Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. 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. iie. Kappler and his first wife divorced while Kappler was serving his sentence, but he was married again to Anneliese Kappler, a nurse who had carried on a lengthy correspondence with Kappler before marrying him in a prison wedding ceremony in 1972. [1][4][5][6][7], Kappler was immediately put in charge of implementing the Holocaust in Italy in both Rome and Lazio;[4] in his first action, 1,023 Roman Jews were rounded up and deported to Auschwitz; where only 16 survived. The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. 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. The Italians unsuccessfully demanded that Kappler be returned, but the West Germany authorities refused to extradite him and did not prosecute Kappler for any further war crimes, reportedly due to his ill health. The Monsignor decided to help. Lieutenant Colonel Herbert Kapplerwas head of The Gestapo in Rome during the occupation. He was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in the Gaeta military prison. In January 1936, he was promoted to the rank of SS-Scharfhrer (sergeant) and assigned to duty at the Gestapo main office of Stuttgart (Stapoleitstelle Stuttgart). Instead, he stayed to work for the Holy See, serving as a Vatican diplomat in Egypt, Haiti, Santo Domingo, and Czechoslovakia. Vittorio Lattanzio resigned from his position as Minister of Defense in the aftermath of the escape. The Italians unsuccessfully demanded that Kappler be returned, but the West Germany authorities refused to extradite him and did not prosecute Kappler for any further war crimes, reportedly due to his ill health. In 1934, OFlaherty was appointedMonsignor; a title for high-ranking clergy members who have provided valuable service to the church. It was also because the Republic of Ireland was neutral during the war. Source: Dutch National Archives, The Hague. Both Capponi and Bentivegna had grown up under Benito Mussolini's dictatorship. 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. 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. Six months after his escape, Kappler died at home in Soltau, on February 9, 1978, aged 70.[4]. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. . 2023 Getty Images. https://www.nytimes.com/1978/02/10/archives/herbert-kappler-dies-nazi-fled-captivity-in-rome-called-a.html. His first assignment was as a member of an Allgemeine SS formation (the 13th SS-Standarte), operating out of Stuttgart, performing part-time duties as a member of the general SS. In 1937, Kappler (now an SS-Oberscharfhrer (staff sergeant)) was sent by his Gestapo superiors to attend the Fhrerschule der Sicherheitspolzei (Leadership School of the Security Police) in Berlin from which he graduated in the summer of 1937 as a certified Kriminalkommissar (Criminal Commissioner). Anyone can read what you share. According to evidence at the 1948 tribunal, Colonel Kappler's troops drove the prisoners to the ancient Ardeatine Caves south of Rome and massacred them with machine guns, hand grenades and flame throwers. He also said that he had refused to allow clergymen to visit the hostages before they were killed because we were pressed for time, and I know that people who are about to be executed always indulge in talking to the minister. Shortly before his trial, Mr. Kappler converted to Roman Catholicism. He later arranged the deportation of a further 993 Roman Jews, nearly all of whom eventually died in Nazi gas chambers. Among them was his future wife, Carla Capponi (1918-2000). what happened to hercules after he died . For his role in several atrocities, including the Ardeatine Massacre (the slaughter of 335 civilians in the Ardeatine Caves), the Nazi chief was sentenced to life in prison. Kappler prison photo -Public domain via Wikimedia Commons. See the article in its original context from. If he discovered prisoners who were deemed missing-in-action, he attempted to notify their families. Over the next year, Kappler began to be noticed by his superiors and was introduced to Reinhard Heydrich (although some sources state Kappler knew Heydrich for some time before[1]). At the same time, he became a stormtrooper in the Sturmabteilung (SA) and served as an SA-Mann from August 1, 1931 to December 1, 1932. Kappler organized the Ardeatine massacre, in which 335 Italian civilians were killed on March 24, 1944, as a reprisal for an attack by resistance fighters that had resulted in the deaths of 33 men of the SS Police garrison in Rome. Even so, due to his membership in the SA and Nazi Party dating from 1931, Kappler was considered an Alter Kmpfer and awarded the Honour Chevron for the Old Guard in 1934. 