World Orders, Decorations and Medals

The group of decorations worn by Dr Engelbert Dollfuss, Chancellor of Austria, who was assassinated in July 1934

Military Merit Cross, 3rd class, with War Decoration and swords on ribbon; Military Merit Medal, Franz Joseph, gilt with swords on ribbon; Military Merit Medal, Karl, silver with swords on ribbon; Bravery Medal, Franz Joseph, silver; Karl Troop Cross (2); Medal for the Wounded, mounted on a board for display with a small photograph of Dollfuss in uniform wearing medals, together with a peaked cap worn by him, with label of M. Slama, Wien, similar to the one shown in the photograph, nearly very fine (8)

Englebert Dolfuss (1892-1934), nicknamed the ‘Pocket Chancellor’ in the British press due to the fact he was less than five feet tall, was educated in Berlin and Vienna and in the 1920’s became Secretary of the Peasant Federation of Lower Austria, and afterwards Director of the Chamber of Agriculture. A rapid rise through the ranks of the Christian Socialist Party resulted in a post in the Austrian cabinet as Agriculture Minister and, in 1932, he became Prime Minister. In July 1932, the League of Nations granted Austria a loan of nine million pounds in consideration of which Dollfuss undertook to forgo a customs union with Germany, frustrating Hitler’s desire even for this watered-down form of Anschluss between the Reich and his homeland which was forbidden by the Treaty of Versailles. Dollfuss’s undertaking was naturally unpopular with Austrian Nazis who were growing increasingly strong as the depression of the early Thirties deepened. On the left, the Social Democrats likewise reacted strongly and unleashed a violent political campaign against him and his coalition of moderate and right wing parties, but due to a formal error in voting proceedure in the Nationalrat, he was able to immobilze them. From then on Dollfuss became increasingly authoritarian, aiming at domestic peace and freedom from external involvements. To the latter end he enlisted Italy’s support against Nazi Germany, with Mussolini guaranteeing Austrian independence, but demanding constitutional reform on the Fascist model. In 1933 Dollfuss formed the Vaterländische (Patriotic) Front ,which he intended should gradually replace all political parties. The same year he banned the troublesome Austrian Nazi Party, but as the price of his support from the ‘legitimate’ right he had to take action against the Socialists, and in February 1934 Dollfuss’s attempt to disarm some of their supporters - private political armies having become rife in the capital - led to the shelling of one of their centres, a block of workers’ flats known as the Karl Marx Hof. In the sequel he banned the Social Democrats and, ruling unchallenged with the help of a fascist-style semi-military force, proclaimed an unworkable new constitution based on the papal encyclical Quadragesimo Anno. Meanwhile, German Nazis, having carried out their successful internal coup in ‘The Night of the Long Knives’ against those who were keener on the Socialist aspect of National Socialism than the National, plotted their first external coup, using as their instrument the banned Austrian Nazis. On 25 July 1934 a party of Austrian Nazis seized the Vienna radio station and announced that the local Nazi leader had taken over the government. At the same time another group of Austrian Nazis in police and army uniforms raided the Chancellery and shot Dollfuss, who died three hours later. The plot, however, was badly co-ordinated and the government, despite the loss of Dollfuss whose place was soon taken by his colleague, Kurt Schuschnigg, kept control and the rebel leaders were rounded up. Hitler quickly denied any connection with the coup when its failure became apparent, and in a show of friendship swiftly acknowledged Austria’s full sovereignty, a move partly inspired by the fact that Mussolini had taken the death of Dollfuss very badly, and was not prepared, at that stage at least, to see the Reich extend its power up to his border. Indeed he concentrated troops on the Brenner frontier to intervene if Hitler moved into Austria. The Führer, however, was caused a little embarassment when the Nazi who actually shot Dollfuss went to the scaffold screaming “Heil Hitler!”

This lot has been in the possession of the vendor, a retired army officer living in Canada, since 1945. The widow of Chancellor Dollfuss was a refugee in Canada during the Second World War and became a family friend. Knowing of the vendor’s interest in medals she presented them, together with the hat, to his mother whilst he himself was on active service in Europe. The widow Dollfuss later returned to Austria after the cessation of hostilities. The lot is sold with a letter of provenance signed by the vendor.