Hello,
can anybody tell whether it is true that SS-colonel Friedrich Schwend at the end of the war in 1945 joint the CIC as an US-major?
Schwend was the Reichs counterfeit-money organizer and probably a spy.
When he was operating for the SS in the Meran/Merano area he must have had helpers. Can anybody help with their names?
Thank you
Friedrich Schwend, SS-Stubaf.. CIC
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Ander
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Phil Nix
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steve248
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Friedrich Schwendt
Said to be a SS-Stubaf with RSHA VI Wi and "Chef der Falschgeldvertriebsorganisation".
Fritz/Friedrich Schwend/Schwendt alias Dr Wendig and others. Said to have birthdate of
6 Nov 1906.
In 1950s said to have lived in Peru/Chile
“Nazi on trial
Hitler’s master forger, Friedrich Schwendt, will go on trial in Munich tomorrow charged with a wartime manslaughter. Schwendt, now 72, was the key figure in ‘Operation Bernhard,’ the Nazi plot to undermine the British economy by swamping the world with forged sterling notes in the last year of the war.
“Schwend, alias Dr Wendig, held the rank of SS colonel and was in charge of the distribution apparatus at Castle Labers, near Merano in northern Italy. He later told his American captors that the counterfeit money amounted to nearly £15 million.
“In August 1944, one of his collaborators, Teofilio Kamber, was arrested while trying to run off with a bag of forged notes. He was shot dead on the way to court-martial, apparently on the orders of Reich security chief Ernst Kaltenbrunner. The West German prosecutors allege that Schwend shot the man after telling him to run away.”
source: The Daily Telegraph (London), 29 April 1979
I have no information on the outcome of the trial.
Fritz/Friedrich Schwend/Schwendt alias Dr Wendig and others. Said to have birthdate of
6 Nov 1906.
In 1950s said to have lived in Peru/Chile
“Nazi on trial
Hitler’s master forger, Friedrich Schwendt, will go on trial in Munich tomorrow charged with a wartime manslaughter. Schwendt, now 72, was the key figure in ‘Operation Bernhard,’ the Nazi plot to undermine the British economy by swamping the world with forged sterling notes in the last year of the war.
“Schwend, alias Dr Wendig, held the rank of SS colonel and was in charge of the distribution apparatus at Castle Labers, near Merano in northern Italy. He later told his American captors that the counterfeit money amounted to nearly £15 million.
“In August 1944, one of his collaborators, Teofilio Kamber, was arrested while trying to run off with a bag of forged notes. He was shot dead on the way to court-martial, apparently on the orders of Reich security chief Ernst Kaltenbrunner. The West German prosecutors allege that Schwend shot the man after telling him to run away.”
source: The Daily Telegraph (London), 29 April 1979
I have no information on the outcome of the trial.
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Phil Nix
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Ander
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Schwend-Kaltenbrunner
It appears that Kaltenbrunner was Schwend's boss when it came to the counterfeit money affair.
In the late sixties or early seventies Mr Schwend was sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment by an Italian court for murder. Sorry I don't know the source for that information.
1946 Schwend escaped Europe to Peru with false papers as Wenceslav Turi, a pretend croatian, with his wife as Hedda Moretti.
Schwend died 1980 in Lima.
(From "lexikon.idgr.de")
In the late sixties or early seventies Mr Schwend was sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment by an Italian court for murder. Sorry I don't know the source for that information.
1946 Schwend escaped Europe to Peru with false papers as Wenceslav Turi, a pretend croatian, with his wife as Hedda Moretti.
Schwend died 1980 in Lima.
(From "lexikon.idgr.de")
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jv
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Friedrich Schwend, Skorzeny's agent and SD-Stubaf.
FRIEDRICH SCHWEND SKORZENY'S AGENT AND SD STURMBANNFÜHRER (photo source Jagd nach dem Narbengesicht by Julius Mader). jv
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Phil Nix
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Ian Sayer
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According to a 1946 CIC report from Merano Schwend claimed that he had never been a member of the SS and that he had been employed by Amt II of the RSHA. He and his group operated under the title 'Sonderkommando des III Panzer-Korps- Dienstelle Wendig' Schwend was the chief of this organisation and masqueraded under the rank of Sturmbannfuehrer.
He also claimed that he joined the NSDAP in 1932 but never received a membership card and stopped paying his dues after 6 months.
Schwend surrended to the 44th CIC in Innsbruck around May of 1945.. He was employed as a local informant until 5th June 1945 possibly by that unit. On the 6th June he was taken to G-2, Seventh Army for further interrogation.
On the 27th June 1945 he was turned over to the 307th CIC component of Third Army for yet more interrogation. He was subsequently confronted by one of his former agents, George Spitz. The CIC officers who were dealing with his case then took him to somewhere near Imst in Austria where he was forced to dig up 7145 gold coins he had hidden there.
