, transformed the VKS in to the ADO and organised these associations and classes in order to support those who remained. The South Tyroleans that remained organised themselves and organised the Andreas Hofer Bund , centred around Friedl Volgger and Hans Egarter . GERMAN OCCUPATION In September 1943 the Wehrmacht occupied South Tyrol and on 10 September 1943 Operations Zone Alpenvorland was established. The ADO was dissolved and joined with the ''Deutsche Volksgruppe''. Peter Hofer chosen as the ''Volksgruppenführer''. Some members of the ADO joined with the South Tyrolean Volunteer Corps and were involved in the attempted annihilation of the Jewish population in Meran . They also attempted to arrest fleeing Italian soldiers and attacked those who had chosen to remain, even though this had been expressly forbidden by the Third Reich authority. POST WAR After 1945 none of the ADO leaders was tried for their crimes (Peter Hofer was killed by an Allied bombing raid). Only recently have Historian s started to look in to this dark period in the history of South Tyrol. SEE ALSO |
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