Prisoners of war prominently held captive in Allied POW camps in South Tyrol during May 18, 1945
In the final weeks of World War II, South Tyrol served as a safe haven for prominent Nazi officials and their families fleeing from the Reich. The 202nd Counter Intelligence Corps Detachment (CIC Detachment) of the 5th US Army was stationed in South Tyrol, with a mission to disarm German troops and apprehend fascist and Nazi fugitives.
The main targets of the CIC Detachment were Gestapo members, known war criminals, and SS officers. Among those captured was Baron Gábor Kemeny, a Hungarian Foreign Minister who collaborated with the Nazi regime and was partially responsible for the deportation of hundreds of thousands of Hungarian Jews. Kemeny was captured in Merano and remained in custody until his trial in 1946.
Another high-profile capture was that of Corinne Luchaire, a former French film star, and her father, Jean Luchaire, the former Vichy information and propaganda minister. They were found in Merano and made headlines in the Allied press.
Meanwhile, in Wolkenstein in Gröden, the wife of Hitler's deputy Martin Bormann was staying with 14 children. The German embassy in Merano was still operational when the Americans arrived. Rudolf Rahn, the "German vice-king" and "Plenipotentiary of the Greater German Reich," was arrested at his vacation home, the Praderhof.
The CIC Detachment focused on various operations to counter remaining German forces and prevent sabotage. These operations included random checks of civilians, raids on hotels and pensions, monitoring of Red Cross collection camps, checks of hospitals and military facilities, and border surveillance. After their arrest, the fugitives were initially housed in makeshift prisons before being transported as Prisoners of War (POW) to collection camps south of Lake Garda.
The Japanese embassy in Merano was closed on May 8, and its staff, including the ambassador, were taken into custody by the Americans. French General André Besson-Rapp was also questioned by members of the CIC.
The CIC Detachment's efforts in South Tyrol were crucial in facilitating the Allied occupation and postwar justice. As the war came to an end, the detachment worked tirelessly to ensure that those responsible for war crimes and collaboration were brought to justice. Their operations in South Tyrol were a testament to the Allies' commitment to holding Nazi officials accountable for their actions.
The CIC Detachment's operations extended to apprehending various war criminals and Nazi fugitives, such as Baron Gábor Kemeny, a former Hungarian Foreign Minister, and Corinne Luchaire, a former French film star and her father, Jean Luchaire, the former Vichy information and propaganda minister. These captures were covered in general news, adding to the historical record of war-and-conflicts, politics, and crime-and-justice post-World War II.
The CIC Detachment's work in South Tyrol was instrumental in enforcing postwar justice, underscoring the Allies' commitment to political accountability, making their efforts in the realm of history and crime-and-justice significant.
