Josef "Sepp" Gangl (September 12, 1910 – May 5, 1945) was a German major of the ''

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

'' who became a member of the

Austrian Resistance The Austrian resistance was launched in response to the rise of the fascists across Europe and, more specifically, to the Anschluss in 1938 and resulting occupation of Austria by Germany. An estimated 100,000 people were reported to have parti ...

very late in the Second World War. He was

killed in action Killed in action (KIA) is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their personnel at the hands of enemy or hostile forces at the moment of action. The United States Department of Defense, for example, ...

on May 5, 1945, at

Itter Castle Itter Castle () is a 19th-century castle in Itter, a village in Tyrol, Austria. In 1943, during World War II, it was turned into a Nazi prison for French VIPs. The castle was the site of an extraordinary instance of the U.S. Army, German Wehrma ...

Tyrol Tyrol ( ; historically the Tyrole; ; ) is a historical region in the Alps of Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary, f ...

. He took part in the defense of Castle Itter against troops of the 17th SS Panzer Grenadier Division "Götz von Berlichingen" with soldiers of the ''Wehrmacht'', the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

and French prisoners, and lost his life in the process when he took a bullet for former French prime minister

Paul Reynaud Paul Reynaud (; 15 October 1878 – 21 September 1966) was a French politician and lawyer prominent in the interwar period, noted for his economic liberalism and vocal opposition to Nazi Germany. Reynaud opposed the Munich Agreement of Septembe ...

. He is remembered as a hero of the Austrian Resistance against the Nazi regime.

Life

Youth

Josef Gangl was born on September 12, 1910, in Obertraubling,

Kingdom of Bavaria The Kingdom of Bavaria ( ; ; spelled ''Baiern'' until 1825) was a German state that succeeded the former Electorate of Bavaria in 1806 and continued to exist until 1918. With the unification of Germany into the German Empire in 1871, the kingd ...

, the son of an official of the

Royal Bavarian State Railways The Royal Bavarian State Railways (''Königliche Bayerische Staats-Eisenbahnen'' or ''K.Bay.Sts.B.'') was the state railway company for the Kingdom of Bavaria. It was founded in 1844. The organisation grew into the second largest of the German ...

and a former shop assistant. When he was a toddler, the family moved to

Peißenberg Peißenberg is a municipality in the Weilheim-Schongau district, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated 7 km southwest of Weilheim in Oberbayern. Transport Peißenberg has two train stations, and . Both are situated on the Weilheim–Peiße ...

in Upper

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

, where Josef's younger siblings were born.

Reichswehr

On November 1, 1928, Gangl joined the ''

Reichswehr ''Reichswehr'' (; ) was the official name of the German armed forces during the Weimar Republic and the first two years of Nazi Germany. After Germany was defeated in World War I, the Imperial German Army () was dissolved in order to be reshaped ...

'', which was then limited to 100,000 men, in order to begin a career as a professional soldier in Artillery Regiment 7 in

Nuremberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...

. He stayed there until September 1929, in order to serve in Artillery Regiment 5 in

Ulm Ulm () is the sixth-largest city of the southwestern German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with around 129,000 inhabitants, it is Germany's 60th-largest city. Ulm is located on the eastern edges of the Swabian Jura mountain range, on the up ...

''Wehrmacht''

He became part of the newly established 25th Artillery Regiment in

Ludwigsburg Ludwigsburg (; Swabian German, Swabian: ''Ludisburg'') is a Cities of Germany, city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about north of Stuttgart city centre, near the river Neckar. It is the largest and primary city of the Ludwigsburg (district), Lu ...

in 1935, and married the Ludwigsburg saleswoman Walburga Renz. Together they had two children, one of whom was a daughter named Sieglind (born 1936). Gangl was promoted to ''Oberfeldwebel'' in November 1938. From October 1939, he was to study at an officer school of the ''

''. However, his regiment was stationed in the Saar-Palatinate on the border with France, preparing for war. There, on September 7, 1939, eleven French divisions, 25 km wide, crossed the border and advanced about 8 km into German territory (they withdrew within two weeks, on orders from

Gamelin Gamelin is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Gamelin (bishop) (died 1271), Scottish bishop * Alexander Gamelin (born 1993), American ice dancer *Émilie Gamelin (1800–1851), Canadian social worker * Jacques Gamelin (1738� ...

