Otto Skorzeny: Dark Legend of the Axis Powers

Operation Oak contributed to much of his notoriety, and after the Nazi propaganda machine had spread the word about his valiant exploits, Otto Skorzeny was the go-to man for any sort of Black Ops or Special Forces mission, including Operation Armored Fist- the capture of Hungarian Regent Miklós Horthy, Operation Knight’s Leap- the attempted capture of Josip Tito, and most notably Operations Griffin (Greif) and Werwolf.

Operation Griffin was a false-flag initiative in which Skorzeny led several dozen Kommandos wearing captured American uniforms in captured American Jeeps behind Allied lines during the Battle of the Bulge. They managed to create mass confusion and wreak havoc on the American lines. This effect was amplified when several of the Kommandos who were captured by US troops began to spread the rumor that an attempt on the life of Dwight D Eisenhower was being planned. Though untrue, this psych- ops tactic was sufficient to confine Eisenhower to his headquarters for several days, and cause severe commotion among the American troops.

In the dying days of the war, Skorzeny was part of a clandestine initiative known as Werwolf. It was proposed as a guerilla warfare unit to fight Allied troops after the official surrender of Germany, but proved too small and too late to constitute an effective resistance. Instead, it functioned as a system of ratlines, a sort of Nazi Underground Railroad to Fascist Spain, which was still under the duress of Francisco Franco. However, many people of political importance simply vanished, from Germany, Austria, and Prussia, and no one has ever been able to explain why- some historians attribute these disappearances to the Werwolf. Many believe that the Operation never reached the level of influence that had been hoped for, but due to the secretive nature of the project, we may never be sure…

Otto Skorzeny was once regarded as the Most Dangerous Man in Europe. He rescued a Fascist dictator, organized brilliant Black Ops against Allied forces, and established an untraceable Nazi underground throughout Europe. With a track record like that, this man has earned the right to a place in the upper echelons of WWII legend.