By this time Lee could see his objective just over four miles ahead, and he ordered his driver to move out carefully. Kramers was soon speaking with Lee, who reported that the SS fire was increasing and the defenders were running perilously low on ammunition. 2023 Atlas Obscura. SS planners at the camp command at Dachau tapped Sebastian Wimmer, an equivalent of a captain in the SS, as commander of the new prison and assigned him some twenty-five members from the SSs concentration camp guard service. It operated as one of nearly 200 sub-camps and satellite facilities across Southern Germany and Northern Austria that were part of the Dachau Concentration Camp. He was taken to Major Josef Gangl, commander of the remains of a unit of Wehrmacht soldiers who had defied an order to retreat and instead thrown in with the local resistance, led by Rupert Hagleitner.[20]. Itter Castle: The Strangest Battle of World War II. Location: Itter, Austria; Time built: 19th Century; Architectural style: Tudor Revival; Touring: Not allowed. The Battle for Castle Itter: The Strangest Battle of WW2 The SS-Totenkopfverbnde guards left the castle soon after, and the prisoners took control of the castle and armed themselves with the weapons that remained,[19] however they feared an attack by any roaming parties of SS men still loyal to the Nazi regime. Battle for Castle Itter | Prisoners, Defenders - Britannica Nazi loyalists would shoot at any window displaying either a white flag or an Austrian flag, and would summarily execute males as possible deserters. He evaded several groups of SS soldiers and made his way to Wrgl. By the time the rescue troops reached the castle, they were left with one tank, seven American soldiers, and a truckload of German fighters. Pop Quiz: 17 Things to Know About World War II, https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-for-Castle-Itter. By the time it reached the bridge, lead reconnaissance elements of Lt. Col. Marvin J. Coyles 2nd Battalion, 142nd Infantry Regiment had joined Elliot and Boche Buster. His theory was put to the test far sooner than hed expected. The destruction of Besotten Jenny signaled the start of a general attack. Offer available only in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico). Machine guns pounded the exterior walls and blew out the narrow windows of the central housing block. Castle Itter - Itter, Austria - Atlas Obscura This Week In History: The Battle of Castle Itter At the last moment, Lee dragooned five M4s and crews from the 36th Infantry Divisions 142nd Infantry Regiment to provide extra firepower. The story of the battle is based on the Castle Itter Companion that was provi. In the final weeks of the European theater of World War II, an unexpected union of German and American forces guarded a select group of abandoned Nazi prisoners against the Waffen-SS. All rights reserved. It already had massive walls; a deep, dry moat; and a virtually impregnable gatehouse. Go Wild! All Reviews: 4 user reviews Release Date: Apr 30, 2021 Developer: Jrmy Zurcher Publisher: Jrmy Zurcher Popular user-defined tags for this product: Strategy Board Game Tabletop Solitaire 2D + 0:00 / 0:00 Autoplay videos The Sherman tank was destroyed by an 88mm anti-tank gun just before the general attack began. In early May 1945, American and German soldiers fought together against the Nazi SS to free prominent French prisoners of war. Edward J. Szymcyk, Cpl. by Harold Hutchison 6/4/2019. Claudia Mendes holds a BA Archeology from the University of Leicester. Always the pragmatist, Lee began planning what he and his shrinking command would do if the relief force didnt show up in time. On the morning of May 4, 1945, 1st Lt. John C. Jack Lee Jr. sat cross-legged atop the turret of his M4 Sherman tank, comparing the Austrian countryside before him with the map that lay on his lap. Vaulting aboard a bike liberated from a shopkeeper in the surrounding village, Cuckovic set off for Wrgl, a large town on the Inn River six miles northwest of the castle. The story of the battle begins on May 4, 1945, when three Sherman tanks under the grip of Capt. It was renovated in 1878 and became a hotel early in the 20th century. Lee was eventually awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his heroism. On 4 May 1945, just four days before the official surrender of Nazi Germany, the prisoner count at Castle Itter was just 14. Shortly after the arrival of the reinforcements, a force of 100150[26] Waffen-SS soldiers led by Georg Bochmann, who had been occupying