Josefine Brunner | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1909-02-26)26 February 1909 |
| Died | 9 September 1943(1943-09-09) (aged 34) |
| Cause of death | decapitation |
| Occupations | socialist, resistance member and victim of the Nazi regime |
| Years active | 1932–1943 |
| Spouse | Alois Brunner (m. 1938) |
Josefine Brunner (née Ragnes, 26 February 1909 – 9 September 1943) was an Austrian socialist, resistance member and victim of theNazi regime. Her code name wasErika.
Brunner was born on 26 February 1909 inInnsbruck, Tyrol, Austria to a working class family. After leaving school, she worked as a domestic servant.[1] She lived with socialist Alois Brunner [de] from 1935, before they were married in 1938.[1]
In 1932, Brunner became a member of theSocialist Party of Austria (SPÖ).[1] She was a member ofWaldemar von Knoeringen's [de] resistance network against theNazi Party, which was based in the town ofWörgl, before they annexed Austria.[2][3] She completed special training in use of espionage techniques, including couriering.[1] During theAnschluss (the German occupation of Austria), she couriered communication between illegal revolutionary socialist groups in Augsburg, Munich, Salzburg, Tyrol and Vienna,[1][4][5] operating under the code name Erika.[6]
Brunner and her husband were arrested in 1942 and were sentenced to death on 28 May 1943.[1] She submitted a petition for clemency toRoland Freisler, President of thePeople's Court, after the verdict, but this was denied. On 9 September 1943, both Brunner and her husband were executed bydecapitation atStadelheim Prison inMunich,Nazi Germany,[1][7] without being allowed to see each other before their deaths.[8]
In 1988, a commemorative plaque was erected at the train station square inWörgl in honour of Brunner and her husband.[9]
In 2015, Brunner and her husband were included on a plaque in the Wörgl town cemetery commemorating victims of Nazism.[10]
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