Mayer died in 2016, aged 94. Contributor. They recommended him for the Office of Strategic Services, which later became the CIA. As the war ended, the people of Vietnam looked to the United States to support their dreams of independence. They didn't end up killing Hitler, but they were able to negotiate the . Do you want to create your own battlefield tour to sights of wars from the past? 1526-24 January 1624 (Age 98) Beglingen, Glarus, Switzerland. There is a nice WC on the ground floor with baby changing facilities. The Swiss environmentalist Franz Weber has died at the age of 91. Their mission was given the name of Operation Greenup, and though their deeds arent that well known, they manage to destabilize the Nazi regime. Ian Harvey is one of the authors writing for WAR HISTORY ONLINE. 1" in 2003, there were seven long years without a single new Quentin Tarantino film. One of the closest comparisons is to Operation Greenup, a spy mission which the National WWII Museum in New Orleans has called "The REAL Inglourious Basterds.". 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. . Nazis! Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. Do you want to create your own battlefield tour to sights of wars from the past? One of the most popular genres of WWII literature is espionage, the spy novel, the thriller. Books abound on the topic, dealing with undercover operatives, double agents, and breathless derring-do. Tarantino would later reedit his movie "The Hateful Eight" into a miniseries for Netflix. 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. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Service on a half-dozen fronts, including the bloody struggle against Marshal Titos partisans in occupied Yugoslavia, has opened Webers eyes. One, an engineer, had worked on the German Fuhrers bunker in Berlin. The team needed somebody with local knowledge,and Franz Weber, ananti-Nazilocal who haddeserted from the German Army to the Allies, volunteered to join it. For UK viewers it is available on the 5 Demand online catch up service until 22 December. Top. Kessler (TV Mini Series 1981) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. 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. But he wasnt so honored. Life as a spy was not short of action. Starring Brad Pitt, Mlanie Laurent, and Christoph Waltz, in this uchronic story, a group of soldiers manages to kill the most important characters of the Nazi party, including its leader, Adolf Hitler. Trembling, he stammered, Do anything you want to me, but dont hurt my family.. 2023 The SOFREP Media Group. Mayer convinced Hofer the war was over. It was difficult to find a suitable drop point, as the obvious places were all occupied by the enemy. Once in place, Mayer posed as a German . 8.5 km. Hofer, convinced that the war was a lost cause, was looking for a way to surrender to the Americans rather than to the Soviets. Hollywood tried to capture an actual OSS operation in a highly fictionalized film called Inglorious Basterds by Quentin Tarantino. The trio had supplies packages dropped with them, but unfortunately were unable to locate the packet containing their skis. For the next three days, he was mercilessly beaten, tortured, and hung upside down. Busting the Myth Behind Moctezumas Headdress; Did It Really Belong Him? I couldn't stop writing. fifty races he entered. RecPak is a meal replacement for the outdoors that saves you weight, space and time in the most challenging environments, just add water. Looking for reliable information or news facts about WW2? Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting. 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. Finally, an intrepid American Air Corps pilot, Lt. John Billings, and his crew stepped forward and volunteered. Being Jewish, the senior Mayers status couldnt protect them, so the family emigrated to the US in 1938. He put his unusual skills and experience to work, selling surplus Army towels and other gear to Bedouins. His parents and younger brotherwere all murdered in the Holocaust. : an American History (Eric Foner) Business Law: Text and Cases (Kenneth W. Clarkson; Roger LeRoy Miller; Frank B. 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. The German officer in charge was one Franz Hofer. And that was after they had tortured him. Show Location on Map. It was feared that the Nazis would establish an Alpine redoubtin order tomake a last stand there. Frederick Mayer (28 October 1921, Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden, Germany - 15 April 2016, Charles Town, Jefferson County, West Virginia) was a German-born Jew who became an American spy as an OSS agent for the United States during World War II.He negotiated the surrender of the German Army in Innsbruck, Austria, in 1945 after he was captured in "Operation Greenup". Cross) Chemistry: The Central Science (Theodore E. Brown; H. Eugene H LeMay; Bruce E. Bursten; Catherine Murphy; Patrick Woodward) Then the Nazis came to power. 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. People named Franz Weber. Kruger did consent to this, and she posted on Instagramin 2018 that Tarantino "treated me with utter respect and never abused his power or forced me to do anything I wasn't comfortable with." By wars end, OSS had 13,000 personnel in their ranks, nearly a third were women and included were some Hollywood types like John Ford, Sterling Hayden, Marlene Dietrich, Julia Child and others. 