Otto Skorzeny

Otto Johann Anton Skorzeny (12 June 1908 – 5 July 1975) was an Austrian-born commander of the Waffen SS special forces unit during World War II. He participated in various operations for the Nazi government during the war, such as rescuing Benito Mussolini from prison after he was deposed by the grand fascist council and the kidnapping of Miklós Horthy's son. He escaped detention after the war, eventually settling in Francoist Spain. He is suspected of having served as a key node in the network that helped Nazis escape from Europe. Otto also served as an advisor to the Nasser government in Egypt and was alleged to have worked for both Juan Peron and Israel. He is also said to have been involved with the Paladin group, which was involved in various state-backed campaigns against leftists throughout the Mediterranean and Latin America. Within Spain, he is said to have assisted the Spanish state in its campaign against the Basque separatist ETA, and he helped found CEDADE, a nazi inspired far-right organization whose members would later go on to participate in National Democracy and Alianza por la Unidad Nacional. He would pass away of lung cancer in 1975, never having denounced his nazi beliefs.