Escaping Justice
Near the end of the most destructive war to ever show its ugly head on Earth, most Nazis recognized Germany would fall into the hands of the Allies. To them, establishing a network of escape routes led by pro-Nationalist Socialist sympathizers was a top priority. Overall, ODESSA was a very successful ring of underground contacts responsible for the smuggling and hiding of high-level Nazi war criminals following the end of World War II.
The German Schutzstaffel, or SS, is quite possibly the most infamous band of killers in all of history. The jobs usually assigned to SS officers included the carrying out of Hitler’s ambition of ridding the world of all elements unworthy of life. Over fourteen million deaths have been attributed to acts of SS members, including six million Jews, five million Russians, two million Poles, and many other groups their leader deemed “unworthy of life.” However, near the end of World War II, this demonic cult feared the end of their reign. Most officials recognized the Allies would overcome them and appropriate plundered funds. They knew they needed a plan to successfully hide the world’s most frightening killers from justice. (Forsyth p. X)
On August 10, 1944, only a couple months after the D-Day invasion, some of Hitler’s top advisors met in the Maison Rouge hotel in Strasbourg, France. The meeting was headed by top German industrialists and bankers concerned about the billions of dollars in Nazi assets (In Search…). This meeting led to the creation of a well financed and well organized underground money laundering system, known only to high-ranking SS as Die Spiner, translated to English as The Spider. In a conference summary published by anonymous attendees, the Nazis were apparently aware of what would happen should the Allies discover this system or any of the people who helped create it (ODESSA – Jewish…).
Die Spiner is probably the most successful Nazi-funded organization created in the wake of World War II. It is responsible for successfully stashing billions of dollars in Nazi wealth in secret Swiss bank accounts accessible only by top SS members and people who might have learned the specifics from them. Supposedly these funds are to finance a new Nazi uprising and build a new Reich. Besides funneling out money, Spiner also helped provide feeling Nazis with fake identification and provided them with possible locations of where they could slip out of Germany’s borders. A new organization would almost as well organized as Spiner but with a different purpose would soon arise (In Search…).
At the war’s end, one of the most infamous SS members was being held captive in an Allied POW camp. At six foot four, Otto Skorzeny was a perfect example of Hitler’s master race. In 1944, Skorzeny led a daring raid into Italy and saved Mussolini from Allied clutches. With the success of this operation, Berlin ordered him to assassinate American General Eisenhower during one of his trips to Paris. Unfortunately for the Nazis, Skorzeny’s plan failed and he soon became known as “the most dangerous man in Europe” (In Search…). While in the POW camp, it is believed that he met with many other imprisoned SS members. Together, they formed what is known as Organization Der Ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen, translated to The Organization of Former SS Members, or more simply, ODESSA. In 1947, Skorzeny was cleared of all war crimes charged by the United States of America, but still awaited trial in other countries. However, in 1948, former SS members disguised as US Military police entered the camp, allowing Skorzeny to escape by jumping into the back of their truck. After escaping, he spread the word about ODESSA. A new program with great potential was in full swing (ODESSA – Jewish, In Search…).
The Pro-Nazi people Skorzeny contacted after his escape worked swiftly to establish several different paths consisting of hidden trails and safe houses for fleeing Nazis to seek refuge on. The route established the fastest and used the most was known as the “Monastery Route” (ODESSA – Jewish…). This route started in the small Bavarian town of Memmingen and extended to Innsbruck, Austria. From there, Nazis escaping punishment could travel over Brenner Pass into Rome, where they were virtually untouchable. This infamous route earned its name by most of the safe houses being monasteries, as opposed to the usual ski lodges, barns, and hotels. Monks rarely questioned about the business of their rather strange visitors because Odwal Hugal, a prominent bishop, and the Pope endorsed the hiding of Nazis as a way to end communism, which they considered a threat to the Catholic Church (In Search…). Other routes included the “B-B Route”, which started in Bremen, Germany and ended in Bari, Italy, and any way to sneak into Switzerland. Once in Italy or Switzerland, the war criminals would usually flee to any Fascist country they could under the protection of their governments. Nazi hotspots after the war included Spain, South America (mainly Argentina), and many Arabic nations. These routes were, for the most part, very secure and reliable for escaping Nazis.