). This was Gangl's first combat during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He spent six months in hospitals in the following months of the "

Phoney War The Phoney War (; ; ) was an eight-month period at the outset of World War II during which there were virtually no Allied military land operations on the Western Front from roughly September 1939 to May 1940. World War II began on 3 Septembe ...

", returning to his regiment on May 14, 1940, to take part in the Western campaign, in which he commanded a reconnaissance unit of the 25th Infantry Division of the ''Wehrmacht''. After the

Armistice of Compiègne The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was the armistice signed in a railroad car, in the Compiègne Forest near the town of Compiègne, that ended fighting on land, at sea, and in the air in World War I between the Entente and their las ...

, Gangl served as an instructor in the artillery replacement department 25. After a short home leave in August 1940, he was an instructor at a base in Taus in the

Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia The Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia was a partially-annexation, annexed territory of Nazi Germany that was established on 16 March 1939 after the Occupation of Czechoslovakia (1938–1945), German occupation of the Czech lands. The protector ...

. He began a one-month training at the artillery school in

Jüterbog Jüterbog () is a historic town in north-eastern Germany, in the Teltow-Fläming district of Brandenburg. It is on the Nuthe river at the northern slope of the Fläming hill range, about southwest of Berlin. History The Polabian Slavs, Slavic se ...

on November 25, 1940. On June 22, 1941, Gangl took part in the motorized artillery regiment 25 as part of

Army Group South Army Group South () was the name of one of three German Army Groups during World War II. It was first used in the 1939 September Campaign, along with Army Group North to invade Poland. In the invasion of Poland, Army Group South was led by Ge ...

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

on the Eastern Front, where he commanded a battery with 105 mm howitzers in the battle for

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

. He was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd class on August 20, 1941. He was promoted to first lieutenant in January 1942, and he received the Iron Cross 1st Class on February 12, 1942. Gangl became the commander of a Nebelwerfer Unit in the 25th Artillery Regiment on April 24, 1942. He held this position on the Eastern Front, until he was assigned as commander of the ''Nebelwerfer'' replacement and training department 7 in Höchstädt an der Donau in January 1944. He went to the army school for battalion and division leaders in

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

for a month in February 1944. On March 4, 1944, Gangl was sent to the new Werfer-Regiment 83 in

Celle Celle () is a town and capital of the district of Celle (district), Celle in Lower Saxony, in north-central Germany. The town is situated on the banks of the river Aller (Germany), Aller, a tributary of the Weser, and has a population of about ...

, which belonged to Werfer-Brigade 7. With this he marched to France in May 1944. After the

Allied invasion of Normandy Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful liberation of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the N ...

, he marched with the Werfer-Brigade to

Caen Caen (; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune inland from the northwestern coast of France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Calvados (department), Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inha ...

on June 7, 1944, where it was placed under the 12th SS Panzer Division "Hitlerjugend" ("

Hitler Youth The Hitler Youth ( , often abbreviated as HJ, ) was the youth wing of the German Nazi Party. Its origins date back to 1922 and it received the name ("Hitler Youth, League of German Worker Youth") in July 1926. From 1936 until 1945, it was th ...

") and played an important role in the defense of the city. The Werfer-Brigade 7 escaped from the

Falaise Pocket The Falaise pocket or battle of the Falaise pocket (; 12–21 August 1944) was the decisive engagement of the Battle of Normandy in the Second World War. Allied forces formed a pocket around Falaise, Calvados, in which German Army Group B, c ...

with heavy losses in August. In November it was reorganized in Prüm in the Eifel as Volks-Werfer-Brigade 7 with new equipment. Gangl participated with the brigade in the

Ardennes offensive The Ardennes ( ; ; ; ; ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, extending into Germany and France. Geological ...

