Impressed with his abilities, he was appointed to the Holy See; the Vaticans governing body. iie was 70 years old. Vittorio Lattanzio resigned from his position as Minister of Defense in the aftermath of the escape. Since the marriage had remained childless, the couple adopted a boy from a Lebensborn home. Hugh OFlaherty was born on February 28, 1898, in County Cork, Ireland. Irmgard was born on December 9 1908. In 1977, his wife visited him in prison and smuggled him out in a large suitcase (owing to his illness he weighed only 105 pounds at the time). He mingled with Victor Emmanuel III, the King of Italy and he also became friendly with Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini; the founder of Italian Fascism. Ironically, Kurtna's Soviet masters failed to appreciate or reward his loyalty. We have no ads to show you! [citation needed] In 1938, during the Anschluss, he supervised the mass deportations of Austrias Jews to concentration camps. Arrest and Later Life. Military Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. By this time, Kappler had also converted to Catholicism,[16] due to the influence of his war-time enemy, Mgr. On a visit in August 1977, Kappler's wife carried him out in a large suitcase (Kappler weighed about 47kg (104lb) at the time) and escaped to West Germany, assisted by apparently unwitting carabinieri. In 1975, he was diagnosed with cancer. Herbert Kappler (23 September 1907 9 February 1978) was a key German SS functionary and war criminal during the Nazi era. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. He was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in the Gaeta military prison. SOLTAU, West Germany, Feb. 9 (Reuters)Herbert Kappler; a_convicted Nazi war criminal, died of stomach cancer here today, six months after- a daring escape from a Rome military hospital. Lieutenant Colonel Herbert Kapplerwas head of The Gestapo in Rome during the occupation. He rose to the rank of SS-Obersturmbannfhrer and was responsible for the Ardeatine massacre as well as dealing with Vatican City over its neutrality. It was also because the Republic of Ireland was neutral during the war. Kappler's activities between 1929 and 1931 are little known, except that he was living in Stuttgart, occasionally performing work as an electrician. In January 1936, he was assigned to duty at the Gestapo central office of Stuttgart. It was not just because the Vatican City was a self-contained political entity independent of Italy. [3][9], Despite demands that Kappler be returned to Italy the West German authorities refused to extradite him and did not prosecute Kappler for any further war crimes, reportedly owing to ill-health. Germany was furious at the betrayal and retaliated by invading Italy. Kappler came into direct conflict with the neutral Vatican under Pope Pius XII, which Kappler correctly believed was harbouring escaped Allied POWs, members of the Italian Resistance, and Jews. In 1947, Kappler was tried by an Italian military tribunal and sentenced to life imprisonment in the military prison of Gaeta. During his childhood, Kappler witnessed World War I, and came of age in the Weimar Republic during the 1920s. Berlin directed him to have 10 times as many Italians shot in retaliation. Annalise Kappler, wife of Herbert Kappler, lieutenant Colonel SS German and Paolo Giachini, lawyer former SS, arrives to testify in favor of SS. In the 1973 feature film Massacre in Rome, which deals with the Ardeatine massacre, Kappler was portrayed by actor Richard Burton. Kappler's post-war time seeking asylum in the Vatican, and his resultant friendship with his former enemy Monsignor O'Flaherty, was dramatised in the radio play The Scarlet Pimpernel of the Vatican by Robin Glendinning. Contents She defended her husbands shooting of 335 Italian Jews and non-Jews in 1941 in reprisal for a partisan attack on Romes SS headquarters, saying he was acting under orders. [2], Due to Kappler's deteriorating condition and his wife's nursing skills, Anneliese Kappler had been allowed almost unlimited access to him. 1,007 were shipped to Auschwitz. Kappler's second in command in Rome, SS-Captain Erich Priebke, did manage to escape and it was not until 1996 that Priebke would face justice. The Irish War of Independence broke out in 1919, making life difficult. [6][7][10][13], Kappler was arrested by British authorities in 1945, turned over to the Italian government in 1947, and tried the following year. Kappler was arrested by British authorities in 1945, turned over to the Italian government in 1947, and tried the following year by an Italian military tribunal. Herbert Kappler joined the Nazi Party on August 1, 1931 at the age of twenty three. He would never join his diocese. 2023 Getty Images. Despite this O'Flaherty assisted in helping members of Kapplers family in escaping from Rome at Liberation. Marina was born in Rome on November 4, 1942, to Jewish parents Giuseppe Del Monte and Clara Limentani. Kappler ordered a white line painted at the entrance to St. Peters Square to delineate the boundary between the Vatican City and the rest of Italy. Of the citys 9,700 Jews, 5,000 were hidden by the Vatican at different properties, and3,700 were hidden by OFlahertys group. