Incredible: Hundreds of nazi war criminals may have started new lives in Australia
After the Second World War, numerous Nazi war criminals fled justice, many of whom found refuge in Australia. In the 1980s, a special investigative unit undertook the task of bringing them to trial; however, despite determined efforts, it achieved relatively few tangible successes.
In recent years, Australia has unfortunately witnessed multiple incidents of masked neo-Nazis dressed in black marching through the streets. These occurrences became so frequent that, in 2023, the country introduced strict legislation banning Nazi symbols.
The traces of fascism, which rose to power a century ago, still linger in the cities of the Southern Hemisphere—while, for many people, the true meaning of this ideology may be fading from memory. Yet the many chilling stories from that era can easily evoke the horrors of the past, The Conversation writes.
How did the war criminals escape?
At the end of the Second World War, Europe lay in ruins, and the Nazi regime’s rampage had claimed millions of lives. Although many were eventually held accountable for their atrocious deeds, a significant number of former officers managed to exploit the global chaos to escape—many finding sanctuary in distant Australia.
During the Cold War, fear of communism dominated Western politics and everyday thinking to such an extent that former Nazis were often regarded as the “lesser evil”. As a result, former SS officers and collaborators could quietly begin new lives under assumed identities. Some became teachers, traders, or civil servants—while others even joined Australia’s intelligence service, ASIO.
The investigation only began in the 1980s
It was not until the 1980s that any significant progress was made, when journalist Mark Aarons began to investigate more deeply the Nazi war criminals who had found refuge in Australia. His findings led to a radio programme, which eventually drew the attention of the government. In 1987, with the support of Prime Minister Bob Hawke, a special investigative unit was established. Its members embarked on a difficult and complex inquiry, building upon the information uncovered so far.
The investigation took them across the globe. They spoke with Croatian judges, met high-ranking Russian officials, conducted witness interviews in several languages, and visited the families of former victims. Original SS documents also surfaced during the research, and, under the direction of archaeologist Richard Wright, more than 500 bodies were exhumed from the mass grave at Serniki—mostly women and children.
Their work, however, was hindered not only by the slow pace of the Australian legal system but also by the meticulousness of the former Nazis themselves. Many had constructed extraordinarily detailed backstories for their new identities and had integrated seamlessly into Australian society.
Limited success
Through extensive and thorough research, it became clear that hundreds of former Nazis might have been living in Australia—among them individuals who had taken part in mass murders, deportations, and acts of torture.
During its operation, the unit investigated a total of 841 cases. Of these, only three reached court, and just four were recommended for prosecution. In most other cases, the suspects were either already dead, had been convicted in another country, or there was simply insufficient evidence to charge them.
As a result of this limited success, the operation was eventually halted. In the mid-1990s, the Australian government disbanded the special investigative unit. Prime Minister Paul Keating even withdrew the group’s funding shortly before charges could be brought against the most significant suspect.
According to Mark Aarons—who, together with Graham Blewitt, authored Nazis in Australia: The Special Investigations Unit, 1987–1994, a book about the unit’s work—Australia demonstrated its willingness to confront both the crimes of the past and the perpetrators themselves, sending a clear message that they could never find true refuge from their deeds.
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