Sonderfall Sodtirol. Die erfolgreiche und die gescheiterte Aktivierung des „volksdeutschen Wehrwillens".

It is estimated that between 25,000 and 30,000 German-speaking South Tyroleans served in the German armed forces during World War Two, including up to 5,000 in the Waffen-SS. There is also talk of 8,000 fallen soldiers. Meanwhile, the number of South Tyrolean deserters was last estimated at 400. Based on the literature and with recourse to the extensive collection of material of the South Tyrolean project funded by the South Tyrolean Provincial Archives, the article first highlights the (structural) history of the mobilization and assignment of German-speaking (and also Ladin-speaking) South Tyroleans. An attempt is then made to classify the case histories documented so far in the project with regard to acts of refusal according to certain central factors and characteristics. For this purpose, archival sources that have been unused to date will also be consulted. In conclusion, the negotiation of the phenomenon of "refusal" in the region after the end of the war will be examined against the background of the region-specific history and post-history of National Socialism and in relation to the German and Austrian examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]