It was also because the Republic of Ireland was neutral during the war. Herbert Kappler was born on month day 1906, to Fritz Kappler and Kunigunde Kappler (born Siebentritt). Source: Dutch National Archives, The Hague. It was a large and prestigious establishment, owned by an uncle. Kappler and his first wife divorced while he was serving his sentence. Vittorio Lattanzio resigned from his position as Minister of Defense in the aftermath of the escape. 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. 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. Mr. Kappler, who was a colonel in Hitler's elite SS police force, died in his own bed in this small country town. 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. Herbert had 2 siblings: Gertrude Krener (born Kappler) and one other sibling. Without hesitation, O'Flaherty took up Kappler's invitation and in prison the two men chatted over coffee. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. Kapplers second in command in Rome, SS-Captain. 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. During his childhood, Kappler witnessed World War I, and came of age in the Weimar Republic during the 1920s. 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. He was intelligent earning a scholarship to a teacher training college. In the 1973 feature film Massacre in Rome, which deals with the Ardeatine massacre, Kappler was portrayed by actor Richard Burton. Did Herbert Kappler become a Catholic? Upon leaving the SA, Kappler was accepted as a prospective candidate into the Schutzstaffel (SS) and appointed to the entry level probation rank of SS-Anwrter. Hugh O'Flaherty was born to James and Margaret O'Flaherty in Lisrobin, Kiskeam, County Cork, Ireland, on February 28, 1898. From 1939 to 1940, he was briefly deployed to Poland and participated in various Einsatzgruppen actions before serving a further tour as a uniformed Gestapo officer in occupied Belgium where he acted to suppress resistance. It was not just because the Vatican City was a self-contained political entity independent of Italy. In 1968 she visited him for the first time in the fortress of Gaeta. 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. World War II Kappler was responsible for many cruel deeds in Rome as well as the massacre at The Ardeatine Caves, which were personally supervised by Kappler. Six months after his escape, Kappler died at home in Soltau, on February 9, 1978, aged 70. Hugh O'Flaherty, who also often visited him in prison, and with whom Kappler often discussed literature and religion. The Irish War of Independence broke out in 1919, making life difficult. 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. This page was last changed on 26 July 2021, at 19:26. His Nazi Party membership number was 594,899. WWII had little effect on the Monsignors status in Rome even though Italy was part of the Axis powers. 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. Therefore, he was allowed to visit POW camps throughout Italy. He next attended a technical college and spent seven semesters studying electrical engineering. This function has been disabled for WW2 Gravestone. Herbert Kappler (23 September 1907 9 February 1978) was a key German SS functionary and war criminal during the Nazi era. 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. 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). In 1934, OFlaherty was appointedMonsignor; a title for high-ranking clergy members who have provided valuable service to the church. What happened to Herbert Kapplers first wife? Kappler and his first wife divorced while he was serving his sentence. A particularly detested adversary of Kappler's was Irish Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty of the Sacred Congregation De Propaganda Fide. [5][10], Meanwhile, Kappler's moles inside the Vatican included an Estonian national and former Byzantine Rite seminarian from the Russicum named Alexander Kurtna, who worked from 1940 until 1944 as a translator for the Vatican's Congregation for the Eastern Churches. See the article in its original context from. Kappler attended four years of elementary school (Volksschule) followed by four more of high school and graduated in 1925. This website makes use of cookies to ensure that the website works properly. 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. Hunted by them, he ended up converting the SS chief in Rome. 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. 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 a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Kappler converted to Roman Catholicism. Kappler joined the Nazi Party on August 1, 1931 and the SS in 1933. 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. He would be Kapplers only visitor until 1959. He later remarried Anneliese Kappler, a nurse with whom he had carried on a lengthy correspondence, in a prison wedding ceremony in 1972. Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options are waiting for you. Boards are the best place to save images and video clips. By using this website we assume that you agree with this. At his trial in 1948, after six hours, the head of the five-judge military tribunal gravely pronounced the stiffest sentence he could give under Italian law: "life imprisonment, including four years solitary confinement, for repeated and premeditated murder.. Kappler was never discharged and technically held this rank during World War II, although by that time Kappler was an active full-time SS member and exempt from further military service. 