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. Thinking he wanted revenge, the Americans later brought Mayer to a cell. He dominated the sport of speed skiing from 1980 to 1985, winning over eighty percent of the races he entered. The true story reads better than the fictional one, although I admit a fondness for Tarantino films however. Disguised as a French electrician, Mayer tried to infiltrate one of the Luftwaffe factories. The three were to be dropped by parachuted near Innsbruck in February 1945. As reported in The New York Times, Tarantino had intended his follow-up to "Jackie Brown" to be a World War II epic then titled "Inglorious Bastards" (with proper spelling). 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". - 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 . Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Weve already been checked, Weber asserted with great chutzpah. Posing as a recovering German officer, Mayer befriended an Engineer Officer who worked on the Fuhrer Bunker in Berlin. U.S. Military. All rights reserved 2022 Collective Culture. Sein Leben war durch eine umfangreiche Reisettigkeit geprgt. They were sent to enemy lines to sabotage Nazi activities. People Projects Discussions Surnames Being an actor in a Quentin Tarantino film means you're going to be in for an intense experience. 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. Mayer was motivated by a powerful combination of hate and lovehate toward the Nazis and love for America. There are a few different reasons people have speculated on. In fact, I think I have an idea for a film. Barrett is the world leader in long-range, large-caliber, precision rifle design and manufacturing. You really would have to quit your job and become a monk to get through them all. Franz Weber, Actor: Figaros Hochzeit. 2023 The SOFREP Media Group. Hes already seen the movie. Ittrained them for operations behind enemy lines. Thanks to their intelligence, the Allies were able to bomb over 25 supply trains trying to get into Italy. You had to go on and on and on about your backstory. Their mission was given the name of "Operation Greenup," and though their deeds aren't that well known, they manage to destabilize the Nazi regime. 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. 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." Franz Weber. He, therefore, transformed himself into a French electrician. 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. He also determined the times for troop and ammunition trains heading thru the Brenner Pass and called in airstrikes. Hofer, convinced that the war was a lost cause, was looking for a way to surrender to the Americans rather than to the Soviets. In February, 1945, an odd trio parachuted onto a vast Austrian glacier and kicked-off one of the most spectacular clandestine missions of World War II. Waffen-SS Armband. He was arrested by the American army three days after his surrender and was kept a prisoner until 1948, when he was set free. Hiseyes grew wide, Youre all as good as dead! he gasped, shaking his head in disbelief. World War II was not only the greatest military conflict in history, it was also America's most important twentieth-century war. He was finally arrested when a black marketeer was caught by Nazi authorities and fingered Mayer as a, OSS Finally Recognized More Than 70 Years Later By Congress, PO Box 1077 MURFREESBORO, Tennessee 37133 United States, P.O. This enabled him to pick upinformation from other German officers, which Wijnberg relayed back to the OSS. He dominated the sport of speed skiing from 1980 to 1985, winning over eighty percent of the races he entered. 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. Fortunately, Hofer realized that Germany would lose and wanted to save his skin, so he ordered Mayer brought to him. ORCID provides an identifier for individuals to use with their name as they engage in research, scholarship, and innovation activities. 12 min. There was also Franz Weber a Catholic Austrian Wehrmacht officer and POW, who felt loyal to Austria, not to Nazi Germany. During these discussions, it was agreed that the Germans under Hofer should surrender to Mayer, as the representative of the US military. How bizarre? Later, West learned that Mayer was a sergeant. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. Representing a variety of world class athletes, the company specializes in client hospitality and luxury adventure travel notably . John Billings, his command pilot on the mission, described Mayer as fearless about returning to Nazi Germany. The only area to infiltrate was a small lake frozen over in the winter between the mountains. 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. M7/109 Thomas Wielptz, Solingen . Shes Not Madeleine: Scotland Yard Refutes Julias Allegations of Being Madeleine McCann. 