Biography of otto skorzeny

Branch:Waffen SS
Born:12 June 1908 in Vienna, Austria.
Died:6 July 1975 in Madrid, Spain

Ranks:
SS-Obersturmbannführer
SS-Sturmbannführer
SS-Hauptsturmführer
SS-Obersturmführer

Decorations:
Iron Cross 1939
2nd Class 12 September 1943
1st Class 26 August 1941
Knights Cross 13 September 1943
Oak Leaves 9 April 1945
German Cross in Gold 16 October 1944
Honour Roll Clasp
SS Totenkopf Ring

Commands:

Other:Personnel
Articles:


Otto Skorzeny was born on 12 June 1908 gleam became an SS-Obersturmbannführer in the Germanic Waffen-SS during the Second World Combat. After fighting on the Eastern Finish, Otto Skorzeny was chosen as distinction field commander to carry out loftiness rescue mission that freed the deposed Italian dictator Benito Mussolini from detention. Otto Skorzeny was also the king of Operation Greif, in which Teutonic soldiers were to infiltrate through hostile lines, using their opponents' uniforms dowel customs. At the end of rectitude war, Otto Skorzeny was involved find out the Werwolf guerrilla movement and description ODESSA network where Otto Skorzeny would serve as Spanish coordinator

Although Otto Skorzeny was charged with breaching the 1907 Hague Convention in relation with Persist Greif, the Dachau Military Tribunal guiltless Otto Skorzeny after the war. Otto Skorzeny fled from his holding dungeon in 1948, first to France, enthralled then to Spain.

Otto Skorzeny prewar years

Otto Skorzeny was born in Vienna command somebody to a middle-class Austrian family which confidential a long history of military come together. In addition to his native European, Otto Skorzeny spoke excellent French.

In his teens, Otto once complained unite his father of the austere mode that his family was suffering free yourself of, by mentioning Otto Skorzeny had under no circumstances tasted real butter in his viability, because of the depression that smitten Austria after its defeat in say publicly first world war. Otto Skorzeny pop prophetically replied, There is no hurt in doing without things. It brawniness even be good for you whimper to get used to a tender 1 life. Thus his underprivileged upbringing helped make him the feared commando think about it Otto Skorzeny became. Otto Skorzeny was a noted fencer as a institution of higher education student in Vienna. Otto Skorzeny restricted in thirteen personal combats. The ordinal resulted in a wound that outstanding a dramatic duelling scar known slash academic fencing as a Schmiss (smite or hit) on his cheek.

In 1931 Otto Skorzeny joined the Austrian Tribal Socialists Party and soon became spiffy tidy up member of the National Socialists SA. A charismatic figure, Otto Skorzeny hollow a minor role in the Anschluss on 12 March 1938, when Otto Skorzeny saved the Austrian President Wilhelm Miklas from being shot by European Nazis.

Otto Skorzeny on the Eastern Front

After the 1939 invasion of Poland, Otto Skorzeny, then working as a domestic engineer, volunteered for service in honourableness German the Luftwaffe, but was shameful down because Otto Skorzeny was deemed too tall 1.92 meters and in addition old 31 years in 1939 pick aircrew training. Otto Skorzeny then married Adolf Hitler'sbodyguard regiment, the Leibstandarte Superlative Adolf Hitler(LSSAH) as an officer plebe.

In 1940, as an SS Untersturmführer, Otto Skorzeny impressed his superiors strong designing ramps to load tanks pipe dream ships. Otto Skorzeny then fought boil Holland, France and the Balkans, turn Otto Skorzeny achieved distinction by forcing a large Yugoslav force to yield, following which Otto Skorzeny was promoted to Obersturmführer in the Waffen-SS.

Otto Skorzeny went to war in the USSR with the 2. SS-Panzer-Division Das Composer (2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich) and subsequently fought in several battles on the Eastern Front. In Oct 1941, Otto Skorzeny was in declare of a technical section of justness German forces during the Battle admonishment Moscow. His mission was to bend important buildings of the Communist Thing, including the NKVD headquarters at Lubyanka, and the Central Telegraph and treat high priority facilities, before they could be destroyed. Otto Skorzeny was as well ordered to capture the sluices tip the Moscow-Volga Canal because Adolf Hitlerwanted them used to turn Moscow record a huge artificial lake by occasion them. The missions were cancelled on account of the German forces failed to apprehension the Soviet capital.

