Himmler’s Files from Hallein. Office of the Military Governor for Germany (U.S.), Office of the Director of Intelligence, Nov. 8, 1945. NARA MMRC.
Historical Narrative for May 1945. HQs., 753rd Tank Battalion, n.d. NARA MMRC.
History of the 142nd Infantry Regiment, 36th Division, Sept. 3, 1943–May 8, 1945 (Volume II, France, Germany, Austria). HQs., 142nd Infantry Regiment, n.d. NARA MMRC.
Journal of Operations, 1944–1945. HQs., 17th Armored Infantry Battalion, n.d. NARA MMRC.
Kampf um die Alpenfestung Nord, by General der Gebirgstruppen Georg Ritter von Hengl. Foreign Military Studies, 1945–1954. Department of the Army, Washington, DC, 1956.
Operations in Germany, 1–10 May 1945. 23rd Tank Battalion, 12th Armored Division, Feb. 15, 1946. NARA MMRC.
Operations in Germany and Austria, May 1945. HQs., 103rd Infantry Division, July 1945. NARA MMRC.
Operations in Germany and Austria, 1–10 May 1945. HQs., 142nd Infantry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division, May 25, 1945. NARA MMRC.
Operations in Germany, Austria and Italy, May 1945. HQs., 103rd Infantry Division, n.d. NARA MMRC.
Personalakten für Gangl, Josef, Heeres-Personalamt, Oberkommando der Wehrmacht. Berlin, n.d. NARA MMRC.
Regimental History, 409th Infantry Regiment, 1–10 May 1945. NARA MMRC.
Resistance and Persecution in Austria, 1938–1945. Austrian Federal Press Service, Vienna, 1988.
Rocket Projectors in the Eastern Theater. Foreign Military Studies, 1945–1954. Department of the Army, Washington, DC, 1956.
7th Werfer Brigade, 24 March–30 April 1945, by Generalmajor Dr. Kurt Paape. Foreign Military Studies, 1945–1954. Department of the Army, Washington, DC, 1956.
Special Narrative Report, Mission to Wörgl M/Y, Austria. Office of the Intelligence Officer, 301st Bombardment Group (Heavy), Feb. 23, 1945. NARA MMRC.
SS Personalakten für Wimmer, Sebastian, SS-Hauptamt. Berlin, n.d. NARA MMRC.
Tank, Medium, M4A3. Technical Manual 9–759. War Department, Washington, DC, September 1944. NARA MMRC.
Unit Journal, 1–10 May 1945. HQs., 142nd Infantry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division, NARA MMRC.
Widerstand und Verfolgung in Tirol, 1934–1945: Eine Dokumentation, Dokumentationsarchiv des Österreichischen Widerstandes. Vienna, 1984.
INTERVIEWS
Duvall, Calbert. Company B, 23rd Tank Battalion. Conducted via e-mail, June 20, 2012.
Kramers, John T. Military Government Section, 103rd Infantry Division. Audio-recorded June 8, 2012.
Pollock, Arthur P. Company E, 142nd Infantry Regiment. Audio-recorded Nov. 3, 2011.
Seiner, Edward J. Company B, 23rd Tank Battalion. Audio-recorded Oct. 28, 2011.
UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPTS
Čučković, Zvonimir. “Zwei Jahren auf Schloss Itter.” Handwritten, n.d. Archiv KZ-Gedenkstätte Dachau.
“Die Wahrheit Über Schloss Itter.” Privatarchiv Otto Molden: Zur Geschichte der Österreichschen Widerstandsbewegung Gegen Hitler, 1938–1945. Institut für Zeitgeschichte, Universität Wien, Vienna, n.d.
Flanagan, Drew. “Resistance from the Right: François de La Rocque and the Réseau Klan.” Department of History, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT, 2010.
Schrader, Kurt-Siegfried. “Erinnerungen, Gedanken, Erkenntnisse.” 1993.
