or. 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. Looking for reliable information or news facts about WW2? He was an actor, known for The Marriage of Figaro (1949), Pillars of Society (1935) and So ein Flegel (1934). "Say 'What' Again!" The scene was filmed on a controlled "fire stage" set, but the flames ended up burning far hotter than anyone anticipated. Mayer parachuted onto an Alpine glacier, infiltrated enemy lines, and posed as a German officer to ascertain crucial intelligence. One of the guards saw him, reported him to the authorities, and he was arrested. It was a mission focused on intelligence gathering in the area of Innsbruck. DiCaprio would certainly have had fun playing the film's villain, if his performance as Calvin Candie in Tarantino's follow-up film, "Django Unchained," is anything to go by. He and Mayer negotiated the peaceful surrender of Innsbruck, the Tyrolean provincial capital, to the US 7th Army on May 3, 1945. Service on a half-dozen fronts, including the bloody struggle against Marshal Tito's partisans in occupied Yugoslavia, has opened Weber's eyes. 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. Friedrich Fred Mayers father was a decorated war veteran for his distinguished service to the German Empire in WWI. It was nominated for eight Academy Awards including Best Picture, and won Best Supporting Actor for Christoph Waltz, who played the villain Hans Landa. In 1944, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) of the United States Army trained three soldiers: Frederick Mayer, Hans Wynberg, and Franz Webe. The top and bottom have been folded over and stitched together. (371) 7.4 52min 2012 13+. In an amazing turnabout, Mayer received an opportunity for revenge. Mayer was then betrayed and captured. Franz Weber currently works honorary as a teacher at the Clinic for Nephrology , University Hospital Essen. A native Austrian, Weber fought on the Eastern Front but was convinced that Austria needed to be free of Hitler and the Nazis. Channel 5 in the UK broadcast a documentary called The Nazi Killers on Friday 22 November. 3 (Fall 2010), pp. Nonetheless, this story has made some people uncomfortable. Hofer was looking for a way to surrender to the Americans and not the Russians and saw this as his chance. Or are you interested in war medals and their recipients? The trio had supplies packages dropped with them, but unfortunately were unable to locate the packet containing their skis. As much as he packs into these movies, however, their scripts often run even longer. His captors, including Franz Hofer, the governor of the Alpine Redoubt and an immensely powerful man within Hitlers inner Circle, faced war crimes prosecution. 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, Actor: Figaros Hochzeit. Thanks to his Intel, the Allies knew the schedules of troop and munition trains and bombarded them accordingly. "Quentin said to close our scripts and asked us who we were. Welcome to Franz Weber Inc., and thank you for visiting our website. Service on a half-dozen fronts, including the bloody struggle against Marshal Titos partisans in occupied Yugoslavia, has opened Webers eyes. 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. The Gestapo burst in and arrested Mayer and took him to their HQs. 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. Join SOFREP for insider access and analysis. Ulmer asked them if they knew what would befall them if they were caught by the Nazis. To get better results, add more information such as Birth Info, Death Info and Locationeven a guess will help. Mayer was the son of a German WWI veteran. This fact caught the attention of Franz Hofer, a member of the Reichsgau, a Nazi administrative subdivision based on occupied territories. He dominated the sport of speed skiing from 1980 to 1985, winning over eighty percent of the races he entered. ADVERTISING. 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 . . Franz Carl Weber. Hoffer, who had already anticipated the fall of Nazi Germany, met Mayer to discuss the possibility of a German rendition, and naturally, his own protection. 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.. ORCID provides an identifier for individuals to use with their name as they engage in research, scholarship, and innovation activities. Hes already seen the movie. They recommended him for the Office of Strategic Services, which later became the CIA. But they all wanted some payback for the German government that forced so much suffering on them. 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. The true story reads better than the fictional one, although I admit a fondness for Tarantino films however. Do you have more information about this person? In 1996, Franz was He also determined the times for troop and ammunition trains heading thru the Brenner Pass and called in airstrikes. Franz Ferdinand was born in Graz, Austria, on December 18, 1863, the oldest son of Archduke Karl Ludwig, who was the younger brother of Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph. Once at the bottom of the mountain, the men boarded an Innsbruck-bound train infested with Gestapo. Their mission was given the name of Operation Greenup, and though their deeds arent that well known, they manage to destabilize the Nazi regime. A rare piece! He died in Switzerland. 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. Franz E. Weber N, N-Dimethylacetamide is an FDA approved solvent widely used in pharmaceutical industry to facilitate the solubility of lipophilic, high molecular weight drugs with poor water . The only area to infiltrate was a small lake frozen over in the winter between the mountains. October 28th, 1944. The OG group shared a unique bond. 