Early on May 3, 1945, the American 103rd Infantry Division of the Seventh Army was ordered to take Innsbruck. . Weber bluffed his way past a team of agents that had been searching the train. Rising to power in an unstable Germany, Adolf Hitler and his National Socialist (Nazi Party) rearmed the nation and signed treaties . Zrich Airport. Operation Greenup: Frederick Mayer and Hans Wynberg were Jewish refugees of Nazi Germany and Holland respectively. The team needed somebody with local knowledge, and Franz Weber, an anti-Nazi local who had deserted from the German Army to the Allies, volunteered to join it. STIWOT, 1999-2023. Few films could get away with an ending where a character turns to the camera and says, "This might just be my masterpiece," but "Inglourious Basterds" might trulybe QuentinTarantino's masterpiece. 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He dominated the sport of speed skiing from 1980 to 1985, winning over eighty percent of the races he entered. By Tom Linder West Hawaii Today tlinder@westhawaiitoday.com | Wednesday, May 6, 2020, 12:05 a.m. Franz Weber, a longtime Kona resident, started Paying it Forward, which serves as a bridge between . Not wanting to mess with a Wehrmacht officer, the inspector moved on. Matull gave fake information on Mayer, claiming he was an important general of the American Army. And although he was circumcised, the Gestapo thought nothing of it since many non-Jews also practiced circumcision. Show Location on Map. Weber, a Catholic, had deserted, convinced . His cover wasnt holding water, and so the tall one stripped him from head to toe. That mans a bigshot in the US Military. The German Luftwaffe Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe (Swallow) was the first operational jet fighter and appeared in air combat towards the end of World War Two.The Me 262 has always been one of my favourite World War Two era aircraft.It wasn't the best jet to ever grace the skies but I have always liked its shark like, leading edge design! Fortunately, Hofer realized that Germany would lose and wanted to save his skin, so he ordered Mayer brought to him. They eventually made contact with Webers family. Air Force Special Operations Commandos owe part of their heritage to OSS pilots who flew many dangerous missions during the war. That didnt stop the intrepid OGs. He died in Switzerland. Tarantino's movies tend to be on the longer side, with many of them running close to three hours. His current life is fairly peacefulhe still chops wood nearly every day and volunteers with Meals on Wheels. The third soldier was the Austrian Franz Weber, a Nazi officer who had deserted the army. The threewere to be dropped byparachutednear Innsbruckin February 1945. People Projects Discussions Surnames Mayer convinced Hofer the war was over. Two of them, Mayer and Wynberg, were exiled Jewish men in America who had fled their countries when hostilities began in Germany. This is a horrible place where the Nazis tortured and killed members of the Belgium resistance. Mayer eventually headed back into Nazi-occupied territory in Europe serving as U.S. spy. Ulmer asked them if they knew what would befall them if they were caught by the Nazis. Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy, The OSS in Vietnam, 1945: A War of Missed Opportunities by Dixee Bartholomew-Feis, Secret Agents, Secret Armies: The D-Day Misfit Spies, Black Volunteer Infantry Platoons in World War II, Kasserine Pass: German Offensive, American Victory, Gallantry against Great Odds: LTC George Marshall and Operation RESERVIST, Prelude to Liberation: Genesis of American Amphibious Assault in the ETO, Black Thursday October 14, 1943: The Second Schweinfurt Bombing Raid, An Exercise in Depravity: The Establishment of the Warsaw Ghetto, Unsung Witnesses of the Battle of Stalingrad, Stalingrad: Experimentation, Adaptation, Implementation. They jumped in on February 26, 1945. Er war Onkel von Aloisia Weber und Constanze Weber. "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. "KillBill" offered a fun break from the not-quite-ready project and a chance to reunite with "PulpFiction" scene-stealer Uma Thurman. 129.303 mph/208.092 kph which he set in 1983 in Silverton, Colorado. He made the deadline, but the film ultimately got re-edited with minor adjustments between the premiere and the wide release. Franz Weber, Actor: Figaros Hochzeit. In 1998, he won the National SG Masters Championships, and his Masters record includes winning all but two of the more than Do you want to create your own battlefield tour to sights of wars from the past? I don't want you to be bad at the script reading, but I want you to hold a lot back. Proud of his heritage, Franz assisted in the creation of the NBC Today Show Where in the world is Matt Lauer? featuring his birth town, Innsbruck Austria, while also including his home in Reno/Tahoe. They showed him a picture of Mayers ruined face, but Matull was a world-class hustler before the war. *Lighting a path to truth* Former Navy JAG Worldwide U.S. Military Defense. 