The Battle of Castle Itter is a remarkable event from World War II, often referred to as one of the strangest battles of the war. It occurred on May 5, 1945, during the conflict in Europe’s final days.
Castle Itter, located in Austria, was being used as a prison for high-profile French prisoners, including former prime ministers, generals, and other prominent figures. As the war drew to a close, the situation in the region became chaotic, with the Allied advance and the collapse of Nazi Germany leading to confusion and shifting allegiances.
In early May 1945, a small group of Wehrmacht soldiers—led by Major Josef Gangl—found themselves in an unusual position. They were stationed near Castle Itter and had received word that the SS was planning to execute the prisoners held there. Gangl, sympathetic to the prisoners’ plight, decided to defy orders and protect them.
The purpose of the prison was to hold high-profile prisoners that the Reich deemed valuable. A notable prisoner was the tennis player Jean Borotra, French VIP prisoners, French Resistance member François de La Rocque, and many Eastern European prisoners from Dachau, who performed maintenance and other menial tasks. Also among them were former Prime Ministers Paul Reynaud and Edouard Daladier, General Maxim Weygand, former Commander-in-Chief of the French Army, and Madame Weygan, wife of General Weygan.
What ensued was a remarkable alliance between former enemies. Major Gangl and his men joined forces with the prisoners, who included French resistance fighters and American soldiers. Together, they defended the castle against an attack by SS Forces, who were intent on carrying out the prisoners’ executions.
A highly decorated Wehrmacht officer, Gangl had become opposed to the Nazis and was collaborating with the Austrian resistance.
Gangl had intended to free the castle prisoners but was unwilling to sacrifice the few troops he had in a suicidal attack on a heavily defended fortress manned by the SS. Instead, he was conserving them to protect residents from SS reprisals, in which troops shot at any window displaying either a white or Austrian flag and summarily executed males as deserters, traitors, and defeatists. His hopes were pinned on the Americans reaching Wörgl and promptly surrendering to them. Instead, he approached them under a white flag and asked for their help.
Around the same time, a reconnaissance unit of four Sherman tanks of the 23rd Tank Battalion of the 12th Armored Division of the US XXI Corps.
The battle began to kindle when, on May 3, the Yugoslav handyman Zvonimir Čučković and the Communist Resistance member—left the castle on the pretense of an errand for Commander Sebastian Wimmer. Čučković carried a letter with him, in English, that he intended to give to the first American he found, which asked for Allied help.
The closest town, Wörgl, was still under German command, so Čučković traveled towards Innsbruck, 40 miles away. That same evening, Čučković reached the city’s outskirts and encountered an advance party of the 409th Infantry Regiment of the American 103rd Infantry Division of the US VI corps, whom he told about the prison. While they could not mount the rescue operation themselves, they passed the message on to their headquarters for an answer.
At dawn the next day, a heavily armored rescue operation was mounted, but they were forced to stop upon encountering heavy shelling after Jenbach. Around the same time, with the failure of Čučković to return, Commander Sebastian Wimmer fled his post in fear he had been discovered. With Wimmer gone, the SS-Totenkopfverbände guards soon departed their posts. The prisoners soon took over the castle and armed themselves with what weaponry remained.
Gangl sought to maintain his unit’s position in the town to protect residents from SS reprisals. Nazi loyalists would shoot at any window displaying either a white flag or an Austrian flag, and would summarily execute males as possible deserters. Gangl’s hopes were pinned on the Americans reaching Wörgl promptly so he could surrender to them.[21] Instead, he would now have to approach them under a white flag to ask for their help.
Around the same time, a reconnaissance unit of four Sherman tanks of the 23rd Tank Battalion, 12th Armored Division of the US XXI Corps, under the command of Lieut. Lee had reached Kufstein, Austria, 13 km (8 mi) to the north.
There in the town square, it idled while waiting for the 12th to be relieved by the 36th Infantry Division. Asked to provide relief by Gangl, Lee did not hesitate, volunteering to lead the rescue mission and immediately earning permission from his HQ.
The battle was intense and chaotic, with the defenders heavily outnumbered and outgunned. However, they managed to hold out until reinforcements from the 142nd Infantry Regiment of the U.S. 36th Division arrived, effectively ending the threat from the SS.
Unfortunately, Gangl was fatally hit by a sniper while trying to get former French Prime Minister Paul Reynaud out of the line of fire. At around 4:00 p.m., a relief unit from the 142nd US Infantry Regiment reached the castle and defeated the besiegers, capturing about 100 SS men.
The Battle of Castle Itter was not the first time US soldiers and German Wehrmacht soldiers worked together. One week earlier on April 28, 1945, a coalition of American and German soldiers worked to save the famous white Lipizzaner horses from an advancing Russian army. It was called Operation Cowboy.
Both events are rare, nearly bizarre, examples of cooperation between unlikely allies amid war. It highlights the complexities and fluidity of the final days of World War II in Europe, as well as the resilience and courage of those involved.
Sources
https://www.taraross.com/post/tdih-operation-cowboy
https://wargaming.com/en/news/battle_castle_itter
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-32622651
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