Scandal of the century

Noricum crime thriller: a cannon and three deaths

The controversial GHN-45

(Bild: Maschinenfabrik Liezen)

Prohibited arms deliveries abroad, three unsolved deaths and entanglements in the highest state circles: These are the ingredients that make the Liezen Noricum affair one of the biggest political thrillers of the post-war period. The scandal of the century came to light 40 years ago. What became of the former Noricum plant?

Rumors had been circulating for some time, but it was Burkhart List and Otto Grüner, two journalists from the magazine "Basta", who succeeded in providing (pictorial) proof: they traveled to Yugoslavia and photographed GHN-45 field howitzers in a port that were to be shipped abroad. They came from the Noricum weapons factory in Liezen, Upper Styria, and were destined for the belligerent states of Iraq and Iran. Officially, Jordan and Libya were named as the recipient countries to disguise the illegal deliveries, as neutral Austria was strictly forbidden from exporting to war zones.