Battle for Castle Itter
-
What was the Battle for Castle Itter?
The Battle for Castle Itter, a unique World War II engagement, occurred on May 5, 1945, near the war's end. In Tirol, Austria, U.S. soldiers joined forces with German troops to fend off a Waffen-SS assault on Castle Itter, where elite French political figures were held prisoner. The prisoners, including former French premiers and generals, feared for their lives as Germany lost ground.
Major John T. Kramers dispatched a rescue group, and Captain Jack C. Lee, Jr., organized a defense with Wehrmacht officer Sepp Gangl and other German soldiers. The joint force faced the Waffen-SS attack, during which Gangl was killed and the castle was damaged. Reinforcements led by Kramers eventually arrived, scattering the attackers. This battle is thought to be the only instance of Americans and Germans fighting together during World War II.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Where and when did the battle take place?
The Battle for Castle Itter occurred on May 5, 1945, in Tirol, Austria. This World War II engagement saw U.S. soldiers and German troops uniting against the Waffen-SS to defend Castle Itter, where elite French political figures were held. The castle, originally a fortress from the 13th century, was used as a special SS detention facility after Austria's annexation into the Third Reich in 1940. The prisoners feared for their lives as Germany's defeat neared, and the battle ensued after the castle's command abandoned their posts. This event is considered unique as it marks the only instance of Americans and Germans fighting together during World War II.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Who were the main groups or people involved in the battle?
The Battle for Castle Itter on May 5, 1945, involved an unlikely alliance. U.S. soldiers, led by Capt. Jack C. Lee, Jr., joined forces with Wehrmacht soldiers led by Maj. Sepp Gangl, and even Waffen-SS officer Capt. Kurt-Siegfried Schrader, who had rejected Nazism, to defend Castle Itter against the Waffen-SS.
The castle held elite French political prisoners, including former premiers Ćdouard Daladier and Paul Reynaud, along with generals Maxime Weygand and Maurice Gamelin. These prisoners, along with service staff from Dachau, assisted in the defense. The battle concluded when additional U.S. tanks arrived, scattering the Waffen-SS attackers.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Why were there unusual alliances during the battle?
The Battle for Castle Itter saw unusual alliances due to unique circumstances at the end of World War II. American soldiers joined forces with renegade German troops to defend Castle Itter against the Waffen-SS. This unlikely alliance was forged because the castle held valuable French political prisoners whom the Nazis wanted to eliminate as the war neared its end.
Major Sepp Gangl, a Wehrmacht officer who had abandoned the Nazi cause, contacted Captain Jack C. Lee, Jr., a U.S. tank commander, leading to a joint defense. Even a Waffen-SS officer, Captain Kurt-Siegfried Schrader, who rejected Nazism, aided in the defense. This collaboration between Americans, Wehrmacht soldiers, and even a former SS officer against the still-loyal Waffen-SS was driven by the mutual interest in protecting the prisoners and resisting the Nazi regime in its final days.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What happened during the battle itself?
On May 5, 1945, at Castle Itter, Capt. Jack C. Lee, Jr. prepared for a Waffen-SS assault. With a small group, including German soldiers led by Maj. Sepp Gangl and Capt. Kurt-Siegfried Schrader, Lee defended the castle alongside some of the French prisoners, who used weapons left by guards. The Waffen-SS attacked, killing Gangl and damaging the castle. Just as the defenders were running out of ammunition, a column of tanks led by Kramers arrived in the afternoon and scattered the attackers. For his heroism, Lee received the Distinguished Service Cross.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What makes the Battle for Castle Itter important or unique in World War II history?
The Battle for Castle Itter is unique because U.S. soldiers joined forces with German troops to fight off an attack by the Waffen-SS on May 5, 1945. The stronghold in Tirol, Austria, was a detention facility for valuable French political prisoners.