some hills near the town, decided to launch an attack. [13] Besides the VIP prisoners, the castle held a number of Eastern European prisoners detached from Dachau, who were used for maintenance and other menial work. #3. His caution was justified: within minutes, the Sherman rounded a curve in the road and almost drove over a squad of SS troops trying to set up a roadblock. The battle took place on May 5, 1945, only three days before the official end of the war in Europe. Seventy years ago one of the most unlikely battles of World War Two took place, at Itter in the Austrian Alps. Franois-Poncet described the Germans attitude toward the Itter prisoners as a mixture of brute force, politeness, and occasional attempts at friendship. Daily life for the captives was certainly better than it would have been at virtually any other German-run prison. US soldiers joined forces with Wehrmacht infantrymen, an SS officer, an Austrian resistance fighter, and recently freed French prisoners of war to defend an Austrian castle against an attacking . I wonder how this compare to Pavlov's House? :: Castle Itter General Interview with David Thompson Designer of Castle Itter: The Strangest It's in the western part of the country, along Austria's border with Germany. Just after eleven oclock that evening, Waffen-SS troops in the hills opened fire on the castle with rifles and machine guns. It was used for VIP prisoners, prominent politicians and military figures that the Nazis wanted to use as bargaining chips. 23 Want to Visit? However, the hotel encountered financial problems and it was acquired by a holding company before it was sold to a private owner in 1985. He created a list of all the former prisoners and placed the Sherman in front of the main gate. ", Hans Fuchs, who was 14, watched the battle from his family's farm. QUICK QUESTION FOR THE DEVELOPER :: Castle Itter Bug Reports Nazis and Americans Fought Side-By-Side During One WWII Battle Liszt himself as well as young Arthur Rubinstein stayed at the castle; Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky orchestrated one of his compositions during a visit in 1892. When Eduard Weiter, the last commander of Dachau, settled into the castle with his family, the prisoners were sure it was the end. Lees plan was simple: since he didnt have enough vehicles to move his men, the French, and the Germans back to Kufstein, hed stay put and wait to be relieved by advancing American forces. Follow us on social media to add even more wonder to your day. The Strangest Battle in History: The Battle for Castle Itter - Wargaming Read about our approach to external linking. In 1943, Heinrich Himmler, leader of the SS and an all-around monster, decided it would be a good idea to take the top. Lt. Harry Basse, Company Bs motor officer and a close friend of Lees, took command of Boche Buster, whose crew included Tech. Among them were former prime ministers douard Daladier and Paul Reynaud; trade union leader Lon Jouhaux; generals Maxime Weygand and Maurice Gamelin; tennis star Jean Borotra; right-wing leader Col. Franois de La Rocque; and Michel Clemenceau, politician and son of World War Iera prime minister Georges Clemenceau. David: Castle Itter is the name of a castle in the Brixen Valley area of Austria. While the new arrivals knew nothing of the Castle Itter operation, they quickly secured Coyles permission to join the rescue effort. During World War II, the Germans used it as a prison for French VIPs including leaders of state, generals, and the like. Their trip wasnt as uneventful as Cuckovics had been, however. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. In addition, several women were incarcerated along with their spouses or partners, and two peoplea sister of Gen. Charles de Gaulle and a relative of Gen. Henri Giraudwere held because of their family connections to enemies of the regime. But to be on the safe side, and possibly to better his own chances with the Americans, Gangel jumped in his Kbelwagen and, leading a truck packed with some twenty Wehrmacht troops, sped off toward Kufstein, thirteen miles in the opposite direction. The dying days of World War II brought one of its strangest events. The former tennis star slipped out during a lull in the firing, dashed across forty yards of open ground, eluded several groups of SS men in the woods, and set off at a jog down the road toward Wrgl. During her degree, she focused on medieval fortifications. During the last days of April, Clemenceauwho spoke fluent Germansummoned