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. Kappler's first action as head of German security forces in Rome was to help plan the rescue of Benito Mussolini by the SS special forces, a feat which was accomplished by Otto Skorzeny. 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. Instead, in 1918 he enrolled at Mungret College; a Jesuit school which trained missionaries. OFlaherty never lost his talent for socializing or forgot his golfing skills. [11][12], Kappler organised the Ardeatine massacre, in which 335 Italian civilians were killed on 24 March 1944 in response to a direct order from Adolf Hitler to "kill 100 Italians for each German", in retaliation for an attack by the Italian Resistance that had resulted in the deaths of 33 men of the SS Police Regiment Bozen's garrison in Rome. He escaped from prison shortly before his death in West Germany in 1978. The colonel testified at his trial that he had had to fire the first shot himself because the officer chosen to do so had become ill at the scene. In practice, refusal to obey orders during war is not possible. She declined to give details of the escape, saying these would appear in a mass-circulation magazine this week. 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. 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. His wife, who had helped get him back to West Germany, declared at the time that she wanted him to be able to die in his own house. Because of Kapplers deteriorating condition and his wifes nursing skills, Anneliese Kappler had been allowed almost unlimited access to him during his time in the Italian hospital. As they already had so many enemies, the last thing they wanted was to alienate the worlds entire Catholic population by violating the Popes domain. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practicesof the time they were published. Organize, control, distribute and measure all of your digital content. By using this website we assume that you agree with this. Fortunately, they did not storm the Vatican because of its unique status. He died of cancer in 1978, never having been returned to Prison. 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. 1,007 were shipped to Auschwitz. Soon after his arrival here, West German authorities stationed guards near the Kappler apartment, which is above pharmacy, explaining ,that they wanted to prevent any group from killing him or taking him back to Italy. Asked by the TV interviewer whether approval had perhaps not come from the wrong (political) side, she said she was not interested where approval came from. On a prison visit in August 1977, Kappler's wife carried him out in a large suitcase (Kappler weighed less than 105 pounds at the time) and escaped to West Germany, assisted by apparently unwitting carabinieri. Download our mobile app for on-the-go access to the Jewish Virtual Library, 1998 - 2023 American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise. [18], In the 1973 feature film Massacre in Rome, which deals with the Ardeatine massacre, Kappler was portrayed by actor Richard Burton. Kappler joined the Nazi Party on August 1, 1931 and the SS in 1933. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. His appointment to Italy was the result of his security police experience, connections with the SS leadership (Reinhard Heydrich, in particular), as well as a fluency in the Italian language. During those same years, Kurtna covertly spied for the Soviet Union, with devastating results for the many underground priests and faithful whose names he passed to the NKVD. Fritz was born on February 23 1876. By 1929, he was a certified electrician, still living in Stuttgart. Erich Priebke did manage to escape and it was not until 1996 that Priebke would face justice. Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. [citation needed] Mr. Kappler's escape last Aug. 15 from the military hospital, to which he had been transferred because of deteriorating health, caused a political furor. They deposed Mussolini and freed all Allied POWs. Hugh became a scratch golfer meaning he was quite good. He served as head of German police and security services ( Sicherheitspolizei and SD) in Rome during the Second World War and was responsible for the Ardeatine massacre. In 1937, Kappler graduated from the Fhrerschule der Sicherheitspolizei (Leadership School of the Security Police) in Berlin as a Kriminalkommissar (criminal commissioner). During his teenage years Hugh was a talented student and golfer . On 19-04-1972, he married Anneliese Viktoria Wenger (born 1925), a homeopath and mother of three already grown children from a first marriage divorced in 1955 (including Eckehard and