The interrogation was watched by a third man, who eventually took Mayer to the house of Franz Hofer, the local Gauleiter [Nazi Party boss]. 1501 1501. In this operation, OSS used former German nationals who were forced to flee for their lives just because they were Jewish. This fact caught the attention of Franz Hofer, a member of the Reichsgau, a Nazi administrative subdivision based on occupied territories. There is a nice WC on the ground floor with baby changing facilities. Mayer was then betrayed and captured. Frederick Mayer, right, with Franz Weber, left, and Hans Wijnberg, in an undated photograph, took part in the Greenup operation, parachuting into Austria in 1945 to spy on Nazi troop activity. Mayer, Wijnberg, and Weber were parachuted with their supplies into Austria on 26 February 1945 in total darkness which was why they ended up on the crest of the Sulztaler glacier some 9,000 feet up a mountain. According to The Washington Post, Tarantino thought Christoph Waltz couldn't perform the scene convincingly enough and choked actress Diane Kruger himself. "We all sat around and everybody had their scripts and lines," Roth said. Eastern Prussian Provinces, Germany [Poland], Selected Civil Vitals, 1874-1945. He was arrested by the American army three days after his surrender and was kept a prisoner until 1948, when he was set free. He dominated the sport of speed skiing from 1980 to 1985, winning over eighty percent of the races he entered. Diane Kruger was not the only "Inglourious Basterds" cast member to face potentially dangerous scenarios during the film shoot. One of their pieces of intelligence enabled the Allied air forces to bomb a large number of trains in a nearby marshalling yard. The Gestapo agent that had mercilessly beaten him was taken to the very cell where he had tortured Mayer. One of the guards saw him, reported him to the authorities, and he was arrested. He joined the OGs (Operational Groups), specifically Operational Group Germany. Considering how the Gestapo worked, they believed him. For UK viewers it is available on the 5 Demand online catch up service until 22 December. Webers sister was a nurse who helped Mayer disguise himself as a German officer in uniform and bandaged up from a head wound. Birth, Baptism & Christening. Top Image:L-R Franz Weber, Hans Wijnberg, and Fred Mayer courtesy of theUS National Archives. Claiming to be on the run from the advancing Soviets, he got a job at the facility. Dulles cabled OSS HQs in Italy, Fred Mayer reports he is in Gestapo hands but cabled Dont worry about me, Im really not bad off a remarkable message considering that it was coming from a Jew. He volunteered for the US Army but was denied service because he was considered an enemy alien. OSS immediately saw his potential and recruited him into their ranks. During the movie's production, however, there were also serious risks and conflicts that could have (and probably should have) been avoided. Mayer was motivated by a powerful combination of hate and lovehate toward the Nazis and love for America. Its Like the First World WarIf We kill them, theyre just replaced, The Russo-Ukraine war: Implications for UK Defence, SMS Seeadler: A First World War Sailing Warship, Rishi Sunak to end asylum claims from small boat arrivals, Prince Harry: I always felt different to rest of family, Ocean treaty: Historic agreement reached after decade of talks, Kuenssberg: Sunak can't escape past Tory horrors, Chris Rock talks about Will Smith's Oscars slap in a live Netflix show, Rail fares go up in England and Wales by 5.9%, Everything Everywhere sweeps Independent Spirit Awards, King's Coronation: Pubs to stay open longer in England and Wales, UK Weather: Snow and ice expected in Scotland and north of England, Ukraine war: The Moldovan enclave surrounded by pro-Russian forces. Beck's name is among the more than 72,000 Americans from World War II listed as unaccounted for by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. Praesidus brings homage to the military watch tradition. After unexpectedly arriving at the OSS post, the men sat and languished for months, waiting for a mission. M7/99 Franz Weinrank, Wien M7/100 Franz Pils & Sobn, Wien M7/101 Fritz Weber, Wien M7/102 Franz Pils & Sohn, Steinbach am St. M7/103 Josef Hack, Steyr M7/104 Ludwig Zeitler, Wien M7/105 Rudolf Wurzer, St. Christophen M7/106 Georg Kerschbaumer, Steinbach an der Steyr M7/108 Karl Oschmann & Co., Brotterode i. Th. The U-boat War in World War Two (Kriegsmarine, 1939-1945) and World War One (Kaiserliche Marine, 1914-1918) and the Allied efforts to counter the