Family in Austria, a monument to fallen Soviet soldiers

Residents of Lower Austria Johannes and Marcus Rigler (Johannes, Markus Riegler) in the year of the 70th anniversary of the victory in the Second world war at their own expense erected a Monument to Soviet soldiers and French voennoplenny, witness of death which has become one of them.

As told Last news the organizer of the ceremony of unveiling a monument to Johannes Hagenhofer (Johannes Hagenhofer), a history teacher at the gymnasium in Wiener Neustadt and the head of the project "the Experience of recent history on the land of a thousand hills" ( "Erlebbare Zeitgeschichte im Land der 1000 Huegel" ), the idea to put the monument belonged to his younger brother Marcus. He, being an engineer, designed the Monument and participated in the construction works.

in yesterday's ceremony was attended not only by members of the family, most local Residents and regional authorities, but also Authorized the Russian and French embassies in Austria.

"This Monument shall be a token of gratitude to the riegler family, but Also a sign of reconciliation ", - said the head of the Department.


Born in 1938, Johannes riegler worked all his life a farmer in the same place and was born in the commune of Thomasberg in Lower Austria. During the war his family lived three French prisoners of war Gustav, Ferdinand and Heinrich (Henry) Satta (Henri Cottele) and a worker from Ukraine Olga. In March 1945, the Residents of Thomasburg first heard of the bombings of the nearby Wiener Neustadt. Day 29 of the one returning from job, aircraft was shot down and very quickly fell, spattering people fuel the surrounding buildings and the forest that led to the fires. The plane fell so close to home that chip killed wing trying to hide the Frenchman Settee.

at the crash site on the subsequent day, the riegler family found used in the Soviet air force the American bomber B-25, the pilot and passengers who were burned on site and buried them there. Then the pilot was identified As guards Junior Lieutenant Nikolai Bronnikov, two of the passengers - As the squadron commander, guards Lieutenant Anatolii Tinyakov and Navigator guards, Lieutenant Peter Krasnikov. The identity of other passengers install failed.

The motor apparatus then taken from the collectors of Wiener Neustadt, and the wreckage of the screw until now was kept by brother Marcus Rigler.


Reperov of the monument is a composition of 2 rectangular stone statues, some of which are fortified with a plaque listing the circumstances of the incident and the names of the dead. On another fixed part of the propeller crashed plane.

"Let their violent deaths will be us living, as a reminder," it is written on the label.

according to the testimony of Johannes Rigler, being a seven year old child, He is not very well mindful of the Russians on the ground of his family, in addition, that meeting them is his Dad always took him with me." Today I have a feeling, because it gave protection to both of us ", - quotes the words of Rigler Hagenhofer.

similarly, in his memory survived the episode, As Russian Soldiers dug up and took his grandmother hid the eggs, but beyond that the soldiers never stole nothing from the family, in which, according to the memoirs of the farmer, the food was always in abundance.


sections: Politics