Schloss Itter, an Austrian Castle from Middle Ages, was a unit of the Dachau concentration camp in the last days of WW2. it housed VIP prisoners, prominent politicians and military figures to be use as bargaining chips, including two former prime ministers of France, and the elder sister of Gen de Gaulle. In May 1945 , the German guards at Schloss Itter fled. But the French prisoners were trapped, surrounded by roaming units of the Waffen SS and Gestapo. The French sent out two prisoners to find help. The found a German major, Josef (Sepp) Gangl. A highly decorated Wehrmacht officer. Gangl could not protect the prisoners, he only had about 20 soldiers loyal to him. Taking a big white flag, Gangl met with the closest American unit, a tank battalion led by Capt Jack Lee. Led by Lee, a small group of Americans, with Gangl and his men, parked a tank at the entrance to the castle. At dawn on 5 May, they were attacked by the Waffen SS. The battle went on for hours, but the Nazi’s were defeated and 100 prisoners taken. Maj. Josef Gangl was killed by an SS sniper. Buried nearby, he remains a local hero.
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