Schwend was to spend the rest of his life trying to reclaim the gold coins which, he stated , was not derived from the proceeds of his activities with the RSHA but from his pre-war assets.
A 1948 report on Schwend confirms his use on 'Birddogging Operations' by OSS but this report eminated from the War Department Detachment , one of the covert agencies comprised mainly of former OSS operatives, which later evolved into an element of the CIA.
The WDD were at pains to point out to the report's recipients, HQ USFET, that they 'did not in any way' sponsor his trip to South America. It is my personal view that Schwend was sponsored by a US intelligence agency.
On 4th July 1976 Schwend arrived in Bonn having been deported from Peru. He was arrested and handed over to the Munich judicial authorities to face trial for the alleged murder of one of his agents in Italy in 1944.
In June 1979 Schwend was sentenced to a two year suspended sentence and deported back to Peru where he died ythe following year.
There is another US intelligence file on Schwend but, certyainly up to several years ago, it remained classified. It is possible that it may now be available if it hasn't been destroyed already.
His main associates in 'Operation Bernhard' were Louis Glavan, George Gyssling, Alfons Niederwieser and George Spitz.
I hope this proves helpful
Best
Ian
.
He also claimed that he joined the NSDAP in 1932 but never received a membership card and stopped paying his dues after 6 months.
Schwend surrended to the 44th CIC in Innsbruck around May of 1945.. He was employed as a local informant until 5th June 1945 possibly by that unit. On the 6th June he was taken to G-2, Seventh Army for further interrogation.
On the 27th June 1945 he was turned over to the 307th CIC component of Third Army for yet more interrogation. He was subsequently confronted by one of his former agents, George Spitz. The CIC officers who were dealing with his case then took him to somewhere near Imst in Austria where he was forced to dig up 7145 gold coins he had hidden there.
Schwend was to spend the rest of his life trying to reclaim the gold coins which, he stated , was not derived from the proceeds of his activities with the RSHA but from his pre-war assets.
A 1948 report on Schwend confirms his use on 'Birddogging Operations' by OSS but this report eminated from the War Department Detachment , one of the covert agencies comprised mainly of former OSS operatives, which later evolved into an element of the CIA.
The WDD were at pains to point out to the report's recipients, HQ USFET, that they 'did not in any way' sponsor his trip to South America. It is my personal view that Schwend was sponsored by a US intelligence agency.
On 4th July 1976 Schwend arrived in Bonn having been deported from Peru. He was arrested and handed over to the Munich judicial authorities to face trial for the alleged murder of one of his agents in Italy in 1944.
In June 1979 Schwend was sentenced to a two year suspended sentence and deported back to Peru where he died ythe following year.
There is another US intelligence file on Schwend but, certyainly up to several years ago, it remained classified. It is possible that it may now be available if it hasn't been destroyed already.
His main associates in 'Operation Bernhard' were Louis Glavan, George Gyssling, Alfons Niederwieser and George Spitz.
I hope this proves helpful
Best
Ian
.
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Ander
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Hello all,
Many thanks for all the very interesting information.
Alfons Niederwieser was the SS Gestapo chief of Meran. I don't know anything about his other co-workers. If Schwend wasn't SS then he was certainly surrounded by SS.
It appears that Schwend immediately after the war moved around with great confidence which may indicate that he had protection from higher places. Others of his sort would otherwise have been captured and imprisoned or would have been hiding in a forest or mountain hut in the area.
Regards
Many thanks for all the very interesting information.
Alfons Niederwieser was the SS Gestapo chief of Meran. I don't know anything about his other co-workers. If Schwend wasn't SS then he was certainly surrounded by SS.
It appears that Schwend immediately after the war moved around with great confidence which may indicate that he had protection from higher places. Others of his sort would otherwise have been captured and imprisoned or would have been hiding in a forest or mountain hut in the area.
Regards
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John P. Moore
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harmel
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Schwend
Here is a post war photo of him,I have this
photo of him for years and agree with John P
apparently photo taken at a trial,mysterious guy
Harmel
photo of him for years and agree with John P
apparently photo taken at a trial,mysterious guy
Harmel
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Ander
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Friedrich Schwend
Hello Harmel,
a very good picture of a very confident man.
He left no traces amongst the local population around Merano/Meran. Apparently all Gestapo-files in the Meran office were burnt before the arrival of the American troops.But one never knows, -somewhere a piece of paper could still be left?
Regards
a very good picture of a very confident man.
He left no traces amongst the local population around Merano/Meran. Apparently all Gestapo-files in the Meran office were burnt before the arrival of the American troops.But one never knows, -somewhere a piece of paper could still be left?
Regards
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PF
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Link
See following on Forum:
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?=88008
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?=88008
