Frederick Mayer (spy)
Encyclopedia
Frederick "Fred" Mayer is a German
-born Jewish American
who was a OSS agent for the United States during World War II
. He negotiated the surrender of the German Army
in Innsbruck
, Austria
in 1945.
, and was decorated with the Iron Cross
Second Class for gallantry during the Battle of Verdun
.
After finishing high school, Friedrich Mayer worked as a diesel mechanic with the Ford Motor Company. He lived by a practical motto: "Do your best at everything every day, control what you can, and what you can't, don't worry about".
After the Nazis
came to power in the early 1930s, antisemitism was an official policy of the German government. Mayer's father hoped his distinguished military record would protect his family, but his wife insisted the family leave while they could. They emigrated to the United States
in 1938, one year before World War II broke out in Europe. Frederick Mayer worked at twenty different jobs during his time in New York City. When one of his bosses made an antisemitic remark, Mayer knocked him down and resigned on the spot, just as he had previously done in Germany.
Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Mayer enlisted in the United States Army
. During a training exercise in Arizona
, he crossed the "enemy" line and "captured" several officers, including a brigadier general. The general said, "You can't do that! You are breaking the rules!" Mayer replied, "War is not fair. The rules of war are to win." The general raised his hands in the air, admitting defeat.
Mayer was trained in demolition, infiltration, raiding, sniping, and hand-to-hand combat. His knowledge of several European languages, made him a good candidate for the Office of Strategic Services
(OSS). Mayer's group of 30 men included four other German Jewish refugees: George Gerbner, Alfred Rosenthal, Bernd Steinitz and Hans Wynberg. Each of them spoke at least two European languages, all were familiar with the European environment, and they were eager to do what they could to defeat the Nazi
s.
Eventually, all five would serve in Austria in various OSS operations. Mayer became commander of Operation Greenup, with Wynberg serving as his radio operator.
, Holland. In 1939 Hans’s father sent Wynberg and his twin brother to the United States. The boys stayed with their father’s business partner and continued their education in Brookline Technical High School. In 1943 Wynberg joined the United States Army. At about the same time his father, mother and younger brother, who stayed in Holland were captured by the SS
, and sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp
. One day Wynberg was approached by an officer, who said: "We understand you speak German, Dutch and English. Would you like to help your country?" Without hesitation Hans responded: "Sure".
William J. Casey
called Operation Greenup "by far the most successful of OSS operations mounted from Bari
". The operation included three men: Mayer, Wynberg, and Franz Weber, a former Austrian Wehrmacht
officer. Their task was to scout "the heavily fortified area of Austria's 'Alpine Redoubt'".
It was decided the men should be parachute
d near Innsbruck
, but all flat areas were occupied by the military. Mayer recalled a small lake between two peaks that was frozen in February. It wasn't an easy place to fly to, especially in the winter conditions, but finally a pilot named Billings volunteered. "If they are crazy enough to jump there, I will be crazy enough to take them there." On February 26, 1945 the men jumped in the darkness. They found themselves at the ridge of a glacier
at a 10,000 feet elevation. They found all but one container that was dropped with them. Unfortunately their ski
s were in that container. They had to walk down the slope in a waist-deep snow.
Eventually they reached Weber's family. With their help, Mayer posed as a German Army officer. He actually stayed in the officers' barracks in Innsbruck for several months. The information he collected was promptly radioed back by Wynberg. After three months Mayer decided to pose as a French electrician, who supposedly was fleeing from the advancing Soviet forces.
and named him as a spy. As soon as his interrogation became physical, the black marketer revealed that he knew a high ranking American agent. Mayer spoke only in French
, and tried to convince the Gestapo he was what he pretended to be. He was torture
d to force him to talk:
All that time the Gestapo kept asking where his radio and radio operator were. One Nazi noticed that Mayer was circumcised, but the other dismissed it. They refused to believe that a Jew would return as an agent for the Allies.
Then the man who betrayed him was brought to face Mayer. Realizing there was no more use pretending, Mayer began speaking German. He confirmed he was an American. However, he insisted he worked alone.
of Tyrol
and Vorarlberg
, Franz Hofer
.
Hofer believed that the defeat of Germany was inevitable, and was looking for a way to surrender to Americans rather than to Red Army
. He ordered the Gestapo to bring Mayer to him. Mayer was introduced to Hofer’s wife and the German ambassador to Benito Mussolini
's government, Rudolph Rahn. They ate dinner and talked. Mayer initially believed it was just a new way to make him to reveal where his radio operator Hans Wynberg was located, but later understood that the Germans were really there to discuss their surrender. Rahn said he was going to Bern, and promised to deliver Mayer’s message to Allen Welsh Dulles
, the OSS man there. Mayer agreed. It was the only way to inform the center what was going on without revealing existence of Wynberg. Dulles got the message and cabled it to OSS headquarters in Italy: "“Fred Mayer reports he is in Gestapo hands but cabled 'Don't worry about me, I'm really not bad off'" – a remarkable message considering it was coming from a Jew.
