Manhunt
David.Gettman December 14th, 2007
Lt. Col. George England and one of the 42nd Squadron Staff Officers met the Third Army Chief of Intelligence, Lt. Col. May, at Army Hqs at Bad Tolz in December 1945, where the plan was disclosed for the employment of the Second Cavalry forces.
It was learned that Arthur Axmann, one of Hitler’s key men, and the founder of the Hitler Jugend organization, was pretty far advanced in his plans for a national underground movement in Germany.
He had already made trips through the British, French, Russian and American zones undetected by allied authorities, organizing strong terrorist groups in each zone.
American intelligence agents had discovered that he was in the Sonthofen (map SM) area and planned to trap him. Since there were thousands of members of Axmann’s organization which allied authorities were not yet ready to close in on, it was of utmost importance that no one should learn of their leaders capture, if it was effected. Hence the top secret designation.
The plan for the trap was simple. Troop A of the 42nd Sq. was to move to the Kempten (map SM) area the day before Axmann was to leave and set up a double ring of road blocks as in a routine “swoop” operation. Now Axmann, carrying carefully forged papers, had passed through similar checks and was not expected to be suspicious. Only this time every man of the blocking force was to be carefully oriented as to Axmann’s appearance. (Most distinguishing feature, an artificial hand, memento of action against the Russians.) Alert American agents even provided the make and license number of the car that was expected to come after the former Hitler Jugend leader. One precaution was aired at the conference at Bad Tolz. Axmann’s right hand man, Meininger, was known to be with him, and he always contacted the visitors that were to see Axmann. Even Meininger did not know where his chief would be until after he had set the time for the contact. At a place maybe five miles away Axmann would call and designate the meeting place in code to Meininger. Continue Reading »