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." Mayer then turned his back on the agent and the war, refusing to speak about it for decades. 84-88 Franz Carl Weber is a lovely toy store spread across four large floors. All rights reserved. Mayer was assigned to the German Operational Group before heading out. However, this historical episode is not the only one. Early on May 3, 1945, the American 103rd Infantry Division of the Seventh Army was ordered to take Innsbruck. Tarantino knew there was something special about Waltz's acting early on, and went to great lengths to keep many aspects of the actor's performance a surprise to his co-stars. 1 was here. Bis current project is . So Matull hadnt entirely lied. Over 40.000 pages on the officers, the boats, technology and the Allied efforts to counter the U-boat threat. During these discussions, it was agreed that the Germans under Hofer should surrender to Mayer, as the representative of the US military. Under torture, he told them about Mayer, so they broke down the latters door on 20 April 1945. Kruger went on to earn aSAG Awards nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role for the performance. Not wanting to mess with a Wehrmacht officer, the inspector moved on. 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. 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.. According to Roth, "[The flames] were spreading so exponentially. Franz Weller was captured in May 1945 by . 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. During WWII, some Jews really did volunteer to go into Nazi-occupied Europe to engage in espionage and sabotage. He married Katharina Haechlinger about 1550. Waffen-SS Armband. As the Germans surrendered, the Gestapo officer who had savagely beaten Mayer was taken to the very cell where he tortured him. They didnt embark on any sort of killing spree, but they did succeed in their mission. His torturers wanted to know the location of his radio operator, but Mayer insisted that he worked alone. Mayer was given command of Operation Greenup charged with finding out how weapons were making it into Italy, then an Axis power. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. That mans a bigshot in the US Military. Around the beginning of October 1944, the 8./Jger Regiment 28 received the order to recapture the Hill 1587 (which had recently been taken by the Soviets) in order to reopen the Rodna Pass Road, an important German supply route. For UK viewers it is available on the 5 Demand online catch up service until 22 December. There was also Franz Weber a Catholic Austrian Wehrmacht officer and POW, who felt loyal to Austria, not to Nazi Germany. Learn More. They tortured him brutally, but he didnt break. There was only one problemthey got dropped off at the wrong port. Webers sister, Louise, was a nurse who gave Mayer the uniform and documents of a recently-deceased German officer. 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. 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 saved the lives of perhaps thousands of troops on both sides by arranging the surrender of the German troops in Austria. Design, construction and validation of a computer controlled system for functional loading of soft tissue. Looking for reliable information or news facts about WW2? His books that capture Mayers story are They Dared Return and The Brenner Assignment. In 1945, members of the American "Deer Team," part of the OSS, worked with Vietnamese guerrilla fighters to throw Japanese troops out of Indochina. Franz Weber remains very active in numerous alpine skiing events and competes on the popular Legends/Champions Tour. However, that doesn't mean the provocative auteur was taking a break from work; he was keeping busy writing scripts. The 'Good War' Myth of World War Two. Mayer was allowed to send a message to the OSS. However, things took a turn for the worse when a member of Mayers spy network betrayed him. Quentin Tarantino's 2009 war film was partly based on a real story. See Photos. Praesidus brings homage to the military watch tradition. Quentin Tarantinos 2009 warfilmwas partly based on a real story. "Literally, the only reason he auditioned me is because there was no one left to audition," said Kruger. Then good fortune stepped in. They would use Weber and for this mission, it would be Mayer, Wynberg and Weber. Not surprising to those who know him, Fred Mayer may not attend the Congressional reception and the screening of the movie chronicling his feats. They eventually made contact with Webers family. TracesOfWar.com tells you more! The Germans even broke his teeth with a powerful haymaker punch while stuffing a pistol in his mouth. Log in or sign up for Facebook to connect with friends, family and people you know. 12 min. For his bravery, Mayer received the Legion of Merit and a Purple Heart. She was only 56 years old when she passed away. His father didnt want to leave Germany. The mission involved two Jewish members of the Office of Strategic Services,Frederick Mayer andHans Wijnberg, who parachuted into Austria in February 1945 to figure out Germany's battle plans. Does anyone out there have Quentin Tarantinos cell? World War I, also called First World War or Great War, an international conflict that in 1914-18 embroiled most of the nations of Europe along with Russia, the United States, the Middle East, and other regions. 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." Uncoiling a rawhide whip, the tall one put his full weight behind each swing, mercilessly thrashing the agents body like a side of beef. It was the perfect opportunity to kill Nazis, which was the reason many Jewish boys joined. He would later on return to Germany to start over. A pilot called Billings volunteered to drop them on a glacier. In mid-April, a black marketer whom Mayer dealt with was caught up in a Gestapo dragnet. He acted as the breadwinner while working as a mechanic at companies such as General Motors and Ford. 