| Born: | 11-23-1913 |
| Faculty: | Philosophical School |
| Category: | Expelled student |
Helmuth JOERG, born on November 23th, 1913 in Vienna/Austro-Hungarian Empire (entitled residency ("heimatberechtigt") for Vienna, citizenship 1938: Austria), son of a veterinarian. He lived in Klosterneuburg near Vienna, Kachingerstr. 28, studied history and french language at the Philosophical School of the University of Vienna.
During his studies Joerg became national leader of the catholic-german student union ("Katholisch-Deutscher-Studentenbund", KDSB). In this function he began preparing the establishment of a youth federation "Graues Freikorps" together with Leopold Guggenberger (another KDSB-member) and Otto Molden in summer 1936. Joerg became leader of the Freikorps, which ideologically rooted in the "buendische Jugendbewegung": strictly anti-National Socialist, anti-socialist and anti-communist. Joerg, Guggenberger and Molden built up the Freikorps – first in Vienna, then for the whole of Austria – and officially registered the association. Soon new members especially students and pupils joined, e.g. fellow student Klemens Klemperer-Klemenau. The growing Freikorps was part of the austrofascist youth organization of the "Vaterlaendische Front", the "Oesterreichisches Jungvolk" and was active against National Socialism, especially the growing illegal "Hitler Jugend (HJ)".
Helmuth Joerg was enrolled finally in the fall term 1937/38 at the Philosophical School in the 7th year of his studies and took courses in history and German language ("Absolutorium" was certified on March 3rd, 1938).
Some weeks before the "Anschluss" 1938 Helmuth Joerg and Otto Molden decided to build a resistance group together with other Freikorps-leaders in case of a German occupation, but to leave out those members of the Freikorps, who were under 16 years old.
In the beginning of March 1938 the Freikorps was involved in several marches, participated in distributing flyers for the Austro-Fascist regime in Austria and against the occupation by National Socialist Germany.
Helmuth Joerg could no more finish his studies at the university. As the leader of the Freikorps he was arrested on April 23rd, 1938 by the Gestapo. Some weeks later he was deported to the concentration camp of Dachau, later to Flossenbuerg. Back to concentration camp of Dachau he was released after two years of imprisonment and was forced to join the German army "Deutsche Wehrmacht". On July 22nd, 1943, he was killed during a battle near Orel [Orjol/Орёл] in Russia.
He is commemorated at the University of Vienna in the "Memorial Book for the Victims of National Socialism at the University of Vienna in 1938" and at the "Memorial to the History Students and Teachers of the University of Vienna Expelled under National Socialism | When Names Shine" (2022).
Lit.: Archive of the University of Vienna/enrollment forms ("Nationale") PHIL 1937–1938; austria-forum; Otto MOLDEN, Der andere Zauberberg. Das Phaenomen Alpbach. Persoenlichkeiten und Probleme Europas im Spiegelbild geistiger Auseinandersetzung, Vienna/Munich/Zurich/New York 1981, 52; DOEW Vol. 2 1992, 54–56, 108f, 418; Klemens von KLEMPERER, Voyage Through the Twentieth Century. A historian's recollections and reflections, New York/Oxford 2009; Otto MOLDEN, Odyssee meines Lebens und die Gruendung Europas in Alpbach, Vienna/Munich 2001, 56-64; POSCH/FUCHS 2022, 112–113; Otto Molden's estate in the Vienna City Hall Library; information by courtesy of Dr. Maria Wirth, Vienna, 2014.
Katharina Kniefacz and Herbert Posch