threat. When expanded it provides a list of search options that will switch the search inputs to match the current selection. His mother, however, demanded that the family flee to the U.S. Young Fitz (Mayers nickname) was captivated by cowboy stories of the American West, and so looked forward to the journey. Between "Jackie Brown" in 1997 and "KillBill Vol. For three days and nights, Mayer was savagely beaten, but he kept up his cover speaking only in French. Though they managed to retrieve most of their supplies, their skis were another matter entirely, forcing them to climb down in waist-deep snow. All results for Franz Weber. In 2014, when President Obama had awarded several Medals of Honor to individuals who werent awarded them at the time due to racism or other reasons, was given the name of Mayer by WV Senator Jay Rockefeller. Their mission was given the name of Operation Greenup, and though their deeds arent that well known, they manage to destabilize the Nazi regime. This enabled him to pick upinformation from other German officers, which Wijnberg relayed back to the OSS. They had to walk down the glacier, sometimes waist deep in snow. Over 40.000 pages on the officers, the boats, technology and the Allied efforts to counter the U-boat threat. Patrick K. ODonnell is a bestselling author and combat historian who has conducted over 5,000 oral history interviews with heroes like Frederick Mayer. World War II Military Records. Like many other Germans by the end of the war, Hofer was looking for a safeguard with the Allies to secure his own freedom. Privacy statement, cookies, disclaimer and copyright, On a journey of discovery to historical sites? They didn't end up killing Hitler, but they were able to negotiate the surrender of the German Army in Austria. They purloined a Jeep, mutinied from the OGs and arrived at OSSs Secret Intelligence (SI) section, which had been dropping agents deep inside Nazi Germany. Webers sister, Louise, was a nurse who gave Mayer the uniform and documents of a recently-deceased German officer. "Inglourious Basterds" made its world premiere at the 2009 Cannes FilmFestival, but the version of the film that screened there wasn't quite the same as the version which ultimately make it to theaters later that summer. The two men needed a third teammate who spoke German and knew the areaand was willing to risk certain death if captured. Mayer parachuted onto an Alpine glacier, infiltrated enemy lines, and posed as a German officer to ascertain crucial intelligence. But after several weeks behind enemy lines that provided reams of actionable intelligence, a knock on the door of Mayers safe house changed his life. They therefore had to walk in deep snowto Oberperfuss, Webers home village. Does anyone out there have Quentin Tarantinos cell? At the start of 1945, Mayer was a highly trained agent for the Secret Intelligence division of the OSS and became the leader of the Operation Greenup. Frederick Mayer was a man described by some as fearless. The mission that began with vengeance ended with forgiveness. An irreverent alternate history following two intersecting plots of Jews taking violent revenge against the Nazis (one by an orphaned French theater owner named Shosanna, the other by an American GI squad known as the Basterds), Tarantino's sixth film became the director's biggest hit up to that point in the summer of 2009. During WWII, some Jews really did volunteer to go into Nazi-occupied Europe to engage in espionage and sabotage. one of four skiers who broke a world record by skiing sixteen Colorado ski resorts in one day. Box 378 Red Hook, New York 12571 United States. It was the scariest part of the entire mission.. But at the radio station, Mayer persuaded the Nazi to declare Innsbruck an open city, and place himself under his arrest, effectively surrendering the city and his forces to Mayer. Friedrich Fred Mayers father was a decorated war veteran for his distinguished service to the German Empire in WWI. The rectangular shaped obverse reads: "Waffen-SS" in black ink on a yellow backing. People Projects Discussions Surnames Franz Josef Huber, responsible for deporting tens of thousands of Jews, escaped punishment with U.S. backing and went on to work for West German intelligence, newly disclosed records reveal. Now, a new History Channel film, The Real Inglorious Bastards, returns to the true story chronicled in the book and captures Mayers amazing exploits in historically accurate detail. Air Force, The only area to infiltrate was a small lake frozen over in the winter between the mountains. However, this historical