VIPs

   Slide 20

Otto Skorzeny

OTTO SKORZENY (1908-1975)
joined the Austrian Nazi Party in 1930 as a strong advocate for alignment with Germany. He backed Ernst Kaltenbrunner, head of the Austrian SS, after Anschluss, the annexation of Austria by Germany.

In February 1940, the six-foot-four Skorzeny joined the German Army and saw action during the Western Offensive in France and Belgium and later in the Balkan Campaign. As a colonel in the Waffen SS, he is known for his part in the rescue of Mussolini from the Campo Imperatore Hotel at Gran Sasso, high in the Apennine Mountains as well as assasination, kidnapping and impersonation. Skorzeny became known as the "most dangerous man in Europe".

During the Battle of the Bulge, Skorzeny led 2,000 English-speaking Germans, dressed in American uniforms, who attempted to create havoc behind Allied lines. He was also in charge of a squad of "swimmers" who attempted to retake the bridge at Remagen.

Skorzeny was arrested by 3rd Division troops on May 15, 1945. He was tried at Nuremberg for the Battle of the Bulge incident but was acquitted in 1947 after testimony indicated that infiltrating the enemy, as the enemy, was also an Allied tactic. He escaped from German authorities to Spain in 1948. Skorzeny was "entnazifiziert" (denazified) in absentia in 1952 and was allowed travel to Germany and Austria.

Theories link him to ODESSA, the organization that helped former Nazis escape prosecution in Germany. His business dealings were in the company of Juan Peron, Francisco Franco and Gamel Abdel Nasser. His story also wraps around the Bormann Treasure and Evita Peron.