Mollis, Glarus, Canton of Glarus, Switzerland. son. As if offended, Weber haughtily replied, Weve already been checked!. Over 40.000 pages on the officers, the boats, technology and the Allied efforts to counter the U-boat threat. Greenup also discovered Hitlers location, as well as that of Mussolini. 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!" Mayer, Wijnberg, and Weber were parachuted with their supplies into Austria on 26 February 1945 in total darkness which was why they ended up on the crest of the Sulztaler glacier some 9,000 feet up a mountain. 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. I was really training for it.". 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. An overwhelming majority of them were women and children. 2" caused serious injuries to Uma Thurman (Thurman has forgiven Tarantino). Sent to Italy, he was teamed up with Hans Wijnberg another Jewish-American whose family was thrown intoAuschwitz. These are the untold truths of the making of "Inglourious Basterds.". 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. 3, No. That guy was an extra. 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. In 1945, members of the American "Deer Team," part of the OSS, worked with Vietnamese guerrilla fighters to throw Japanese troops out of Indochina. And although he was circumcised, the Gestapo thought nothing of it since many non-Jews also practiced circumcision. Over 16.5 million men and women served in the armed forces during World War II, of whom 291,557 died in battle, 113,842 died from other causes, and 670,846 were wounded. Enter Hermann Matull. After three months, Mayer changed his cover to that of a French electrician who was fleeing the Soviets. Now, though Hofer had the connections and supplies to resist an invasion by the Allies, its known that it was thanks to his conversations with Mayer that he decided to surrender. In 1945, after capture and torture by the Gestapo, he was responsible for accepting the surrender of a large German force. The war pitted the Central Powersmainly Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Turkeyagainst the Alliesmainly France, Great Britain, Russia, Italy, Japan, and, from 1917, the United . "Quentin said to close our scripts and asked us who we were. In 1997, he won the Legends Downhill Championship in Vail, Colorado and placed first overall in the Masters Division of the MCI World Downhill Championships. Out jumped a bruised and battered Mayer, who offered the formal surrender of the entire regions German Army. The true story reads better than the fictional one, although I admit a fondness for Tarantino films however. Then good fortune stepped in. 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. Headquartered in Reno, Nevada, Franz Weber, Inc. is a sports management and consulting company founded in 1984 by Franz Weber and his wife Janett. He also determined the times for troop and ammunition trains heading thru the Brenner Pass and called in airstrikes. A German soldier, Matull had deserted and was caught by the Allies who threw him into a POW camp. The team found a German POW named Franz Weber. However, that doesn't mean the provocative auteur was taking a break from work; he was keeping busy writing scripts. His family owned a hardware store that was boycotted because they were Jewish once Hitler became chancellor in 1933. Mayer gave what perhaps was the best answer of all, This is more our war than yours.. The Basel activist was responsible for over 150 campaigns but is best known for his defence of the alpine landscape, in particular . and a disaffected Austrian officer named Franz Weber. 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. They were joined by Franz Weber, an ex-Wehrmacht officer turned freedom fighter comparable to the Basterds' Hugo Stiglitz. 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. Waffen-SS Armband. 1526-24 January 1624 (Age 98) Beglingen, Glarus, Switzerland. Webers sister was a nurse who helped Mayer disguise himself as a German officer in uniform and bandaged up from a head wound. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. : an American History (Eric Foner) Business Law: Text and Cases (Kenneth W. Clarkson; Roger LeRoy Miller; Frank B. They teamed up with Franz Weber a Germany army officer that became a "deserter-volunteer" OSS agent. By this time Hofer, like many Nazis, realised that the war was lost and was interested only in surrendering to the Western Allies rather than the Soviets. He then worked for Mayer till the Gestapo caught him. They didnt embark on any sort of killing spree, but they did succeed in their mission. Fridolin Weber. Mayer became an Army Ranger and went on to join the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) the precursor of todays CIA. See Photos. Mayer obtained a German uniform and impersonated a wounded officer. To get better results, add more information such as Birth Info, Death Info and Locationeven a guess will help. Hofer was looking for a way to surrender to the Americans and not the Russians and saw this as his chance. As many as half a million civilians remained in Stalingrad when the Germans approached in the late summer of 1942. Kessler (TV Mini Series 1981) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Historical records matching Franz Weber Franz Weber in GenealogieOnline Family Tree Index view all Immediate Family. That didnt stop the intrepid OGs. The Messerschmitt design team were on to something . His books that capture Mayers story are They Dared Return and The Brenner Assignment. He was shown a picture of Mayer and was asked if he knew him. Mr. Mayer died at his home in Charles Town, West Virginia, on April 15 this year. The tables turned, the Gestapo man shaking, told Mayer to do with him as he would, but to please leave his family alone. 