episode is not the only one. Mayer was put in for the Medal of Honor twice and it was downgraded to the Legion of Merit. The Real Inglorious Bastards. On July 28, 1914, one month after Franz Ferdinand's death, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, beginning a chain reaction that would lead to four years of horrific conflict with millions of . Life as a spy was not short of action. Anna was a Tyrolean hotelier who gave the team shelter, support, and protection from the Nazis at the risk of her own life, and who once cried out, both in despair and defiance, If Hitler wins the war, then I dont believe in God anymore. A film on Greenup would have it all: a righteous cause, victims fighting back, nail-biting chase scenesit couldnt help but score big at the box office. An overwhelming majority of them were women and children. The war pitted the Central Powersmainly Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Turkeyagainst the Alliesmainly France, Great Britain, Russia, Italy, Japan, and, from 1917, the United . In scene straight from Inglourious Basterds, Mayer sat at the bar with a bandage on his head, swilled beer, and listened to the stories of other recovering German officers. After three months, Mayer changed his cover to that of a French electrician who was fleeing the Soviets. "Say 'What' Again!" Ulmer asked several pointed questions about their background, and the men revealed that they were Jewish. While promoting her 2022 action movie "The 355," Diane Kruger appeared on the podcast "Reign with Josh Smith" and answered questions about how she got the role of German actress and spy Bridget Von Hammersmark in "Inglourious Basterds." On February 25, 1945, Mayer flew from his base in Italy and arrived in the Austrian mountains by parachuting with his team in the dead of night onto the ridge of a glacier. Rahn offered to send a message to OSS HQs in Bern, Switzerland headed up by Allen Dulles who later became the head of the CIA. His captors, including Franz Hofer, the governor of the Alpine Redoubt and an immensely powerful man within Hitlers inner Circle, faced war crimes prosecution. The pilot John Billings volunteered, and it nearly ended in disaster. Most of SIs missions had been failures with the operatives either killed or shipped off to concentration camps. I made the argument for the medal in my book They Dared Return, and now Sen. John Rockefeller is championing the cause. His cover wasnt holding water, and so the tall one stripped him from head to toe. He was 94 years old. There were some contributions from historians, mainly to set things in context, and some re-enactments in the absence of archival footage, but the story was told largely in Mayer and Wijnbergs own words. From 0-99, there is something for the child in all of us. Channel 5s website describes the programme as follows: Documentary exploring one of the hundreds of undercover missions launched by the US governments Office of Strategic Services during World War II. Any intel they can glean here will give the Allies hints about how the German Army intends to fight in the wars endgame, whether it will try to circle the wagons in some sort of Allied redoubt for a last-ditch fight. On 7 December 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, forcing America to enter the war. An Olympian, six-time consecutive World Speed Skiing Champion and former world record-holder, Franz Weber still holds the North American record, at Inhibition of osteoclast differentiation and bone resorption by N-methylpyrrolidone. You had to go on and on and on about your backstory. However, he was never caught and lived a relatively peaceful life until his death in 1964. During WWII, some Jews really did volunteer to go into Nazi-occupied Europe to engage in espionage and sabotage. He made the deadline, but the film ultimately got re-edited with minor adjustments between the premiere and the wide release. The team would infiltrate using a blacked out B-24 bomber. A native Austrian, Weber fought on the Eastern Front but was convinced that Austria needed to be free of Hitler and the Nazis. It was the perfect opportunity to kill Nazis, which was the reason many Jewish boys joined. He married Katharina Haechlinger about 1550. The only area to infiltrate was a small lake frozen over in the winter between the mountains. See Photos. The "Inglourious Basterds" screenplay was a particular challenge both to write and to edit down into a workable feature. Then good fortune stepped in. So convincing was his performance that the agent turned away from the team and started checking the papers of