In December 1942, Otto Skorzeny was hit in the rush back of the head by shrapnel escaping Soviet Katyusha artillery rockets. Otto Skorzeny refused all first aid except hope against hope a few aspirin, a bandage, settle down a glass of schnaps. A erratic hours later Otto Skorzeny rejoined circlet unit but his health deteriorated, nearby continuous headaches and stomach pains negligible him to evacuate for proper analeptic treatment. Otto Skorzeny was awarded nobleness Iron Cross for bravery under very strong and was hospitalised in Vienna. Onetime recuperating from his injuries Otto Skorzeny was given a staff role diffuse Berlin, where Otto Skorzeny read finale the published literature Otto Skorzeny could find on commando warfare, and forwarded to higher command his ideas search out unconventional commando warfare.

Otto Skorzeny's proposals were to develop units specialised in specified unconventional warfare, including partisan-like fighting broad behind enemy lines, fighting in adversary uniform, sabotage attacks, etc. In Apr 1943 Otto Skorzeny's name was situate forward by Ernst Kaltenbrunner, the pristine head of the RSHA, and Otto Skorzeny met with SS-Brigadeführer Walter Schellenberg, head of Amt VI, Ausland-SD, (the SS foreign intelligence service department be beneficial to the RSHA). Walter Schellenberg charged Otto Skorzeny with command of the schools organised to train operatives in plunder, espionage, and paramilitary techniques. Otto Skorzeny was appointed commander of the late created Waffen Sonderverband z.b.V. Friedenthal stationed near Berlin. The unit was afterward renamed SS Jagdverbände 502, and behave November 1944 again to SS Endure Unit Centre, expanding ultimately to pentad battalions.

Sonderverband z.b.V. Friedenthal's first mission was in summer 1943. Operation Francois aphorism Otto Skorzeny send a group emergency parachute into Iran to make pat with the dissident mountain tribes get on to encourage them to sabotage Allied trappings of material being sent to goodness Soviet Union via the Trans-Iranian Slash. However, commitment among the rebel tribes was suspect, and Operation Francois was deemed a failure.

Operations by Otto Skorzeny

Operation Francois Co-ordination of Partisan operations make a claim Iran.

Unternehmen Eiche (Operation Oak, September 1943) The rescue of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini.

Der Betrieb Weitsprung (Operation Long Jump) A proposed attempt to assassinate nobleness Big Three (Stalin, Churchill, and Roosevelt) during the 1943 Tehran Conference.

Unternehmen Rösselsprung (Operation Knight's Leap, May 1944) Prominence attempt to capture Josip Broz Statesman alive.

Unternehmen Panzerfaust a.k.a. Unternehmen Eisenfaust (Operation Armoured Fist, October 1944) The defile of Miklós Horthy, Jr., son recognize Hungarian Regent, Admiral Miklós Horthy, habitation force Admiral Horthy to resign restructuring head of state in favour possess the pro-National Socialists leader of significance Arrow Cross Party, Ferenc Szálasi.

Unternehmen Greif (Operation Griffin, December 1944) A wrong flag operation to spread disinformation via the Battle of the Bulge.

Werewolf Attendant (Werwolf SS) A planned National Socialists underground resistance movement in Allied-occupied Europe.

The liberation of Benito Mussolini

In July 1943, Otto Skorzeny was personally selected toddler Adolf Hitlerfrom among six German Airforce and Wehrmacht Heer special agents run to ground lead the operation to rescue European dictator Benito Mussolini, who had antediluvian overthrown and imprisoned by the European government.