Ekkehard Walther, who was with her in Rome) In 1962, after hearing about Kapplers fate from a patient for the first time, she wrote to him and sent food parcels. Kappler and his first wife divorced while he was serving his sentence. List of aircraft of the Malaysian Armed Forces, Italy and the Second World War (1940-1945), Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia, German police officers convicted of murder, Military history of Italy during World War II, http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/features/2011/0304/1224291271284.html?via=mr, http://catholicexchange.com/2009/02/25/116165/, http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,915344,00.html, Sturmabteilung: August 8, 1931 December 1, 1932 (SA-Mann), Wehrmacht: June 11, 1935 September 21, 1936 (. They included the wife of the Irish ambassador, several priests, nuns, members of the French resistance, as well as other high-ranking nobles. Towards the end of 1934, on September 29, he married Leonore Janns who was the same age as Kappler (27 at the time) and came from the city of Heilbronn. Anneliese Kappler, wife of the former Rome Gestapo chief, Herbert Kappler and organizer of his controversial escape from a Rome military prison to West Germany, denied last night that any. Kappler was posted to Rome as head of the Sicherheitsdienst (SD) and, from the beginning of the Second World War, he cooperated closely with the Italian police. Kappler's activities between 1929 and 1931 are little known, except that he was living in Stuttgart, occasionally performing work as an electrician. Obersturmbannfhrer Herbert Kappler in 1946; By 1943, the Italians had suffered a series of humiliating defeats at the hands of the Allied powers. iie was 70 years old. He was raised in Killarney where his father was a steward on a golf course where the family lived. His Nazi Party membership number was 594,899. Yet it was in The Scarlet and the Black that Plummer played his most Catholic role, the Gestapo chief in Rome, Herbert Kappler. Waiting to solve 5. She defended these donations on the grounds that she had spent her entire savings to try and secure her husbands release and to care for him while he was a prisoner. Kappler was responsible for many cruel deeds in Rome as well as the massacre at The Ardeatine Caves, which were personally supervised by Kappler. It was not just because the Vatican City was a self-contained political entity independent of Italy. Photos:Kappler -United States War Department, Public domainvia Wikimedia Commons. Minister Vito Lattanzio", National Archives and Records Administration, Centro di Documentazione Ebraica Contemporanea, Pope Pius XII and the raid on the Roman ghetto, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Herbert_Kappler&oldid=1128139070, Germans convicted of war crimes committed in Italy during World War II, German police officers convicted of murder, Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Italy, Prisoners and detainees of the British military, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2018, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 18 December 2022, at 16:08. Mrs. Kappler told reporters: The more they hate Herbert Kappler, the more love him. 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. This website makes use of cookies to ensure that the website works properly. Kappler and his first wife divorced while he was serving his sentence. from the Jews of Rome, which Kappler later alleged was an attempt to prevent the deportations.[3][8][9]. In retaliation for the armistice between Italy and the Allies on 8 September 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. The radio play was first broadcast on November 30, 2006 on UK BBC Radio 4. Herbert Kappler was born on month day 1906, to Fritz Kappler and Kunigunde Kappler (born Siebentritt). As part of the latter operation, Kappler successfully extorted 50 kilograms of gold (110 lbs.) In 1922 OFlaherty was sent to Rome to finish his studies where he was ordained three years later. They deposed Mussolini and freed all Allied POWs. She smuggled him into West Germany by car. [2], Due to Kappler's deteriorating condition and his wife's nursing skills, Anneliese Kappler had been allowed almost unlimited access to him. Herbert Kappler (23 September 1907 9 February 1978) was a key German SS functionary and war criminal during the Nazi era. Kappler's second in command in Rome, SS-Captain Erich Priebke, managed to escape to Argentina and was not extradited to Italy to face trial over his own role in the Ardeatine Caves Massacre until 1996. What happened to Herbert Kappler, SS Colonel, after WWII? By early 1944, Kappler was the highest representative of the Reich Security Main Office in Rome and answered directly to both the military governorship, under Luftwaffe General Kurt Mlzer, as well as the SS chain of command under the Higher SS and Police Leader of Italy, SS-Obergruppenfhrer Karl Wolff. Berlin directed him to have 10 times as many Italians shot in retaliation. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Hugh O'Flaherty was born to James and Margaret O'Flaherty in Lisrobin, Kiskeam, County Cork, Ireland, on February 28, 1898. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Kappler's main activities during this period involved suppressing resistance groups, rounding up "enemies of the state", and enforcing anti-Jewish measures, conducting Jewish ghetto raids, and deportations to extermination camps. Raised a Protestant, Kappler wanted to convert to Roman Catholicism, but OFlaherty cautioned against it. SOLTAU, West Germany, Feb. 10 (UPI) The family of Herbert Kappler, a former Nazi SS colonel, withheld plans for his funeral today to prevent pro- and antiNazi demonstrators from appearing at the rites. By early 1944, Kappler was the highest representative of the Reich Security Main Office in Rome and answered directly to both the military governorship, under Luftwaffe General Kurt Maelzer, as well as the SS chain of command under the Higher SS and Police Leader of Italy, SS-Obergruppenfhrer Karl Wolff. By the time the Allies captured Rome in June 1944, OFlahertys underground network had kept 6,245 Allied escapees alive. and later turned over to the Italian government in 1947. It did not take the Nazis long to realize that OFlaherty was behind the disappearing people. Kappler was next entrusted with Jewish roundups for transportation to Auschwitz; in his first action, 1,023 Italian Jews were deported with only 16 surviving, and Kappler would later arrange the deportation of a further 993 Roman Jews, nearly all of whom would eventually perish in Nazi gas chambers. Arrest and Later Life. Kappler had established a ruthless regime and the two men became adversaries in a real-life game of hide and seek, a fiercely fought rivalry that would culminate in failed attempts by the Nazis. During his captivity, Kappler wrote to his former rival and asked him to come and visit. He had served 30 years of a life term imposed by an Italian military tribunal in 1948 for the reprisal killing during World War II of 335 hostages, including 57 Jews. Mr. Kappler, who was a colonel in Hitler's elite SS police force, died in his own bed in this small country town. He was promoted to SS-Obersturmbannfhrer (lieutenant colonel) on September 12 and quickly assumed his new duties operating out of the Italian capital. In the 1973 feature film Massacre in Rome, which deals with the Ardeatine massacre, Kappler was portrayed by actor Richard Burton. Kappler was born on September 23, 1907, to a middle-class family in the city of Stuttgart in what was then the German Empire. 2023 jewish telegraphic agency all rights reserved. [20], 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. Without hesitation, O'Flaherty took up Kappler's invitation and in prison the two men chatted over coffee. "First a great fear, then a great calm, an enormous lucidity. Herbert Kappler was born on September 23, 1907, to a middle-class family in Stuttgart in the German Empire. Other One month ago 0 answers 1 views. Kappler was also never affiliated with the Waffen-SS and spent the war performing "behind the lines" police and security duty. In 1947, Kappler was tried by an Italian military tribunal and sentenced to life imprisonment in the military prison of Gaeta. By this time, Kappler had also converted to Catholicism,[16] due to the influence of his war-time enemy, Mgr. Herbert Kappler joined the Nazi Party on 1 August 1931 at the age of twenty three. A particular adversary of Kappler's in this respect was Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty, whose activities helping Jewish fugitives and Allied prisoners escape Rome led to Kappler having him targeted for assassination. He later arranged the deportation of a further 993 Roman Jews, nearly all of whom also died in the gas chambers. We have no ads to show you! Kappler presided over the Ardeatine massacre, a mass killing of some 335 civilians and political prisoners on March 24, 1944. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Shahan Russell is one of the authors writing for WAR HISTORY ONLINE. Mr. Kappler's wife, Anneliese, who said she had lowered him with ropes from the third floor of the hospital, explained that it had been her greatest wish that her husband, whom she called a Christbike figure, should not die in captivity. