Herbert Kappler

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Evil-doer Full Name: Herbert Kappler Alias: Obersturmbannführer Kappler Origin: Stuttgart, Germany Occupation: Lieutenant Colonel Chief of the Gestapo Skills: Knowledge in criminology High Intelligence Marksmanship Leadership Strategy Hobby: Discussing literature and religion with his old enemy Hugh O'Flaherty in prison Torturing anti-fascists and partisans Spying the italian police Deporting Jews Raking people Goals: Maintain the control of the Nazis at Rome(failed) Deport Jews to concentration camps (succeeded) Take Mafalda of Savoy as an hostage (succeeded) Imprison Galeazzo Ciano (succeeded) Escape to Germany (succeeded) Kill Hugh O'Flaherty (failed) Free Benito Mussolini (succeeded) Enemies: Hugh O'Flaherty (precedently) Jewish people Anti-fascists The Vatican The Allies Partisans Crimes: Hostage taking Mass murder Deportation War crimes Evasion Torture Type of Villain: Nazi colonel

“	Only I know how much I suffered from that terrible experience.	„
	~ Herbert Kappler expressing his regret on doing the Ardeatine massacre

Herbert Kappler (23rd September 1907 - 9th February 1978) was the Gestapo chief SS-Obersturmbannführer (lieutenant colonel) of Rome who committed war crimes.

Biography

Early life

Herbert was born at Stuttgart, Germany, on the 23rd September 1907 by a driver that worked as an office worker in the municipe of his city.

First tasks as an SS

File:Herbert Kappler with the fascists.jpg

Herbert Kappler with some officers of the Police of the italian Africa and a Nazi official.

Herbert entered in the SS for his qualification in criminology and he was promoted to captain (Hauptsturmführer) and he was sended to Rome to the embassy of Villa Wolkonsky in 1939 for spying the italian police.

In 1942, he was promoted to major (Sturmbannführer) and the following year to lieutenant colonell (Obersturmbannführer). In this way, Herbert assumed command of the Sicherheitsdienst in Rome, also taking power over the fascist police.

Freeing Mussolini

Thanks to some italian collaborations, he knew in advance of Mussolini's dismissal on 25 July 1943 and he was able to capture Galeazzo Ciano and Mafalda of Savoy.

File:Raid of the Gran Sasso.jpg

Mussolini with Nazi commander after the successful end of the Operation Oak.

Then, Kappler identified the place where Mussolini was held prisoner, in Campo Imperatore, and planned its release by direct order of Heinrich Himmler, even though Kappler defined fascism "dead" and he didn't wanted to re-establish a puppet fascist government.

After the successful release of Mussolini, Kappler ordered the seizure and transport to Germany of the entire gold reserve of Italy kept in the safes of the Roman headquarters of the Bank of Italy. The entire gold reserve was first transferred to Milan in the night between 22nd and 23rd September and from here the gold also passed through the fortress of Fortezza, until it was finally transported to Berlin.

The deportation of the Roman Jews

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16th October 1943, Nazis deporting jews of Rome.

On the afternoon of 26th September 1943, he summoned the President of the Jewish community of Rome, Foà, and the president of the Union of Italian Israelite Communities, Dante Almansi, to Villa Wolkonsky, ordering them the delivery of at least 50 kilograms of gold, threatening otherwise the deportation of two hundred Roman Jews to Germany. The gold was collected and delivered by 12,000 people.

The ransom paid by the Roman Jews only assured them a brief pause in the persecution to which they were to be subjected. Two weeks later,on the morning of October 16th 1943, 1259 Jews were rounded up by surprise, being temporarily incarcerated at the military college in via della Lungara. 1,023 deportees were sent to Auschwitz. Only sixteen of them survived the extermination, fifteen men and one woman.

By that moment, the attitude of the fascists and Nazis became more violent and various roundups were made. In fact, a building in Tasso street was made in to a prison for torturing and interrogate anti-fascists and partisans.

File:Massacre of the Ardeatine.jpg

24th March 1944, Nazis getting ready to execute 335 people.

The massacre of the Ardeatine

After the attack of the 23rd March 1944 at Rasella street, Kappler with the commisioner Pietro Caruso attended for the choice of some of the victims: mostly civilians and Jews were led by Erich Priebke and Karl Hass to the Fosse Ardeatine, shot in groups of five. At the end of the mass execution, the entrance to the quarries was detonated. 335 Italians were murdered. The 5 more were taken by mistake, but murdered all the same because they witnessed the massacre.

Roundup of the Quadrato district

On April 1th, 1944, to crush the partisan forces operating in the outskirts of Rome, Kappler gave the order to raid the Quadraro district and arrest and deport approximately one thousand men to concentration camps in Germany and Poland. At the end of the conflict, only the half of these men survived and returned to their homes.

Persecution of Archbishop Hugh O'Flaherty

File:Hugh O'Flaherty.jpg

Photo of Hugh O'Flarerty, one of the (ex) enemies of Herbert Kappler.

He is best remembered for trying to stop Archbishop Hugh O'Flaherty, a Catholic priest helping Jews and Allied survive the Nazi regime in Rome. Kappler even tried breaking the neutrality rules in the Vatican by trying to assassinate O'Flaherty, which never succeeded.

File:Kappler on trial.jpg

Herbert Kappler on trial during May 1948.

Capture and prison life

Kappler was arrested by the Allies for his actions during his rule in Rome. Kappler stayed in prison, his wife divorced him and refused to have his children visit him. His only visitor was his old enemy Hugh O'Flaherty. The two started to become friends, where they discussing literature and religion. In 1959, a remorseful Kappler converted to the Catholic church thus ending his atheist beliefs. In 1972, Kappler later married a nurse named Anneliese Kappler.

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An old Herbert Kappler resting on his bed.

Death

In 1975, Kappler was diagnosed with terminal cancer. After Italy denied appeals to have him be with Anneliese at her home in Soltau (West Germany), she carried him out in a large suitcase and escaped to West Germany. The Italians demanded that Kappler is returned, but the West Germany authorities refused to extradite him. Six months after the escape, Herbert Kappler died in his wife's home on February 9th 1978.

Quotes

“	As long as I'm not in Germany, I don't want to delude myself or despair. Too many times my dreams of freedom have been disappointed.	„
	~ Herbert Kappler on wanting to return to Germany.

“	I was forced to order that no chaplain attend the execution. It is, in fact, terrible for a dying person to be separated from the priest.	„
	~ Herbert Kappler

“	I felt the responsibility of execution terrible on me. I feverishly studied the modalities. I called my officers to report and briefed them on the situation and gave them orders. Each commander had to participate in the execution by firing a shot from a machine gun. This was a symbolic necessity.	„
	~ Herbert Kappler on the Ardeatine massacre

Gallery

Images

• 
  Herbert Kappler's mugshot.
• 
  Herbert Kappler entering in the courtroom.

Trivia

• He weighed less than 105 pounds.
• Before converting to the Catholic Church, he was a devouted atheist.