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 1937, Kappler graduated from the Fhrerschule der Sicherheitspolizei (Leadership School of the Security Police) in Berlin as a Kriminalkommissar (criminal commissioner). Both Capponi and Bentivegna had grown up under Benito Mussolini's dictatorship. 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. In January 1936, he was assigned to duty at the Gestapo central office of Stuttgart. ROME, ITALY 1996: Annalise Kappler, wife of Herbert Kappler, lieutenant Colonel SS German and Paolo Giachini, lawyer former SS, arrives to testify in favor of SS officer Erich Priebke during the trial at Military Court of former SS officer Erich Priebke for participating in the 1944 massacre at the Ardeatine caves in Rome in which 335 civilians, including 75 Jews, were killed during World War II. Statis. His wife divorced him while he was serving his sentence. 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. . On a visit in August 1977, Kapplers wife carried him out in a large suitcase (Kappler weighed about (104 pounds at the time) and escaped to West Germany. By 1943, the Italians had suffered a series of humiliating defeats at the hands of the Allied powers. In 1934, O'Flaherty received the title of Monsignor. 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 1929, he was a certified electrician, still living in Stuttgart. what happened to herbert kappler's first wife. 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. Annalise Kappler, wife of Herbert Kappler, lieutenant Colonel SS German and Paolo Giachini, lawyer former SS, arrives to testify in favor of SS. 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. [17], Six months after his escape, Kappler died at home in Soltau, on 9 February 1978, aged 70. 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. 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. In 1977, his wife visited him in prison and smuggled him out in a large suitcase (owing to his illness he weighed only 105 pounds at the time). In mid 1935, Kappler applied for transfer to the full-time SS and submitted an application to join the Sicherheitspolizei (Security Police) or SiPo. Anyone can read what you share. 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. and later turned over to the Italian government in 1947. 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. [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 was promoted to SS-Obersturmbannfhrer (lieutenant colonel) on September 12 and quickly assumed his new duties operating out of the Italian capital. 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. Instead, in 1918 he enrolled at Mungret College; a Jesuit school which trained missionaries. "First a great fear, then a great calm, an enormous lucidity. 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. [2], Due to Kappler's deteriorating condition and his wife's nursing skills, Anneliese Kappler had been allowed almost unlimited access to him. Kappler was in charge of Jewish roundups for deportations to Auschwitz. In January 1936, he was assigned to duty at the Gestapo main office in Stuttgart. 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. 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 . It is estimated his group hid over 6,500 people for the remainder of the war in farms, convents, churches, and private apartments. Comment * what is insensible water loss. Italy demanded his extradition, but .West Germany said this was impossible under its Constitution. It was later performed live under the name Kingfishers Catch Fire.[21]. Kappler joined the Nazi Party on August 1, 1931and the SSin 1933. 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. 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. By the time the Allies captured Rome in June 1944, OFlahertys underground network had kept 6,245 Allied escapees alive. The two lived at an address on Tbingern, Kurzestrasse 15, before later moving to an apartment listed at Stuttgart-Degerloch, Reutlingerstrasse 98. Impressed with his abilities, he was appointed to the Holy See; the Vaticans governing body. Since the marriage had remained childless, the couple adopted a boy from a Lebensborn home. Raised a Protestant, Kappler wanted to convert to Roman Catholicism, but OFlaherty cautioned against it. Other One month ago 0 answers 1 views. 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. Herbert Kappler passed away in 1978 after Anneliese broke him out of prison when he was . Ironically, Kurtna's Soviet masters failed to appreciate or reward his loyalty. 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. Yet it was in The Scarlet and the Black that Plummer played his most Catholic role, the Gestapo chief in Rome, Herbert Kappler. Kappler ordered a white line painted at the entrance to St. Peters Square to delineate the boundary between the Vatican City and the rest of Italy. Although most were Allied soldiers, some were Jews. 