Vienna Philharmonic to reveal Nazi past

The Vienna Philharmonic orchestra is due to publish details of its history during the Nazi era in response to accusations of a cover-up.

The orchestra has come under fire for not acknowledging alleged links to the Nazis.

The orchestra says it will also give more details about a ring of honour it presented to Baldur von Schirach, a Nazi governor of Vienna.

Von Schirach oversaw the deportation of tens of thousands of Jews.

The ring, originally presented in 1942, was lost by Von Schirach but it is claimed that a replacement was given to him in the 1960s after his release from Spandau prison for crimes against humanity.

Correspondents say Austria took several decades after World War II to acknowledge and express regret for its role in Hitler's Third Reich and in the Holocaust.

On Tuesday the country is due to mark the 75th anniversary of its annexation by Nazi Germany. The Anschluss (union) was complete when German forces invaded Austria unopposed on 12 March 1938.

Three historians, led by Oliver Rathkolb, have been commissioned by the Vienna Philharmonic to produce articles on the orchestra's history in the Nazi era that will be published on its website.