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. TracesOfWar.com tells you more! Feigning the role of a captured German POW, Fred entered a camp and networked within its gates. Privacy statement, cookies, disclaimer and copyright, On a journey of discovery to historical sites? It could be a way around the MPAA's sensitivity about profanity in movie titles. But this ninety-somethings life hasnt always been so simple. He penetrated a secret underground factory producing jet engines for the Third Reich. - Narrative histories highlighting organization, combat experiences, and casualties of each division - Lists of constituent units and division commanders - Sources for further reading on each division This is the first of 3 definitive volumes that cover the German ground forces that swept across Europe with such ruthless efficiency in 1939 and 1940 and battled the Allies around the globe until . Kessler (TV Mini Series 1981) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. 3, No. Mayer was asked to dine with Hofer, his wife and the German Ambassador to Italy, Rudolph Rahn. The wrong tug on their chutes or a miscalculation of the pilot by mere seconds could have sent the men to their deaths. Service on a half-dozen fronts, including the bloody struggle against Marshal Titos partisans in occupied Yugoslavia, has opened Webers eyes. One of the mainsprings of the group spoke eight different languages, had fought and escaped from the French Legion, and had previously worked as a matre d at the Copacabana nightclub. view all Franz Weber's Timeline. Inform us! He can see the reality of Hitlers plans, which, as Weber puts it, aims to transform the continent into Concentration Camp Europe. Weber deserts to the Allies, makes contact with the OSS, and agrees to join the team. In zweiter Ehe war er mit Genovefa Brenner verheiratet; aus dieser . They therefore had to walk in deep snowto Oberperfuss, Webers home village. Top Image:L-R Franz Weber, Hans Wijnberg, and Fred Mayer courtesy of theUS National Archives. Once in place, Mayer posed as a German . Franz Weber (30 November 1921 - 28 July 2014 in Mnchen) was a German Obergefreiter in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was replaced with director Eli Roth. 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Finally, Ulmer asked the Jewish-Americans matter-of-factly, Do you appreciate what can happen to you if youre caught?, Mayer responded, staring directly into Omers eyes, This is more our war than yours.. As the company approached along the relatively featureless terrain, it came under violent MG . Mayer obtained a German uniform and impersonated a wounded officer. The Germans even broke his teeth with a powerful haymaker punch while stuffing a pistol in his mouth. Cuffing his hands in front of him and pulling his arms over his bent knees, they forced him into a constricting fetal position, then shoved the barrel of a long rifle into the tiny gap behind his knees and his cuffed hands. WORLD WAR II; Nov 27, 2015 Shahan Russell, Guest Author. Do you have more information about this person? I couldn't stop writing. Download the TracesOfWar app directly on, Australia (1901-present, Federal Monarchy), Belgium (1830-present, Constitutional Monarchy), Canada (1931-present, Constitutional Monarchy), Soviet Union (1922-1991, People's Republic), Privacy statement, cookies, disclaimer and copyright, - Die Ordenstrger der Deutschen Wehrmacht. Modifying the papers so that Mayers picture appeared on it, he moved into her hospital to recover.. He is a two-time overall winner of the Tournament of Champions and four-time Rolex Legends Series Champion. At the Arcadia Conference, held in Washington, DC, from December 24, 1941 to January 14, 1942, the Western Allies agreed to a Germany First policy to govern global strategy, but the question where to engage Germany, and when, remained unsettled. Shahan Russell is one of the authors writing for WAR HISTORY ONLINE. 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. Franz Weller (5 December 1901 - 14 August 1994) was a highly decorated Oberst in the Wehrmacht during World War II. When telling this story to The Los Angeles Times in 2009, Roth also noted that the part where the giant swastika falls in the theater was an accident, resulting from the unexpectedly powerful fires burning the steel cables holding it up. Cross) Chemistry: The Central Science (Theodore E. Brown; H. Eugene H LeMay; Bruce E. Bursten; Catherine Murphy; Patrick Woodward) Frederick Mayer was a man described by some as fearless. He married Anna Maria Kohl in 1525, in Netstal, Glarus, Switzerland. son. By using our Services, you agree to our use of cookies. His family owned a hardware store that was boycotted because they were Jewish once Hitler became chancellor in 1933. Friedrich Fred Mayers father was a decorated war veteran for his distinguished service to the German Empire in WWI. Hotels near Franz Carl Weber Geneva: (0.04 mi) Htel de la Cigogne (0.10 mi) CitizenM Geneva Centre (0.09 mi) Bel'Esperance (0.12 mi) Htel Les Armures (0.05 mi) Hotel Longemalle; View all hotels