Tuesday, December 17, 2024

The big heist

Otto Skorzeny is probably best remembered today as the Austrian-born commando who rescued Benito Mussolini after the Italian dictator was deposed; however, he also masterminded a number of other dangerous missions, and, when Skorzeny and others saw the handwriting on the wall in 1944, he and a small group of SS and regular military personnel began preparing escape routes and acquiring funds to support their post-war careers - by, for one thing, robbing banks.


4 comments:

  1. Harry Turtledove wrote a series where aliens invaded in 1942 so we all banded together to fight them.
    Skorzeny has a prominent role in it as a hero, messing with the aliens.
    I was surprised he was a rexl prrson.

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  2. The story is a bit sketchy, but it's possible that postwar Skorzeny cooperated with Mossad to catch Nazi war criminals, and even to target former rocket scientists working for Egypt for assassination.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, the video touches on that, and I read elsewhere that he may have worked for Mossad, but, as you say, there doesn't seem to be anything definitive. But what a story, if true.

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  3. Skorzeny had a lot of influence in the Middle East. Most of it is negative, but definitely Nazi in flavor. Even the supposed cooperation with the Mossad probably had some benefit to "Die Spinne".

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