THE BATTLE OF CASTLE ITTER: WHEN AMERICA AND GERMANY JOINED FORCES IN WWII
During World War II, Germany’s military, the Wehrmacht, did its very best to ensure the destruction of anyone rising up against the Axis Powers. Protecting the Third Reich was priority one and it should come as no surprise that Nazi Germany and the U.S. were spending a lot more time shooting at each other than anything else during the war. However, one of the strangest battles of WWII would see the two sides coming together as allies fighting against the infamous Waffen-SS in a bid to rescue French prisoners during the Battle of Castle Itter.
The Battle of Itter Castle: An Unlikely Alliance
While the Battle of Itter Castle took place toward the end of World War II, the structure itself has been around since at least the 13th century.
In the waning days of Nazi Germany’s rule, the structure was a place shrouded in mystery but in reality, the castle near Tyrol, Austria, was a political prison operated by the Waffen-SS who were holding leaders from France.
At this point, even the Wehrmacht was fighting against the use of Itter Castle and would go on to form a temporary alliance with the U.S. Army and Austrian Resistance. It’s one of possibly two times American forces and German forces fought together during WWII.
The Prisoners of Castle Itter
On May 5, 1945, two days before the surrender of Nazi Germany, the Battle of Castle Itter took place in the Austrian Alps as the Germans were renting the property for years prior.
Those operating Dachau were in charge of Castle Itter and it was used to detain certain personnel by SS Officers, specifically, at the end of the war, the residents of the castle primarily consisted of older French high-ranking government officials. This includes the following:
- Former French Prime Ministers Édouard Daladier and Paul Reynaud
- Former generals Maxime Weygand and Maurice Gamelin
- Trade unionist Léon Jouhaux
- Champion tennis player and previous Minister of Sport in Vichy France, Jean-Robert Borotra
- François de La Rocque
- Michel Clemenceau
Although mostly men, several women were also held prisoner within Itter Castle, including partners and relatives of men who were high-ranking French personnel and held in the same place.
Prison Conditions
Because Dachau was operating the property, the service staff from the concentration camp was there to take care of the prisoners.
Living quarters were made by converting hotel rooms into prison cells; however, for the most part, prisoners could freely walk around and enjoyed comparatively much nicer conditions, including food.
At least, that’s how it was before Nazi Germany began falling to the Allies. In 1945, conditions changed when leadership from Dachau moved to Castle Itter.
On April 29, 1945, Dachau was liberated and on May 2, the leader of the camp, Eduard Weiter, took his life. With morale destroyed, many of the leaders and guards stationed at Castle Itter left the property.
This created an odd situation where the prisoners no longer had their captors over them, and yet, because enemy German forces still had a stronghold in the region, they were still effectively trapped.
The Battle Begins
As Americans were advancing in the area, the prisoners looked to make a move by sending their handyman to seek help, a Yugoslavian named Zvonimir Čučković.
The area was hostile and the United States decided it couldn’t help but Army Maj. John T. Kramers caught wind of the operation, defied orders, and sent a small rescue team to the castle.
As this was going on, the prisoners also sent Andreas Krobot, a cook for the castle, who met with Maj. Sepp Gangl, a Wehrmacht officer who turned on the Nazis and was willing to help.
Gangl connected with U.S. Tank Commander Capt. Jack C. Lee, Jr., and together they scouted the castle.
Lee then organized a rescue mission, though only his tank successfully returned to the castle.
Lee took the lead on defending the castle, ordering a small group made up of Gangl’s men and Waffen-SS officer Capt. Kurt-Siegfried Schrader, who also became disillusioned with Nazism.
On the morning of the Battle of Castle Itter, a Waffen-SS assault began as prisoners found the limited weapons they could that were left behind to defend their position.
The castle took significant damage to its walls, Gangle was killed defending their location, and even Lee’s tank was destroyed.
However, when things looked to be at their darkest and the ammunition was running out among the castle defenders, a group of tanks from Maj. Kramers appeared that afternoon and dispersed the Waffen-SS attackers.
Is There a Movie on the Battle of Castle Itter?
The Last Battle is a film based on the New York Times' bestselling book of the same name. It tells the story of the Battle of Castle Itter. While the film is available on Prime Video, it’s not available in the United States at the moment.
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