Statis. 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. [10], In 1975, at the age of sixty-eight, Kappler was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Therefore, he was allowed to visit POW camps throughout Italy. In January 1936, he was assigned to duty at the Gestapo main office in Stuttgart. Irmgard was born on December 9 1908. 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. Six months after his escape, Kappler died at home in Soltau, on February 9, 1978, aged 70.[4]. [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. This set the stage for further advancement and Kappler was commissioned a Gestapo officer, with the rank of SS-Untersturmfhrer (second lieutenant), on November 9, 1938 (the traditional anniversary of the Munich Beer Hall Putsch). Kappler was responsible for many cruel deeds in Rome as well as the massacre at The Ardeatine Caves, which were personally supervised by Kappler. Herbert married Irmgard Kappler (born Erckmann). In his first action, 1,023 Italian Jews were deported, of whom only 16 survived. Impressed with his abilities, he was appointed to the Holy See; the Vaticans governing body. 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. 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). Although most were Allied soldiers, some were Jews. Paradoxically, after the war Kappler and O'Flaherty would become friends of sorts.[2]. He later remarried Anneliese Kappler, a nurse with whom he had carried on a lengthy correspondence, in a prison wedding ceremony in 1972. https://www.nytimes.com/1978/02/10/archives/herbert-kappler-dies-nazi-fled-captivity-in-rome-called-a.html. In 1937, Kappler graduated from the Fhrerschule der Sicherheitspolizei (Leadership School of the Security Police) in Berlin as a Kriminalkommissar (criminal commissioner). In 1934, O'Flaherty received the title of Monsignor. 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. 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. Since he was at this time considered only a general SS member, not assigned to permanent full-time duties, Kappler was not exempt from the draft and he became a Schtze in the Wehrmacht on June 11, 1935. Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options are waiting for you. SS Obersturmfhrer, The head of German police and security services in Rome. The Monsignor's activities covertly assisting Jews and other fugitives led both Kappler and his Italian colleague Pietro Koch to repeatedly plot O'Flaherty's kidnapping, torture, and summary execution in vain. Thank you for using this website. 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. The priest believed it might be misinterpreted as an attempt to influence his trial judges. 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. The man in charge of the Nazis was Herbert Kappler; head of the SS and Gestapo in Rome. 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. Shahan Russell is one of the authors writing for WAR HISTORY ONLINE. This website makes use of cookies to ensure that the website works properly. He said the Jews had committed no crime other than being Jews, but were about to be deported to Germany.. Appeals by both his wife and the West German government to release him were denied by Italian authorities, but earned him a transfer to a hospital. In the 1973 feature film Massacre in Rome, which deals with the Ardeatine massacre, Kappler was portrayed by actor Richard Burton. In January 1936, he was assigned to duty at the Gestapo central office of Stuttgart. While there, he asked to speak to the Monsignor and was probably surprised when OFlaherty agreed. 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. Kappler was posted to Rome as head of the Sicherheitsdienst (SD) and throughout the war years he cooperated closely with the Fascist police. Since the marriage had remained childless, the couple adopted a boy from a Lebensborn home. 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. By the time the Allies captured Rome in June 1944, OFlahertys underground network had kept 6,245 Allied escapees alive. 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. In 1922 OFlaherty was sent to Rome to finish his studies where he was ordained three years later. Military Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. Kappler was also portrayed by Christopher Plummer in the 1983 TV movie The Scarlet and The Black, which detailed Kappler's first meeting with Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty. [9][13] Kappler's first wife divorced him while he was serving his sentence. We have no ads to show you! OFlaherty was told he would be shot if he crossed the line not that it stopped him. Asked whether there werent times when such orders should be disobeyed, Mrs. Kappler replied: One cannot judge this today if one has not experienced war. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practicesof the time they were published. [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. Marina was born in Rome on November 4, 1942, to Jewish parents Giuseppe Del Monte and Clara Limentani. Kurtna was last seen in 1948 by Fr. Despite the Fascist dictatorship, the war, and racial legislation, the family . from the Jews of Rome, which Kappler later alleged was an attempt to prevent the deportations.[3][8][9]. Kappler and his first wife divorced while Kappler was serving his sentence; later, he was married again to Anneliese Kappler, a nurse who had carried on a lengthy correspondence with Kappler . 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. 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. Tap into Getty Images' global scale, data-driven insights, and network of more than 340,000 creators to create content exclusively for your brand. She smuggled him into West Germany by car. Lieutenant Colonel Herbert Kapplerwas head of The Gestapo in Rome during the occupation. 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. [citation needed] In 1968 she visited him for the first time in the fortress of Gaeta. Despite this O'Flaherty assisted in helping members of Kapplers family in escaping from Rome at Liberation. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. 1,007 were shipped to Auschwitz. In mid 1935, Kappler applied for transfer to the full-time SS and submitted an application to join the Sicherheitspolizei (Security Police) or SiPo. He was head of German police and security services (Sicherheitspolizei and SD) in Rome during the Second World War and was responsible for the Ardeatine massacre.[1][2]. 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.[1][2]. 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. 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. Appeals by both his wife and the West German government to release him were denied by Italian authorities. I recommend you watch his trial here. [14][15], In 1948, Kappler was tried by an Italian Army military tribunal and sentenced to life imprisonment in the Gaeta military prison. What happened to Herbert Kappler? 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. 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. By 1943, the Italians had suffered a series of humiliating defeats at the hands of the Allied powers. Hugh became a scratch golfer meaning he was quite good. Herbert Kappler was born on September 23, 1907, to a middle-class family in Stuttgart in the German Empire. Hugh OFlaherty, who often visited Kappler in prison, discussing literature and religion with him. Erich Priebke did manage to escape and it was not until 1996 that Priebke would face justice. 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. 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. 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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. The radio play was first broadcast on 30 November 2006 on UK BBC Radio 4. The radio play was first broadcast on November 30, 2006 on UK BBC Radio 4. Herbert Kappler (23 September 1907 - 9 February 1978) was a key German SS functionary and war criminal during the Nazi era. Among them was his future wife, Carla Capponi (1918-2000). Herbert Kappler (23 September 1907 9 February 1978) was a key German SS functionary and war criminal during the Nazi era. Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. Fortunately, they did not storm the Vatican because of its unique status. He was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in the Gaeta military prison. Other One month ago 0 answers 1 views. [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. Germany was furious at the betrayal and retaliated by invading Italy. Did Herbert Kappler become a Catholic? 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. Where is Herbert Kappler buried? They deposed Mussolini and freed all Allied POWs. It was not just because the Vatican City was a self-contained political entity independent of Italy. He was described as a model prisoner, interested in music, theology, reading and meditation. 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. Kappler was also in Stuttgart during the Night of the Long Knives, but was at this time too junior in the SS to significantly participate. 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 1937, Kappler graduated from the Fhrerschule der Sicherheitspolizei (Leadership School of the Security Police) in Berlin as a Kriminalkommissar (criminal commissioner). 2023 Getty Images. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. 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