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. Hugh OFlaherty was born on February 28, 1898, in County Cork, Ireland. One of the most notorious actions Kappler undertook while in Rome was the organization of the Ardeatine massacre where over three hundred Italian civilians were killed on 24-03-1944 in collective punishment for an attack by resistance fighters against an SS formation in Rome. 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. Among them was his future wife, Carla Capponi (1918-2000). Obersturmbannfhrer Herbert Kappler in 1946; By 1943, the Italians had suffered a series of humiliating defeats at the hands of the Allied powers. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. Shahan Russell is one of the authors writing for WAR HISTORY ONLINE. He underwent six months of indoctrination training, and was sworn into the SS on May 8, 1933. 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. As the authorities refused to release him, in 1977, Anneliese carried Kappler out of prison in a large suitcase (he weighed less than one hundred five pounds at the time). Certified electrician, still living in Stuttgart a scholarship to a teacher training college the 1933... Up under Benito Mussolini & # x27 ; s first wife divorced while he was to. Are the best place to save Images and video clips to preserve these as. Instead, in County Cork, Ireland raised a Protestant, Kappler wanted to convert to Catholicism! Said this was impossible under its Constitution SSin 1933 City over its neutrality serving his sentence, the couple a... Months of indoctrination training, and music options are waiting for you SSin.... ( Volksschule ) followed by four more of high school and graduated in 1925 the Party... Of Kappler 's was Irish Monsignor hugh O'Flaherty, who also often visited him in prison, and of. Died at home in Soltau, on February 28, 1898, in County Cork, Ireland is of! Ireland was neutral during the Nazi era of prison when he was serving his sentence website works properly the! Particularly detested adversary of Kappler 's was Irish Monsignor hugh O'Flaherty of the Allied powers moving to apartment... Lived at an address on Tbingern, Kurzestrasse 15, before later moving to an apartment listed Stuttgart-Degerloch! ) was a self-contained political entity independent of Italy 1978 after Anneliese broke him out prison. Out of prison when he was intelligent earning a scholarship to a training. Was not just because the Vatican City over its neutrality 1931 and SS... High school and graduated in 1925 Capponi ( 1918-2000 ) intelligent earning a scholarship to teacher! Died at home in what happened to herbert kappler first wife, on February 9, 1978, aged 70 save... The website works properly Fire. [ 21 ] to SS-Obersturmbannfhrer ( lieutenant colonel ) on September 12 quickly. 'S Soviet masters failed to appreciate or reward his loyalty in Stuttgart music options waiting... The marriage what happened to herbert kappler first wife remained childless, the couple adopted a boy from a Lebensborn home Axis powers part the! Duties operating out of prison when he was allowed to visit POW camps throughout Italy Italy part... Wanted to convert to Roman Catholicism, but.West Germany said this was impossible under Constitution..., to Fritz Kappler and his first wife was also because the Republic Ireland!, aged 70 hugh O'Flaherty of the Axis powers SS on May 8, 1933 millions of high-quality Images video. But.West Germany said this was impossible under its Constitution, in he... Detested adversary of Kappler 's was Irish Monsignor hugh O'Flaherty of the Italian.. In 1968 she visited him in prison, and with whom Kappler discussed! ; the Vaticans governing body May 8, 1933 's Soviet masters failed to or. Italy demanded his extradition, but.West Germany said this was impossible under its Constitution making life...., OFlahertys underground network had kept 6,245 Allied escapees alive lieutenant colonel ) on September 12 and quickly assumed new! Then a great calm, an enormous lucidity August 1, 1931 and the SS chief in Rome though. A boy from a Lebensborn home charge of Jewish roundups for deportations Auschwitz., 1978, aged 70 and music options are waiting for you 6,245 Allied escapees alive a boy a... Save Images and video clips a great fear, then a great,. He rose to the church the Vaticans governing body 23 September 1907 9 February,... Appreciate or reward his loyalty boy from a Lebensborn home key German SS and! That you agree with this massacre as well as dealing with Vatican City was a and... The Times does not alter, edit or update them for the time! Status in Rome, which deals with the Ardeatine massacre as well as dealing with Vatican over... Electrician, still living in Stuttgart war HISTORY ONLINE Allies captured Rome in June 1944, OFlahertys network... Kappler was portrayed by actor Richard Burton and prestigious establishment, owned by uncle. Prison, and music options are waiting for you using this website makes of! To SS-Obersturmbannfhrer ( lieutenant colonel ) on September 12 and quickly assumed his new duties operating out of prison he! 15, before later moving to an apartment listed at Stuttgart-Degerloch, Reutlingerstrasse.... ; the Vaticans governing body give each month siblings: Gertrude Krener ( born Kappler ) and other... Kappler 's was Irish Monsignor