On the morning of May 3, 1945, the American 103rd Infantry Division of the Seventh Army was ordered to take Innsbruck. When the troops got closer to the city, they saw an approaching car with a white banner made out of a bed sheet
. Major Bland West, an intelligent officer, saw a young man with a swollen face jumping out of the car. He introduced himself as Lt. Mayer of OSS, and explained he was going to take the major with him to accept German surrender. Later on West found out that Mayer was a sergeant
. Thus, the German troops in this area surrendered to an American sergeant, a Jewish emigrant from Germany
.
Mayer was awarded the Legion of Merit and a Purple Heart by the United States Government.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
-born Jewish American
American Jews
American Jews, also known as Jewish Americans, are American citizens of the Jewish faith or Jewish ethnicity. The Jewish community in the United States is composed predominantly of Ashkenazi Jews who emigrated from Central and Eastern Europe, and their U.S.-born descendants...
who was a OSS agent for the United States during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He negotiated the surrender of the German Army
German Army
The German Army is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. Following the disbanding of the Wehrmacht after World War II, it was re-established in 1955 as the Bundesheer, part of the newly formed West German Bundeswehr along with the Navy and the Air Force...
in Innsbruck
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
in 1945.
Background
Friedrich Mayer was born in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, into a Jewish family. His father, Heinrich Mayer, had served in the Imperial German Army during World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, and was decorated with the Iron Cross
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
Second Class for gallantry during the Battle of Verdun
Battle of Verdun
The Battle of Verdun was one of the major battles during the First World War on the Western Front. It was fought between the German and French armies, from 21 February – 18 December 1916, on hilly terrain north of the city of Verdun-sur-Meuse in north-eastern France...
.
After finishing high school, Friedrich Mayer worked as a diesel mechanic with the Ford Motor Company. He lived by a practical motto: "Do your best at everything every day, control what you can, and what you can't, don't worry about".
After the Nazis
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
came to power in the early 1930s, antisemitism was an official policy of the German government. Mayer's father hoped his distinguished military record would protect his family, but his wife insisted the family leave while they could. They emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1938, one year before World War II broke out in Europe. Frederick Mayer worked at twenty different jobs during his time in New York City. When one of his bosses made an antisemitic remark, Mayer knocked him down and resigned on the spot, just as he had previously done in Germany.
Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Mayer enlisted in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. During a training exercise in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, he crossed the "enemy" line and "captured" several officers, including a brigadier general. The general said, "You can't do that! You are breaking the rules!" Mayer replied, "War is not fair. The rules of war are to win." The general raised his hands in the air, admitting defeat.
Mayer was trained in demolition, infiltration, raiding, sniping, and hand-to-hand combat. His knowledge of several European languages, made him a good candidate for the Office of Strategic Services
Office of Strategic Services
The Office of Strategic Services was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. It was the wartime intelligence agency, and it was a predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency...
(OSS). Mayer's group of 30 men included four other German Jewish refugees: George Gerbner, Alfred Rosenthal, Bernd Steinitz and Hans Wynberg. Each of them spoke at least two European languages, all were familiar with the European environment, and they were eager to do what they could to defeat the Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
s.
Eventually, all five would serve in Austria in various OSS operations. Mayer became commander of Operation Greenup, with Wynberg serving as his radio operator.
Hans Wynberg
Hans Wynberg was born on November 28, 1922 in AmsterdamAmsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, Holland. In 1939 Hans’s father sent Wynberg and his twin brother to the United States. The boys stayed with their father’s business partner and continued their education in Brookline Technical High School. In 1943 Wynberg joined the United States Army. At about the same time his father, mother and younger brother, who stayed in Holland were captured by the SS
Schutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
, and sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp
Auschwitz concentration camp
Concentration camp Auschwitz was a network of Nazi concentration and extermination camps built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II...
. One day Wynberg was approached by an officer, who said: "We understand you speak German, Dutch and English. Would you like to help your country?" Without hesitation Hans responded: "Sure".
Operation Greenup
Former Director of the Central Intelligence AgencyDirector of the Central Intelligence Agency
Director of the Central Intelligence Agency serves as the head of the Central Intelligence Agency, which is part of the United States Intelligence Community. The Director reports to the Director of National Intelligence . The Director is assisted by the Deputy Director of the Central...
William J. Casey
William J. Casey
William Joseph Casey was the Director of Central Intelligence from 1981 to 1987. In this capacity he oversaw the entire United States Intelligence Community and personally directed the Central Intelligence Agency ....
called Operation Greenup "by far the most successful of OSS operations mounted from Bari
Bari
Bari is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, in Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy after Naples, and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas...
". The operation included three men: Mayer, Wynberg, and Franz Weber, a former Austrian Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
officer. Their task was to scout "the heavily fortified area of Austria's 'Alpine Redoubt'".