near Franz Carl Weber Geneva on Tripadvisor. Trembling, he stammered, Do anything you want to me, but dont hurt my family.. ORCID provides an identifier for individuals to use with their name as they engage in research, scholarship, and innovation activities. A secondary mission was to monitor all of the rail traffic from Innsbruck traveling thru the Brenner Pass into Italy. For the next several months, Mayer and his best friend Hans Winberg went about planning Operation Greenup. "Say 'What' Again!" Mayer was then betrayed and captured. Thanks to their intelligence, the Allies were able to bomb over 25 supply trains trying to get into Italy. He and Mayer negotiated the peaceful surrender of Innsbruck, the Tyrolean provincial capital, to the US 7th Army on May 3, 1945. And 15 Other Iconic Lines From Tarantino's Films, The Real-Life Django Who Rebelled Against Slavery And No One Talks About Enough, 10 Lessons We Learned From The Bad-Ass Women In Tarantino's Universe, Olympe de Gouges, the Precursor of Feminism that Was Persecuted During the French Revolution. OK Or are you interested in war medals and their recipients? As much as he packs into these movies, however, their scripts often run even longer. A masterpiece like "Inglourious Basterds" takes a lot of work to get right. Hes already seen the movie. As the war ended, the people of Vietnam looked to the United States to support their dreams of independence. He also determined the times for troop and ammunition trains heading thru the Brenner Pass and called in airstrikes. In the nomination was written, In constant danger of his life, he exhibited almost unbelievable courage, resourcefulness and enterprise. Mayer received the Legion of Merit and the purple heart, among a number of other awards. And what a cast of characters: emigr Jews like Mayer and Wijnberg, bent on destroying the regime that had persecuted them and their families and, in Wijnbergs case, had even killed his parents; Lieutenant Weber, a German soldier currently on the run from a death sentence for desertion, then being handed out in the thousands by Nazi officials; not to mention Anna Niederkircher, the mother of Webers fiance. Disguised as a French electrician, Mayer tried to infiltrate one of the Luftwaffe factories. He retired as World Champion in 1985 but returned to the sport of speed skiing seven years later to compete in the 1992 Winter Olympics at Albertville, France where he clocked his fastest personal time of 138.112 mph/222.222 kph (average speed). Nearly all the sections missions to this point had been abysmal failures, leading to the death or capture of the OSS agents, and several agents ended up in Germanys most infamous concentration camps. He had Mayer brought to him. You must become a subscriber or login to view or post comments on this article. Mayer, who is Jewish, and his family fled Germany at the onset of the war, barely escaping the holocaust. There are a few different reasons people have speculated on. I made the argument for the medal in my book They Dared Return, and now Sen. John Rockefeller is championing the cause. One of their pieces of intelligence enabled the Allied air forces to bomb a large number of trains in a nearby marshalling yard. Donny Donowitz. Learn More. The trio had supplies packages dropped with them, but unfortunately were unable to locate the packet containing their skis. View Franz Weber results including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. 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 team would infiltrate using a blacked out B-24 bomber. One of the OSS men chosen for this mission was Frederick Mayer. His books that capture Mayers story are They Dared Return and The Brenner Assignment. They were the parents of at least 4 sons and 8 daughters. Between "Jackie Brown" in 1997 and "KillBill Vol. 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. His torturers wanted to know the location of his radio operator, but Mayer insisted that he worked alone. Once at the bottom of the mountain, the men boarded an Innsbruck-bound train infested with Gestapo. See Photos. 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. See Photos. However, Tarantino based his film on an actual operation codenamed, Greenup. In the dead of winter, 1945, German-born Fred Mayer, Dutch-born Hans Wijnberg and former Wehrmacht officer Franz Weber parachuted into the Austrian Alps. ?, The GIs were not so merciful with the Gestapo, however, especially as some them were Jews. Since 2013, Fondation Franz Weber is working closely with the World Heritage Centre to support the conservation and safeguard of natural World Heritage sites.This partnership intends to strengthen the Rapid Response Facility (RRF), a programme jointly managed by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and Fauna & Flora International aimed at protecting natural World Heritage sites in emergency . Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Fridolin Weber. The only area to infiltrate was a small lake frozen over in the winter between the mountains. Those who survived the initial onslaught and did not manage to flee, had to eke out a living on a battleground ravaged by incessant bombardment and street fighting. He dominated the sport of speed skiing from 1980 to 1985, winning over eighty percent of the races he entered. Working alongside Mr Mayer were Hans Wynberg, a Dutch-born Jew whose family had been deported to Auschwitz, and Franz Weber, an Austrian officer whose patriotism had led him to defect from the . 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. Bursting through the door and into the room, a dozen Gestapo agents, armed with MP-40 machine pistols, quickly surrounded and apprehended Mayer. Franz was the only son of this couple to survive into adulthood. Cowering in the corner, the agent was terrified to see his former captive. 3 (Fall 2010), pp. 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. Here is the short version: two Jewish refugees to the United States, living in Brooklyn (Frederick Mayer, 23, and Hans Wijnberg, 22) enlist in the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the forerunner of the postwar CIA, and parachute deep behind German lines into the Austrian province of Tyrol in February 1945. Fred Raskin, Menke's assistant editor on "KillBill," would become Tarantino's go-to editor following her death, starting with "Django Unchained" in 2012. Franz Anton von Weber (* 26. Considering how the Gestapo worked, they believed him. Birth, Baptism & Christening. A Nazi SS general responsible for deporting tens of thousands of Jews to death camps worked for West German intelligence after World War . Kruger went on to earn aSAG Awards nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role for the performance. Mayer originally volunteered for the U.S. Army, but they rejected him as an enemy alien. However, the OSS, the forerunner to the CIA, saw Mayers potential and recruited him to join its ranks. It was April 1945, and Germany was finished. Speaking German, he admitted to being an American but said he was working alone. The governor was about to go on the radio to tell his troops to fight to the last man. Allies suspected the Germans were plotting to make their final stand in the war there. However, their plans failed when Mayer was arrested by Nazi officers in an attempt to get crucial information. It could be a way to distinguish the film from Enzo G. Castellari's 1979 film "The Inglorious Bastards," which Tarantino's film is loosely inspired by but is decidedly not a remake of. Genealogy for Franz Weber (1616 - 1698) family tree on Geni, with over 230 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. After unexpectedly arriving at the OSS post, the men sat and languished for months, waiting for a mission. Or are you interested in war medals and their recipients? 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. 8001 Zrich. His two interrogators discounted the possibility that he might be Jewish, because their anti-Semitism meant that they refused to believe that a Jew could be brave enough to withstand their tortures. In April, Mayers superiors needed info on an underground factory that made jet engines. In his book about the OSS Tom Moon described the torture. During World War II, the OSS twice nominated Fred Mayer for the Medal of Honor. According to The Washington Post, Tarantino thought Christoph Waltz couldn't perform the scene convincingly enough and choked actress Diane Kruger himself. In mid-April, a black marketer whom Mayer dealt with was caught up in a Gestapo dragnet. Franz Carl Weber is a lovely toy store spread across four large floors. During these discussions, it was agreed that the Germans under Hofer should surrender to Mayer, as the representative of the US military. In fact, Mayer was taken to Hofers home, met Hofers wife, and ate with them. However, things took a turn for the worse when a member of Mayers spy network betrayed him. According toIndieWire, in Tara Wood's Tarantino-focused documentary "QT8: The First Eight," Eli Roth recounts the story of one extra who got fired for not developing a backstory for his non-speaking character. The revelations about Weinstein and Thurman's car accident placed an extra dark light on one anecdote about filming the scene in "Inglourious Basterds" where Hans Landa chokes Bridget Von Hammersmark to death. Read Next: OSS Finally Recognized More Than 70 Years Later By Congress. Contributor. Though they managed to retrieve most of their supplies, their skis were another matter entirely, forcing them to climb down in waist-deep snow. Sadly, "Inglourious Basterds" was to be Menke's last film with Tarantino (the last film she edited was"Peacock" in 2010, directed by Michael Lander) because she died while hiking in the heat on September 27, 2010 (via The Los Angeles Times). By now, those of you have seen Tarantinos film should be thinking Inglourious Basterds. Mayer, Wijnberg, and Weber are the real thing, the actual basterds, and indeed, Mayer himself is once supposed to have said that the three of them just wanted to kill Nazis.. Feigning the role of a captured German