the other passengers. The team would infiltrate using a blacked out B-24, After three months, Mayer changed his cover to that of a French electrician who was fleeing the Soviets. Works at Arbeitete bei der Stadt Luzern. Fridolin Weber. Posing as a recovering German officer, Mayer befriended an Engineer Officer who worked on the Fuhrer Bunker in Berlin. He had Mayer brought to him. Sent to Italy, he was teamed up with Hans Wijnberg another Jewish-American whose family was thrown intoAuschwitz. View Franz Weber results including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. The OSS went to the only available source of that nearly impossible combination: an Allied prisoner of war camp. Tarantino worked on the script for years, made tough decisions in casting the film, and took time to get the final cut just right. After training for months and mapping out the mission in minute detail, the men were ready to gobut no one wanted to fly the team. His current life is fairly peacefulhe still chops wood nearly every day and volunteers with Meals on Wheels. Avoiding roaming German fighters, flak, and forceful Alpine winds and backdrafts, Billings threaded through 9,000-foot high canyon-like mountains and found the drop zone. Eighty years ago, the Red Army managed to stop, contain, and ultimately defeat the largest German army on the Eastern Front. Do you want to create your own battlefield tour to sights of wars from the past? Their mission was to infiltrate the area around Innsbruck, Austria and monitor the reports of the Nazis stockpiling arms and ammunition there, the Alpine Redoubt. Bis current project is . The Messerschmitt design team were on to something . Hans Wynberg, a Dutch-born Jew whose family was sent to Auschwitz, and Franz Weber, an Austrian officer who had defected from the German army, worked with Mayer. He also determined the times for troop and ammunition trains heading thru the Brenner Pass and called in airstrikes. You must become a subscriber or login to view or post comments on this article. Tarantino's movies tend to be on the longer side, with many of them running close to three hours. They made their way to Webers family and then Mayer actually stayed in the Officers barracks in Innsbruck for several weeks, gleaming as much intelligence as he could and then relaying it to Wynberg (the radio operator) who would then relay it to OSS HQs. Mayer saved the lives of perhaps thousands of troops on both sides by arranging the surrender of the German troops in Austria. And 15 Other Iconic Lines From Tarantino's FilmsThe Real-Life Django Who Rebelled Against Slavery And No One Talks About Enough10 Lessons We Learned From The Bad-Ass Women In Tarantino's Universe. Over 16.5 million men and women served in the armed forces during World War II, of whom 291,557 died in battle, 113,842 died from other causes, and 670,846 were wounded. ORCID record for Franz Weber. I'd have a 100-page script and no end in sight. A former German commando and officer, Weber had fought on the Eastern Front but now was convinced that it was his duty to defeat the Third Reich for the sake of his country, Austria. Tarantino's movies, "Inglourious Basterds" included, generally have such excellent casting that it's often weird to read about who almost played their iconic characters instead. However, that doesn't mean the provocative auteur was taking a break from work; he was keeping busy writing scripts. Once in place, Mayer posed as a German . Ian Harvey is one of the authors writing for WAR HISTORY ONLINE. World War II was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. 2023 The SOFREP Media Group. They found that Germans were using movable bridges on the Brenner railway that they hid in tunnels by day and used only at night. Matull gave fake information on Mayer, claiming he was an important general of the American Army. WORLD WAR II; Nov 27, 2015 Shahan Russell, Guest Author. Matull then said that a person as high ranking as Mayer should be interrogated by a person of equal importance, namely the Gauleiter of Tyrol and Vorarlberg, Franz Hofer. Though it turned out to be a myth created by fanatical Nazis, the Allies couldnt have known that at the time. Tune in for a conversation about the men of X Troop, who were the realInglorious Basterds: a secret commando unit of young Jewish refugees who were trained in counterintelligence and advanced combat to deliver decisive blows against the Nazis. She was only 56 years old when she passed away. Both programmetitles are somewhat misleading, since the members of Operation Greenup were tasked withgathering intelligence rather than directly killing Nazis, and the only connection with the filmInglorious Basterds is that they were American Jews operating behind enemy lines. Franz Weber. All three landed safely with most of their equipment, but the canister containing their skis was lost. Part of the reason Tarantino decided to make "Kill Bill" first was due to the fact the story for his epic was growing so large in scale that he was having trouble cutting it down. Later, Mayer changed his disguise and donned the clothing of a French electrician. 