SECONDARY SOURCES
BOOKS
Alexander, Martin S. The Republic in Danger: General Maurice Gamelin and the Politics of French Defence, 1933–1940. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992.
Bischof, Günter, Fritz Plasser, and Barbara Stelzl-Marx, eds. New Perspectives on Austrians and World War II. New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers, 2009.
Cailliau de Gaulle, Marie-Agnès. Souvenirs personnels. Paris: Parole et Silence, 2006.
Craven, W. F., and J. L. Cate. Europe: ARGUMENT to VE-Day, January 1944 to May 1945. The Army Air Forces in World War II. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1951.
Daladier, Édouard. Prison Journal, 1940–1945. Boulder: Westview Press, 1995.
de La Rocque, François. Disciplines d’Action. Paris: Parti social français, 1941.
Demey, Evelyne. Paul Reynaud, mon père. Paris: Plon-Opera Mundi, 1980.
Dulles, Allen. The Secret Surrender. New York: Harper & Row, 1966.
East, William, and William F. Gleason. The 409th Infantry in World War II. Ed. Julius J. Urban. Washington, DC: Infantry Journal Press, 1947.
Ferguson, John C. Hellcats: The 12th Armored Division in World War II. Abilene, TX: State House Press, 2004.
Francis, Jim. A History of the 23rd Tank Battalion, 1943–1945. Privately published, 2004.
François-Poncet, André. Carnets d’un captif. Paris: Librairie Artheme Fayard, 1952.
Gates, Eleanor M. The End of the Affair: The Collapse of the Anglo-French Alliance, 1930–40. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1981.
Haupt, Werner. Deutsche Spezialdivisionen, 1935–1945: Gebirgsjäger, Fallschirmjäger, Waffen-SS. Wölfersheim-Berstadt: Podzun-Pallas, 1995.
Koop, Volker. In Hitler’s Hand: Die Sonder-und Ehrenhäftlinge der SS. Köln: Böhlau, 2011.
Lanckoronska, Karolina. Michelangelo in Ravensbrück: One Woman’s War Against the Nazis. Translated by Noel Clark. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo, 2006.
Lasik, Aleksander. Struktura Organizacyjna Oraz Obsada Osobowa Stanowisk Kierowniczych W Obozie Koncentracyjnym Na Majdanku W Latach 1941–1944. Majdanek: State Museum at Majdanek, 2003.
Léon-Jouhaux, Augusta. Prison pour hommes d’Etat. Paris: Denöel/Gontheir, 1973.
Lévesque, René. Memoires. Montréal: Editions Québec/Amérique, 1986.
Liszt, Franz, La Mara, and Constance Bache. From Rome to the End: Letters of Franz Liszt, Vol. 2. San Diego: Icon Group International, 2008.
Long, Robert P. Castle Hotels of Europe. East Meadow, NY: Hastings House, 1962.
Lucas, James. Alpine Elite: German Mountain Troops of World War II. London: Jane’s Publishing, 1980.
Luza, Radomír V. The Resistance in Austria, 1938–1945. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1984.
MacDonald, Charles B. European Theater of Operations: The Last Offensive. United States Army in World War II. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1993.
Mackenzie, W. J. M. The Secret History of SOE: Special Operations Executive, 1940–1945. London: St. Ermin’s, 2002.
Mitcham, Samuel W., Jr. The Rise of the Wehrmacht: The German Armed Forces and World War II. Vol. 1. Westport, CT: Praeger Security International, 2008.
Molden, Fritz. Fires in the Night: The Sacrifices and Significance of the Austrian Resistance, 1938–1945. Translated by Harry Zohn. Boulder: Westview Press, 1989.
Monroe-Jones, Edward. Crossing the Zorn: The January 1945 Battle at Herrlisheim as Told by the American and German Soldiers Who Fought It. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2010.
Moore, John P. Signal Officers of the Waffen-SS (Nachrichtenoffiziere der Waffen-SS). Portland, OR: John P. Moore Publishing, 1995.
