OTTO SKORZENY

OTTO SKORZENY
(1908 - 1975) Nazi officer and Hitler's chief and favorite commando, he made a daring mountain-top rescue of Mussolini, placed English-speaking soldiers in American uniforms to mislead American forces in the Bulge, and after the war headed the organization that helped hundreds of ex-SS officers flee Germany. Scarce T.L.S. on Reich Security Main Office letterhead, 1p. 4to., Berlin, Jan. 12, 1944, addressed to an SS-Obersturmbannfuhrer Hafke regarding insubordination within the SS ranks in occupied Serbia. In large part: '...The service points out again that the A-School Southeast in Belgrade was at no time subordinate to Section VI F 5, nor did it take over the supervision of this school...The agency also asks that this be communicated to the commander of the SS and the SD [likely referring to ERNST KALTENBRUNNER, commander of the SD after Reinhard Heydrich's assassination] to put Belgrade right. Otherwise, there may still be problems with questions of subordination and authority...make all corrections as quickly as possible in order to eliminate such misunderstandings...' Skorzeny signs at the conclusion as Group Leader of Section VI. Two file holes, non-intrusive stain at lower-left corner, else fine.