Die Spinne
Encyclopedia
Die Spinne, translated as The Spider, was the "leading post-war SS organization led (in part) by Otto Skorzeny
" (Infield, p.8), Hitler's commando chief, as well as Nazi intelligence officer Reinhard Gehlen
, who was later instrumental in the formation of the post-war German intelligence agency, the BND (Bundesnachrichtendienst
) (Infield p. 238-239) The International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg branded the SS, which supplied members and resources for Die Spinne after World War II, as an 'army of outlaws' (Infield, p.8) reflecting the cruel and opportunistic nature of the Nazi Party and its political and military operations.
According to Infield, the idea for the Die Spinne network had actually begun in 1944 as Hitler's chief intelligence officer Reinhard Gehlen foresaw a possible downfall of the Third Reich (Infield p.201) due to Nazi military failures in Russia. T.H. Tetens
, expert on German geopolitics and member of the US War Crimes Commission in 1946-1947, referred to a group overlapping with die Spinne as the Führungsring "a kind of political Mafia, with headquarters in Madrid... serving various purposes" (Tetens p.31). The Madrid office built up what was referred to as a sort of Fascist International, per Tetens (Tetens p.73). Within Germany, the leadership circle, according to Tetens, also included Dr. Hans Globke
, who had written the official commentary on the Nuremberg Laws
. (Tetens p.38) Globke held the important position of Director of the German Chancellery
from 1953 until 1963, serving as adviser for Konrad Adenauer
(Tetens pp.39-41)
, Bavaria, through Austria and Switzerland into Italy (Infield p.197). The skillful and well-planned escapes were unnoticed by many US military personnel, although certain US military authorities supposedly knew and took no action (Infield p.197).
The Central European headquarters of Die Spinne as of 1948 was in Gmunden
, Austria
(Wechsberg p.116).
A coordinating office for international Die Spinne operations in Madrid, Spain, by Otto Skorzeny, under the control of Generalissimo Francisco Franco
(Infield, p.8),
whose victory in the Spanish Civil War
was guaranteed by economic and military support
from Hitler and Mussolini. When a Die Spinne Nazi delegation visited Madrid in 1959, Franco stated, "Please regard Spain as your second Fatherland" (Tetens p.73).
Skorzeny used the resources of Die Spinne to allow Nazi Concentration Camp "Doctor"
Joseph Mengele, conductor of innumerable torturous 'medical experiments' detainees to escape to Argentina in 1949 (Infield, p.209).
Die Spinne leader Skorzeny requested the assistance of ultra-wealthy German industrialist Alfried Krupp, whose company controlled 138 private Concentration Camps under the Third Reich, and this was granted in 1951. Skorzeny became Krupp's representative in industrial business ventures in Argentina (Infield p.199), a country harbored a strong pro-Nazi political element throughout World War II and afterward (Wechsberg p.337-338), regardless of a nominal declaration of loyalty to the Allies as World War II ended.
It was in Argentina, Chile, and Paraguay that Die Spinne became most influential in the Western Hemisphere by the early 1980s, with the help of Die Spinne leaders in Spain, with ties involving Paraguayan dictator Alfredo Stroessner
(Wechsberg, p.166).
War Crimes investigator Simon Wiesenthal
claimed that Joseph Mengele had stayed at the notorious Colonia Dignidad
Nazi colony in Chile in 1979 (Infield p.208), and ultimately was harbored in Paraguay until his death.
As of the early 1980s, Die Spinne's Mengele was reported by Infield (p.210) to have been advising Stroessner's ethnic German Paraguayan police on how to reduce native Paraguayan Indians in the Chaco Region
to slave labor (Infield p.210).
A wealthy and powerful post-World-War-II underground Nazi political contingent held sway in Argentina as of the late 1960s, which included many ethnic German Nazi immigrants and their descendants (Wechsberg pp.123-124, 159, 162).
Otto Skorzeny
Otto Skorzeny was an SS-Obersturmbannführer in the German Waffen-SS during World War II. After fighting on the Eastern Front, he was chosen as the field commander to carry out the rescue mission that freed the deposed Italian dictator Benito Mussolini from captivity...
" (Infield, p.8), Hitler's commando chief, as well as Nazi intelligence officer Reinhard Gehlen
Reinhard Gehlen
Reinhard Gehlen was a General in the German Army during World War II, who served as chief of intelligence-gathering on the Eastern Front. After the war, he was recruited by the United States military to set up a spy ring directed against the Soviet Union , and eventually became head of the West...
, who was later instrumental in the formation of the post-war German intelligence agency, the BND (Bundesnachrichtendienst
Bundesnachrichtendienst
The Bundesnachrichtendienst [ˌbʊndəsˈnaːχʁɪçtnˌdiːnst] is the foreign intelligence agency of Germany, directly subordinated to the Chancellor's Office. Its headquarters are in Pullach near Munich, and Berlin . The BND has 300 locations in Germany and foreign countries...
) (Infield p. 238-239) The International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg branded the SS, which supplied members and resources for Die Spinne after World War II, as an 'army of outlaws' (Infield, p.8) reflecting the cruel and opportunistic nature of the Nazi Party and its political and military operations.
According to Infield, the idea for the Die Spinne network had actually begun in 1944 as Hitler's chief intelligence officer Reinhard Gehlen foresaw a possible downfall of the Third Reich (Infield p.201) due to Nazi military failures in Russia. T.H. Tetens
T.H. Tetens
Summary of bio from Tetens' book The New Germany and the Old Nazis: T.H. Tetens was born in Berlin and worked in the 1920s as an economist and newspaper editor, studied the Pan-German movement and the Nazi party...