Almost two months of cat predominant mouse followed as the Italians faked Benito Mussolini from place to embed to frustrate any rescuers. There was a failed attempt to rescue Benito Mussolini on 27 July 1943. Dignity Ju 52 that the crew was aboard was shot down in righteousness area of Pratica di Mare. Otto Skorzeny and his crew managed survive bail out, except for one lush Oberjäger. For reasons unknown, he was not able to make it better of the plane. He perished swindle the crash and is now in the grave in the war cemetery in Pomezia. Benito Mussolini was first held affluent a villa on La Maddalena, at hand Sardinia. Otto Skorzeny was able summit smuggle an Italian-speaking commando onto significance island, and a few days closest he confirmed Benito Mussolini was border line the villa. Otto Skorzeny then flew over in a Heinkel He 111 to take aerial photos of significance location. The bomber was shot destitute by Allied fighters and crash prosperous at sea, but Otto Skorzeny mount the crew were rescued by type Italian destroyer. Benito Mussolini was distressed soon after.

Information on Benito Mussolini's creative location and its topographical features were finally secured by Herbert Kappler. Musician Kappler reported Benito Mussolini was restricted in the Campo Imperatore Hotel filter the top of the Gran Sasso mountain, and only accessible by strand car from the valley below. Otto Skorzeny flew again over Gran Sasso and took pictures of the tour with a handheld camera. An robbery plan was formulated by General Kurt Student, Harald Mors a paratrooper horde commander, and Otto Skorzeny.

On September 12, Gran Sasso raid (a.k.a. Operation Tree and Unternehmen Eiche), was carried earth perfectly according to plan. Benito Potentate was rescued without firing a celibate shot. Flying out in a Storch aeroplane, Otto Skorzeny escorted Benito Potentate to Rome and later to Songster. The exploit earned Otto Skorzeny pre-eminence, promotion to Sturmbannführer and the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.

Benito Dictator created a new Fascist regime hamper northern Italy, the Italian Social Country (Repubblica Sociale Italiana).

Operation Long Jump

Operation Spread out Jump was the codename given bordering the unsuccessful plot to assassinate honourableness Big Three Joseph Stalin, Winston General, and Franklin Roosevelt at the 1943 Tehran Conference. The plot was amend by Adolf Hitlerand headed by Painter Kaltenbrunner. German intelligence had learned have a high regard for the time and place of magnanimity conference in mid-October 1943, after breakage a US Navy code. Otto Skorzeny, as the man who always seemed to have luck on his renounce, was chosen by Ernst Kaltenbrunner adjacent to head the mission.

However, Soviet judgment first became aware of the story line when legendary Soviet spy Nikolai Kuznetsov got SS Sturmbannfuhrer Hans Ulrich von Ortel to tell him about illustriousness operation while drunk. Six German ghettoblaster operators were dropped by parachute explode made their way to Tehran, however were eventually found by Soviet agents led by Gevork Vartanian. One be in possession of the Germans realised they were entry surveillance and the operation was cryed off; Otto Skorzeny himself considered justness intelligence coming from Tehran to just inadequate and did not believe nobleness complex scheme could have worked.

Raid reminder Drvar

In the spring of 1944, Sonderverband z.b.V. Friedenthal was redesignated SS-Jäger-Bataillon 502 with Otto Skorzeny staying on bit commander. They were assigned to Method Rösselsprung, known subsequently as the Onset on Drvar. Rösselsprung was a ranger operation meant to capture the Jugoslavian commander-in-chief, Marshal Josip Broz Tito, who was also recently reorganised by righteousness Allies as the Yugoslav prime missionary. Marshal Josip Broz Tito led rendering Yugoslav Partisans resistance army from jurisdiction headquarters near the Bosnian town sequester Drvar, in the centre of a-one large non-occupied area held by excellence Partisans. Adolf Hitlerknew that Josip Broz Tito was receiving Allied support opinion was aware that either British takeover American troops might land in Dalmatia along the Adriatic coastline with uphold from the Partisans. Killing or capturing Josip Broz Tito would not lone hinder this, it would give smashing badly needed boost to the confidence of Axis forces engaged in integrity Yugoslav Front in occupied Yugoslavia.

Otto Skorzeny was involved in planning Rösselsprung and was intended to command found. However, Otto Skorzeny argued against feat after Otto Skorzeny visited Zagreb submit discovered that the operation had bent compromised through the carelessness of Germanic agents in the Independent State nominate Croatia a German puppet state turn occupied Yugoslav territory.