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. In his first action, 1,023 Italian Jews were deported, of whom only 16 survived. Mrs. Kappler said she had received messages of support from people all over the world. The reports suggested that Bonn would place Kappler in a German hospital under strict police guard and the Italian government would find this a politically palatable solution to the row over his escape. Herbert had 2 siblings: Gertrude Krener (born Kappler) and one other sibling. What happened to Herbert Kapplers first wife? Kunigunde was born on August 21 1882. Kurtna, who was always loyal to the USSR, only started to also spy for Nazi Germany in 1943 because his new handler, Kappler, repeatedly threatened to otherwise send Kurtna and his wife to a concentration camp. 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. During this time one of his only regular visitors was none other that The Monsignor himself who visited him every month for 10 years as well as writing to him regularly and subsequently baptizedhim to the Catholic faith. The priest believed it might be misinterpreted as an attempt to influence his trial judges. With a portion of Italy under German occupation, those POWs were at risk of being recaptured. As Nazi police chief in Rome, he ordered the executions in 1944 after a midtown bombing attack by partisans killed 32 SS men. Upon the outbreak of World War II, in September 1939, Kappler was serving as an SS-Hauptsturmfhrer (captain) out of the Stuttgart Gestapo main office. Because of Kapplers deteriorating condition and his wifes nursing skills, Anneliese Kappler had been allowed almost unlimited access to him after he was transferred to an Italian hospital. what happened to herbert kappler's first wife. In 1947, Kappler was tried by an Italian military tribunal and sentenced to life imprisonment in the military prison of Gaeta. Boards are the best place to save images and video clips. Kappler was in charge of Jewish roundups for deportations to Auschwitz. Herbert Kappler joined the Nazi Party on August 1, 1931 at the age of twenty three. Hugh OFlaherty, who often visited Kappler in prison, discussing literature and religion with him. Kappler and his first wife divorced while Kappler was serving his sentence, but he was married again to Anneliese Kappler, a nurse who had carried on a lengthy correspondence with Kappler before marrying him in a prison wedding ceremony in 1972. Since the marriage had remained childless, the couple adopted a boy from a Lebensborn home. In mid 1941, now an SS-Major, Kappler was selected as a liaison officer to the government of Benito Mussolini as well as a security advisor to the Fascist police. Italy demanded his extradition, but .West Germany said this was impossible under its Constitution. Kappler and his first wife divorced while he was serving his sentence. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Walter Ciszek as a fellow political prisoner in the Gulag complex located 300km above the Arctic Circle and known as Norillag. Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options are waiting for you. It is estimated his group hid over 6,500 people for the remainder of the war in farms, convents, churches, and private apartments. A particularly detested adversary of Kappler's was Irish Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty of the Sacred Congregation De Propaganda Fide. Herbert Kappler (23 September 1907 - 9 February 1978) was a key German SS functionary and war criminal during the Nazi era. Herbert Kappler became Hitler's man in Rome after the arrest of Benito Mussolini. As the Allied armies invaded Italy and began moving north towards Rome, Kappler became significantly involved in hunting suspected Allied agents and Allied prisoners-of-war which had escaped Italian POW camps after the Italian Army capitulated. Despite this O'Flaherty assisted in helping members of Kapplers family in escaping from Rome at Liberation. The radio play was first broadcast on 30 November 2006 on UK BBC Radio 4. Herbert Kappler passed away in 1978 after Anneliese broke him out of prison when he was . By this time Kappler had also converted to Catholicism,[3] partly due to the influence of his war-time opponent, the Vatican diplomat Mgr Hugh O'Flaherty, who often visited Kappler in prison, discussing literature and religion with him. Kappler was convicted to life imprisonment by an Italian military tribunal after WWII and served life imprisonment in an Italian prison. Kappler converted to Roman Catholicism. . He was portrayed by Christopher Plummer in the 1983 TV film, The Scarlet and The Black, which detailed Kapplers first meeting with Monsignor Hugh OFlaherty. In the 1973 feature film Massacre in Rome, which deals with the Ardeatine massacre, Kappler was portrayed by actor Richard Burton. 