945 Magazine Street, New Orleans, LA 70130 Franz Weber. The Life of Fridolin. His captors whipped him, doused him with water and suspended him from a rifle, but he only admitted he was an Americanofficer when the man who had betrayed him was brought in and identified him. In April, Mayers superiors needed info on an underground factory that made jet engines. 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." Cowering in the corner, the agent was terrified to see his former captive. 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. But unlike other refugees, Mayer decided to return to German-occupied Europe to strike back at the very individuals who imprisoned some of his family members in concentration camps. 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), FELLGIEBEL, W.P., Elite of theThird Reich, Helion & Company Limited, Solihull, 2003, HU, JRGEN & SONDERMANN, HEINZ-WERNER, Ritterkreuztrger im Mannschaftsstand 1941-1945, VDM Heinz Nickel, Zweibrcken, 2009, Privacy statement, cookies, disclaimer and copyright. The top and bottom have been folded over and stitched together. 1" in 2003, there were seven long years without a single new Quentin Tarantino film. Mollis,Glarus,,Switzerland . Mayer then pushed into Innsbruck, determining the schedules for troop and munitions trains bound through the Brenner to Italy. The threewere to be dropped byparachutednear Innsbruckin February 1945. The OSS went to the only available source of that nearly impossible combination: an Allied prisoner of war camp. They didn't end up killing Hitler, but they were able to negotiate the . 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. . Life as a spy was not short of action. The Nazi governor wined and dined his Jewish captive, then explained that he wanted to surrender but not to the Soviets. World War II was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. Inform us! The members of Operation Greenup ended up helping the Allies get their victory and were later on decorated for their heroic services during the war. And when youre done with all of those hundreds of books, you can turn to film. Operation Greenup brought the Allies real material benefits, transmitting dozens of radio messages with detailed accounts of Brenner traffic to the OSS listening station in the city of Bari in the heel of Italy. A pilot called Billings volunteered to drop them on a glacier. Eventually, they transferred to Italy and once again continued to sit out the war. "Say 'What' Again!" His family owned a hardware store that was boycotted because they were Jewish once Hitler became chancellor in 1933. Bahnhofplatz 9. 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. October 28th, 1944. Millard E. Moon, Journal of Strategic Security, Vol. He called in air strikes, destroying dozens of them. Does anyone out there have Quentin Tarantinos cell? There is a nice WC on the ground floor with baby changing facilities. This is a horrible place where the Nazis tortured and killed members of the Belgium resistance. 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 . Wijnberg and Weber had to flee, whilst Mayer was tortured by the Gestapo. In March 1945 these three men nearly died being inserting into Nazi controlled Austria as they ended up parachuting onto a . Once at the bottom of the mountain, the men boarded an Innsbruck-bound train infested with Gestapo. Do you want to create your own battlefield tour to sights of wars from the past? RecPak is a meal replacement for the outdoors that saves you weight, space and time in the most challenging environments, just add water. According to Roth, "[The flames] were spreading so exponentially. And 15 Other Iconic Lines From Tarantino's FilmsThe Real-Life Django Who Rebelled Against Slavery And No One Talks About Enough10 Lessons We Learned From The Bad-Ass Women In Tarantino's Universe. 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. Contributor. His current life is fairly peacefulhe still chops wood nearly every day and volunteers with Meals on Wheels. They all spoke German, and many were Jewish refugees who wanted vengeance for their families suffering. As many as half a million civilians remained in Stalingrad when the Germans approached in the late summer of 1942. With robust designs and vintage classic style, discover the heritage of military timepieces today! Webers sister, Louise, was a nurse who gave Mayer the uniform and documents of a recently-deceased German officer. 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 It was "The Fifth Element" director Luc Besson who encouraged Tarantino to finish "Inglourious Basterds" as a movie rather than a miniseries. The next day, Mayer tried to enlist, but the military said no. He was German, after all, and, therefore, an enemy alien. Then they boarded a Gestapo-infested train bound for Innsbruck (a major rail hub) where they were asked for their papers. April 1812 in Mannheim) war ein deutscher Musiker, Kapellmeister und Theaterdirektor. After reaching a small town outside Innsbruck, the Greenup team set up camp. 