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. 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. The team would infiltrate using a blacked out B-24 bomber. Or are you interested in war medals and their recipients? It was April 1945, and Germany was finished. All Rights Reserved. Tarantino will never tell us the full logic behind misspelling the title, though in various interviews he's offered partial explanations. The Combined Bomber Offensive (CBO) in the European Theater was one of Americas bloodiest campaigns. They were sent to enemy lines to sabotage Nazi activities. . During World War II, the OSS twice nominated Fred Mayer for the Medal of Honor. They approached speeds of 60 mph or more as the craft careened down the mountain. It was feared that the Nazis would establish an Alpine redoubtin order tomake a last stand there. In his book about the OSS Tom Moon described the torture. Robert Citino, PhD, is the Samuel Zemurray Stone Senior Historian in the Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy. 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. 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. A long-time resident of Lake Tahoe, Weber and his wife, Janet, founded Franz Weber Inc., a Reno-based sports management and consulting company, in 1984.Today, the company represents world-class . 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. Sign Up. And when youre done with all of those hundreds of books, you can turn to film. Mayer became an Army Ranger and went on to join the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) the precursor of todays CIA. However, he was never caught and lived a relatively peaceful life until his death in 1964. This function has been disabled for WW2 Gravestone. Hiseyes grew wide, Youre all as good as dead! he gasped, shaking his head in disbelief. STIWOT, 1999-2023. Air Force, The only area to infiltrate was a small lake frozen over in the winter between the mountains. However, using his own guile, wit, and a fortunate set of circumstances, Mayer turned the tables on his captors. Theyd be sent into Nazi-occupied Europe and they knew what awaited them there as most were Jewish. In the summer of 1944 after extensive training, the OGs received the call to duty. He has written eight books, including his most recent (insrt embedded link to Amazon) Dog Company: The Boys of Pointe du Hoc: Rangers Who Accomplished D-Days Toughest Mission and Led the Way Across Europe. Besides, its too late, he says of the event. In zweiter Ehe war er mit Genovefa Brenner verheiratet; aus dieser . Like many other Germans by the end of the war, Hofer was looking for a safeguard with the Allies to secure his own freedom. He was replaced with director Eli Roth. Two of them, Mayer and Wynberg, were exiled Jewish men in America who had fled their countries when hostilities began in Germany. Wijnberg and Weber had to flee, whilst Mayer was tortured by the Gestapo. In an interview, Mr. Mayer stated that he had a good combination of hatred and love: a hatred of the Nazis and a love for America. His father fought valiantly in World War I, and Mayer had seen his family forced from their homeland by an evil regime that later murdered 6 million European Jews in the Holocaust. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 286 (27):24458-24466. With a man on each side of the rifle, they lifted his naked, rolled-up body and suspended the human ball between two tables, like a piece of meat on a skewer. The Life Summary of Georg. 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. Unlike the strange and often idiotic Tarantinos movie, however, the truth was far more bizarre. As you can see, there are some similarities with Tarantino's film. Franz Weber may refer to: . The wrong tug on their chutes or a miscalculation of the pilot by mere seconds could have sent the men to their deaths. Air Force Special Operations Commandos owe part of their heritage to OSS pilots who flew many dangerous missions during the war. However, their plans failed when Mayer was arrested by Nazi officers in an attempt to get crucial information. 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. After three months, Mayer changed his cover to that of a French electrician who was fleeing the Soviets. From 0-99, there is something for the child in all of us. The leader of the mission was Fred "Freddy" Mayer, who settled in Brooklyn in 1938 after escaping Nazi Germany with his family, having to leave the love of his life Hannah behind, who was . During World War II, he led one of the greatest missions of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). The Nazi governor wined and dined his Jewish captive, then explained that he wanted to surrender but not to the Soviets. They Dared Return: The True Story of Jewish Spies Behind the Lines in Nazi Germany, Dog Company: The Boys of Pointe du Hoc: Rangers Who Accomplished D-Days Toughest Mission and Led the Way Across Europe. Donny Donowitz. In a scene that could have been ripped from the movie Where Eagles Dare, the team, clad in white ski parkas, parachuted onto the side of a 9,000-foot glacier. This man was Hermann Matull, who was also working as a spy in the region. It brought profound and permanent social, governmental and cultural changes in the United States, and has had a great impact on how Americans regard themselves and . It featured a few re-enactments, but most of the story was told by the two Jewish refugees, Hans Wijnbergand Fred Mayer, with the widow and son of Franz Weber, the Wehrmacht officer, also contributing.