Short Stuff: Battle of Itter Castle | STUFF YOU SHOULD KNOW

[music]. Hey and welcome to the short stuff. I'm. Josh and there's Chuck and Jerry's. sitting in for Dave, [music] which makes. this an official short stuff. Don't. accept substitutes. >> That's right. And I'm only going to say. this at the beginning, but boy oh boy, this should be a movie this episode. >> It's insane that it's not. >> Yeah. Really great cinematic story in. every way. The way it, you know, is laid. out there, you know. >> Yeah. The battle of Castle.

Would it be Ider or Ider? >> Well, here we go. We already don't know. what to call it. >> So, we're going to call it after John. Ritter. >> Um, but it's also called Schlloitter, which is castle. Um, and it's located in. Austria in the Tyian region of Austria. >> And the reason why it's significant is. two, uh, it's one of the last battles of. the European theater of World War II. like I can't name any other battles. after it but that doesn't really mean. that much. And then the second reason is.

because it is a really unusual battle in. that Germans got together with Americans. and French and fought the Nazis in this. battle. >> Yeah. And other randos from different. places like uh Czechoslovakia and. Yugoslavia. Like it was a. >> like you mentioned a real mly crew. real. rag tag group. >> Yeah, but you didn't put both them loud. You got to put it over the O, too. >> Oh, I didn't. Oh, I'm sorry, man. I. screwed up.

>> It was pretty great, everyone. Josh put. this together and he he typed out Mly. Crew and he put um over the U. >> just clearly as a little uh little love. letter to me. >> It was. >> Yeah, I got it. >> But I'm sorry. I screwed up the love. letter. >> No, it's fine. It's the thought that. counts. That's what they say, right? >> Yeah, but that's really patronizing. What if this was the very last battle? That makes it even more cinematic. >> I mean, it that's what I read. It was. like one of the last and that could just. somebody hedging, you know, and it could.

have been the last one. >> Yeah. All right. So, this castle sitting. up there uh since the 13th century since. 1878, it's been kind of in its present. form, and it's been a bunch of things. Uh it was a private estate for a while. It was a hotel for a while. But notably. for our story uh after the Nazis annex. Austria in uh 1938, they took it over. and a few years later in 1943, it became. part of Dhau uh you know the the death. camp. And it served as a sort of a VIP.

um prison for some high value prisoners. of war that they thought could like. we're not going to put these people to. death. We think we might be able to use. them as hostages. So we'll we'll hold. them up in this castle, >> right? And there were some like real. VIPs in there. There were two French. generals, two former French prime. ministers. >> Yeah. >> A tennis star who'd become a politician. And one of the sisters of Charles de. Gaul who was like I guess he was the. head of the military in World War II, correct? Or was he the No, he was the.

current prime minister, right, in exile? >> Oh, I thought he just built the airport. [laughter]. >> Yeah, hand by hand. But that was a side. project that he did on weekends. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> There were also, like you said, some. Czech prisoners, some Yugoslavian. prisoners. And um they were there for a. couple of years. And in May of 1945, the. beginning of May 1945, the war was not. just starting to wind down, it was. coming to like a a like a car smashing. into a tree kind of stop because Hitler. had just killed himself in Berlin.

Mussolini had been strung up um and hung. out to dry literally uh by partisans in. Italy and um it was just very clear that. that Germany had lost World War II and. the European theater was coming to an. end. >> Yeah, that's right. They were literally. about to offer up their formal. surrender. Uh but if you're in this. castle, you're a little worried because. the SS at this point, uh there's some SS. that are like, hey, you know, we're.

going to lay down our arms. The war is. clearly over. Let's just get this over. with. There's other SS that are like. nine. I'm going to go down in a in a. blaze of glory and kill everyone that I. can before they formally call this thing. over. And so if you were in this castle. as a VIP prisoner, you were worried that. they were going to be coming for you. and they found out that that was true. >> Yeah. Um so one of the things that. really unsettled them is on May 2nd, the. butcher of Dao, the guy who ran the the.

prison camp, Edward Vidder, he showed up. at the castle because remember this was. like an annex of the Dao prison system. And he was on the run from the Allies. who had just liberated the camp right. after he had escaped. But being a. horrible, terrible Nazi, as all Nazis. are, um he ordered the execution of. 2,000 prisoners on his way out the door. Um the people at Castle Eder had heard. about this. I mean, that's kind of a big. deal even in World War II, even in. Germany. And um they the fact that.

