The Castle Held Some of the Most Valuable Political Prisoners of the War
Schloss Itter was seized by SS Lieutenant General Oswald Pohl on February 7, 1943 under the orders of none other than Heinrich Himmler. On April 25, 1943, it was officially transformed into a prison to hold prominent French prisoners that were of particular importance to the Reich. Officially the castle was considered to be a sub camp of the Dachau concentration camp. Men from the concentration camp were used as staff at the castle. Many of them were referred to only by numbers and their names have been lost. The Dachau concentration camp mainly held Eastern European prisoners and it meant that some of the staff at the castle were willing to deliver messages for the prisoners.
Former French Prime Minsters Edouard Daladier and Paul Reynaud were held at the prison. There was also General Maurice Gamelin, and the famous commander-in-chief Maxime Weygand who was a very polarizing figure during the war. Tennis champion Jean Borata was also held at the prison and was instrumental in the defense of the castle. Right-wing leader Francois de La Rocque and labor leader Leon Jouhaux were also among the prisoners that were held at the formidable castle. Other politicians included Andre Francois-Poncet and Michel Clemenceau. For a short time, republic president Albert Lebrun and Marie-Agnes de Gaulle were also held at the prison.
Due to the high-profile nature of the prisoners they were held in much better conditions than most wartime prisoners. Near the end of the war, oil was running low, so there was little light in the castle and food was running low as well. But the relationship between the SS guarding the prison and the prisoners was an amicable one.
Wimmer even promised the French prisoners that they would not be killed, even as executions were taking place at the nearby concentration camp. In the end, Wimmer fled and did little to live up to his promise. In the end it was up to the prisoners themselves and their rescuers to ensure they would survive the war.