Wimmer to a meeting with Reynaud and Gamelin. When the war reached Austria and the Third Reich took control, it was rented to the German government. On the morning of May 4, 1945, 1st Lt. John C. "Jack" Lee Jr. sat cross-legged atop the turret of his M4 Sherman tank, comparing the Austrian countryside before him with the map that lay on his lap. Most stayed only long enough to requisition what food and water they could, but on the night of April 30, 1945, Eduard Weiter, the last commander of Dachau, settled in with a retinue of his subordinates and their wives and children. The Battle for Castle Itter | Pakistan Defence Schrader and Gangl had become disillusioned with the Nazi ideology and both independently connected with the Austrian resistance. [16] Borotra asked for an American military uniform, then joined the force as it made haste to reach the prison before its defenders fired their last rounds of ammunition. The remaining guards also fled, essentially giving the castle to those imprisoned within. from the book The Last Battle by Stephen Harding. To bolster the rescue team numbers, Gangl made contact with the 23rd Tank Battalion of the US 12th Armored Division. For the last five months, Lee, a stocky twenty-seven-year-old from Norwich, New York, had led Company B of the 23rd Tank Battalion on a headlong advance across France, into Germany, and nowin what would turn out to be the last days of World War II in Europeinto the Austrian Tyrol. The woods surrounding them were full of Waffen SS and Gestapo. That Time Nazis and Americans Fought On the Same Side Sensing victory, the SS troops pressed their assault on the castles entrance. [3] Itter Castle was seized from Grner by SS Lieutenant General Oswald Pohl under the orders of Heinrich Himmler on February 7, 1943, and transformed into a prison by April 25, 1943. Prior to the battle, Schloss Itter was owned by a man known as Franz Grner, in 1938 the Anchluss took place which integrated . Failing to learn of the result of ukovi's effort, prison leaders accepted the offer of its Czech cook, Andreas Krobot, to bicycle to Wrgl mid-day on 4 May in hopes of reaching help there. The Battle for Castle Itter is a mind-blowing story and Harding's meticulous reconstruction of events makes what occurred there even more astounding. The French prisoners included former prime ministers, generals, tennis star Jean Borotra, and Charles de Gaulle's sister. American and German defenders poured fire from the castles upper walls and loopholes, taking a heavy toll with their rifles and machine guns. [13], On the afternoon of May 4, 1945, the prison's commander, Eduard Weiter, fled. In the 17th century, the seat of the local administration was moved to Hopfgarten, whereafter the premises decayed. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Capturing Itter Castle was a tough challenge as Nazi troops were in the surrounding woods, Maj Sepp Gangl of the Wehrmacht switched sides to help US forces, US Capt Jack Lee teamed up with Gangl's men to take on the SS, Schloss Itter was damaged in the fighting as this May 1945 photo shows, France's Gen Maxime Weygand (right) and his wife leave the castle in this May 1945 photo, De Gaulle's sister Marie-Agnes Cailliau was among the French VIPs liberated from the Nazis, A memorial in nearby Woergl commemorates Sepp Gangl as a war hero, Moscow sewer tourists all confirmed dead in floods, Man flees China on jet ski bound for South Korea, Ariana and Demi split from manager Scooter Braun, Trump co-defendants begin to surrender in Georgia, New person of interest identified in AC/DC manager death, Three die from listeria bacteria in milkshakes, Ex-Thai PM Thaksin jailed after return from exile, UK charges Nigerian ex-oil minister with bribery, Japan to release Fukushima water in 48 hours. Itter Castle - Wikipedia Follow us on Twitter to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. Hohenwerfen Castle Winner will be selected at random on 09/01/2023. This does not. Lee was profoundly tired and hoped that Kufstein would be Company Bs last battle. Play Time. At Wimmers urging, the young officer, whose name is lost to history, agreed to put on his uniform and go up to the castle to look after the French VIPs. The conflict fought by this unique joint American-German alliance is frequently referred to as the strangest battle of World War II. Back with his unit, Lee organized a rescue party, but no tank other than Lees own made it back to the castle. It is thought to be the only time that Americans and Germans fought