Austrian Castle Battle: Fierce Fight In May 1945

On May 5, 1945, in the Austrian village of Itter, an unusual battle took place. In one of the strangest events of World War II, Allied and German troops fought side-by-side against the SS to free prominent French prisoners of war from Itter Castle. This battle, known as the Battle of Castle Itter, was fought just days before Germany's surrender and is believed to be the only instance during World War II where Americans and Germans fought as allies.

The Yugoslav handyman Zvonimir Čučković escapes to seek help from Allied forces

On May 3, 1945, Yugoslav handyman and communist resistance member Zvonimir Čučković left Itter Castle under the pretext of running an errand for Commander Sebastian Wimmer. Čučković, who worked as a handyman at the prison, intended to seek help from Allied forces. He carried a letter in English, which he planned to deliver to the first American soldier he encountered, asking for assistance for the prisoners at the castle.

The closest town, Wörgl, was still under German command, so Čučković travelled towards Innsbruck, 40 miles away. That evening, he reached the outskirts of the city and encountered an advance party of the 409th Infantry Regiment of the American 103rd Infantry Division of the US VI Corps. He informed them about the prisoners at the castle. The American forces could not mount a rescue operation themselves, but they promised to pass the message to their headquarters.

At dawn the next day, a heavily armoured rescue operation was mounted, but they encountered heavy shelling after Jenbach and were forced to turn back. Meanwhile, Čučković did not return to the castle, and Commander Sebastian Wimmer, fearing that he had been discovered, fled his post. The SS-Totenkopfverbände guards soon abandoned their posts as well. The prisoners took over the castle, arming themselves with the weapons that remained. However, they lacked the numbers to defend themselves against a determined attack.

Unaware of Čučković's fate, the prisoners sent out a second emissary, the Czech cook Andreas Krobot, on a bicycle with a similar letter. Krobot successfully made contact with the Austrian resistance in Wörgl, where he was taken to Major Josef Gangl, a Wehrmacht officer who had defected and was leading a small band of German soldiers. Gangl then contacted Captain Jack Lee Jr., a U.S. tank commander, and the two officers stealthily visited the castle to assess the situation.

Lee organised a rescue party, but only his own tank made it back to the castle. The small group of Americans, accompanied by Gangl and some of his men, set up defensive positions around the castle. They were joined by the prisoners, who refused to remain inside despite Lee's orders. The defenders were heavily outnumbered and lacked sufficient ammunition, and by the morning of May 5, they were under attack by a force of 100-150 Waffen-SS soldiers.

Finally, in the afternoon of May 5, a relief force from the American 142nd Infantry Regiment arrived and defeated the SS troops. The battle of Castle Itter was over, and the prisoners were evacuated to France that evening.

The prisoners arm themselves and prepare for an attack from the Waffen SS

The prisoners of Itter Castle knew they were in grave danger. With the SS-Totenkopfverbände guards gone, they armed themselves with the weapons left behind. However, they knew that roaming parties of SS men still loyal to the Nazi regime could attack at any time.

The prisoners were right to be concerned. On the afternoon of May 4, 1945, the Dachau prison's commander, Eduard Weiter, fled to the castle, where he died in suspicious circumstances. The prisoners' fears of an attack from the Waffen SS were well-founded. They knew that any remaining SS troops would be aggressively resisting surrender.

The prisoners' leader, tennis star Jean Borotra, requested that an SS officer, Kurt-Siegfried Schrader, who had befriended the prisoners during his convalescence, take charge of their defence. Schrader agreed and also moved his family into the castle to protect them.

Borotra and the other prisoners were relieved when, later that day, two Sherman tanks of the 23rd Tank Battalion of the U.S. 12th Armored Division, under the command of Captain John C. 'Jack' Lee Jr., arrived, along with anti-Nazi elements of the Wehrmacht under the command of Major Josef 'Sepp' Gangl. However, they were disappointed by the small size of the rescue party.

Lee and his men set up defensive positions around the castle, with his Sherman tank, Besotten Jenny, guarding the main entrance. Despite Lee ordering the prisoners to take cover, they remained outside and fought alongside the American and Wehrmacht soldiers.

The defenders were soon under attack by a reconnaissance force sent to assess their strength and probe the castle for weaknesses.

US Capt Jack Lee teams up with Maj Sepp Gangl to lead a rescue mission

On 5 May 1945, US Capt Jack Lee teamed up with Maj Sepp Gangl to lead a rescue mission to Itter Castle in Austria. The castle had been converted into a prison by the Nazis in 1943 and was used to hold high-profile French prisoners. As the end of the war approached, the prisoners feared they would be killed before the Allies could reach them.