, expert on German geopolitics and member of the US War Crimes Commission in 1946-1947, referred to a group overlapping with die Spinne as the Führungsring "a kind of political Mafia, with headquarters in Madrid... serving various purposes" (Tetens p.31). The Madrid office built up what was referred to as a sort of Fascist International, per Tetens (Tetens p.73). Within Germany, the leadership circle, according to Tetens, also included Dr. Hans Globke
Hans Globke
- See also :* Theodor Oberländer* Rudolf Christoph Freiherr von Gersdorff- Bibliography :* Tetens, T.H. The New Germany and the Old Nazis. Random House/Marzani & Munsel, New York, 1961. LCN 61-7240....
, who had written the official commentary on the Nuremberg Laws
Nuremberg Laws
The Nuremberg Laws of 1935 were antisemitic laws in Nazi Germany introduced at the annual Nuremberg Rally of the Nazi Party. After the takeover of power in 1933 by Hitler, Nazism became an official ideology incorporating scientific racism and antisemitism...
. (Tetens p.38) Globke held the important position of Director of the German Chancellery
German Chancellery
The German Chancellery is a federal agency serving the executive office of the Chancellor, the head of the German federal government. The chief of the Chancellery holds the rank of either a Secretary of State or a Federal Minister ...
from 1953 until 1963, serving as adviser for Konrad Adenauer
Konrad Adenauer
Konrad Hermann Joseph Adenauer was a German statesman. He was the chancellor of the West Germany from 1949 to 1963. He is widely recognised as a person who led his country from the ruins of World War II to a powerful and prosperous nation that had forged close relations with old enemies France,...
(Tetens pp.39-41)
The "Fascist International"
During the period from 1945 to 1950, Die Spinne leader Skorzeny facilitated the escape of Nazi war criminals from war-criminal prisons to MemmingenMemmingen
Memmingen is a town in the Bavarian administrative region of Swabia in Germany. It is the central economic, educational and administrative centre in the Danube-Iller region. To the west the town is flanked by the Iller, the river that marks the Baden-Württemberg border...
, Bavaria, through Austria and Switzerland into Italy (Infield p.197). The skillful and well-planned escapes were unnoticed by many US military personnel, although certain US military authorities supposedly knew and took no action (Infield p.197).
The Central European headquarters of Die Spinne as of 1948 was in Gmunden
Gmunden
Gmunden is a town in Upper Austria, Austria in the district of Gmunden. It has 13,202 inhabitants . It is much frequented as a health and summer resort, and has a variety of goat, lake, brine, vegetable and pine-cone baths, a hydropathic establishment, inhalation chambers, whey cure, etc...
, Austria
(Wechsberg p.116).
A coordinating office for international Die Spinne operations in Madrid, Spain, by Otto Skorzeny, under the control of Generalissimo Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
(Infield, p.8),
whose victory in the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
was guaranteed by economic and military support
from Hitler and Mussolini. When a Die Spinne Nazi delegation visited Madrid in 1959, Franco stated, "Please regard Spain as your second Fatherland" (Tetens p.73).
Skorzeny used the resources of Die Spinne to allow Nazi Concentration Camp "Doctor"
Joseph Mengele, conductor of innumerable torturous 'medical experiments' detainees to escape to Argentina in 1949 (Infield, p.209).
Die Spinne leader Skorzeny requested the assistance of ultra-wealthy German industrialist Alfried Krupp, whose company controlled 138 private Concentration Camps under the Third Reich, and this was granted in 1951. Skorzeny became Krupp's representative in industrial business ventures in Argentina (Infield p.199), a country harbored a strong pro-Nazi political element throughout World War II and afterward (Wechsberg p.337-338), regardless of a nominal declaration of loyalty to the Allies as World War II ended.
It was in Argentina, Chile, and Paraguay that Die Spinne became most influential in the Western Hemisphere by the early 1980s, with the help of Die Spinne leaders in Spain, with ties involving Paraguayan dictator Alfredo Stroessner
Alfredo Stroessner
Alfredo Stroessner Matiauda, whose name is also spelled Strössner or Strößner , was a Paraguayan military officer and dictator from 1954 to 1989...
(Wechsberg, p.166).
War Crimes investigator Simon Wiesenthal
Simon Wiesenthal
Simon Wiesenthal KBE was an Austrian Holocaust survivor who became famous after World War II for his work as a Nazi hunter....
claimed that Joseph Mengele had stayed at the notorious Colonia Dignidad
Colonia Dignidad
Villa Baviera , formerly known as Colonia Dignidad is a hamlet in Parral Commune, Linares Province, Maule Region, Chile. Located in an isolated area of central Chile, it lies 35 km southeast of the city of Parral, on the north bank of the Perquilauquén River. It was founded by a group of German...
Nazi colony in Chile in 1979 (Infield p.208), and ultimately was harbored in Paraguay until his death.
As of the early 1980s, Die Spinne's Mengele was reported by Infield (p.210) to have been advising Stroessner's ethnic German Paraguayan police on how to reduce native Paraguayan Indians in the Chaco Region
Gran Chaco
The Gran Chaco is a sparsely populated, hot and semi-arid lowland region of the Río de la Plata basin, divided among eastern Bolivia, Paraguay, northern Argentina and a portion of the Brazilian states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul, where it is connected with the Pantanal region...
to slave labor (Infield p.210).
A wealthy and powerful post-World-War-II underground Nazi political contingent held sway in Argentina as of the late 1960s, which included many ethnic German Nazi immigrants and their descendants (Wechsberg pp.123-124, 159, 162).