THE AUSTRIAN ARMY

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 11, 13 January 1940, Page 14

THE AUSTRIAN ARMY

SIGNAL AWAITED.

600,000 WILL REVOLT. FORMER LEADER'S CONTENTION. I ! .. (Special.—By Air' Mall.) LONDON, December 10. Germany's Austrian army, consisting of 000,000 men, will revolt as soon as Britain includes the independence of Austria in its war aims. This is the claim of Dr. Berger Vosendorf, right-hand man of Chancellor Scliusehnigg, and who is now living in a London hotel. He has been in London since he fled Austria, following Chancellor Schuschnigg's radio warning to his country not to resist the Nazi invaders. At that time Dr. Vosendorf, a leader of the Austrian militia, had (JO,OOO men ready to fight against Hitler.. They all obeyed the order of their Chancellor. Broken hearted, they disbanded.

Dr. Vosendorf was chief of the Conservative Social party in Vienna. He acted as a negotiator for Dr. Schuschnigg when the Nazi purge threatened. "Austria cannot be expected to revolt until we are included in the British war aims. France has already included us. The Austrian army is waiting for Britain to do the same thing. Do not think that Austria will fight to get rid of National Socialism. That is not enough. We must have freedom from Germany. "You know that Austrian soldiers are on the Siegfried Line? When Britain declares herself for us then the Nnzis will lose 000,000 soldiers. That is not aii over-estimate. If to-morrow Britain said: 'We fight also for Austria,' a trek of Austrian soldiers would begin to filter through to the Allies on all fronts. They would bring with them not only German arms and equipment, but Austrian" hearts ready to die for freedom."