as allies during World War II. "If the SS had managed to get into the castle and kill the French VIPs, the history of post-war France would have been radically different. Weiters suicide galvanized Wimmer, who abruptly fled the castle with his wife early on May 4 after assuring Reynaud and Daladier that he would find a way to protect the French prisoners against the Waffen-SS troops active in the surrounding hills. Yet even as he pondered what the wars end would mean to him and his fellow tankers, events were unfolding literally just down the road that would shatter his dreams of immediate peace. [14] Together the three groups repelled probes by SS reconnaissance elements throughout the night. The infantrymen riding on the tanks rear deck opened fire, as did the Shermans bow machine gunner and Gangels troops in the truck, and the SS troops fled into the surrounding woods. A group of Weiters SS minions tried to bury him in the village cemetery but the local priest rebuffed them, so they hurriedly interred the butcher of Dachau in an unmarked grave in a field outside the castle walls. Major Gangel, meanwhile, had rolled into Kufstein with a huge white flag fluttering from his vehicle. Paul Reynaud must have found the American lieutenant particularly irritating, for in his postwar memoirs the former prime minister remembered Lee as crude in both looks and manners, and sniffed, If Lee is a reflection of Americas policies, Europe is in for a hard time.. Other notable prisoners included Lon Jouhaux, a trade unionist who had opposed the Vichy government; Jean-Robert Borotra, a champion tennis player who had served as Vichy minister of sport before falling afoul of the regime; Franois de La Rocque, a former fascistic orator who was arrested after breaking with the collaborationists; and Michel Clemenceau (son of the late Premier Georges Clemenceau), who had lately turned against the Vichy regime. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. IMMERSIVE AND FUN INTRODUCTORY WAR GAME! - DVG's CASTLE ITTER Board Before the main assault began, Gangl was able to phone Alois Mayr, the Austrian resistance leader in Wrgl, and ask for reinforcements. While the presence of Waffen-SS units in the immediate area was a worry, Lee believed that Castle Itters thick walls would allow his tiny force to hold off all but the most determined attackers. In 1943, during World War II, it was turned into a Nazi prison for French VIPs. On the morning of May 4, 1945, 1st Lt. John C. "Jack" Lee Jr. sat cross-legged atop the turret of his M4 Sherman tank, comparing the Austrian countryside before him with the map that lay on his lap. So I don't see how this game could be more interesting or fun to play.unless that mechanics are different enough to add another facet to it. Fortunately for Lee and his men, the SS regiment that had been in Wrgl just hours earlier had pulled out of the town. Castle Itter is the name of a castle in the Brixen Valley area of Austria located in the western part of the country, along Austria's border with Germany. In 1940, after the Anschluss brought Austria into the Third Reich, the castle was rented out to the German government. But along the way, poor infrastructure caused one tank and its crew to be left behind. Troops of the 23rd Tank Battalion of the 12th Armored Division of the US XXI Corps led by Captain John C. "Jack" Lee, Jr., a number of Wehrmacht soldiers led by Major Josef "Sepp" Gangl, SS-Hauptsturmfhrer Kurt Siegfried Schrader, and recently freed . The prisoners were housed in converted guest bedrooms and had gardens to walk in during the day. The Battle for Castle Itter was fought near the Austrian village of Itter on 5 May 1945, in the last days of the War in Europe during World War II. [12], Besides the French VIP prisoners, the Castle held a number of Eastern European prisoners detached from Dachau, who were used for maintenance and other menial work. Originally envisioned by King Ludwig II to rival Versailles, Herrenchiemsee's "New Palace" remains half-gilded for lack of funds. Jack C. Lee, Jr., a U.S. tank commander, and the two officers stealthily visited the castle and reconnoitered. See. A short history of the battle that was fought at Castle Itter on May 5th, 1945. Roaring over the short bridge at the top of the road, the vehicles lurched to a stop directly in front of Itters main gate as night began to fall. The Balkans: Landscapes and Memories of Yugoslavia, Peru: Machu Picchu and the Last Incan Bridges, Antiques and Their Afterlives: Stories from the