Elite French figures, including former premiers Ćdouard Daladier and Paul Reynaud, were imprisoned at Itter. As Germany lost ground, the prisoners feared for their lives. After the Dachau commandant committed suicide and Itter's guards abandoned their posts, the prisoners sought help from the Americans. They were assisted by Major Sepp Gangl and other Wehrmacht officers, who had abandoned the Nazi cause, and Captain Kurt-Siegfried Schrader, a Waffen-SS officer who rejected Nazism.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Battle for Castle Itter, World War II military engagement in which U.S. soldiers joined forces with renegade German troops to turn back a Waffen-SS assault on a stronghold in Tirol, Austria, where elite French political figures were being held prisoner by the Nazis. The battle took place on May 5, 1945, only three days before the official end of the war in Europe. It is thought to be the only time that Americans and Germans fought as allies during World War II.
Castle Itter (German: Schloss Itter) in the Austrian Alps existed as a fortress since at least the 13th century and was rebuilt in 1532. It was renovated in 1878 and became a hotel early in the 20th century. In 1940, after the Anschluss brought Austria into the Third Reich, the castle was rented out to the German government. In 1943 it came under the administrative control of Dachau, a concentration camp about 90 miles (145 km) away, and was made into a special SS detention facility for prisoners who had potential value as hostages.
The last prisoners of Castle Itter were mostly elderly French men who had been high-ranking government officials before falling into disfavour with Vichy France or the Third Reich. Two prisoners were former French premiers: Ćdouard Daladier, who had signed the Munich Agreement but was arrested in African exile, and Paul Reynaud, who had consistently opposed Germany. Former generals Maxime Weygand, who was caught trying to flee the country in 1942, and Maurice Gamelin, who unsuccessfully resisted the German advance in spring 1940, were also held at the castle. Other notable prisoners included LĆ©on Jouhaux, a trade unionist who had opposed the Vichy government; Jean-Robert Borotra, a champion tennis player who had served as Vichy minister of sport before falling afoul of the regime; FranƧois de La Rocque, a former fascistic orator who was arrested after breaking with the collaborationists; and Michel Clemenceau (son of the late Premier Georges Clemenceau), who had lately turned against the Vichy regime. In addition, several women were incarcerated along with their spouses or partners, and two peopleāa sister of Gen. Charles de Gaulle and a relative of Gen. Henri Giraudāwere held because of their family connections to enemies of the regime.
The prisoners occupied cells converted from hotel guest rooms and had a service staff from Dachau. They had adequate food and were free to walk within their compound. Nevertheless, they came to fear for their lives in 1945, as Germany rapidly lost ground in the war. Dachauās commandant fled to Castle Itter as the camp was being liberated by U.S. troops, but on May 2 he committed suicide. Two days later, Castle Itterās own commandant and camp guards abandoned their posts, leaving the prisoners in charge but unable to leave because hostile Germans remained nearby. The prisoners had already sent their Yugoslavian handyman, Zvonimir ÄuÄkoviÄ, to get help from the advancing Americans. ÄuÄkoviÄ made contact with U.S. troops in Innsbruck, but the castle was outside their divisionās military jurisdiction. In defiance of orders, Maj. John T. Kramers dispatched a small rescue group.
Not knowing the fate of ÄuÄkoviÄ, the Itter prisoners sent out a second emissary, the cook, Andreas Krobot. He encountered Maj. Sepp Gangl, a Wehrmacht officer who had given up the Nazi cause and was leading a small band of German soldiers. Gangl then made contact with Capt. Jack C. Lee, Jr., a U.S. tank commander, and the two officers stealthily visited the castle and reconnoitered. Back with his unit, Lee organized a rescue party, but no tank other than Leeās own made it back to the castle.
Taking charge of the castle defense, Lee prepared to withstand a siege. His small group relied on the help of Ganglās men and of Capt. Kurt-Siegfried Schrader, a Waffen-SS officer who, like Gangl, had come to reject Nazism. The expected Waffen-SS assault came on the morning of May 5, 1945. Some of the prisoners assisted in the castle defense, wielding small arms left behind by their guards. Waffen-SS attackers shot and killed Gangl, destroyed Leeās tank, and damaged the castle walls. As the defendersā ammunition was about to run out, a column of tanks organized by Kramers finally arrived in the afternoon and scattered the attackers. Lee was eventually awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his heroism.