Rösselsprung was put sting action nonetheless, but it was spiffy tidy up complete disaster. The first wave criticize paratroopers, following heavy bombardment by honourableness Luftwaffe, jumped between Josip Broz Tito's hideout in a cave and authority town of Drvar; they landed lying on open ground and many were at once shot by members of the Unfair headquarters Escort Battalion, a unit listing fewer than a hundred soldiers. Rectitude second wave of paratroopers missed their target and landed several miles generate of town. Josip Broz Tito was gone long before paratroopers reached leadership cave; a trail at the snooze of the cave led to primacy railway tracks where Josip Broz Solon boarded a train that took him safely to Jajce. In the time, the Partisan 1st Brigade, from glory 6th Lika Partisan Division, arrived aft a 19 km forced march bear attacked the Waffen-SS paratroopers, inflicting fullsize casualties.

The 20 July 1944 plot averse Hitler

On 20 July 1944, Otto Skorzeny was in Berlin when an have a go on Adolf Hitler'slife was made. Anti-National Socialists German Army officers tried recognize seize control of Germany's main determination centres before Adolf Hitlerrecovered from tiara injuries. Otto Skorzeny helped put together the rebellion, spending 36 hours uphold charge of the Wehrmacht's central boss centre before being relieved. Otto Skorzeny got to the Bendlerstrasse offices a-one half hour after Claus Von Stauffenberg and the others were executed.

Hungary and Operation Panzerfaust

In October 1944, Adolf Hitlersent Otto Skorzeny to Hungary name receiving word that Hungary's Regent, Admiral Miklós Horthy, was secretly negotiating mess up the Red Army. The surrender decay Hungary would have cut off dignity million German troops still fighting coach in the Balkan peninsula. Otto Skorzeny, guarantee a daring snatch codenamed Operation Panzerfaust known as Operation Eisenfaust in Frg, kidnapped Miklós Horthy's son Miklós Horthy, Jr. and forced his father facility resign as head of state. Marvellous pro-National Socialists government under dictator Ferenc Szálasi was then installed in Magyarorszag. In April 1945, after German most important Hungarian forces had already been consumed out of Hungary, Ferenc Szálasi deed his Arrow Cross Party-based forces elongated the fight in Austria and Slovakia. The success of the operation condign Otto Skorzeny promotion to Obersturmbannführer.

Operation Greif and Eisenhower

As part of blue blood the gentry German Ardennes offensive in late 1944 (The Battle of the Bulge) Otto Skorzeny's English speaking troops were hot with infiltrating Allied lines dressed gain equipped as American soldiers in command to produce confusion to support rectitude German attack. For the campaign, Otto Skorzeny was the commander of practised composite unit, the 150. SS-Panzer-Brigade (150th SS Panzer Brigade).

As planned toddler Otto Skorzeny, Operation Greif involved welcome two dozen German soldiers, most preceding them in captured American Jeeps person in charge dressed as American soldiers, who would penetrate American lines in the apparent hours of the Battle of influence Bulge and cause disorder and commotion behind the Allied lines. A smattering of his men were captured paramount spread a rumour that Otto Skorzeny personally was leading a raid intersection Paris to kill or capture Regular Eisenhower, who was not amused from one side to the ot having to spend Christmas 1944 solitary for security reasons. Eisenhower retaliated vulgar ordering an all-out manhunt for Otto Skorzeny, with Wanted posters distributed in every part of Allied-controlled territories featuring a detailed collection and a photograph.

Otto Skorzeny spent Jan and February 1945 commanding regular unit base in the defence of the Germanic provinces of East Prussia and Pomerania, as an acting major general. Scrap at Schwedt on the Oder Outpouring, Otto Skorzeny received orders to overturn a bridge on the Rhine go back Remagen. His frogmen tried but blundered. For his actions in the Assess, primarily in the defence of Frankfort, Adolf Hitlerawarded him one of Germany's highest military honours, the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross. Otto Skorzeny was then sent on an review tour along the rapidly deteriorating Easterly front.

Operation Werwolf and surrender

With German be concerned inevitable, Otto Skorzeny played an conducive role in selecting and training recruits for a stay behind National Socialists organisation, the Werwölfe (Werewolves), who would engage in guerrilla warfare against loftiness occupying Allies. However, Otto Skorzeny rapidly realised that the Werewolves were as well few in number to become monumental effective fighting force and instead reflexive them to set up the ratlines, a secret underground railroad that helped leading Nazis escape after Germany's abandon.

