The Battle for Castle Itter
How did enemy troops become wartime allies?
4.1 (11)
47 mins
Explore the unusual alliance formed between American soldiers and anti-Nazi German troops during the final days of World War II. Discover how a desperate fortress defense at Castle Itter united former enemies against a fanatical SS armored division. Learn about the dramatic rescue mission that saved high-profile French prisoners and created a unique moment in military history.
Ep 1:
A Fortress Built for the Fall of a Reich
As Hitler's empire crumbles, discover how a medieval Austrian castle became a secret Nazi prison for France's most valuable captives—and why that choice would soon prove fatal.
Ep 2:
Prisoners of the Reich's Last Gamble
Meet the extraordinary, feuding French VIPs locked away in Castle Itter, and learn how a commandant's suicide and fleeing guards leave them alone, armed, and marked for execution.
Ep 3:
A Desperate Dash for Rescue
With SS death squads closing in, a cook and a forced laborer slip away to find help—leading to a Wehrmacht major's defection and an unlikely American-German rescue convoy.
Ep 4:
The Siege, the Sniper, and the Rescue
Trapped behind ancient walls, an unlikely alliance of Americans, Germans, and French prisoners faces an SS siege, a tennis star's daring escape, and a sacrifice that changes everything.
Discussions (5)
Ivy
Level 10 · 3 hours agoReynaud and Daladier couldn't stop hating each other even while armed and fighting SS troops off castle walls. Got rescued together and still went home to write memoirs dunking on each other. Absolute behavior.
Virginia
Level 8 · 3 hours agoDaladier and Reynaud still beefing in their memoirs after surviving a Nazi prison AND fighting side by side is sending me. Some rivalries really do outlast everything, even a war.
Mitchell
Level 6 · 3 hours agoDid you catch that Daladier and Reynaud couldn't even stop feuding DURING the battle?? They survived a Nazi castle and still found time to despise each other. French politics really is a different beast. 😅