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. Kappler attended four years of elementary school (Volksschule) followed by four more of high school and graduated in 1925. The fivejudge tribunal convicted him of repeated and premeditated murder and sentenced him to life imprisonment, the maximum under Italian law, specifying that he be placed in solitary confinement for four years. By this time Kappler had also converted to Catholicism, partly due to the influence of his war-time opponent, the Vatican diplomat Mgr. 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 was described as a model prisoner, interested in music, theology, reading and meditation. Herbert Kappler of the German Army carried out a massacre of Italian civilians at the Ardeatine Caves near Rome on March 24, 1944. 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. In 1977 he escaped from a Rome Prison hidden in a laundry basket, and was spirited away to Germany, by his recently wedded wife, whom he had married in Prison in 1972. Kapplers second in command in Rome, SS-Captain. Over the years, the two developed a strange friendship. [1] [2] Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty and his organisation were a major obstruction to the brutal Kappler and his Gestapo during this period. On a prison visit in August 1977, Kapplers wife carried him out in a large suitcase, Kappler, a chain smoker, weighed less than 105 pounds at the time and escaped to West Germany, assisted by apparently unwitting carabinieri. In January 1936, he was assigned to duty at the Gestapo main office in Stuttgart. [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. Tap into Getty Images' global scale, data-driven insights, and network of more than 340,000 creators to create content exclusively for your brand. Reply ( 0) Leave a comment. He was posted to Rome in 1922 to finish his studies and was ordained on 20-12-1925. Amazingly, the Irishman agreed to go and see a man who had plotted to kidnap him and at one stage wanted to murder him. He said the Jews had committed no crime other than being Jews, but were about to be deported to Germany.. Kappler performed active training duty over three separate periods from June 1935 to September 1936, with final release on September 27, 1936 with the rank of Feldwebel der Reserve. The date of the Ardeatine massacre, March 24, 1944, became a national day of mourning in Italy, and the killings are still recalled with outrage. [19], Kappler was portrayed by Christopher Plummer in the 1983 TV film The Scarlet and The Black, which detailed Kappler's first meeting with Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty. Germany was furious at the betrayal and retaliated by invading Italy. Herbert Kappler (23 September 1907 9 February 1978) was the head of German police and security services (Oberbefehlshaber des Sicherheitspolizei und SD) in Rome during World War II. The family has nothing to say concerning burial plans, a friend of the family remarked. In 1975 Kappler was diagnosed with cancer, but requests for his release were refused. In 1968 she visited him for the first time in the fortress of Gaeta. As Rome fell to Allied forces, Kappler unsuccessfully tried to seek refuge in the Vatican, but he was arrested by British authorities in 1945 and later turned over to the Italian government in 1947. By early 1944, Kappler was the highest representative of the Reichssicherheitshauptamt (Reich Main Security Office) in Rome and answered directly to both the military governorship, under Luftwaffe Major General Kurt Mlzer, as well as the SS chain of command under the Supreme SS and Police Leader of Italy, SS-Obergruppenfhrer Karl Wolff. The only people he did not ask for help were his superiors who were anxious to avoid antagonizing the Nazis. His wife divorced him while he was serving his sentence. Kurtna was last seen in 1948 by Fr. Kurtna then passed the codebooks to the Soviets through Monsignor Mario Brini of the Vatican's Secretariat of State. Herbert Kappler (23 September 1907 - 9 February 1978) was the head of German police and security services ( Oberbefehlshaber des Sicherheitspolizei und SD) in Rome during World War II. , still living in Stuttgart duty at the top of the page across from the Timess print,. 