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The two lived at an address on Tbingern, Kurzestrasse 15, before later moving to an apartment listed at Stuttgart-Degerloch, Reutlingerstrasse 98. In 1975, at the age of sixty-eight, Kappler was diagnosed with terminal cancer and he was moved to a military hospital in Rome in 1976. During Kappler's probationary period, Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany, meaning that Kappler did not have the "honor" of full SS membership prior to the Nazis' assumption of power. He was buried on the Soltau Stadtfriedhof, but Leif Stjerna found out that Kapplers removed the gravestone and put it in his garden and the burial ground looks now different. Kappler and his first wife divorced while he was serving his sentence. Following the armistice between Italy and the Allies on September 8, 1943, the German military occupied Rome and Kappler was appointed as Chief of the Security Police and Security Service (Oberbefehlshaber des Sicherheitspolizei und SD) for all SS and Order Police (Ordnungspolizei) units deployed in Rome. 9 (Reuters)Herbert Kappler; a_convicted Nazi war criminal, died of stomach cancer here today, six months after- a daring escape from a Rome military hospital. Kappler was posted to Rome as head of the Sicherheitsdienst (SD) and throughout the war years he cooperated closely with the Fascist police. He was a man of many faces who used his talent at disguise to help thousands of people escape from the Nazis. Herbert Kappler was born on September 23, 1907, to a middle-class family in Stuttgart in the German Empire. Kappler came into direct conflict with the Vatican, as the Germans had strong suspicions that it was harboring Allied fugitives and escaped prisoners, even though the Vatican under Pope Pius XII was technically neutral. . Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. Mr. Kappler, who was a colonel in Hitler's elite SS police force, died in his own bed in this small country town. Mr. Kappler, who died yesterday, was serving a life term for ordering the 1944 reprisal killing of 335 Italians when his wife, Anneliese, helped him escape from a prison hospital in Rome six months ago. and later turned over to the Italian government in 1947. [2], By 1975, at the age of sixty-eight, Kappler was diagnosed with terminal cancer and he was moved to a military hospital in Rome in 1976. Without hesitation, O'Flaherty took up Kappler's invitation and in prison the two men chatted over coffee. Where is Herbert Kappler buried? Shahan Russell is one of the authors writing for WAR HISTORY ONLINE. Kappler was responsible for many cruel deeds in Rome as well as the massacre at The Ardeatine Caves, which were personally supervised by Kappler. She lowered him out a fourthfloor window with a mountainclimbing harness, hid him in a box and drove to West Germay. In 1931, Herbert Kappler formally became a Nazi Party member. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. He also coordinated the rescue of downed pilots, providing them with food, medicine and safe houses throughout Italy. Grow your brand authentically by sharing brand content with the internets creators. Because of Kappler's deteriorating condition and his wife's nursing skills, Anneliese Kappler had been allowed almost unlimited access to him during his time in the Italian hospital. He would be Kapplers only visitor until 1959. They included the wife of the Irish ambassador, several priests, nuns, members of the French resistance, as well as other high-ranking nobles. She also denied receiving financial aid for the escape from any group, but admitted, during a TV interview, that she had received money from various groups representing former SS members. A particularly detested adversary of Kappler's was Irish Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty of the Sacred Congregation De Propaganda Fide. He later married Anneliese Kappler, a nurse who had carried on a lengthy correspondence with him, before marrying him at a prison ceremony in 1972. Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options are waiting for you. Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. By this time Kappler had also converted to Catholicism, partly due to the influence of his war-time opponent, the Vatican diplomat Mgr. Appeals by both his wife and the West German government for compassionate release were denied by Italian authorities, but did earn him a transfer to a hospital in 1976. Appeals by both his wife and the West German government to release him were denied by Italian authorities. As part of the latter operation, Kappler successfully extorted 50 kilograms of gold (110 lbs.) ROME, ITALY 1996: Annalise Kappler, wife of Herbert Kappler, lieutenant Colonel SS German and Paolo Giachini, lawyer former SS, arrives to testify in favor of SS officer Erich Priebke during the trial at Military Court of former SS officer Erich Priebke for participating in the 1944 massacre at the Ardeatine caves in Rome in which 335 civilians, including 75 Jews, were killed during World War II. Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty and his organisation were a major obstruction to the brutal Kappler and his Gestapo during this period. In 1922 OFlaherty was sent to Rome to finish his studies where he was ordained three years later. Meanwhile, the West German government has denied German press reports that it has secretly reached agreement with the Italian government on a means of ending the Kappler controversy. Download our mobile app for on-the-go access to the Jewish Virtual Library, 1998 - 2023 American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise. During this action, he demanded 110 pounds of gold from the Jewish community in Rome, which he later claimed was an attempt to prevent the round-up and the deportations. At the same time, he became a stormtrooper in the Sturmabteilung . By 1929, he was a certified electrician, still living in Stuttgart. what happened to hercules after he died . iie was 70 years old. The Monsignor decided to help. Kappler died on 09-02-1978, at home in Soltau at the age of 70. By submitting the above I agree to the privacy policy and terms of use of JTA.org, Search JTA's historical archive dating back to 1923. Hunted by them, he ended up converting the SS chief in Rome. 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