Gerhard Georg Mertins (30 December 1919 – 19 March 1993) was a German paratrooper, post-war arms dealer and German Intelligence operative. In 1943, he participated in the Gran Sasso raid rescuing Benito Mussolini from prison.[3] According to Manuel Contreras, he allegedly supplied the Pinochet regime with arms and helicopters. In 1976, he and Manuel Contreras traveled to Tehran to offer the Shah regime help in killing Carlos the Jackal.[4]

Gerhard Georg Mertins
Born(1919-12-30)30 December 1919
Berlin, Germany
Died19 March 1993(1993-03-19) (aged 73)
Florida, United States
AllegianceNazi Germany Germany (1940-1945)
Iran (1976)
Service/branchLuftwaffe
RankHauptmann
Commands heldFallschirm-Pionier-Bataillon 5
Battles/warsWorld War II
AwardsKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Other work
  • Businessman
  • Arms dealer[2]
  • Intelligence operative

Awards edit

References edit

Citations edit

  1. ^ Hammerschmidt 2013, p. 392.
  2. ^ Hammerschmidt 2013, p. 393.
  3. ^ Romano Mussolini, My father, il Duce, Kales Press 2006, S.29: "For more than sixty years, my father´s liberation from Gran Sasso was attributed solely to Skorzeny, even though Mors and Mertins played crucial roles."
  4. ^ González, Mónica (6 August 2009). "El día en que Manuel Contreras le ofreció al Sha de Irán matar a "Carlos, El Chacal"". ciperchile.cl (in Spanish). CIPER. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  5. ^ Scherzer 2007, p. 538.

Bibliography edit

  • Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
  • Hammerschmidt, Peter (2013). Die Nachkriegskarriere des "Schlächters von Lyon" - Klaus Barbie und die westlichen Nachrichtendienste (PDF) (in German). Mainz, Germany: Johannes Gutenberg-Universität. Retrieved 11 February 2024.