Collection of Ryan and Regina Cohn, Monster of the Month w/ Colin Dickey: Gilles de Rais, Historical Nonfiction: Research-Based Writing With Hadley Meares, 3D Paper Art: Pop-Ups and Paper Engineering With Yoojin Kim, Big Shots, Small Creatures: Macro Photography With Joseph Saunders, How to Read a Landscape: Botany & Ecology With Annie Novak, Artful Stitches & Fixes: Visible Mending With Erin Eggenburg, Stephansson House Provincial Historic Site. Schloss Itter had been a medieval castle, its foundations can be traced back to the 13th century. Itter Castle, Itter, Austria - SpottingHistory But the small party soon grew. SS troops swarmed from the tree line to the east, sprinting toward the castles main gate. ukovi instead pressed on up the Inn River valley towards Innsbruck 64km (40mi) distant. Castle Itter was first built in the ninth century by the Bavarians and spent many years as a private residence. Popular accounts of the battle have called it the strangest battle of World War II. The castle itself is situated on a hill close to the village of Itter. The inmates broke into the weapons room but could not leave the castle. The battle continued through the morning of 5 May, with a strong force of 100150 SS pressing the attack until reinforcements from the American 142nd Infantry Regiment arrived around 4 PM that day. Innsbruck had just been taken by the U.S. 103rd Infantry Division, and chances were excellent that Cuckovic would encounter American troops moving east toward Wrgl. Corrections? It is believed to be the only battle in the war in which Americans and Germans fought as allies. A few months before his death in January 1973, he was asked by a reporter in Norwich how he felt about the long-ago incident. Lee chose eight volunteers to man the patrols two Shermans: his own Besotten Jenny and Lt. Wallace S. Holbrooks Boche Buster. Lees crew included Sgt. Castle Itter is a fortress originally built in the 13th century and rebuilt in 1532. The former prisoners of Castle Itter were less than impressed by the troops and many did not take kindly to the American commander. Consider supporting our work by becoming a member for as little as $5 a month. The other Sherman tank and troops had been left in the town of Wrgl to defend the main road leading in. Lee was about to be thrust into an unlikely battle that would involve a mountain castle, a group of combative French VIPs, an uneasy alliance with the enemy, a fight to the death against overwhelming odds, and one of the last combat actions of World War II in Europe. By the end of the Second World War, some Germans were fed up with where the country was heading, and many were willing to fight against their own country. Germany's Castle Itter was used as a detention facility for VIP prisoners. In 1943 it had been seized by the SS and incorporated into the Dachau concentration camp system. Now, with the lead elements of the 36th Infantry Division moving in to assume responsibility for the area, Lee and his men could catch a few minutes rest. Today, the Castle is again owned by a private owner and is not open to the public. Gangl then made contact with Capt. Battle for Castle Itter: When US-German Forces Fought Together (1945) The Best 20 Castles to Visit in Austria (Listed by Popularity) His tank, nicknamed Besotten Jenny, was parked on a low hill on the south bank of the Inn River, overlooking the village of Kufstein, three miles southwest of the German border. This is when the strange, unlikely union of German and American forces began. This souvenir booklet is not what you might expect, An interview with historian James M. Fenelon on his latest, Angels Against the Sun., History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. This changed when they prepared an anti-tank shell for the gates and were confronted with gunfire from behind.The relief column had arrived, and the battle for the castle was over. Among those killed was Major Gangl who was taken out by a sniper as he and Lee tried to spot the anti-tank gun. It Celebrates the Japanese Conquest of Shanghai, Grunts, Grit, and Brotherhood: A Look at the Only Airborne Division in the Pacific War. Herbert G. McHaley. He realized he needed the American forces to arrive, so he set off to find them in Kufstein. I just played a full game and had zero help for anything. The four roared off in pursuit of the 142nd Infantry tanks and halftracks, which had set off toward the castle with Boche Buster in the lead. Josef Gangl was buried in the nearby town of Woergl. Pavlov's House got everything this game has and more. giborn_134/cc by-nd 2.0 In the final weeks of the European theater of World War II, an unexpected union of German and American forces guarded a select group of. While the unusual circumstances of the action at Castle Itter made it the subject of a few newspaper and magazine articles, including a July 1945 piece in the Saturday Evening Post by Levin, Lee himself summed it up best. In May of 1943, after the Anschluss of Austria, it was transformed into a prison. The addition of tangles of concertina wire and dozens of intricate locks rendered the castle virtually escape-proof. