Heroes of the Holocaust: Paul Grueninger

In 1938, following Germany’s annexation of Austria, several countries closed their border crossings into Austria; Switzerland was one of these nations. At this time Paul Grueninger was a commander of with the Swiss border police; this is his story.

Crossing into Switzerland without the necessary permits and paperwork was illegal following the Anschluss, and became increasingly difficult as the situation deteriorated for Jews inside Austria. As a commander with the border police Grueninger, daily was faced with the personal dilemma of turning back the victims of the Nazi anti-Semitic policies or letting them cross and face the professional consequences of his action.

Fortunately for many prospective refugees, Grueninger opted for the latter options and began to allow Jews to illegally cross the border into Switzerland. The steps that Grueninger took began with falsifying the refugee’s entry documents, back-dating them to indicate that the refugees had entered before the Anschluss thus before the border had been closed. This act allowed the refugees to obtain assistance from local Jewish organizations and obtain the necessary paperwork to flee to a different destination.

Grueninger also fabricated entry information, including the number of refugees entering the country and then failing to assist the border police when tracking those refugees that were found to have entered the country illegally. At great cost to himself, Grueninger also provided financial support to many of those that he had helped to cross the border into Switzerland.

It was the Germans that finally caught on to Grueninger and reported him to his superiors leading to his dismissal from the border police. Grueninger would ultimately face charges in the illegal entry of 3,600 Jews to cross the border into Switzerland.

Grueninger went on trial for his “crimes” in January of 1939 and was found guilty on all counts in 1941 leading to the loss of his retirement benefits and was ordered to pay a fine and to pay for the costs associated with the trial.

Though the rest of his life was lived in destitution and he was the victim of public scorn, Grueninger never regretted the steps that he took to aid the Jews fleeing Austria. In 1970, the Swiss government apologized to Grueninger but refused to overturn his conviction and reinstate his retirement benefits; it wasn’t until 1995 that the Swiss government finally overturned his conviction.

Unfortunately for Grueninger was not around to appreciate his moment of vindication, he passed away in 1972.

In 1971, Yad Vashem honored Paul Grueninger as being Righteous Among the Nations, an honor bestowed upon non-Jewish individuals who offered aid to Jews during the Holocaust.

Copyright© 2012 R. Bertz; all rights reserved.

Yad Vashem, The Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority. Retrieved from: http://www1.yadvashem.org/yv/en/righteous/stories/grueninger.asp