Mueller, Ralph, and Jerry Turk. Report After Action: The Story of the 103d Infantry Division. Nashville: Battery Press, 1987.
Munoz, Antonio J., editor and translator. The Last Levy: Waffen-SS Officer Roster, March 1, 1945. Bayside, NY: Axis Europa Books, 2001.
Nobécourt, Jacques. Le colonel de La Rocque (1885–1946), ou, Les pièges de nationalisme chrétien. Paris: Librairie Artheme Fayard, 1996.
O’Donnell, Patrick K. The Brenner Assignment: The Untold Story of the Most Daring Spy Mission of World War II. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo, 2008.
Pogue, Forrest C. European Theater of Operations: The Supreme Command. United States Army in World War II. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1954.
Reynaud, Paul. Carnets de captivité, 1941–1945. Paris: Fayard, 1997.
———. In the Thick of the Fight, 1930–1945. Translated by James D. Lambert. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1955.
Ross, Alex. The Rest Is Noise: Listening to the 20th Century. New York: P
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Schwab, Gerald. OSS Agents in Hitler’s Heartland: Destination Innsbruck. Westport, CT: Praeger, 1996.
Singer, Barnett. Maxime Weygand: A Biography of the French General in Two World Wars. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2008.
Smyth, Sir John. Jean Borotra, the Bounding Basque: His Life of Work and Play. London: Stanley Paul, 1974.
Steinböck, Erwin. Österreichs Militärisches Potential im März, 1938. Wien: Verlag für Geschichte und Politik, 1988.
Sydnor, Charles W. Soldiers of Destruction: The SS Death’s Head Division, 1939–1945. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1990.
Turner, Barry. Countdown to Victory: The Final European Campaigns of World War II. New York: William Morrow, 2004.
Van Goethem, Geert. The Amsterdam International: The World of the International Federation of Trade Unions (IFTU), 1913–1945. Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2006.
von Steiner, Kurt. Resistance Fighter: Anti-Nazi Terror Tactics of the Austrian Underground. Boulder: Paladin Press, 1986.
Weygand, Maxime. Recalled to Service: The Memoirs of General Maxime Weygand. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1952.
Williamson, Gordon. Gebirgsjäger: German Mountain Trooper 1939–45. Oxford: Osprey, 2003.
NEWSPAPER ARTICLES
Note: The articles in this section are listed in chronological order.
Binghamton Press (Binghamton, NY):
“Norwich Lieutenant Proves Hero in Reich War-End Rescue Fight.” June 7, 1945.
“Captain Lee in Chenago Sheriff Race.” July 23, 1945.
“17 Tier Men Are on Latest Returnee List.” Jan. 25, 1946.
“John C. Lee, Jr., Ordered Held for Jury.” Feb. 25, 1953.
“Lee Fined $50 in Assault, Sister Freed.” Mar. 10, 1953.
“Lee Indicted by Chenango Grand Jury.” Apr. 10, 1953.
“Lee Vacates New Berlin Hotel.” July 3, 1953.
Evening Sun (Norwich, NY):
“John C. Lee Dies, Freed de Gaulle Kin.” Jan. 15, 1973.
New York Times:
“Mme. Menter’s Good Fortune.” Nov. 25, 1885.
“Freed: Daladier, Blum, Reynaud, Niemoller, Schuschnigg, Gamelin.” May 6, 1945.
“Reynaud Relates Reich Prison Life.” Aug. 15, 1945.
“Borotra Relates War Experiences.” March 18, 1947.
“Paul Reynaud Married.” May 14, 1950.
“Gen. Gamelin Dead.” Apr. 19, 1958.
“Gen. Maxime Weygand Dead.” Jan. 29, 1965.
“Paul Reynaud Dies; Led France in 1940.” Sept. 22, 1966.
“Daladier, Signer of Munich Pact, Dies at 86.” Oct. 12, 1970.