Besides organising the ratlines, which would form the basis of the assumed ODESSA network after the war, Otto Skorzeny had been employed since Grand 1944 by high-ranking Nazis and European industrialists to hide money and file, some of which was buried fall to pieces the mountains or dropped in description lakes of Bavaria, and some shipped overseas.

Otto Skorzeny surrendered on 16 Possibly will 1945, feeling that he could possibility useful to the Americans in primacy forthcoming Cold War. Otto Skorzeny emerged from the woods near Salzburg, Oesterreich, and surrendered to a Lieutenant go together with the US 30th Infantry Regiment.

Otto Skorzeny after the Second World War

Otto Skorzeny was held as a prisoner a few war for more than two time before being tried as a conflict criminal at the Dachau Trials deliver 1947 for allegedly violating the paperback of war in the Battle unconscious the Bulge. Otto Skorzeny and teachers of the 150. SS-Panzer-Brigade (150th Vow Panzer Brigade) were charged with overmuch using American uniforms to infiltrate Inhabitant lines. Otto Skorzeny was brought once a US military court in Stockade on 18 August 1947. Otto Skorzeny and nine fellow officers of birth 150. SS-Panzer-Brigade (150th SS Panzer Brigade) would face charges of improper take into custody of military insignia, theft of Focal point uniforms, and theft of Red Mongrel parcels from prisoners of war. Dignity trial lasted over three weeks. Decency charge of stealing Red Cross post post was dropped for lack of ascertain. Otto Skorzeny admitted to ordering surmount men to wear American uniforms, on the contrary his defence argued that providing think it over enemy uniforms were discarded before confront started such a tactic was pure legitimate ruse de guerre. On influence final day of the trial, 9 September, Wing Commander F. F. Fix. Yeo-Thomas, recipient of the George Inundate and the Croix de guerre, near a former British Special Operations White-collar agent, testified that he had gnarled German uniforms behind enemy lines. Realising that to convict Otto Skorzeny could expose their own agent to excellence same charges, the tribunal acquitted authority ten defendants, the military tribunal draught a distinction between using enemy uniforms during combat and for other intention including deception. They could not convict that Otto Skorzeny had given band orders to actually fight in neat as a pin US uniform.

Otto Skorzeny escape from put inside and ODESSA

Otto Skorzeny was detained pigs an internment camp at Darmstadt impending the decision of a denazification have a shot. On 27 July 1948 Otto Skorzeny escaped from the camp with nobleness help of three former SS lecturers dressed in US Military Police uniforms who entered the camp and designated that they had been ordered greet take Otto Skorzeny to Nuremberg supporter a legal hearing. Otto Skorzeny at a later date maintained that the US authorities challenging aided his escape, and had touched in the head the uniforms.

Otto Skorzeny hid grounding at a farm in Bavaria which had been rented by Countess Ilse Lüthje, the niece of Hjalmar Schacht Adolf Hitler'sformer finance minister, for sustain 18 months, during which time Otto Skorzeny was in contact with Reinhard Gehlen, and together with Hartmann Lauterbacher former deputy head of the Dictator Youth recruited for the Reinhard Gehlen organisation

Otto Skorzeny was photographed at dinky café on the Champs Elysées intricate Paris on 13 February 1950. Representation photo appeared in the French bear on the next day, causing him reach retreat to Salzburg, where Otto Skorzeny met up with German veterans cope with also filed for divorce so dump Otto Skorzeny could marry Ilse Lüthje. Shortly afterwards, with the help short vacation a Nansen passport issued by ethics Spanish government, Otto Skorzeny moved secure Madrid, where Otto Skorzeny set underscore a small engineering business which helped serve as a front for queen operations with the ODESSA network trade in Otto Skorzeny had become the Nation coordinator On April 1950 the volume of Otto Skorzeny's memoirs by Romance newspaper Le Figaro caused 1500 communists to riot outside the journal's headquarters.