(Battle of the Bulge), in the subsequent general retreat and in February 1945 in the unsuccessful defense of

Saarbrücken Saarbrücken (; Rhenish Franconian: ''Sabrigge'' ; ; ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of cities and towns in Germany, city of the state of Saarland, Germany. Saarbrücken has 181,959 inhabitants and is Saarland's administrative, commerci ...

. He was awarded the German Cross in Gold on March 8, 1945. Shortly afterwards he was promoted to major and received command of the 2nd division of Werfer-Regiment 83. Werfer-Brigade 7 had meanwhile lost half of its men and no longer had any ''Nebelwerfer'' equipment. Their commander, General Kurt Paape, ordered the commanders of his battalions near Peißenberg to fight their way to Tyrol with them and take part in the defense of the

Alpine fortress The Alpine Fortress () or Alpine Redoubt was the World War II German national redoubt planned by Heinrich Himmler in November and December 1943."Himmler started laying the plans for underground warfare in the last two months of 1943.... The pl ...

. Gangl met with Lieutenant General

Georg Ritter von Hengl Georg Ritter von Hengl (21 October 1897 – 19 March 1952) was a general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II who commanded the XIX Mountain Corps. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. During World War I, ...

in mid-April, who assigned him and the remnants of his association to the Giehl combat group under Lieutenant Colonel Johann Giehl in

Wörgl Wörgl () is a city in the Austrian state of Tyrol, in the Kufstein district. It is from the international border with Bavaria, Germany. Population Transport Wörgl is a railway junction in the line between Innsbruck and Munich, as well as the ...

Resistance in Austria

A few days after his arrival in

, Gangl contacted the local group of

Austrian resistance The Austrian resistance was launched in response to the rise of the fascists across Europe and, more specifically, to the Anschluss in 1938 and resulting occupation of Austria by Germany. An estimated 100,000 people were reported to have parti ...

under Alois Mayr. He provided the resistance fighters with information and weapons. It was decided that the execution of Johann Giehl's order to defend Wörgl against the Americans to the end (to break bridges and block paths) should be prevented, and also to liberate the prominent French prisoners from the nearby

. However, parts of the Giehl combat group in Niederaudorf were attacked by the 12th US Armored Division on May 3, 1945, and suffered heavy casualties. Von Hengl had his troops withdrawn from

and

Itter Itter is a municipality in the Kitzbühel District in the Austrian state of Tyrol located 18.60 km west of Kitzbühel, 5 km southeast of Wörgl, and 2.5 km north of Hopfgarten im Brixental. The village lies on a terrace above the ...

, whereupon units of the

Waffen-SS The (; ) was the military branch, combat branch of the Nazi Party's paramilitary ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscr ...

moved in. In the meantime, many residents of Wörgl had already hung white flags out of the windows. According to an order from

Heinrich Himmler Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician and military leader who was the 4th of the (Protection Squadron; SS), a leading member of the Nazi Party, and one of the most powerful p ...

, all male residents of such homes were shot. Gangl, like Mayr, saw it as his obligation to stay in place to protect the residents from reprisals with his soldiers. Together with ten comrades from his ''

Nebelwerfer The () was a World War II Nazi Germany, German series of weapons. They were initially developed by and assigned to the German Army (Wehrmacht), Army's . Initially, two different mortars were fielded before they were replaced by a variety of roc ...

'' ("smoke launcher", lit. "fog thrower") Regiment 83, he remained in Wörgl against Hengl's order to withdraw. On May 4, 1945, at 11 a.m., the Czech cook Andreas Krobot travelled to Gangl, coming by bike from

. He came asking for immediate help for the prisoners there, because an attack by the Waffen-SS on the castle was imminent. Gangl, who did not want to sacrifice his men in an "Ascension" (suicide/himmelfahrt) Command and had promised to get them through alive, was forced to drive white-flagged towards the Americans and ask for help. In

Kufstein Kufstein (; ) is a town in the Austrian state of Tyrol, the administrative seat of Kufstein District. With a population of about 20,000 it is the second largest Tyrolean town after the state capital Innsbruck. The greatest landmark is Kufstein For ...