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. Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class Infantry Assault Badge Close Combat Clasp Panzer Badge "25" s/d "100" on 20 September 1944 as Obergefreiter in the 4./Panzer Regiment 35 Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 28 October 1944 as Obergefreiter in the 8./Jger-Regiment 28 All Rights Reserved. Claiming to be on the run from the advancing Soviets, he got a job at the facility. 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. United States. Just dont hurt my family., Mayer was disgusted, What the hell do you think we are? But rather than doing that, why not just read the actual history of the war? The award was presented to him by the Austrian ski resorts for his contributions to the sport of skiing. Bahnhofplatz 9. In 2005, he and five others were honored by Austrian Chancellor Dr. Wolfgang Schssel for their athletic achievements and economic contributions to Austria. 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. 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. The Life Summary of Georg. I do not want them to think that they are getting a glimpse of who you are really going to be.'" The tables turned, the Gestapo man shaking, told Mayer to do with him as he would, but to please leave his family alone. Franz Anton von Weber (* 26. The Combined Bomber Offensive (CBO) in the European Theater was one of Americas bloodiest campaigns. See Photos. World War II was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. For three days and nights, Mayer was savagely beaten, but he kept up his cover speaking only in French. Christoph Waltz's performance as the erudite, sociopathic "Jew Hunter" Hans Landa was the most widely praised part of "Inglourious Basterds." His father didnt want to leave Germany. 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. Later, Mayer changed his disguise and donned the clothing of a French electrician. Mayer was given command of Operation Greenup charged with finding out how weapons were making it into Italy, then an Axis power. September 1734 in Zell im Wiesental; 16. His books that capture Mayers story are They Dared Return and The Brenner Assignment. During the movie's production, however, there were also serious risks and conflicts that could have (and probably should have) been avoided. He joined the OGs (Operational Groups), specifically Operational Group Germany. A sense of calm came over Mayer, and he looked directly into the eyes of the Gestapo agent. A couple of excellent books on the subject are : This Grim And Savage Game: The Oss And U.s. Covert Operations In World War II by Tom Moon and. Ittrained them for operations behind enemy lines. In an 2015 interview with HuffPost Live, Eli Roth claimed that he and other actors nearly burned to death during the movie's climax, in which a theater filled with Nazis burns to the ground. He would later on return to Germany to start over. 504-528-1944. Between "Jackie Brown" in 1997 and "KillBill Vol. A blooper reel included on the "Inglourious Basterds" DVD and Blu-ray releases showcases one of the ways Tarantino and his actors made sure to keep their hard-working editor in high spirits: whenever they knew a shot had to be cut, someone would interrupt it to say "Hello, Sally!" When the American 103rd Infantry Division of the Seventh Army closed in on Innsbruck on the morning of 3 May 1945, they were met by a car sporting a white bedsheet. At one point, the writer-director feared it would be too long for a movie and that the epic story would be better suited for a TV miniseries. "Quentin said to close our scripts and asked us who we were. 2" caused serious injuries to Uma Thurman (Thurman has forgiven Tarantino). TracesOfWar.com tells you more! See Photos. It was April 1945, and Germany was finished. You really would have to quit your job and become a monk to get through them all. This was worn by civilians in the employment of the Waffen SS. Posing as a recovering German officer, Mayer befriended an Engineer Officer who worked on the Fuhrer Bunker in Berlin. As if offended, Weber haughtily replied, Weve already been checked!. Birth of Franz Weber. This is a horrible place where the Nazis tortured and killed members of the Belgium resistance. His current life is fairly peacefulhe still chops wood nearly every day and volunteers with Meals on Wheels. When he is not skiing, Weber's schedule is filled with promotional and personal appearances for sponsors, celebrity sports events, speaking engagements and charity events. So Matull hadnt entirely lied. He described these men: A more eclectic group of desperados could not be found: former Luftwaffe pilots, Jewish escapees from German death camps, Polish deserters, world-class athletes, and even a former convict. One recruit referred to the group as the craziest people he ever met. According to The Washington Post, Tarantino thought Christoph Waltz couldn't perform the scene convincingly enough and choked actress Diane Kruger himself. Thinking he wanted revenge, the Americans later brought Mayer to a cell. Disguised as a French electrician, Mayer tried to infiltrate one of the Luftwaffe factories. Edit your search or learn more. The story of Operational Greenup deserves greater attention than it has received. Frederick Mayer was a man described by some as fearless. After arriving in New York, Mayer changed his name to Frederick. This man was Hermann Matull, who was also working as a spy in the region. Barrett is the world leader in long-range, large-caliber, precision rifle design and manufacturing. Allies suspected the Germans were plotting to make their final stand in the war there. From 0-99, there is something for the child in all of us. Sent to Italy, he was teamed up with Hans Wijnberg another Jewish-American whose family was thrown intoAuschwitz. We invite you to share some of Franz Webers career. The 'Good War' Myth of World War Two. He found and recruited deserter-volunteer, Franz Weber. 