Interlude 5 - Nazi Archives on the Assassination in Tehran Found (5 August 1945)
Interlude 5
NAZI ARCHIVES ON THE ASSASSINATION IN TEHRAN FOUND
New York Times, 5 August 1945
Otto Skorzeny, mastermind of the operation.
The recent arrival of the forces of the United Nations in Berlin and the surrounding area has allowed the discovery and declassification of many Nazi archives. One of the Abwehr archives that was discovered in suburban Berlin was related to the German spy network in Tehran, including a report regarding the assassination of the three great leaders back in November 1943.
Aside from intel relating the execution of the operation like the network of Nazi spies and Iranian collaborators that allowed the arrival of the mysterious group in Tehran, there was also information on the identities of the assassins. Despite the use of codenames, the fact that the United Nations gained access to most Abwehr intel has allowed the world to learn the true identities of the group.
The mastermind behind the entire operation, which was named as “Weitsprung” (meaning long jump), was none other than Otto Skorzeny. Skorzeny was an Austrian-born SS member who helped the Nazis develop unconventional commando warfare, and commanded the 502nd SS Jäger Battalion. He participated in several missions before organizing Weitsprung. During Weitsprung, he was dropped by parachute in Iran together with 4 other SS troops and organized the mission. He managed to escape using a plane in Iran and later received an award for his outstanding performance in the mission. He was a member of the plot to overthrow Hitler and was later caught by the Red Army days before the surrender of Germany.
As for the four assassins, their identities were also discovered. The first to shoot, who was immediately killed by the NKVD, was one Vladislav Zaytsev, a Russian volunteer for the SS Sturmbrigade RONA also known as the Kaminski Brigade. He fought in the Eastern Front, before being chosen by Skorzeny as an ideal candidate for Weitsprung due to his familiarity with Russian culture and language, as well as his performance on the front. The same was the case for Aleksandr Vlasov, relative of the known Russian collaborator Andrey Vlasov who was personally recommended by the commander of the RONA. He was also killed during the operation.
The third assassin, who was able to get away together with Skorzeny, was Nikolas König. König was a native German, but was chosen for the mission due to the fact he had spent time in Russia, meaning it was easy for him to infiltrate the NKVD as well. He returned to Germany following the mission, but surrendered to the United Nations armies following the German surrender a few days ago.
Finally, a much more mysterious case is Hryhoriy Vyshinsky. Vyshinsky was born in Ukraine but aligned himself with the Nazis as soon as they invaded. He was one of the first members of the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS, known as the Volunteer Division “Galizien”. Following the mission, he was able to escape, but from that point no one heard of him again. With the only evidence of his identity being vague accounts from NKVD troops, it was practically impossible to track him down. During the Romanian Civil War, the Red Army caught a man from the Galizien Division who claimed to be the assassin as a prisoner of war, but he later escaped. Now, with the end of the war in Europe and the Abwehr archives in Allied hands, Vyshinsky was found in Dresden. He was executed yesterday after a brief trial. After almost two years, justice has been served to the men who caused the deaths of the Big Three.
NAZI ARCHIVES ON THE ASSASSINATION IN TEHRAN FOUND
New York Times, 5 August 1945
Otto Skorzeny, mastermind of the operation.
The recent arrival of the forces of the United Nations in Berlin and the surrounding area has allowed the discovery and declassification of many Nazi archives. One of the Abwehr archives that was discovered in suburban Berlin was related to the German spy network in Tehran, including a report regarding the assassination of the three great leaders back in November 1943.
Aside from intel relating the execution of the operation like the network of Nazi spies and Iranian collaborators that allowed the arrival of the mysterious group in Tehran, there was also information on the identities of the assassins. Despite the use of codenames, the fact that the United Nations gained access to most Abwehr intel has allowed the world to learn the true identities of the group.
The mastermind behind the entire operation, which was named as “Weitsprung” (meaning long jump), was none other than Otto Skorzeny. Skorzeny was an Austrian-born SS member who helped the Nazis develop unconventional commando warfare, and commanded the 502nd SS Jäger Battalion. He participated in several missions before organizing Weitsprung. During Weitsprung, he was dropped by parachute in Iran together with 4 other SS troops and organized the mission. He managed to escape using a plane in Iran and later received an award for his outstanding performance in the mission. He was a member of the plot to overthrow Hitler and was later caught by the Red Army days before the surrender of Germany.
As for the four assassins, their identities were also discovered. The first to shoot, who was immediately killed by the NKVD, was one Vladislav Zaytsev, a Russian volunteer for the SS Sturmbrigade RONA also known as the Kaminski Brigade. He fought in the Eastern Front, before being chosen by Skorzeny as an ideal candidate for Weitsprung due to his familiarity with Russian culture and language, as well as his performance on the front. The same was the case for Aleksandr Vlasov, relative of the known Russian collaborator Andrey Vlasov who was personally recommended by the commander of the RONA. He was also killed during the operation.
The third assassin, who was able to get away together with Skorzeny, was Nikolas König. König was a native German, but was chosen for the mission due to the fact he had spent time in Russia, meaning it was easy for him to infiltrate the NKVD as well. He returned to Germany following the mission, but surrendered to the United Nations armies following the German surrender a few days ago.
Finally, a much more mysterious case is Hryhoriy Vyshinsky. Vyshinsky was born in Ukraine but aligned himself with the Nazis as soon as they invaded. He was one of the first members of the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS, known as the Volunteer Division “Galizien”. Following the mission, he was able to escape, but from that point no one heard of him again. With the only evidence of his identity being vague accounts from NKVD troops, it was practically impossible to track him down. During the Romanian Civil War, the Red Army caught a man from the Galizien Division who claimed to be the assassin as a prisoner of war, but he later escaped. Now, with the end of the war in Europe and the Abwehr archives in Allied hands, Vyshinsky was found in Dresden. He was executed yesterday after a brief trial. After almost two years, justice has been served to the men who caused the deaths of the Big Three.