Vidder showed up, they're like, "Well, this is this is it for us." But instead, Vidder took his own life. He shot. himself in the heart. That didn't work. So then he shot himself in the head. while he had shot himself in the heart. >> Yeah. So he really finished the job. >> Uh couple of day, I guess they were. briefly relieved. They're like, "Oh, well, thank God.". >> Uh but a couple of days after that, the. commandment of the castle and all the. guards, they left. And so all of a. sudden, all these people are trapped in. this castle. These prisoners, there's no.

way to get out. Uh even if they could. get out, they know that there are. probably hostile Germans nearby and they. don't want to meet up with them. So, a. handyman, a Yugoslavian handyman, uh, in. the castle said, "You know what? I'm. going to make a run for it, you guys, and I'm going to go and try and meet up. with the American troops that are coming. our way and see if I can get us some. help and and rescue." Uh, he did make it. to the Americans, which is again, if. this is a movie, it's like an amazing. success story that he found the.

Americans. >> and didn't get shot. >> Yeah. And the Americans were like, "Hey, listen, man. We're legally the war's not. quite over. We're not allowed to be in. that area yet, but they were led by. Major John T. Kramer, and he said there. will be a podcaster one day that will. coin the term nuts to that. But I'm. going to say it right now. Uh, let's. send a small detachment of tanks that. way and see if we can help those guys. out. >> I can't take credit for that. I learned. that from Grandpa and Simpsons. >> Oh, was that him? >> Yeah,

>> that's funny. >> Um, so yeah, Major John Kramer says, "We're going to go help you guys." and. he he leads a column of tanks over. He. turns the the steering wheels and heads. them toward Castle. Um, and I say we. take a break here because I think it's a. pretty good spot. >> Yeah, let's do it. S Y SK you should know. S YSK. you should know. Brian Josh Clark.

All right. So meanwhile, back at the. castle, these prisoners, they don't know. what's happened to this Yugoslavian. handyman that went for help because. obviously it's, you know, he can't send. word back. So another uh volunteer step. forward. This is the cook of the castle. and he said, "All right, I'm going to. try and go get help." He finds Oh god, this is such a movie. He finds a German.

major, Sep Gangal. And this guy, you. said, you know, all Nazis were terrible. I guess you would call him almost a. former Nazi because he was one of the. dudes that was like, "No, this is what. we're doing isn't right." So, he broke. with the SS. He was leading a little. group of Allied friendly friendly. troops. So, he was a complete turncoat. And he said, "All right, let's get. together and go get these prisoners. Like, we finally have a job to do." Um, like. >> [clears throat]. >> uh you know, the guns of the Navaron.

style. Let's go. Let's go save these. prisoners. >> Yeah. So Gangal is on his way now to um. Castle and on the way he runs into a. tank commander and his tank the Baten. Jenny is the name of the tank and the. commander's name is Jack C Lee Jr. Captain and um Gangal tells him what's. going on and Jack C Lee says you know. sir I'd really like to take part in. that. Let's go. So he grabs a few. members of his company, a few members of.

a nearby all black company D of the 17th. Armored Infantry Battalion and assemble. >> Yeah. All played by Jim Brown in. different disguises. [laughter]. >> And then um he uh puts them all together. and he and Gangal and their ragtag group. of people start moving toward Castle. And this is not like some sort, first of. all, this isn't sanctioned. um this is. not like uh some obvious platoon that's. already been assembled like this is just. a group of people who almost were like.

yeah I want to go get those people out. of that castle and they said come on and. that's this is the group that's moving. toward castle and they finally get there. um I think about 12 hours before the. siege finally began on the castle. >> yeah so they suspected there were. Germans coming their way and they were. right the waen SS they were the combat. detachment of the SS really bad dudes, very elite fighters. Uh they arrive at. the castle, like you said, about 12. hours after this ragtag group is there.

to defend them. And they take out Basat. and Jenny right away. They take out that. tank. Uh was pretty smart move, I guess, to go ahead and get the heavy artillery. down. >> Mhm. >> Uh it was parked in front of the main. gate. So with that tank gone, uh they. were basically, you know, fully free to. just assault this castle outright. Uh. and a and a battle starts. Uh like a. really gruesome battle. Um they inside. the prison they had broken into the. armory so they had some stuff to defend. themselves with like pistols some rifles. and machine guns but this was these are.