Over one thousand former SS commandos benefited from the newly created organization. However, what is even more remarkable is the sheer quantity of high-ranked demons who managed to flee. Josef Mengele, also known as the “Angel of Death”, is infamous for his medical “experiments” on selected Jews in Auschwitz. Immediately following the end of the war, he fled to Buenos Aires where he was never caught. Although eventually caught by Israeli Intelligence Agents, Adolf Eichmann remained hidden in Argentina for nearly twenty years after the end of the war (In Search…). Until he was caught in 1960, Eichmann was the most wanted person in the world for coordinating the European death camps and putting Hitler’s Final Solution into play (ODESSA – Jewish…). Also known as the “Butcher of Riga”, Edward Roschmann also used ODESSA to flee into Egypt, where he remained hidden from authorities (Mystery Guide…, Forsyth p. 250). Skorzeny must have been satisfied with how well his idea was working.
ODESSA was not the only organization that aided in the Nazis escape though. The CIA helped Klaus Barbie escape using the Monastery Route so he could work in the American Intelligence Agency. During the 1950s, the Korean War and beginning of the Cold War made east-west tensions greater and bought potential for a new kind of Holocaust: a nuclear one. Former SS commandos that had an outstanding record were recruited by both Russia and the USA to spy no one another. Many of these SS used their new jobs to provide secret information to their former comrades for a safe escape into countries that supported them (In Search…).
Most Arabic nations despised the newly founded Israel and more than welcomed Nazis who wished to enter their countries (ODESSA – Jewish…). They hired Nazi engineers to build rockets and bombs to destroy the home of the Jews. Gamal Abdal Nasser of Egypt was particularly fond of Nazi tactics to remove their new neighbors. After becoming leader of Egypt in 1956, Nasser opened his borders to all fleeing Nazis and described Hitler as the “strongest man of Europe” (Postwar Arab…). When he let Nazis enter his country, the first victims of their terror were the Egyptian Jews and communists. Most synagogues, Jewish orphanages, schools, hospitals, and elderly homes for Jews were shut down in Egypt during 1960. In 1967, all Jews in official positions were dismissed, beaten, tortured, robbed, and forced to leave the country. From the seventy-five thousand Egyptian Jews in 1948, only 350 remained in 1974 (Postwar Arab…).
Not only did they terrorize civilians, but the Nazis also took up government positions under Nasser. Dr. Hans, a medical torturer at Buckenwald, became staff physician in Helwan. Over fifteen known high-ranked SS officers became government officials. At that time, the Egyptian military was also being trained by former German army and SS officers. Egypt was certainly a place littered with Nazi activity (Postwar Arab…).
The Peron family of Argentina were quite fond of Nazis. In fact, Argentina held the record for most “illegal” immigrants in the 1950s. Most of the high-level infamous beats stayed in Argentina, and many of them lived there for the rest of their lives. It is unknown whether or not they poisoned Argentina’s citizens with their idealistic trash. Regardless, the Perons would be the modern day equivalent of Middle Eastern countries that harbor terrorists.
As early as 1964, Simon Wiesenthal, a survivor, started identifying and closing routes used by fleeing Nazis. He learned of ODESSA accidentally while having a private conversation with a former SS member during the Nuremburg trials. After his discovery of the Monastery Route, he became one of the best known Nazi hunters in Europe. Many have credited him with the capture of several high-ranking Nazis, such as Eichmann. Although he did help the problem by eliminating primary sources, did he and others end the problem in the long run?
In July of 1994, a bomb exploded outside of a Jewish community center in Argentina, killing over one hundred inside. In London, an Israeli embassy bomb injured eighteen. A package bomb arrived for a well known Nazi hunter in Paris, which exploded her car. The terrorist clan to claim responsibility call themselves ODESSA (In Search…). Could the offspring of some of history’s most notorious villains have access to stashed funds and plans to rebuild a new Reich and bring a new generation of unimaginable terror? If so, the German equivalent to the Underground Railroad could be even more successful than anybody ever knew.