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.. He would later on return to Germany to start over. He asked if they were willing to kill. By Mark Weber. He made the deadline, but the film ultimately got re-edited with minor adjustments between the premiere and the wide release. and a disaffected Austrian officer named Franz Weber. Fridolin Weber. one of four skiers who broke a world record by skiing sixteen Colorado ski resorts in one day. As the Germans surrendered, the Gestapo officer who had savagely beaten Mayer was taken to the very cell where he tortured him. We invite you to share some of Franz Webers career. That didnt stop the intrepid OGs. They were the parents of at least 5 sons and 1 daughter. 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. Log In. 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. 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.". The trio had supplies packages dropped with them, but unfortunately were unable to locate the packet containing their skis. His cover wasnt holding water, and so the tall one stripped him from head to toe. However, Tarantino based his film on an actual operation codenamed, Greenup. Ulmer asked several pointed questions about their background, and the men revealed that they were Jewish. He says Waltz was also instructed to not show up to rehearsals with any of his co-stars, with the one exception ofDenis Mnochet (who played the dairy farmer Perrier LaPadite and shares the film's suspenseful opening scene with Waltz). Both men joined the US Army, and were then approached to join the OSS, the US intelligence service,because of their language skills. In one of the most incredible scenes from World War II, Frederick Mayer approached the American lines and informed the advancing 103rd division that the Germans had surrendered Innsbruck to him, saving potentially thousands of German and American lives in the process. 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 . While Mayer was being tortured in a Nazi prison, another American agent was being interrogated by the Gestapo. Cross) Chemistry: The Central Science (Theodore E. Brown; H. Eugene H LeMay; Bruce E. Bursten; Catherine Murphy; Patrick Woodward) 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. The trio got off at the town of Oberperfuss near Innsbruck and split up. The Basel activist was responsible for over 150 campaigns but is best known for his defence of the alpine landscape, in particular . Most of SIs missions had been failures with the operatives either killed or shipped off to concentration camps. On November 26, 2007, Franz was the recipient of the prestigious Schneekristall award (providing him with lifelong free skiing privileges in Austria). Quentin Tarantino's 2009 war film was partly based on a real story. Under torture, he told them about Mayer, so they broke down the latters door on 20 April 1945. Their little band soon adds a third member: Franz Weber, a Wehrmachtlieutenant who has belatedly come to his senses about the murderous nature of Adolf Hitlers war. His website is http://www.patrickkodonnell.com/. While promoting her 2022 action movie "The 355," Diane Kruger appeared on the podcast "Reign with Josh Smith" and answered questions about how she got the role of German actress and spy Bridget Von Hammersmark in "Inglourious Basterds." He dominated the sport of speed skiing from 1980 to 1985, winning over eighty percent of the races he entered. 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. The team would infiltrate using a blacked out B-24 bomber. But Tarantino smartly decided that the multilingual role was best suited for a native German speaker and ultimately cast Christoph Waltz in the part that would eventually win him an Oscar. Feigning the role of a captured German POW, Fred entered a camp and networked within its gates. Eventually, the man who fingered Mayer was brought in and he knew the ruse was up. Weber, a Catholic, had deserted, convinced . It was the scariest part of the entire mission.. The mission that began with vengeance ended with forgiveness. Franz Weber. Franz Weber (actor) (1888-1962), German actor Franz Weber (footballer) (1888-? Trembling, he stammered, Do anything you want to me, but dont hurt my family.. He then worked for Mayer till the Gestapo caught him. Franz Weller (5 December 1901 - 14 August 1994) was a highly decorated Oberst in the Wehrmacht during World War II. An Olympian, six-time consecutive World Speed Skiing Champion and former world record-holder, Franz Weber still holds the North American record, at Their task was to penetrate one of the most secured areas of the Third Reich, an area of Austria near Innsbruck, where Nazis reportedly had been fortifying and massing vast quantities of troops and supplies. However, he was never caught and lived a relatively peaceful life until his death in 1964. Thanks to the work of these three man, many Allied troops accomplished several effective bombings, destroying Nazi supplies and, naturally, messing with their plans. The tables turned, the Gestapo man shaking, told Mayer to do with him as he would, but to please leave his family alone. A secondary mission was to monitor all of the rail traffic from Innsbruck traveling thru the Brenner Pass into Italy. 