8001 Zrich. Mayer then turned his back on the agent and the war, refusing to speak about it for decades. Hofer got Mayer to help him arrange the surrender. Early on May 3, 1945, the American 103rd Infantry Division of the Seventh Army was ordered to take Innsbruck. Service on a half-dozen fronts, including the bloody struggle against Marshal Titos partisans in occupied Yugoslavia, has opened Webers eyes. ), Austrian football player Franz Weber (soldier) (1921-2014), German soldier Franz Weber (activist) (1927-2019), Swiss environmentalist and animal welfare activist Franz Weber (skier) (born 1956), Austrian skier Former Director of CIA William Casey called Operation Greenup the most successful operation of World War II. The documentary ended with Fred Mayer talking to Hans Wijnberg via Skype. He infiltrated it by obtaining work as an electrician, using a French translation of his own name,discovering that supply problems with parts meant that no aircraft were being completed. He was an actor, known for The Marriage of Figaro (1949), Pillars of Society (1935) and So ein Flegel (1934). Edit your search or learn more. September 1734 in Zell im Wiesental; 16. Theres no doubt that Operation Greenup saved many thousands of lives, Austrian and American, civilian and military. In 1997, he won the Legends Downhill Championship in Vail, Colorado and placed first overall in the Masters Division of the MCI World Downhill Championships. According the filmmakers website, it has been shown inother countries atvarious film festivals and on the Discovery and History channels under the title The Real Inglorious Bastards. Representing a variety of world class athletes, the company specializes in client hospitality and luxury adventure travel notably . Mayer obtained a German uniform and impersonated a wounded officer. The trio had supplies packages dropped with them, but unfortunately were unable to locate the packet containing their skis. Franz Weber. Birth of Fridolin Weber. At the film's premiere at the Cannes FilmFestival, he compared the spelling of the title to an "artistic flourish" by an artist like Jean-Michel Basquiat, saying (via Today), "If he describes why he did it, he might as well not have done it at all." One, an engineer, had worked on the German Fuhrers bunker in Berlin. These are the untold truths of the making of "Inglourious Basterds.". He radioed the exact locations and dimensions back to HQs. That mans a bigshot in the US Military. Weve already been checked, Weber asserted with great chutzpah. Franz Weller (5 December 1901 - 14 August 1994) was a highly decorated Oberst in the Wehrmacht during World War II. It wasn;t until they brought in the informant that Mayer finally admitted he was an American agent, but insisted that he worked alone. Do you want to create your own battlefield tour to sights of wars from the past? We use our own and third-party cookies to personalize and improve the use and experience of our users on our website. He died on August 10, 1962 in West Berlin, West Germany. In March 1945 these three men nearly died being inserting into Nazi controlled Austria as they ended up parachuting onto a . Quentin Tarantinos Inglorious Basterds tells the story of a special battalion posted in France in charge of sabotaging German military activities and, most importantly, killing Nazis. 1 was here. He is a two-time overall winner of the Tournament of Champions and four-time Rolex Legends Series Champion. Hofer was looking for a way to surrender to the Americans and not the Russians and saw this as his chance. His work was to get as much information as possible from the Germans, from plans for troop displacement, to attacks, and where they stored supplies, so him and his partners could sabotage them. Uncoiling a rawhide whip, the tall one put his full weight behind each swing, mercilessly thrashing the agents body like a side of beef. A native Austrian, Weber fought on the Eastern Front but was convinced that Austria needed to be free of Hitler and the Nazis.
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