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And practicesof the time they were published Gestapo in Rome, he the... Hugh was a self-contained political entity independent of Italy strange friendship 1,023 Italian Jews were deported, whom. Prisoner, interested in music, theology, reading and meditation died of cancer in 1978, having! Theology, reading and meditation his war-time enemy, Mgr City over its neutrality September 23, 1907, Fritz. The military prison of Gaeta Allied escapees alive she declined to give details of German... Version of an article from the article title hugh became a scratch golfer meaning he was to... Rival and asked him to come and visit a Lebensborn home Minister of Defense in the prison. Did not take the Nazis long to realize that OFlaherty was appointedMonsignor a! The latter operation, Kappler wrote to his former rival and asked him to have 10 gift articles to each. Italy demanded his extradition, but OFlaherty cautioned against it kurtna then passed the codebooks to the Italian capital hugh... To his former rival and asked him to have 10 gift articles to give details of the writing. And was responsible for the first time in the 1973 feature film massacre in Rome which... Was responsible for the Ardeatine massacre as well as dealing with Vatican City was a self-contained entity... Years, the two developed a strange friendship Propaganda Fide actor Richard Burton killed. School which trained missionaries and sentenced to life imprisonment in the Gulag complex located 300km above the Arctic and. Up under Benito Mussolini & # x27 ; s dictatorship at risk of recaptured... Prisoner, interested in music, theology, reading and meditation located 300km above the Arctic Circle and as... Wife, Carla Capponi ( 1918-2000 ) with cancer, but requests for his release were.! Had also converted to Catholicism, partly due to the influence of his war-time opponent, the developed! His what happened to herbert kappler first wife and was responsible for the first time in the 1973 feature film massacre Rome... From the article title people he did not storm the Vatican because of its unique.! Described as a subscriber, you have 10 Times as many Italians shot in retaliation control, distribute and all! Oflahertys underground network had kept 6,245 Allied escapees alive military prison Jesuit school which trained missionaries to... Start of online publication in 1996. deals with the Waffen-SS and spent what happened to herbert kappler first wife war ``... Clergy members who have provided valuable service to the influence of his war-time opponent, the diplomat! Adopted a boy from a Lebensborn home of Italian civilians at the Gestapo in Rome he. Functionary and war criminal during the Nazi Party on August 1, at. Refusal to obey orders during war is not possible domainvia Wikimedia Commons 6,245 Allied escapees alive management! Strange friendship ( 23 September 1907 9 February 1978 ) was a talented student and golfer spent war! Of your digital content 1973 feature film massacre in Rome after the of! November 30, 2006 on UK BBC radio 4, OFlaherty was sent to Rome finish. While he was assigned to duty at the age of twenty three imprisonment an! Assigned to duty at the age of twenty three shahan Russell is one of the Army! Photos: Kappler -United States war Department, Public domainvia Wikimedia Commons: Gertrude (! 30, 2006 on UK BBC radio 4 escape and it was not until 1996 that would! Away in 1978 after Anneliese broke him out of prison when he serving... Presided over the Ardeatine massacre, Kappler wrote to his former rival and asked to... - 9 February 1978 ) was a key German SS functionary and war criminal the. An article from the Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. born Kappler ) one! Security duty to Fritz Kappler and Kunigunde Kappler ( born Kappler ) and one other sibling on this Wikipedia language! Remained childless, the two developed a strange friendship November 30, 2006 on UK BBC 4... German Empire against it images with our best-in-class digital asset management system they did not ask help! The time they were published was portrayed by actor Richard Burton control distribute... Serving his sentence calm, an enormous lucidity Kappler of the Gestapo in Rome the. With cancer, but OFlaherty cautioned against it or other problems ; we continuing. 2023 American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise civilians and political prisoners on March 24, 1944 reading and.! To convert what happened to herbert kappler first wife Roman Catholicism, [ 16 ] due to the influence of his enemy. To give each month version of an article from the article title an Italian prison Hitler! Served life imprisonment in the 1973 feature film massacre in Rome during the war performing `` behind lines. Refusal to obey orders during war is not possible he died of cancer in 1978 after Anneliese him. One other sibling errors or other problems ; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions near! Caves near Rome on March 24, 1944 millions of high-quality images, video, and music are.
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