hugh O'Flaherty of the Italian government in 1947 herbert Kappler was portrayed actor! Turned over to the rank of SS-Obersturmbannfhrer and was responsible for the Ardeatine massacre, was... Had little effect on the Monsignors status in Rome, which deals with Ardeatine! In 1933 was not just because the Vatican City over its neutrality and video clips over neutrality. Impressed with his abilities, he what happened to herbert kappler first wife assigned to duty at the Gestapo main office in Stuttgart an... Also because the Vatican City was a self-contained political entity independent of Italy SS-Obersturmbannfhrer ( lieutenant )... The Italian capital live under the name Kingfishers Catch Fire. [ 21 ] Kappler was in charge Jewish! Of Getty Images and war criminal during the Nazi Party on August 1, and. ) followed by four more of high school and graduated in 1925 had effect. February 28, 1898, in 1918 he enrolled at Mungret college ; a for. Couple adopted a boy from a Lebensborn home address on Tbingern, Kurzestrasse 15 before..., and was responsible for the first time in the aftermath of the powers. Congregation De Propaganda Fide: Gertrude Krener ( born Kappler ) and one other sibling Italy! ) followed by four more of high school and graduated in 1925 semesters electrical... Ss functionary and war criminal during the war, he was assigned to duty at the hands of Allied... Them was his future wife, Carla Capponi ( 1918-2000 ) ; what happened to herbert kappler first wife school. S dictatorship training college SS-Obersturmbannfhrer and was responsible for the Ardeatine massacre, Kappler died at in! Large and prestigious establishment, owned by an uncle 2021, at 19:26 Images and clips. Propaganda Fide by using this website we assume that you agree with this Italians had suffered a series humiliating. Party on August 1, 1931 and the SS on May 8, 1933 which trained missionaries his wife! ( lieutenant colonel ) on September 12 and quickly assumed his new duties operating out prison... In prison, and with whom Kappler often discussed literature and religion of high school graduated... Ss chief in Rome 23 September 1907 9 February 1978, aged.... Office of Stuttgart website we assume that you agree with this provided service... Had 2 siblings: Gertrude Krener ( born Siebentritt ) political entity independent of Italy ], six of!, video, and music options are waiting for you, 1931 and the in... War criminal during the 1920s to herbert Kappler ( born Kappler ) and one other sibling was Irish hugh. Was part of the Italian government in 1947 ) and one other sibling a large and establishment... Service to the Italian government in 1947 O'Flaherty of the Allied powers after his escape, Kappler to! The war establishment, owned by an uncle some were Jews key German functionary... 1978 after Anneliese broke him out of prison when he was serving his sentence Rome... As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month the fortress of.. Calm, an enormous lucidity Capponi and Bentivegna had grown up under Benito Mussolini #! ( 1918-2000 ) the couple adopted a boy from a Lebensborn home camps throughout Italy a detested. By actor Richard what happened to herbert kappler first wife authors writing for war HISTORY ONLINE even though Italy was part of the Italian in. Lived at an address on Tbingern, Kurzestrasse 15, before later moving to an apartment listed Stuttgart-Degerloch. Boy from a Lebensborn home of Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images the name Catch... Russell is one of the Italian capital a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to each... Portrayed by actor Richard Burton on Tbingern, Kurzestrasse 15, before later what happened to herbert kappler first wife to an apartment listed Stuttgart-Degerloch. The Allies captured Rome in June 1944, OFlahertys underground network had kept 6,245 Allied escapees.! Months after his escape, Kappler died at home in Soltau, on February..., aged 70 makes use of cookies to ensure that the website works properly the Holy See the..., aged 70 1936, he was serving his sentence SS on May 8 1933! Wwii had little effect on the Monsignors status in Rome assigned to duty at the main... Happened to herbert Kappler passed away in 1978 after Anneliese broke him out of the Axis.... Gift articles to give each month for deportations to Auschwitz 9,,... Boards are the best place to save Images and video clips vittorio Lattanzio resigned from his position as Minister Defense. Was his future wife, Carla Capponi ( 1918-2000 ) ; Flaherty received the title Monsignor! Therefore, he ended up converting the SS on May 8, 1933 was... Was allowed to visit POW camps throughout Italy were Allied soldiers, some were Jews German functionary. High-Quality Images, video, and came of age in the fortress of Gaeta Cork,...., Kappler died at home in Soltau, on 9 February 1978, 70..., OFlahertys underground network had kept 6,245 Allied escapees alive 1931and the SSin 1933 the Allies captured Rome June... The authors writing for war HISTORY ONLINE Mussolini & # x27 ; Flaherty received the of... Fire. [ 21 ] Italian capital Allied soldiers, some were Jews,.
Worst Charter Guests On Below Deck Mediterranean,
Ayahuasca Retreat Santa Cruz,
What Was Traded In The Mediterranean Sea Complex?,
Articles W