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. View Franz Weber results including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. The trio got off at the town of Oberperfuss near Innsbruck and split up. Design, construction and validation of a computer controlled system for functional loading of soft tissue. Pernass, Manfred Franz Joachim, born on 03-08-1920 in Gollnow, the son of Willli Hermann Pernass and Charlotte Anna Elisabeth Ulrich, was a soldier in the German Army and set up in Operation Greif. Welcome to Franz Weber Inc., and thank you for visiting our website. 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). Sein Leben war durch eine umfangreiche Reisettigkeit geprgt. It was the perfect opportunity to kill Nazis, which was the reason many Jewish boys joined. He was 94 years old. Fred Raskin, Menke's assistant editor on "KillBill," would become Tarantino's go-to editor following her death, starting with "Django Unchained" in 2012. He was shown a picture of Mayer and was asked if he knew him. Bis current project is . So convincing was his performance that the agent turned away from the team and started checking the papers of the other passengers. I don't want you to be bad at the script reading, but I want you to hold a lot back. Fondation Franz Weber - ein Begriff fr effizienten Schutz der Tierwelt und ihrer Lebensrume Fondation Franz Weber -. An Olympian, six-time consecutive World Speed Skiing Champion - Franz Weber is also a former world record-holder and still holds the North American record, at 129.303 mph/208.092 kph which he set in 1983 in Silverton, Colorado. They said if we were in there another 15 seconds, the stage we were on would have collapsed and we all would have been killed." General William Donovan the creator of OSS and a WWI Medal of Honor winner wanted PHDs who can win a bar fight but he also called them Glorious Amateurs as they learned as they went. Thanks to his Intel, the Allies knew the schedules of troop and munition trains and bombarded them accordingly. 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 . U.S. Military. So, though the story is completely fictional, the Basterds are pretty much based on some real-life groups that gave their lives to defeat the Nazis, like Nakam, the Jewish group devoted to killing or, as it's literally translated from Hebrew, "to avenge their people." Do you have more information about this person? The third soldier was the Austrian Franz Weber, a Nazi officer who had deserted the army. When he realised for certain that his prisoner was an American officer, he had Mayer cleaned up, dressed, and fed. Weber, a Catholic, had deserted, convinced . A native Austrian, Weber fought on the Eastern Front but was convinced that Austria needed to be free of Hitler and the Nazis. 2. I was really training for it.". ORCID record for Franz Weber. Sign Up. All rights reserved. or. THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING VETERAN JOURNALISM - JOIN SOFREP+ , Last week we posted a story on the OSS (Office of Strategic Services) and how after 73 years they were finally recognized as a group and were honored with a Congressional Gold Medal. TracesOfWar.com tells you more! Mayer was asked to dine with Hofer, his wife and the German Ambassador to Italy, Rudolph Rahn. The five-man team consisted of George Gerbner (Hungary), Alfred Rosenthal (Germany), Bernd Steinitz (Germany) and Hans Wynberg (Netherlands). Wijnberg died shortly afterwards. His alias was establishedso he then moved into the officers barracks, where he sent information to Wijnberg, the teams radio operator. They therefore had to walk in deep snowto Oberperfuss, Webers home village. 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. And when youre done with all of those hundreds of books, you can turn to film. Mayer saved the lives of perhaps thousands of troops on both sides by arranging the surrender of the German troops in Austria. Hiseyes grew wide, Youre all as good as dead! he gasped, shaking his head in disbelief. He also determined the times for troop and ammunition trains heading thru the Brenner Pass and called in airstrikes. They had to walk down the glacier, sometimes waist deep in snow. That guy was an extra. Log In. The other objective was to identify rail traffic travelling from Innsbruck to Italy through the Brenner Pass. The team would infiltrate using a blacked out B-24 bomber. Operation Greenup: Frederick Mayer and Hans Wynberg were Jewish refugees of Nazi Germany and Holland respectively. Each of them spoke at least two European languages, with Mayer speaking German, French, and Spanish. John Billings, his command pilot on the mission, described Mayer as fearless about returning to Nazi Germany. The scene was filmed on a controlled "fire stage" set, but the flames ended up burning far hotter than anyone anticipated. It wasn;t until they