, 8 km away, he met an American reconnaissance unit under the command of Captain John C. "Jack" Lee. Together they moved with 14 US soldiers and Gangl and ten of his former artillerymen to

. Gangl called Alois Mayr again for help, whereupon two other

soldiers and the young resistance fighter Hans Waltl drove to the castle. The liberated French prisoners also took part in the fight. On the morning of May 5, about 100 to 150 men from the 17th SS Panzer Grenadier Division "Götz von Berlichingen" attacked. Gangl was fatally hit by a sniper while trying to get former French Prime Minister

out of the line of fire. At around 4:00 p.m., a relief unit from the 142nd US Infantry Regiment reached the castle and defeated the besiegers, capturing about 100 SS men. The Battle for Itter Castle was one of two times where the US Army and the Wehrmacht fought together, the other being Operation Cowboy.

Awards

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...

II Class on August 20, 1941 *

1st Class on February 12, 1942 *

German cross The War Order of the German Cross (), normally abbreviated to the German Cross or ''Deutsches Kreuz'', was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 28 September 1941. It was awarded in two divisions: in gold for repeated acts of bravery or military leade ...

in gold on March 8, 1945

Posthumous honors

Gangl was posthumously honoured as a hero of the Austrian resistance. A street in Wörgl is named after him. Additionally, a small memorial was crafted in his honor with an engraving on it, detailing Gangl's joining of the local resistance and freeing of the captives kept at Castle Itter. He is referred to as "Sepp Gangl" on this memorial, and it states that he "died a hero's death at 35 years of age."

In popular culture

The Swedish metal band

Sabaton A sabaton or solleret is part of a knight's body armour, body armor that covers the foot. History Sabatons from the 14th and 15th centuries typically end in a tapered point well past the actual toes of the wearer's foot, following poulaines, f ...

have made a song called "The Last Battle" about the fight in the Tyrolean Alps. Gangl's likeness is used in the WWII Grand Strategy game '' Hearts of Iron 4'', where his portrait is sometimes used to depict 'generic' Field Officers.

Literature

* Stephen Harding, ''The Last Battle: When US and German Soldiers Joined Forces in the Waning Hours of World War II in Europe''. Da Capo Press, Boston (Massachusetts) 2013. * Martin Eich: ''Er riskierte sein Leben und rettete einstige Feinde. Ende des Kriegs verbündete sich der deutsche Major Josef Gangl mit Amerikanern, um französische Gefangene vor SS-Truppen zu schützen''. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung of May 4, 2018, p. 6, No. 193.

References

''This article or an earlier version of it is (partially) translated from the articl
Josef Gangl (Offizier)
on the German Wikipedia, which falls under the

Creative Commons Licence A Creative Commons (CC) license is one of several public copyright licenses that enable the free distribution of an otherwise copyrighted "work". A CC license is used when an author wants to give other people the right to share, use, and bui ...

. Go there to find the furthe
editing history
''

External links

* There is an Austrian website with
short biography with a photo of Gangl

“War is Weird: Americans and Nazis Fought as Allies for this Single World War II Battle”
by Sebastien Roblin. ''

The National Interest ''The National Interest'' (''TNI'') is an American bimonthly international relations magazine edited by American journalist Jacob Heilbrunn and published by the Center for the National Interest, a public policy think tank based in Washington, ...

'', January 29, 2020.
“The Insane Story of a German-American Effort to Rescue French Prisoners During World War II”
by Sebastien Roblin. ''The National Interest'', June 6, 2021. {{DEFAULTSORT:Gangl, Josef 1910 births 1945 deaths Reichswehr personnel German Army officers of World War II German Army personnel killed in World War II German resistance members Austrian resistance members Resistance members killed by Nazi Germany Deaths by firearm in Austria People from the Kingdom of Bavaria Recipients of the Iron Cross (1939), 2nd class