POW, Fred entered a camp and networked within its gates. Franz Weber. Stealing a Jeep (now they sound like SF), they drive to OSS HQs and went to see the head of the SI (Special Intelligence) Section to volunteer. He was an actor, known for The Marriage of Figaro (1949), Pillars of Society (1935) and So ein Flegel (1934). Join SOFREP for insider access and analysis. However, Inglorious Basterds highlights the work of one group specifically: "Operation Greenup, a real American battalion in charge of a similar mission. It turns out she was not Quentin Tarantino's first choice for the part in fact, he initially wasn't interested in casting her at all, due to disliking a movie she had starred in (Kruger did not state which movie this was). They Dared Return: The True Story of Jewish Spies Behind the Lines by Patrick K. ODonnell. Website zuerich@fcw.ch +41 44 225 78 78 Google Maps Public transport. 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. . I was really training for it.". After arriving in New York, Mayer changed his name to Frederick. In the summer of 1944 after extensive training, the OGs received the call to duty. It was a good documentary. Their little band soon adds a third member: Franz Weber, a Wehrmacht lieutenant who has belatedly come to his senses about the murderous nature of Adolf Hitler's war. He entered their German Operational Group (OG), precursors to the U.S. Army Green Berets, an elite team of commandos that would operate behind the lines in German-occupied Europe. We invite you to share some of Franz Webers career. He parachuted into the Third Reich, where he impersonated a German officer, blew up trains, sent back intelligence on Hitlers bunker, and even accepted the surrender of Innsbruck, Austria. Channel 5 in the UK broadcast a documentary called The Nazi Killers on Friday 22 November. Top. It was also a waystation for Jews being sent to Auschwitz..The guard that day in 1983 told me that . His undercover work led to valuable intelligence and a network of informants that helped identify the location and dimensions of Hitlers Fhrerbunker in Berlin, the condition of Nazi war plants and movement of enemy freight and troops through the Brenner Pass. From 0-99, there is something for the child in all of us. 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. Mayer and his five teammates were all European Jews and were languishing in Italy waiting for a mission. However, he was never caught and lived a relatively peaceful life until his death in 1964. On November 26, 2007, Franz was the recipient of the prestigious Schneekristall award (providing him with lifelong free skiing privileges in Austria). It added in one two-minute scene where the Basterds and Lt. Archie Hicox prepare for the rendezvous in the La Louisiana tavern, as well as a brief joke involving Joseph Goebbels having sex with his translator, while making around a minute's worth of small trims and adjustments for pacing elsewhere in the film. It was difficult to find a suitable drop point, as the obvious places were all occupied by the enemy. A movie that climaxes with a group of Jewish soldiers shooting Hitler in the face isn't particularly concerned with historical accuracy, but "Inglourious Basterds" still draws some inspiration from real history. It did convince them that he was a spy since they knew most Americans were circumcised at birth. The story of Operational Greenup deserves greater attention than it has received. Or are you interested in war medals . During WWII, some Jews really did volunteer to go into Nazi-occupied Europe to engage in espionage and sabotage. Operation FORTITUDE involved a group of double agents feeding disinformation to the Germans but the group was an odd collection of criminals, playboys, party girls, and a woman obsessed with her dog. Design, construction and validation of a computer controlled system for functional loading of soft tissue. Service on a half-dozen fronts, including the bloody struggle against Marshal Tito's partisans in occupied Yugoslavia, has opened Weber's eyes. . In 1945, after capture and torture by the Gestapo, he was responsible for accepting the surrender of a large German force. Franz Weber currently works honorary as a teacher at the Clinic for Nephrology , University Hospital Essen. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. Inform us! The OG group shared a unique bond. 945 Magazine Street, New Orleans, LA 70130 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. Robert Citino, PhD, is the Samuel Zemurray Stone Senior Historian in the Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy. This small town in the Alps was a key spot during WWII thanks to its strategic location between the Italian and Austrian frontiers. Historical records matching Franz Weber Franz Weber in GenealogieOnline Family Tree Index view all Immediate Family. It was hard to find a pilot to volunteer to fly in the difficult winter conditions over the glacier, but eventually, Billings stepped up, saying,If they are crazy enough to jump there, I will be crazy enough to take them there..