Fugitives: A History of Nazi Mercenaries During the Cold War
Shrouded in government secrecy, clouded by myths and propaganda, the enigmatic tale of Nazi fugitives in the early Cold War has never been properly told—until now.

In the aftermath of WWII, the victorious Allies vowed to hunt Nazi war criminals “to the ends of the earth.” Yet many slipped away to the four corners of the world or were shielded by the Western Allies in exchange for cooperation.

Most prominently, Reinhard Gehlen, the founder of West Germany's foreign intelligence service, welcomed SS operatives into the fold. This shortsighted decision nearly brought his cherished service down, as the KGB found his Nazi operatives easy to turn, while judiciously exposing them to threaten the very legitimacy of the Bonn Government. However, Gehlen was hardly alone in the excessive importance he placed on the supposed capabilities of former Nazi agents; his American sponsors did much the same in the early years of the Cold War.

Other Nazi fugitives became freelance arms traffickers, spies, and covert operators, playing a crucial role in the clandestine struggle between the superpowers.  From posh German restaurants, smuggler-infested Yugoslav ports, Damascene safehouses, Egyptian country clubs, and fascist holdouts in Franco's Spain, Nazi spies created a chaotic network of influence and information. This network was tapped by both America and the USSR, as well as by the West German, French, and Israeli secret services. Indeed, just as Gehlen and his U.S sponsors attached excessive importance to Nazi agents, so too did almost all other state and non-state actors, adding a combustible ingredient to the Cold War covert struggle.

Shrouded in government secrecy, clouded by myths and propaganda, the tangled and often paradoxical tale of these Nazi fugitives and operatives has never been properly told—until now.
1139746549
Fugitives: A History of Nazi Mercenaries During the Cold War
Shrouded in government secrecy, clouded by myths and propaganda, the enigmatic tale of Nazi fugitives in the early Cold War has never been properly told—until now.

In the aftermath of WWII, the victorious Allies vowed to hunt Nazi war criminals “to the ends of the earth.” Yet many slipped away to the four corners of the world or were shielded by the Western Allies in exchange for cooperation.

Most prominently, Reinhard Gehlen, the founder of West Germany's foreign intelligence service, welcomed SS operatives into the fold. This shortsighted decision nearly brought his cherished service down, as the KGB found his Nazi operatives easy to turn, while judiciously exposing them to threaten the very legitimacy of the Bonn Government. However, Gehlen was hardly alone in the excessive importance he placed on the supposed capabilities of former Nazi agents; his American sponsors did much the same in the early years of the Cold War.

Other Nazi fugitives became freelance arms traffickers, spies, and covert operators, playing a crucial role in the clandestine struggle between the superpowers.  From posh German restaurants, smuggler-infested Yugoslav ports, Damascene safehouses, Egyptian country clubs, and fascist holdouts in Franco's Spain, Nazi spies created a chaotic network of influence and information. This network was tapped by both America and the USSR, as well as by the West German, French, and Israeli secret services. Indeed, just as Gehlen and his U.S sponsors attached excessive importance to Nazi agents, so too did almost all other state and non-state actors, adding a combustible ingredient to the Cold War covert struggle.

Shrouded in government secrecy, clouded by myths and propaganda, the tangled and often paradoxical tale of these Nazi fugitives and operatives has never been properly told—until now.
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Fugitives: A History of Nazi Mercenaries During the Cold War

Fugitives: A History of Nazi Mercenaries During the Cold War

by Danny Orbach
Fugitives: A History of Nazi Mercenaries During the Cold War

Fugitives: A History of Nazi Mercenaries During the Cold War

by Danny Orbach

eBook

$18.99 

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Overview

Shrouded in government secrecy, clouded by myths and propaganda, the enigmatic tale of Nazi fugitives in the early Cold War has never been properly told—until now.

In the aftermath of WWII, the victorious Allies vowed to hunt Nazi war criminals “to the ends of the earth.” Yet many slipped away to the four corners of the world or were shielded by the Western Allies in exchange for cooperation.

Most prominently, Reinhard Gehlen, the founder of West Germany's foreign intelligence service, welcomed SS operatives into the fold. This shortsighted decision nearly brought his cherished service down, as the KGB found his Nazi operatives easy to turn, while judiciously exposing them to threaten the very legitimacy of the Bonn Government. However, Gehlen was hardly alone in the excessive importance he placed on the supposed capabilities of former Nazi agents; his American sponsors did much the same in the early years of the Cold War.

Other Nazi fugitives became freelance arms traffickers, spies, and covert operators, playing a crucial role in the clandestine struggle between the superpowers.  From posh German restaurants, smuggler-infested Yugoslav ports, Damascene safehouses, Egyptian country clubs, and fascist holdouts in Franco's Spain, Nazi spies created a chaotic network of influence and information. This network was tapped by both America and the USSR, as well as by the West German, French, and Israeli secret services. Indeed, just as Gehlen and his U.S sponsors attached excessive importance to Nazi agents, so too did almost all other state and non-state actors, adding a combustible ingredient to the Cold War covert struggle.

Shrouded in government secrecy, clouded by myths and propaganda, the tangled and often paradoxical tale of these Nazi fugitives and operatives has never been properly told—until now.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781643138961
Publisher: Pegasus Books
Publication date: 03/01/2022
Sold by: SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format: eBook
Pages: 400
File size: 12 MB
Note: This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Dr. Danny Orbach is an associate professor in the History and Asian Studies Departments at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He received his PhD from Harvard University. His prior books include The Plots against Hitler and Curse on this Country: The Rebellious Army of Imperial Japan. The Plots against Hitler has been published in seven languages. Danny lives in Jerusalem.

Table of Contents

Introduction ix

Part I Downfall and Resurgence 1

Chapter 1 Misery Meadows 3

Chapter 2 Out of the Rubbish Heap-Nazi Mercenaries After the Downfall 13

Chapter 3 Beggars and Choosers-Gehlen and the CIA 21

Chapter 4 Venetian Blindfolds and Red Scares 30

Chapter 5 The Moscow Gambit-Operation Fireworks 39

Chapter 6 Chess and Double Agents-The Strange Case of Ludwig Albert 46

Part II Fallout and Consequences 53

Chapter 7 Fishing in Troubled Waters 55

Chapter 8 The House on Rue Haddad 64

Chapter 9 Orient Trading Company-The Neo-Nazi Third World Scheme 71

Chapter 10 The Republic Strikes Back 78

Chapter 11 Beisner Blown Away 86

Chapter 12 An Enemy of My Enemy-Alois Brunner's Plots 94

Chapter 13 "A Punitive Attack"-Mossad Joins the Fray 102

Chapter 14 Winter in Syria-The Downfall of OTRACO 111

Chapter 15 Nazi Skeletons Unearthed-Gehlen's Darkest Hour 123

Part III Aftershocks and Shadows 135

Chapter 16 Operation Damocles-Mossad Chasing Shadows 137

Chapter 17 A Willing Quarry and Nuclear Nightmares 150

Chapter 18 Faustian Bargains-Nazis in the Service of the Jewish State 163

Chapter 19 Catching Flies with Honey 174

Chapter 20 Fade Away 187

Epilogue: Ghosts in the Mirror-The Historical Significance of Nazi Mercenaries 199

Acknowledgments 207

List of Abbreviations 213

Bibliography 215

Notes 231

Index 281

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