Norwich Record (Northfield, VT):
“Capt. Jack Lee, ’42, Rescues Daladier in Castle Battle.” June 22, 1945.
Norwich Sun (Norwich, NY):
“Lee Receives Award.” Mar. 17, 1945.
“Lee Receives Promotion.” May 28, 1945.
“Capt. John C. Lee Jr., Led Rescuers of Daladier, Ex-French Premier.” June 4 and 7, 1945.
“Thrilling Story About Captain John C. Lee Appears in ‘Post.’” July 18, 1945.
“Capt. Lee Seeks Democratic Nomination for Sheriff.” July 21, 1945.
MAGAZINE/JOURNAL ARTICLES
Bachinger, Eleonore, Martin McKee, and Anna Gilmore. “Tobacco Policies in Nazi Germany: Not as Simple as It Seems.” Public Health 122, no. 5 (May 2008): 497–505.
Distel, Barbara. “KZ-Kommandos an Idyllischen Orten: Dachauer Aussenlager in Österreich.” KZ Aussenlager—Geschichte und Erinnerung (1999).
“France: Trials, Tribulations.” Time, Sept. 30, 1940.
“Gamelin Speaks.” Time, Nov. 13, 1939.
Harding, Stephen. “The Battle for Castle Itter.” World War II (Aug.–Sept. 2008).
“Kampf um Schloss Itter.” Neue Illustrierte, Mar. 26, 1961.
Kennedy, Sean. “Accompanying the Marshal: La Rocque and the Progrès Social Français Under Vichy.” French History 15, no. 2 (2001).
Levin, Meyer. “We Liberated Who’s Who.” Saturday Evening Post, July 21, 1945.
“Maurice Gamelin: Good Grey General.” Time, Aug. 14, 1939.
“Reynaud Marriage Revealed.” Time, May 22, 1950.
“Where Is Gamelin?” Time, June 10, 1940.
NOTES
CHAPTER ONE
1. Some sources date the earliest parts of the castle to 902. Most of the information regarding Schloss Itter’s early history is drawn from “Die Geschichte von Itter,” a pamphlet produced by Austria’s Hohe-Salve Regional Tourist Board, and Castle Hotels of Europe, by Robert P. Long.
2. Reigned 893–930.
3. A palatinate was a territory administered on behalf of a king or emperor by a count. In the Holy Roman Empire, a count palatinate was known in German as a pfalzgraf.
4. Initially a collection of small huts and workshops used by the craftsmen who built the castle, the village of Itter evolved into a community built around the staffing and maintenance of the fortress. In return for their labor, the villagers were offered protection within the schloss in times of civil strife.
5. Led by social and political reformer Michael Gaismayr, the revolt sought to replace the church-dominated feudal system with a republic. While successful in several military engagements against reactionary forces, Gaismayr and his followers were defeated at Radstadt in July 1526. Gaismayr fled to Venice and ultimately Padua, where on April 15, 1532, he was assassinated by Austrian agents.
6. See Augusta Léon-Jouhaux, Prison pour hommes d’Etat, 23. As noted later in this volume, she was labor leader León Jouhaux’s secretary, companion, and future wife and was imprisoned with him at Itter from 1943 to 1945.
7. Until his coronation in 1806 the king had been styled Maximilian IV Josef, prince-elector of Bavaria.
8. Menter apparently purchased the castle using funds she’d earned on the concert circuit, though a brief article in the Nov. 25, 1885, edition of the New York Times (“Mme. Menter’s Good Fortune”) indicated that the purchase was largely financed by 400,000 rubles left to her in the will of an elderly Russian admirer.
9. Ibid.
10. Liszt, La Mara, and Bache, From Rome to the End, 377.
11. Menter returned to Germany after the castle’s sale and lived near Munich for the remainder of her life. She died on Feb. 23, 1918.