It was decided the men should be parachute
Parachute
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag, or in the case of ram-air parachutes, aerodynamic lift. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong cloth, originally silk, now most commonly nylon...
d near Innsbruck
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
, but all flat areas were occupied by the military. Mayer recalled a small lake between two peaks that was frozen in February. It wasn't an easy place to fly to, especially in the winter conditions, but finally a pilot named Billings volunteered. "If they are crazy enough to jump there, I will be crazy enough to take them there." On February 26, 1945 the men jumped in the darkness. They found themselves at the ridge of a glacier
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
at a 10,000 feet elevation. They found all but one container that was dropped with them. Unfortunately their ski
Ski
A ski is a long, flat device worn on the foot, usually attached through a boot, designed to help the wearer slide smoothly over snow. Originally intended as an aid to travel in snowy regions, they are now mainly used for recreational and sporting purposes...
s were in that container. They had to walk down the slope in a waist-deep snow.
Eventually they reached Weber's family. With their help, Mayer posed as a German Army officer. He actually stayed in the officers' barracks in Innsbruck for several months. The information he collected was promptly radioed back by Wynberg. After three months Mayer decided to pose as a French electrician, who supposedly was fleeing from the advancing Soviet forces.
Arrest and tortures
Mayer was arrested when a black market racketeer he dealt with was caught by the GestapoGestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
and named him as a spy. As soon as his interrogation became physical, the black marketer revealed that he knew a high ranking American agent. Mayer spoke only in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, and tried to convince the Gestapo he was what he pretended to be. He was torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
d to force him to talk:
All that time the Gestapo kept asking where his radio and radio operator were. One Nazi noticed that Mayer was circumcised, but the other dismissed it. They refused to believe that a Jew would return as an agent for the Allies.
Then the man who betrayed him was brought to face Mayer. Realizing there was no more use pretending, Mayer began speaking German. He confirmed he was an American. However, he insisted he worked alone.
German surrender
At the same time Mayer was tortured, Hermann Matull, another American agent was being interrogated by Gestapo. He was shown the picture of Mayer’s bitten and swollen face, and asked if he knew the man. Matull did not think long. He claimed that Mayer was a "big shot" in American command, and that if Mayer were shot, the Americans would kill all who had mistreated him. Matull even insisted that a man as senior as Mayer could be interrogated only by the GauleiterGauleiter
A Gauleiter was the party leader of a regional branch of the NSDAP or the head of a Gau or of a Reichsgau.-Creation and Early Usage:...
of Tyrol
Tyrol (state)
Tyrol is a state or Bundesland, located in the west of Austria. It comprises the Austrian part of the historical region of Tyrol.The state is split into two parts–called North Tyrol and East Tyrol–by a -wide strip of land where the state of Salzburg borders directly on the Italian province of...
and Vorarlberg
Vorarlberg
Vorarlberg is the westernmost federal-state of Austria. Although it is the second smallest in terms of area and population , it borders three countries: Germany , Switzerland and Liechtenstein...
, Franz Hofer
Franz Hofer
Franz Hofer was, in the time of the Third Reich, the Nazi Gauleiter of the Tyrol and Vorarlberg....
.
Hofer believed that the defeat of Germany was inevitable, and was looking for a way to surrender to Americans rather than to Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
. He ordered the Gestapo to bring Mayer to him. Mayer was introduced to Hofer’s wife and the German ambassador to Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
's government, Rudolph Rahn. They ate dinner and talked. Mayer initially believed it was just a new way to make him to reveal where his radio operator Hans Wynberg was located, but later understood that the Germans were really there to discuss their surrender. Rahn said he was going to Bern, and promised to deliver Mayer’s message to Allen Welsh Dulles
Allen Welsh Dulles
Allen Welsh Dulles was an American diplomat, lawyer, banker, and public official who became the first civilian and the longest-serving Director of Central Intelligence and a member of the Warren Commission...
, the OSS man there. Mayer agreed. It was the only way to inform the center what was going on without revealing existence of Wynberg. Dulles got the message and cabled it to OSS headquarters in Italy: "“Fred Mayer reports he is in Gestapo hands but cabled 'Don't worry about me, I'm really not bad off'" – a remarkable message considering it was coming from a Jew.
On the morning of May 3, 1945, the American 103rd Infantry Division of the Seventh Army was ordered to take Innsbruck. When the troops got closer to the city, they saw an approaching car with a white banner made out of a bed sheet
Bed sheet
A bed sheet is a piece of cloth used to cover a mattress. It is this sheet that one typically lies on.In many areas of the world, a second flat bed sheet is laid on top of the sheet covering the mattress. This is known as a "top sheet" and when a top sheet is used, the sheet covering the mattress...
. Major Bland West, an intelligent officer, saw a young man with a swollen face jumping out of the car. He introduced himself as Lt. Mayer of OSS, and explained he was going to take the major with him to accept German surrender. Later on West found out that Mayer was a sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
. Thus, the German troops in this area surrendered to an American sergeant, a Jewish emigrant from Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Mayer was awarded the Legion of Merit and a Purple Heart by the United States Government.