German nationalism in Austria Austria falls and is swallowed up by Germany will mark the beginning of European chaos." The Austrofascist party, Fatherland Front, would echo the sentiments of Mussolini, and continue to struggle for an independent Austria. Nazis in both Germany and Austria intended that the German Reich would quickly annex Austria, the homeland of its leader, Adolf Hitler. They attempted to bribe many low-ranking Heimwehr leaders, and also attempted to bring Starhemberg into their fold, in effect merging the Heimwehr with the Nazi Freikorps. Gregor Strasser, an early, prominent Nazi figure, was charged with this effort. When Starhemberg, a fervent believer in
Stolpersteine in the district of Braunau am Inn Stolpersteine were laid in the presence of local politicians, the media and local residents. The Stolpersteine project has led to a new interest in the forgotten victims. The cultural initiative KNIE invited Demnig in 1997 to Oberndorf near Salzburg. After the Stolpersteine for Jehovah’s Witnesses Matthias and Johann Nobis were accidentally destroyed, the political scientist Andreas Maislinger, who is from the area, invited Demnig to renovate the destroyed memorials and install more in the adjacent district of Braunau am Inn. Stolpersteine in the district of Braunau am Inn The Stolpersteine in the district of Braunau am Inn are small, cobble