12. Widely referred to as the Wörgl Experiment, the effort was the brainchild of the town’s mayor, Michael Unterguggenberger. He sought to economically empower his town and the surrounding region by replacing standard currency with what’s known as “stamp scrip,” a local currency that would remain in use and in circulation rather than being hoarded by bankers. While the idea managed to revive the local Wörgl economy, it was terminated by the Austrian National Bank in 1933.
13. This translates literally as “Eastern March,” a reference to Austria’s tenth-century status as a “march,” or buffer, between Bavaria and the Slavs.
14. For clarity’s sake, all French, Wehrmacht, and SS ranks in this book are expressed in their U.S. Army equivalents. Von Bock went on to play leading roles in the invasions of Poland, France, and Russia, and was killed on May 4, 1945, when a British fighter-bomber strafed his car.
15. An acronym for the full name of the dreaded Nazi secret police, the Geheime Staatspolizei.
16. See Richard Germann’s excellent essay “Austrian Soldiers and Generals in World War II,” in New Perspectives on Austrians and World War II, ed. Bischof, Plasser, and Stelzl-Marx, for a fascinating discussion of why Austrian soldiers so willingly donned Wehrmacht uniforms.
17. Ibid., 29.
18. Among the willing were Otto Skorzeny, the Waffen-SS commando leader who rescued Benito Mussolini from captivity in September 1943, and Ernst Kaltenbrunner, chief of the Reich Main Security Office.
19. Those considered unreliable included between 30 and 50 percent of all officers in the Bundesheer, who were dismissed. All were closely watched by the Gestapo through the end of the war.
> 20. Luza, The Resistance in Austria, 14.
21. Ultimately, many Austrians arrested by the Nazis would be imprisoned—and many would perish—in concentration and labor camps established within Austria itself, including the infamous Mauthausen-Gusen camp complex near Linz, some 120 miles northeast of Schloss Itter.
22. The German name is Deutscher Bund zur Bekämpfung der Tabakgefahren. For a fascinating discussion of the Nazis’ antismoking activities, see Bachinger, McKee, and Gilmore, “Tobacco Policies in Nazi Germany.”
23. For his part in the horrors of the Nazis’ Final Solution, Pohl was charged by the Allies with crimes against humanity and a staggering array of war crimes. Found guilty, he was hanged on June 7, 1951.
24. Known as Konzentrationslager-Hauptlager, shortened in German to KZ-Hauptlager, Dachau was located about ten miles northwest of Munich and established in March 1933 as the first regular Nazi concentration camp. It was the administrative and operational model for all subsequent camps, both within and outside Germany.
25. Koop, In Hitler’s Hand, 32.
26. Sources vary on whether this officer’s name was Petz or Peez, and in his handwritten postwar memoir, “Zwei Jahren auf Schloss Itter” (in the archive collection of the KZ-Gedenkstätte Dachau), Zvonimir Čučković refers to him as the latter. While the names would sound very similar to a nonnative German speaker like Čučković, the spelling “Petz” would be the more common German usage, and I have chosen to favor it.
27. Sited about 112 miles northeast of Dachau, hard on the Czech border, Flossenbürg was opened in 1938. It initially held common criminals and Jews but ultimately housed political prisoners and Soviet POWs. Its inmates were used as slave laborers in nearby granite quarries.
28. Details on the conversion are drawn from “Zwei Jahren auf Schloss Itter” and Léon-Jouhaux, Prison pour hommes d’Etat, 8–10.
29. The SS-Totenkopfverbände (SS-TV), or “Death’s Head Units,” administered the concentration-camp system.
30. Thanks to Čučković’s memoirs, we know that twenty-two of the twenty-seven members of the work detail were political prisoners, four were classed as “common criminals,” and one was an “asocial,” a term the Nazis used to refer to such groups as homosexuals and the mentally ill. We also know that the prisoner work detail included five Germans, eight Austrians, a Yugoslav, a Czech, seven Russians, and five Poles.
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