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). There was only one substantial bridge over the small river that bisected the valley, and Lee discovered that the SS had wired it with demolition charges. Battle For Castle Itter: When Americans And Nazis Fought Side-By-Side An officers prison camp believed to be impregnable by the Germans saw over 30 successful escapes. I wonder how this compare to Pavlov's House? :: Castle Itter General Stephen Harding, author of the book The Last Battle, says one of them managed to contact a German major, Josef (Sepp) Gangl. The transformation of the castle into a prison was completed by 25 April 1943, and the facility was placed under the administration of the Dachau concentration camp. Two Sherman tanks of the 23rd Tank Battalion of the U.S. 12th Armored Division under the command of Capt. VideoSolving the air-con conundrum, Fury in The Gambia over India cough syrup deaths, Chicken, chips and Zimbabwe's taste for democracy. [40][41] He was the sole defender to die during the battle, though four others were wounded. The goal of the game is to last until the SS deck is depleted, without allowing SS Counters to reach the castle. In 1878, the castle was renovated and eventually turned into a hotel in the early 20th century. "Castle Itter: The Strangest Battle of World War II", "The Last Battle: When U.S. and German Soldiers Joined Forces in the Waning Hours of World War II in Europe", "The Austrian castle where Nazis lost to German-US force", "Sepp Gangl-Strae in Wrgl Strassensuche.at", "Castle Itter: The Strangest Battle of WWII", "World War II's Strangest Battle: When Americans and Germans Fought Together", "Freed Daladier, Blum, Reynaud, Niemoeller, Schuschnigg, Gamelin DALADIER AND BLUM AMONG MANY FREED", YouTube video "When Americans and Wehrmacht allied against the SS Castle Itter 1945", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Castle_Itter&oldid=1171116749, Battles and operations of World War II involving France, Battles of World War II involving Germany, Battles and operations of World War II involving the United States, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from December 2020, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0, This page was last edited on 19 August 2023, at 03:45. LarryP. "Josef Gangl was killed by a sniper. Itter Castle, view from south, February 2010, "World War II's Strangest Battle: When Americans and Germans Fought Together", "Recollections of a World War II Combat Medic", "Das Schicksalsschloss/A Castle Big with Fate", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Itter_Castle&oldid=1170359916, World War II prisoner-of-war camps in Germany, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2018, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0, This page was last edited on 14 August 2023, at 16:09. The Battle for Castle Itter was fought in the Austrian North Tyrol village of Itter on 5 May 1945, in the last days of the European Theater of World War II. The last prisoners of Castle Itter were mostly elderly French men who had been high-ranking government officials before falling into disfavour with Vichy France or the Third Reich. One of the men, Zvonimir Cuckovic, made contact with American troops under the command of Major John T. Kramers. Accompanied by American war correspondent Meyer Levin and French photographer Eric Schwab, the convoy set out for Itter along the same refugee-choked roads Cuckovic had negotiated on his way to Innsbruck. Between 100 and 150 Waffen-SS troops attacked the castle in the early morning hours of May 5. The prisoners had already sent their Yugoslavian handyman, Zvonimir ukovi, to get help from the advancing Americans. Topped with storybook crenelations and accompanied by a rich history, Schloss Itter, as its called in German, was first mentioned in land records as early as 1240.
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