Letters from 'Third Man' Vienna - fact, not fiction (1945)

Eileen’s brother, my Uncle Bert, joined the RAF, leaving Auntie Gwen to run the flower shop in West London. After initial training, Bert was told he wasn’t fit to fly but became a radio operator and was posted to North Africa. A chirpy Londoner, Bert sent a series of letters and cards as his units travelled across North Africa and then through Italy.

He finished his military service in Vienna in November 1945, just as the post-war election was taking place. These were two last letters he sent before returning to London:

09/11/45

HQ, Royal Air Force, Vienna (Austria), C.M.F.

Dear Eileen

I have been in Vienna about four days and am very happy with the whole situation. This posting is the one that should have come through to TAF in May. Our old S.O. is here and was quite pleased to see us. All the installing of equipment has been some of course and the duties for which we were posted, Reuters receivers, have been filled by Austrian civilians.

Two of my old pals are with me, we met at Klagenfurt. They are also in the same boat as myself, having been redirected from Milan after UK leave. It is a pity that we didn’t come up before for I have a very temporary feeling, knowing that I shall be leaving here within a month or two.

Our position is ideal for learning the language. We are living in the residential area and work in the city at the works of an Austrian newspaper, the Weltpresse. There are only about eight military personnel in the whole building, all the rest are civilians. It is essential to know a little German.

The actual function of the radio section of this Political Division is the reception of world news for all the newspapers in Austria. In turn we transmit the important stuff to Graz, Bruck and Klagenfurt. The relaying is done by teleprinters but all reception by radio. The men take down Reuter (Morse) by typewriter and the girls operate a wonderful machine which is plugged into a receiver, which picks up a signal, (it sounds like scrambled Morse), this signal when it passes into the machine starts a motor going and by means of a wheel turning under an inked pad prints in plain language on a tape. It is perfect printing and comes out at about ten words per minute.

Our job at the moment is the maintenance of all this stuff. Most of its is new of course but we are learning gradually.

I had my release medical a couple of days ago and was pronounced fit for the civilian struggle.

We haven’t had much chance of really seeing Vienna yet but tomorrow we start shift work so will have more time off during the day.

There are no shops worth mentioning, all purchases seem to be carried out privately by a system of barter. Money here doesn’t mean a thing. The town as you know is split into four zones but there are no barriers and we are able to move about at will anywhere in Vienna.

We are of course bound to stick to the town as it is set in Russian occupied territory. When we came up here by train we were stopped, and every passenger was checked for authority to pass into this Russian zone. Quite a number of civilians had not got this permission and were turned back.

I cannot understand the Russian lack of thought with regard to their occupation troops. If these troops were typical Russians, which I am sure they are not, then God help Russia. They are the dirtiest, scruffiest lot I have seen. The tales one hears of their looting etc., (even) if cut down by fifty per cent, is terrible.

I should have thought that since this is really the first opportunity that the English and Russian troops have had of making close personal contact that an effort would have been made. The British are certainly. Personal appearance has to be on the top mark and our guards outside our HQ’s make you think of Buckingham Palace. Perhaps this point of view is all wrong but no-one is impressed by the Russians’ behaviour or appearance.

The weather has turned quite cold and we had our first fall of snow this morning. It turned to rain afterwards but I think we shall have a white Christmas. There won’t be anything picturesque about it for the civilians. They are very badly off now for food. I don’t know about fuel but I foresee here, as prophesied about Germany proper this winter, a terrible struggle for the barest of bare necessities.

Our food in contrast is the best I have had in the RAF, beautifully served and cooked. We eat off china plates in a pre-war restaurant and there is even a bar where we can buy a glass of beer to drink with one’s meal.

There are about twenty Waaf here in our own unit which is about 150 strong all told. The poor Waaf seem a race apart, they are completely boycotted by the men. It is evidently a unit affair. When in Rome before they came up to Austria the Waaf preferred the company of officers to the men and were quite snooty about it, so the story goes anyway, now the men seem to prefer “a piece of frat”.

All for now

Cheerio

Bert

25/11/45

HQ, Royal Air Force, Vienna (Austria), C.M.F.

Dear Eileen

Ted leaves here tomorrow, Group 26, so I should only be another week or two …

Today is election day in Vienna and throughout Austria. It is evening now and everything seems to have passed off peacefully. We had a notice on DRO’s instructing us to “maintain an attitude of indifference” during the elections. The election campaign has been working up to a climax during the last two weeks. There are three parties, the Socialists “Partei Socialistich Österreich” with a unique emblem, something like this:

I presume the three arrows stand for their three aims, something like Musso’s “Believe, Obey and Fight”. Then there’s the Communist Party, “Kommunistich Partei Österreich” with the familiar hammer and sickle.

These two parties seem to have shared the more demonstrative side of the election, having plastered trams, stations, buildings and every available space with their emblems.

The third party is the old right Tory party, “Österreich VolksPartei”. My impression of the result is something like this. I may be miles out of course but I will commit myself by putting down on paper:

Vienna

-      Socialists 60-65%

-      Communists 25-30%

-      OVP 15-20%

Country Districts

-      Socialists 45-55%

-      OVP 30- 40%

-      Communists 15-20%

I am quite sure there will be no Communist majority. If they get anything like a say in matters, I shall be greatly surprised. I may be a little biased as the place where I work prints the “Arbeiter Zeitung”, quite a famous old socialist paper so I understand. Also at our works we print the “Weltpresse” which is the paper for Austrians sponsored by the British. The Yanks in their zone also print one called the “Wiener Kurrier”, the Russians and the French I believe also put their views before the public. The other paper that comes off our presses is the “British Morning News” for sale on streets to the troops. 

The Communist downfall will be solely due to the behaviour of the Russians here. I am sure if they had set a good example to the Austrians, they could quite easily have swept the country. My comments will be proved perhaps when the results are announced*.

The British are certainly the most popular here and I think the results of our own election will have swayed the undecided leftish bods.

That’s all for now. The other lads are in bed, so I had better put the light out.

Cheerio

Bert

* Bert's predictions were a reasonable guess but, in fact, the Communist Party performed even worse than he had thought - and the ÖVP better :

ÖVP 49.80%

SPÖ 44.60%

KPÖ 5.42%