pistols and machine guns and rifles not. not heavy artillery which is kind of. what they needed at that point. >> Yeah. I think the Nazis had some 80 mm. gun that they were using to pound the. castle walls. This is like a medieval. siege that's going on but with modern um. armory, right? >> Yeah. And uh at first like it looked. like okay the people in the castle might. be able to hold this off. There's like a. hundred um waffen SS attacking them. Uh. but then they started to run low on. ammunition. And it doesn't really matter. what kind of gun you have. If you don't.

have bullets to shoot out of it, you're. in trouble if the people who are you're. fighting do still have bullets. And so. by noon it was starting to look really. grim. Uh and also by this time Gangal. had been killed by a Nazi sniper. And I. saw that Jack Lee, Captain Lee, was. already the de facto commander. Even the. two French generals were deferring to. his command. Um, but he was kind of. co-commanding with Gangal. Now he was. alone commanding this whole thing by. himself. Um, and he came up with a plan.

basically to to hide everybody in the. castle keep. >> Yeah, I really felt bad for a Gongle. because he turncoded against the Nazis. He's doing the right thing. He brought. them there and and just like a movie. scene, he's up on the on the top like. trying to get a assessment of the. situation and gets taken out by a. sniper. It's like such a powerful movie. scene, you know. >> Yeah. The only thing about it you would. have to change is that he was probably. killed instantly. Um he would have to.

have been shot like somewhere where he. could. >> tell Lee to Yeah. [laughter]. >> Get them. Get these people out of here. alive. >> Yeah. tells them I said. >> tell the Nazis I said suck it. >> there's there's a really funny uh oh. yeah who cares I'll go a little long. there's a really funny uh Dana Gould. comedy bit about uh his plan on his. deathbed. >> is to say you know I've buried a million.

dollars [laughter]. and it's located at. >> oh man. >> and he and That's kind of funny. But the. the real punch line they see is like you. got to time it just right. He said. otherwise you just have to lay there and. pretend you're dead for the remaining. minutes of your life. [laughter]. >> It's pretty good stuff. >> Yeah, it's great stuff. >> The great Dana Gold. Uh all right. So, uh Gongal is taken out. Lee comes up. with that plan to get um holed up in the. keep, which is what a keep is for. That's where you take your last stand in.

a castle. So, it's, you know, not a bad. plan. and he was like, "Hey, let's feed. this SS into that narrow passage that. leads to the keep and just see if we can. pick them off one by one as they come in. there.". >> Yeah. And it's not a bad plan, but the. chances of anyone in the castle. surviving during that plan is pretty. low. And then just as things were at. their most hopeless. Seriously, this is. how it happened. that column of tanks. that was originally contacted by the um. Yugoslavian handyman who first made a.

run for it, >> led by Major Kramer show up and they. flank the Nazis or attack the Nazis from. the rear and just immediately scatter. the people besieging this castle and the. battle ends almost immediately. >> Yeah. And oh man, if this is true, then. it just writes itself because supposedly. Kramer got to the castle, met up with. Captain Lee, and Lee said, "What kept. you?". >> That was a quote from Lee later on. recounting it. >> Yeah, I would punch that up to What took.

you so long? >> Yeah. >> With like a little wink or something. But uh and then maybe they fall in love. >> Yeah. Or and Kramer responds with uh. traffic. [laughter]. >> Oh man, >> they fall. >> It's so perfect. uh you know very sadly uh well I mean I. guess it's good news that Gongo was the. only casualty. Uh it's sad that that was. him again because he he was pretty brave. for going against his own kind. >> Uh but he was the only casualty out of. all of that and this rag tag group held. off this force until the uh.

reinforcements arrived like happy. ending. >> Major Lee lived to be an old man. I. think he died in the 70s and uh he was. awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. for this. >> Amazing. >> Yeah. Yeah, you're right. This is movie. stuff like out the yin-yang. >> Right out the yin-yang, >> which means of course short stuff is. out. Stuff you should [music] know is a. production of iHeart Radio. For more. podcasts, iHeart Radio, visit the iHeart. Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever.

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