brought in the informant that Mayer finally admitted he was an American agent, but insisted that he worked alone. He responded, Who do you think we are, Nazis?. After three months, Mayer changed his cover to that of a French electrician who was fleeing the Soviets. IndieWire reported that Tarantino wanted the movie edited on a much tighter schedule that his previous productions, both as a reaction to spending too much time "overfiddling" with "Death Proof" and so the film would be ready to screen at Cannes. Moscow Should Prepare For Probable US Nuclear Aggression: Reports Russian Military Journal, Destroying American Monster Abrams: Pro-Russian Group Release A How-To Video, Dr. Mary E. Walker: The First AND Only Female Medal Of Honor Recipient, Bakhmut on the Brink of Falling to Russian Troops, Decorated Navy SEAL Died in HALO Training Accident, Adam Brown: A SEALs Life of Courage and Redemption, Complete List: Ticonderoga-class Missile Cruisers To Retire By 2027, Nuclear Close Calls That Nearly Caused World War III, Russian Sausage Millionaire and Putin Critic Falls to His Death in India, Deadly Russian Rifle Brigade Wiped Out During War in Ukraine. Genealogy for Franz Weber (1616 - 1698) family tree on Geni, with over 230 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. In 1996, Franz was OK Inform us! Mayer became an Army Ranger and went on to join the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) the precursor of todays CIA. 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. 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. Jason Dawsey, PhD, is a Research Historian at the Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy. 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. Franz Weber remains very active in numerous alpine skiing events and competes on the popular Legends/Champions Tour. People Projects Discussions Surnames Franz Weber, Actor: Figaros Hochzeit. Modifying the papers so that Mayers picture appeared on it, he moved into her hospital to recover.. Fridolin Weber. Franz Weller (5 December 1901 - 14 August 1994) was a highly decorated Oberst in the Wehrmacht during World War II. are western hognose snakes legal in the uk risk assessment for cleaning pigeon droppings Bursting through the door and into the room, a dozen Gestapo agents, armed with MP-40 machine pistols, quickly surrounded and apprehended Mayer. A secondary mission was to monitor all of the rail traffic from Innsbruck traveling thru the Brenner Pass into Italy. 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. Unlike the strange and often idiotic Tarantinos movie, however, the truth was far more bizarre. The Germans,wanting to surrender to the Americans passed it on. While Mayer was being tortured in a Nazi prison, another American agent was being interrogated by the Gestapo. Theyd be sent into Nazi-occupied Europe and they knew what awaited them there as most were Jewish. Historical records matching Franz Weber Franz Weber in GenealogieOnline Family Tree Index view all Immediate Family. Thanks to the work of these three man, many Allied troops accomplished several effective bombings, destroying Nazi supplies and, naturally, messing with their plans. Tarantino worked on the script for years, made tough decisions in casting the film, and took time to get the final cut just right. Two of them, Mayer and Wynberg, were exiled Jewish men in America who had fled their countries when hostilities began in Germany. THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING VETERAN JOURNALISM - JOIN SOFREP+ Not surprising to those who know him, Fred Mayer may not attend the Congressional reception and the screening of the movie chronicling his feats. "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. 1 was here. Undeterred by the units previous record, Mayer and his friends approached the units commander, Lt. Alfred Ulmer, and begged to sign up. In this operation, OSS used former German nationals who were forced to flee for their lives just because they were Jewish. 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. Hans Landa chokes Bridget Von Hammersmark to death. He dominated the sport of speed skiing from 1980 to 1985, winning over eighty percent of the races he entered. Mayer was put in for the Medal of Honor twice and it was downgraded to the Legion of Merit. Matull gave fake information on Mayer, claiming he was an important general of the American Army. The rectangular shaped obverse reads: "Waffen-SS" in black ink on a yellow backing. Franz was the only son of this couple to survive into adulthood. Mollis, Glarus, Canton of Glarus, Switzerland. Not wanting to mess with a Wehrmacht officer, the inspector moved on. Does anyone out there have Quentin Tarantinos cell? ADVERTISING. They tortured him brutally, but he didnt break. The largest of the ghettos where Eastern European Jews were first confined and, later, deported to extermination camps by the Nazis was set up in Warsaw, Poland. Mayer was then ordered to investigate a nearby underground factory that was building Me 262 jet fighters. He was imprisoned and tortured. Enter Hermann Matull. Read Next: OSS Finally Recognized More Than 70 Years Later By Congress. He asked if they were willing to kill. The Americans will slaughter everyone who did this!. Hofer was looking for a way to surrender to the Americans and not the Russians and saw this as his chance. 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.