Fatherland Front (Austria)

The movement's flag (top). Despite its officiality, the green chevron was often omitted (bottom).

The Vaterländische Front (VF, English: Fatherland's Front also translated as Patriotic Front ) was a right-wing, austrofascist Austrian political party. It advocated Austrian nationalism and Austrian independence from Germany on the basis of protecting Austria's Catholic religious identity what they considered a Protestant-dominated German state. It was founded in 1933 by Engelbert Dollfuss as a merger of his Christian Social Party, the Heimwehr and other conservative groups, and was intended to collect all "loyal Austrians" under one banner. After the prohibition of all other political parties, the VF held a monopolistic position in Austrian politics with both civilian and military divisions.

In spite of the efforts of Dollfuss, the VF never became a mass movement. By the end of 1937 it had 3 million members (with 6.5 million inhabitants of Austria); it could not win the support of its political opponents (from the circles of the Social Democratic Party of Austria and the Nazi Party). The party was banned after the Anschluss (annexation of Austria to Germany) in March 1938.

The symbol of the VF was the crutch cross (Kruckenkreuz), and its official greeting was Front heil!.