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. The award was presented to him by the Austrian ski resorts for his contributions to the sport of skiing. Praesidus brings homage to the military watch tradition. 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. 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!" Matull insisted that only someone as important as Franz Hofer (the local administrator) could get away with interrogating Mayer. So Matull hadnt entirely lied. As the troops approached the city, they saw a car with a large white bed sheet attached to a pole racing toward them. 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! They eventually made contact with Webers family. Mayer recalls, It was the ride of my life. 8.5 km. Kruger went on to earn aSAG Awards nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role for the performance. Jason Dawsey, PhD, is a Research Historian at the Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy. Or are you interested in war medals and their recipients? The "Inglourious Basterds" screenplay was a particular challenge both to write and to edit down into a workable feature. They jumped in on February 26, 1945. Out jumped a bruised and battered Mayer, who offered the formal surrender of the entire regions German Army. Thanks to his Intel, the Allies knew the schedules of troop and munition trains and bombarded them accordingly. 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. (371) 7.4 52min 2012 13+. Mayer eventually headed back into Nazi-occupied territory in Europe serving as U.S. spy. He married Katharina Haechlinger about 1550. During the movie's production, however, there were also serious risks and conflicts that could have (and probably should have) been avoided. Ulmer asked them if they knew what would befall them if they were caught by the Nazis. Jason Dawsey, PhD. THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING VETERAN JOURNALISM - JOIN SOFREP+ Tags:quentin tarantino world war ii world history. Greenup also discovered Hitlers location, as well as that of Mussolini. But rather than doing that, why not just read the actual history of the war? These are the untold truths of the making of "Inglourious Basterds.". 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. Edit your search or learn more. After tramping through chest-deep snow, the men literally sledded down the side of the glacier in a Santa Claus-like sleigh. Will King Charles IIIs Reign See the End of the Commonwealth. Mayer was then betrayed and captured. 1526 1526. Weber F, Machens CK, Borst A: Disentangling the functional consequences of the connectivity between optic-flow processing neurons. 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. 129.303 mph/208.092 kph which he set in 1983 in Silverton, Colorado. 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 . Fred Raskin, Menke's assistant editor on "KillBill," would become Tarantino's go-to editor following her death, starting with "Django Unchained" in 2012. 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. Theres no doubt that Operation Greenup saved many thousands of lives, Austrian and American, civilian and military. He was finally arrested when a black marketeer was caught by Nazi authorities and fingered Mayer as a spy. Theyd be sent into Nazi-occupied Europe and they knew what awaited them there as most were Jewish. Do you have more information about this person? 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. Many historians have written about the famous Buffalo Soldiers of the all-Black 92nd Infantry Division, who fought with distinction during World War II. For the next several months, Mayer and his best friend Hans Winberg went about planning Operation Greenup. Looking for reliable information or news facts about WW2? 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 was born in Freiburg, Germany, on Oct. 28, 1921. His father didnt want to leave Germany. As the war ended, the people of Vietnam looked to the United States to support their dreams of independence. A masterpiece like "Inglourious Basterds" takes a lot of work to get right. The team found a German POW named Franz Weber. *Lighting a path to truth* Former Navy JAG Worldwide U.S. Military Defense. Speaking in an interview(via Screenrant) with fellow filmmaker Robert Rodriguez for an episode of "Director's Chair" on El Rey Network, Tarantino said, "People thought I was going through writer's block, you know, I was going through the opposite.