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 . Bahnhofplatz 9. The initial casting plans for "Inglourious Basterds" almost included two big name stars whose presence would have certainly resulted in a very different experience: Leonardo DiCaprio was in talks for the role of Hans Landa, and Adam Sandler was almost going to play "The Bear Jew," Sgt. 2023 The SOFREP Media Group. So Matull hadnt entirely lied. However, things took a turn for the worse when a member of Mayers spy network betrayed him. Tune in for a conversation about the men of X Troop, who were the realInglorious Basterds: a secret commando unit of young Jewish refugees who were trained in counterintelligence and advanced combat to deliver decisive blows against the Nazis. 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. 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." All rights reserved. TracesOfWar.com tells you more! It was "The Fifth Element" director Luc Besson who encouraged Tarantino to finish "Inglourious Basterds" as a movie rather than a miniseries. Their mission was to infiltrate the area around Innsbruck, Austria and monitor the reports of the Nazis stockpiling arms and ammunition there, the Alpine Redoubt. In March 1945 these three men nearly died being inserting into Nazi controlled Austria as they ended up parachuting onto a . After unexpectedly arriving at the OSS post, the men sat and languished for months, waiting for a mission. Thinking he wanted revenge, the Americans later brought Mayer to a cell. She thinks this experience was a "lesson" for Tarantino: "Sometimes you are the one that puts and I'm sure I'm guilty of that too you put people in boxes. And what a cast of characters: emigr Jews like Mayer and Wijnberg, bent on destroying the regime that had persecuted them and their families and, in Wijnbergs case, had even killed his parents; Lieutenant Weber, a German soldier currently on the run from a death sentence for desertion, then being handed out in the thousands by Nazi officials; not to mention Anna Niederkircher, the mother of Webers fiance. 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. Undeterred by the units previous record, Mayer and his friends approached the units commander, Lt. Alfred Ulmer, and begged to sign up. 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. 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. They eventually made contact with Webers family. Sally Menke edited every one of QuentinTarantino's movies from "Reservoir Dogs" in 1992 all the way up until "Inglourious Basterds" in 2009. His mother, however, demanded that the family flee to the U.S. Young Fitz (Mayers nickname) was captivated by cowboy stories of the American West, and so looked forward to the journey. They were sent to enemy lines to sabotage Nazi activities. 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. Nationality: German (1933-1945, Third Reich) Biography. On the outskirts of a sleepy West Virginia town lives 92-year-old Frederick Mayer. Air Force Special Operations Commandos owe part of their heritage to OSS pilots who flew many dangerous missions during the war. But America desperately needed to beef up its military, so they let him join the 81st Infantry Division the following year. info@nationalww2museum.org Eventually, the man who fingered Mayer was brought in and he knew the ruse was up. They made their way to Webers family and then Mayer actually stayed in the Officers barracks in Innsbruck for several weeks, gleaming as much intelligence as he could and then relaying it to Wynberg (the radio operator) who would then relay it to OSS HQs. 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. Nonetheless, this story has made some people uncomfortable. In fact, Mayer was taken to Hofers home, met Hofers wife, and ate with them. one of four skiers who broke a world record by skiing sixteen Colorado ski resorts in one day. He dominated the sport of speed skiing from 1980 to 1985, winning over eighty percent of the races he entered. Millard E. Moon, Journal of Strategic Security, Vol. He found and recruited deserter-volunteer, Franz Weber. Inform us! Imagine a Jew helpingNazissurrender peacefully to the Allies. Without making specific promises, he offered salvation. While Tarantino's films have featured many strong female characters, the director's treatment of women in real life has been the subject of controversy. His captors, including Franz Hofer, the governor of the Alpine Redoubt and an immensely powerful man within Hitlers inner Circle, faced war crimes prosecution. . 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 story of Operational Greenup deserves greater attention than it has received. His cover wasnt holding water, and so the tall one stripped him from head to toe. The documentary ended with Fred Mayer talking to Hans Wijnberg via Skype. There is a nice WC on the ground floor with baby changing facilities. He called in air strikes, destroying dozens of them. There are a few different reasons people have speculated on. Early on May 3, 1945, the American 103rd Infantry Division of the Seventh Army was ordered to take Innsbruck. Do you have more information about this person?