A Large Signed Photograph of “The Most Dangerous Man in Europe”

Austrian Waffen-SS Obersturmbannführer Otto Skorzeny: A signed period photograph of Austrian Waffen-SS Obersturmbannfürer Otto Skorzeny; measuring 238 mm x 154 mm; mint condition without creases, folds, or significant signs of wear or ageing.

Footnote: Otto Skorzeny was born on June 12, 1908 in Austria and served as a Waffen-SS Obersturmbannführer during the Second War. He joined the Austrian NSDAP in 1931 and soon thereafter became a member of the SA. He was an avid fencer during his time as a student in Vienna, where he sustained a wound on the left side of his face, known as a “Schmiss” to academic fencers. He volunteered for the Luftwaffe but was turned down for his height (1.92 meters) and his advanced age (31). He was transferred to the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler and saw action on the Eastern Front with the 2nd SS Panzer Division in the Battle of Moscow. In 1942, Skorzeny sustained an injury to the back of his head from Katyusha artillery rockets, but refused formal medical treatments, only accepting aspirin, a bandage, and a glass of Schnapps. He was awarded the Iron Cross for bravery under fire and was later hospitalized for his injuries in Vienna. As a pioneer of modern warfare, Skorzeny suggested forming specialized units that fought deep behind enemy lines in enemy uniforms . He was put in charge of the newly created Waffen Sonderverband. He organized a number of unconventional and partisan-style operations, and in July 1943, partook in the mission to free the deposed Italian dictator Benito Mussolini from captivity. He also partook in Operation Long Jump, an operation aimed to assassinate the “Big Three” (Joseph Stalin, Winston Churchill, and Franklin Roosevelt” that was cancelled due to lack of intelligence. Notably, during the German Ardennes offensive in late 1944 (battle of the Bulge), Skorzeny’s troops with English literacy were ordered to disguise as American GI’s and to infiltrate enemy lines in an effort to confuse the enemy in support of the German attack (Operation Greif). It was then when British and American soldiers called him “The Most Dangerous Man in Europe”. The operation was successful but resulted in some of Skorzeny’s troops being captured. General Dwight Eisenhower retaliated by ordering a man-hunt for Skorzeny. Following the collapse of the Reich Skorzeny was held as a POW for more than two years to be tried as a war criminal at the Dachau Trials in 1947 for violating the laws of war during the Battle of the Bulge for improper use of American uniforms. The tribunal acquitted Skorzeny and nine of his men since both British and American soldiers sometimes dressed in German uniforms in German territory. In 1948 Skorzeny escaped an internment camp at Darmstadt and moved to Madrid. He founded an organization named “Die Spinne” (The Spider), which was to aid up to 600 former SS men escape from Germany to Spain, Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, and Bolivia. Otto Skorzeny died of lung cancer on July 5, 1975 in Spain. His ashes were returned to Vienna, Austria, where he was given a Catholic funeral at Döblinger Friedhof. During his military career he earned the following awards: Eastern Front Medal, Anschluss Medal, Sudetenland Medal, Flugzeugführer und Beobachter Abzeichen, Order of the Holy Crown of Hungary, NSDAP Long Service Award, Wound Badge (Black and Silver), General Assault Badge, Honour Roll Clasp of the Army, Iron Cross (1st and 2nd Class), German Cross in Gold, Deutsches Reichssportabzeichen, Honour Badge of the National Socialist German Students Federation, Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oakleaves.