Indeed, the SS troops guarding the castle had orders to kill the prisoners before fleeing the advancing Allies. Knowing this, a Croatian resister and prisoner, Zvonimir Čučković, set out on 2 May to find the nearest Allied troops. Čučković carried a letter, written in English, pleading for immediate help. He found Americans from the 103rd Infantry Division outside Innsbruck, who sent a rescue force. However, they were slowed by severe resistance and had to turn back.

Fearing he had been discovered, Čučković's commander, SS Hauptsturmfuhrer Sebastian Wimmer, fled his post. The prisoners took over the castle, arming themselves with the abandoned weapons. Still unsure of Čučković's fate, they sent out a second emissary, Czech prisoner Andreas Krobot, who made contact with Maj Sepp Gangl, a Wehrmacht officer who had defected from the Nazis and was leading a small band of German soldiers.

Gangl met with Capt Jack Lee, and the two officers carried out reconnaissance on the castle. Lee then organised a rescue party, which included two Sherman tanks and a small group of American soldiers. En route to the castle, Lee was forced to send the reinforcements back due to a flimsy bridge. He continued on with 14 American soldiers, Gangl, a driver, and a truck carrying ten former German artillerymen.

Lee and Gangl's group defeated a party of SS troops attempting to set up a roadblock just 6km from the castle. They arrived at the castle and set up defensive positions, with Lee's tank, "Besotten Jenny", stationed at the main entrance. The French prisoners were grateful for Lee's arrival but disappointed by the small size of the unit. Despite being told to keep out of the fighting, the prisoners refused and set up defensive positions alongside the Americans and Wehrmacht soldiers.

During the night, they were attacked by a reconnaissance force sent to assess their strength and probe the castle for weaknesses. On the morning of 5 May, 100-150 Waffen-SS launched an attack. Gangl managed to phone the Austrian resistance and secure three more troops—two German soldiers and an Austrian teenager. Lee's tank provided support until it was destroyed by German fire.

By early afternoon, the 142nd Infantry Regiment had received the call for reinforcements and a relief force was dispatched. Tennis star Jean Borotra, one of the prisoners, offered to vault the castle wall and run through enemy soldiers to meet the relief force. He joined the force as it made its way to the castle. The relief force arrived around 4 pm, and the SS were defeated. Approximately 100 SS prisoners were taken.

The battle begins on 5 May, with 100-150 Waffen-SS soldiers attacking the castle

The Battle of Castle Itter, which took place in the Austrian village of Itter in North Tyrol, began on the morning of 5 May 1945. The battle was one of the strangest events of World War II, with American and German troops fighting side-by-side against 100-150 Waffen-SS soldiers attacking Castle Itter.

The castle had been used by the Nazis as a prison for French VIPs, and the battle began just days before Germany's unconditional surrender. The Waffen-SS attackers, led by Georg Bochmann, had occupied some hills near the town and launched their attack on the castle, which was defended by a mixed group of US Army soldiers, Wehrmacht troops, Austrian resistance fighters, and the prisoners themselves.

The defenders were led by US Captain Jack Lee and German Major Josef "Sepp" Gangl, who had defected from the Nazi cause and was now collaborating with the Austrian resistance. Lee had positioned his Sherman tank, "Besotten Jenny," at the main entrance of the castle, and it provided machine-gun fire support until it was destroyed by German fire from an 88 mm gun.

The defenders, including some of the prisoners, fought valiantly throughout the night and into the morning of the 5th. They were heavily outnumbered and low on ammunition, but they managed to hold off the Waffen-SS attackers until reinforcements from the American 142nd Infantry Regiment arrived in the afternoon. The relief force turned the tide, and the SS troops were forced to retreat.

The US relief force arrives in the afternoon, defeating the SS

The US relief force, dispatched from the 142nd Infantry Regiment, arrived at around 4 pm on 5 May 1945. The force consisted of a column of tanks and troops, and they immediately turned the tide of the battle. The SS attackers were now outgunned and heavily outnumbered, with no chance of resupply or reinforcement. Their only option was to retreat, and they did so promptly.

The US troops entered Itter Castle shortly after the SS forces fled. The battle was over, and the castle's defenders—a unique alliance of US soldiers, Wehrmacht troops, Austrian resistance fighters, and the prisoners themselves—had prevailed against the SS attackers.

The relief force's arrival came not a moment too soon. The defenders of the castle had been heavily outnumbered and low on ammunition. They knew that if the SS succeeded in taking the castle, there would be no surrender, and no prisoners. Anyone surviving an SS assault would be summarily executed.

The battle for Itter Castle was one of the last engagements of World War II in Europe, taking place just three days before the official end of the war on 8 May 1945. It is also notable for being one of the only two known instances during the war in which American and German forces fought side by side.

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