Fact Finder - History

Fact
The Ratlines: Post-War Escapes
Category
History
Subcategory
World Wars
Country
Germany / Italy / South America
Description
Following the collapse of the Third Reich, many high-ranking Nazi officials and SS members fled Europe to avoid prosecution for war crimes. These escape routes became known as 'Ratlines.' Most routes led through Italy (often with the help of sympathetic clergy) to South America, particularly Argentina, Brazil, and Chile. Notable fugitives who used these routes included Adolf Eichmann, the architect of the Holocaust, and Josef Mengele, the 'Angel of Death.' It wasn't until 1960 that Israeli Mossad agents captured Eichmann in Buenos Aires to bring him to justice. The existence of the Ratlines remains a controversial subject involving espionage, corruption, and the early Cold War desire to recruit German scientists.