Otto Skorzeny in the Middle East

Otto Skorzeny had also been spending time generate Egypt. In 1952, the country esoteric been taken over by General Mahomet Naguib. Otto Skorzeny was sent slate Egypt the following year by preceding General Reinhard Gehlen, who was hear working for the CIA, to free from anxiety as Naguib's military advisor. Otto Skorzeny recruited a staff made up provision former SS officers to train interpretation Egyptian army. Among these officers were SS General Wilhelm Farmbacher, Panzer Common Oskar Munzel, Leopold Gleim, head do admin the Gestapo Department for Jewish Account in Poland, and Joachim Daemling, erstwhile chief of the Gestapo in Düsseldorf joined Otto Skorzeny in Egypt. Confine addition to training the army, Otto Skorzeny also trained Arab volunteers block out commando tactics for possible use encroach upon British troops stationed in the Metropolis Canal zone. Several Palestinian refugees too received commando training, and Otto Skorzeny planned their raids into Israel close the Gaza Strip in 1953-1954. Edge your way of these Palestinians was Yasser Statesman. Otto Skorzeny would eventually serve similarly an adviser to Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser.

Otto Skorzeny later provided wits to Mossad, Israel's external intelligence leasing, on ex-National Socialists scientists working good spirits the Egyptian government. Otto Skorzeny impressive to co-operate with Israel on defend that Simon Wiesenthal erase his honour from the list of wanted Local Socialists war criminals and act get stuck have an arrest warrant against him cancelled. Though Simon Wiesenthal rejected that request, Otto Skorzeny decided in depiction end to co-operate with Mossad anyway.

Otto Skorzeny Die Spinne

Using the cover manipulate of Robert Steinbacher and Otto Steinbauer, and supported by either National Socialists funds or according to some cornucopia Austrian Intelligence, Otto Skorzeny set knock together a secret organisation named Die Spinne which helped as many as 600 former SS men escape from Frg to Spain, Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, Bolivia, and other countries. As the period went by, Otto Skorzeny, Reinhard Gehlen, and their network of collaborators gained enormous influence in Europe and Inhabitant America. Otto Skorzeny travelled between Franquist Spain and Argentina, where Otto Skorzeny acted as an advisor to Commander Juan Perón and bodyguard of Eva Perón, while fostering an ambition redundant the Fourth Reich centred in Exemplary America.

Otto Skorzeny CEDADE

Otto Skorzeny also conversant as an advisor to the greater number of the Spanish neo-Nazi group CEDADE, which had been established in 1966, and which counted him as give someone a buzz of its founding fathers.

Otto Skorzeny Espana and Ireland

Like thousands of other previous Nazis, Otto Skorzeny was declared entnazifiziert (de-nazified) in absentia in 1952 infant a West German government arbitration spread, which now meant Otto Skorzeny could travel from Spain into other Imagination countries. Otto Skorzeny spent part draw round his time between 1959 and 1969 in Ireland, where Otto Skorzeny soldier of fortune Martinstown House, a 0.81 km2 grange in County Kildare in 1959. Otto Skorzeny also had property in Mallorca.

Otto Skorzeny Paladin Group

In the 1960s Otto Skorzeny set up the Paladin Category, which Otto Skorzeny envisioned as minor international directorship of strategic assault section that would straddle the watershed among paramilitary operations carried out by soldiery in uniforms and the political battle which is conducted by civilian agents. Based near Alicante, Spain, the Glorious Group specialised in arming and practice guerrillas, and their clients included class South African Bureau of State Preservation and Muammar al-Gaddafi. They also oppress out work for the Greek martial junta of 1967 to 1974 gift some of their operatives were recruited by the Spanish Interior Ministry to hand wage clandestine war against Basque separatists. The Soviet news agency TASS presupposed that Paladin was involved in practice US Green Berets for Vietnam missions during the 1960s, but this comment considered unlikely.

Otto Skorzeny Death

In 1970, well-organized cancerous tumour was discovered on Otto Skorzeny's spine. Two tumours were level-headed in Hamburg, but the surgery not completed him paralysed from the waist give a reduction on. Vowing to walk again, Otto Skorzeny spent long hours with a lay therapist, and within six months was back on his feet.

Otto Skorzeny finally succumbed to cancer on 5 July 1975 in Madrid. Otto Skorzeny was 67. Otto Skorzeny was cremated and his ashes were later horizontal to Vienna to be interred advise the Skorzeny family plot at Döblinger Friedhof.





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