Otto Skorzeny

Austrian Waffen-SS officer (1908–1975)

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Lived 1908–1975, aged 67Austria

Austria Historical Figures

Fame37.4
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Austria rank#16
Historical Figures rank#104
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Wikipedia
53 languages
Cross-language footprint
Rank in Austria
#16
Historical Figures
Era
1908–1975
Aged 67

Summary

Updated 2026-05-29

SS commando who orchestrated the rescue of Mussolini from an Italian prison and led infiltration operations in Allied uniforms during WWII. Skorzeny's postwar trial on war crimes charges ended in acquittal, cementing his place in military history lore.

Biography

About

Otto Johann Anton Skorzeny was an Austrian-born German SS-Obersturmbannführer in the Waffen-SS during World War II. During the war, he was involved in a number of operations, including the removal from power of Hungarian Regent Miklós Horthy and the Gran Sasso raid that rescued Benito Mussolini from captivity. Skorzeny led Operation Greif in which German soldiers infiltrated Allied lines wearing their enemies' uniforms. As a result, he was charged in 1947 at the Dachau Military Tribunal with breaching the 1907 Hague Convention, but was acquitted.

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