To mark the 75th Anniversary of the Austrian "revolution" (Anschluss - the joining with Greater Germany) -- here is the English translation for the days February 12 through March 20, 1938. It is taken from the diary kept by Leopold Wenger (b. 1921), written at the time the events were taking place in Leoben, Styria when he was 16 years old. It comes to me courtesy of his younger brother Willy Wenger.
"Poldi," as he was nicknamed, became a Luftwaffen fighter pilot and a recipient of the Knight's Cross, National Socialist Germany's highest military decoration, in January 1945. He died a hero from wounds suffered in an air battle over Vienna in April 1945. -CY
From Leopold Wenger's Trip Diary
The Days of Our Revolution
copyright 2013 Wilhelm Wenger and Carolyn Yeager
Translated from the German by Hasso Castrup
12. February 1938 On our old campsite, at our cabin on Kraubatheck, there was for quite a long time already plans for a Hitler Youth camp again and it was scheduled to open this evening ... and as our term vacations were ending on 16 February, we were to spend four full days. Everything was already prepared and the food was already up there. I apologized that I could not come before Sunday because we had to sit in the police prison of Leoben and Wurschitz - 12 hours for a bicycle offense. (The fine was too expensive for us, therefore I had to endure the sentence). These 12 hours felt like an eternity. We were there together with all kinds of criminals: One of them told us that recently a Nazi was sitting there too, was then sent on to the district court but first he hid his revolver, cartridges and a swastika armband with the stamp of Donawitz in a wastebasket. One of the crooks found it and, with pleasure, handed it to the police.
Below: Our cabin in Schladnitzgraben; Right: Illegal Hitler Youth meet for skiing.



Group picture of Leoben illegal Hitler Youth, Feburary 1938
He asked me if I ever had anything to do with the police. Surprised, I denied it. Then he told me that our comrade Tiefental was brought to police HQ (hauled directly from his job) and interrogated by Major Zenz. He was shown a list, comprising all members of our [Hitler Youth] group in Leoben, including our group leader Marek. All the Scharführers, etc. were listed exactly. We were shocked. No one could imagine how the police got this information. That was the reason why the Hitler Youth camp had to be canceled immediately on account of the risk of a razzia [raid].