After World War II, thousands of Nazi war criminals escaped justice with the help of ratlines — which were set up by the Vatican, South American politicians, and sometimes even U.S. spies.
As the dust settled after World War II, scores of Nazis tried to escape punishment for their crimes by fleeing Europe. And thousands made their way to South America through secret networks nicknamed “ratlines.”
Helped by South American politicians, the Vatican, and even U.S. intelligence, Nazi war criminals successfully traversed escape routes from Europe to countries like Brazil, Chile, and Argentina. Some of them were eventually located and brought to justice. But many more Nazis were never captured.
This is the shadowy story of ratlines, the spidery system of escape routes created by American spies, South American politicians, Vatican officials, and other individuals who helped Nazi war criminals flee Europe.
The Emergence Of Ratlines After World War II
The word “ratline” comes from the sea. According to Slate, it refers to ropes near a ship’s mast, which sailors might have climbed while trying to survive a sinking ship. But after World War II, it took on a different connotation.
Then, thousands of Nazis seeking to flee Europe did so via the so-called ratlines that offered an escape route to various countries in South America, mostly to Chile, Brazil, and Argentina. They were assisted in large part by Argentine President Juan Peron, who had grown to admire European dictators like Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini.
The Guardian reports that Peron’s admiration stemmed from his time as a military attaché in Italy and his relationships with SS agents. Additionally, Peron saw the Nuremberg trials as an “insult to military honor” and sought to bring scientists, engineers, and nuclear experts into Argentina.
So, in 1946, History reports that Peron enlisted Argentine Cardinal Antonio Caggiano to open a dialogue with his French counterparts. Caggiano then let them know that Argentina would be willing to accept Nazi collaborators.
The ratlines were officially open. And before long, others would join Peron in helping Nazis escape from Europe and start new lives in South America.
How Nazis Escaped To South America
According to Deutsche Welle, the ratlines did not have any formal structure. Rather, they emerged spontaneously after World War II. But many Nazis who escaped via the ratlines followed a similar path across the Alps to Italy.
Once in Italy, many Nazis followed the “monastery route,” which allowed them to hide out in local monasteries. Most then traveled to Rome, where they were assisted further — sometimes by American and British spies and sometimes by prominent members of the Catholic Church.
As Philippe Sands, the author of The Ratline, told NPR, American and British spies helped Nazis for a single reason: to fight communism.
“They were virulently anti-communist,” Sands explained. “In 1948 and ’49, there was a tremendous concern amongst the British and the Americans in particular that Italy would be the launching pad for the Soviet Union… the British and the Americans started recruiting [Nazis] and, indeed, I think, used the ratline, the escape route to Argentina, as a recruitment tool.”
At the same time, many Nazis found refuge within the Vatican. For instance, Bishop Alois Hudal helped Nazis because he believed they were “completely blameless” and that by helping them escape he “snatched them from their tormentors with false identity papers,” according to Deutsche Welle.
These “false identity papers” helped Nazis get passports from the International Committee of the Red Cross, which they then used to sneak out of Europe (usually through ports in Italy or Spain) without being detained.
With this help, thousands of Nazis were able to escape from Europe to South America. History estimates that between 500 and 1,000 went to Chile, up to 2,000 relocated to Brazil, and as many as 5,000 fled to Argentina.
So who were they?
THE NAZIS WHO TRAVELED ALONG RATLINES
Following World War II, countless Nazi war criminals escaped Europe via ratlines to South America, where they could start anew.
“It was with a sense of deliverance, of escape, a veritable joy in the heart, that I boarded the plane that would carry me to South America,” Nazi collaborator Pierre Daye said, according to The Guardian. “They may be looking for me in that troubled Europe. But they cannot reach me. I fly far from a world gone mad, towards peace. It’s all over. I have escaped.”
Other infamous Nazis who escaped in this way included Adolf Eichmann, Josef Mengele, Klaus Barbie, Franz Stangl, and more.
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