--- title: 5 Times Israel Hunted Down Nazis description: "They thought they had escaped. They thought they were untouchable. But the past has a way of catching up with you.\n\nAfter World War II, thousands of Nazis vanished into the shadows, hiding behind new identities in faraway lands. Others simply left Europe and lived openly in countries with governments that were, shall we say, \"accommodating\" to ex-Nazis. But, in 1948, Israel was formally created, and this new country was not about to forget. The Holocaust had left scars too deep to heal, especially with some of its orchestrators still walking free.\n\nThe Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad, became their worst nightmare. Patient, relentless, and unforgiving, they tracked down some of the most elusive war criminals—men who had orchestrated genocide and then fled, hoping time would erase their crimes.\n\n## The Capture of Adolf Eichmann – \"Operation Finale\"\n\nHe was the architect of the Holocaust. The man who made genocide efficient. Adolf Eichmann didn't build the gas chambers or pull the trigger himself—he made sure the trains ran on time. As an SS officer, Eichmann oversaw the logistics of mass deportations, sending millions of Jews to their deaths with the precision of an accountant. Cold, detached, and efficient.\n\nWhen the war ended, many high-ranking Nazis were rounded up and put on trial. But Eichmann disappeared. For years, he was a ghost, a rumour, a name whispered in the dark. The world had no idea where he was, but that's not to say people weren't looking.\n\nEichmann had fled Europe like many former Nazis—through what was known as the ratlines, underground escape networks leading to South America. With the help of a Catholic priest, Eichmann made his way to Argentina in 1950 under the alias Ricardo Klement. He built a new life, working at a Mercedes-Benz factory and living in a modest house in Buenos Aires with his wife and children. He thought he was safe.\n\nThen came the tip.\n\nLothar Hermann, a German Jew who survived Dachau, also lived in Argentina. His daughter, Sylvia, had unknowingly started dating Eichmann's son, Klaus—who boasted about his father's role in the Nazi regime. Sylvia, suspicious, relayed this information to her father.\n\nLothar contacted Israeli authorities, and things quickly ramped up. Eichmann had altered his appearance, aged, and tried to erase his past, but intelligence agents staked out his house for weeks, watching him return home every night on the same bus, always walking the same route.\n\nMossad became all but certain. It was him. The order was given. Take him alive.\n\nOn the evening of May 11, 1960, Mossad agents waited in a parked car close to his house. As Eichmann stepped off his usual bus and walked home, they struck. One agent lunged, wrestling him to the ground. Another covered his mouth. He fought back, but he was no soldier anymore—just a middle-aged man who had spent too long living a normal life.\n\nThey stuffed him into the car and drove off. For nine days, he was held in a safe house and interrogated. At first, he denied everything. But when agents confronted him with details only Eichmann would know, he broke down and admitted his identity.\n\nNow, the problem was getting him out of Argentina. Extradition was out of the question—Argentina had a history of protecting former Nazis. Instead, Mossad came up with an audacious plan: they would smuggle him out on an Israeli plane disguised as a drunk flight crew member.\n\nThey drugged Eichmann and dressed him in an El Al flight uniform. On May 20, 1960, he was quietly loaded onto a plane and flown to Israel. When the news broke, the world was stunned, and Argentina was furious. But Israel had made their move, and there was no turning back.\n\nEichmann's trial began in April 1961. It was the first time Holocaust survivors had had the chance to testify about the horrors they endured. The trial was televised worldwide. It was gripping, horrifying—heartbreaking television. For months, the world listened as survivors recounted the suffering Eichmann had orchestrated. He sat in a glass booth, emotionless, claiming he had just been \"following orders.\"\n\nOn December 15, 1961, Adolf Eichmann was sentenced to death. He was hanged on June 1, 1962—the only person Israel has ever executed by law. His body was cremated, and his ashes scattered at sea, so there would be no grave, no shrine, no place for Nazi sympathisers to gather.\n\nJustice had been served. But this was only the beginning.\n\n## The Execution of Herbert Cukurs – \"The Butcher of Riga Meets His End\"\n\nHerbert Cukurs wasn't merely a Nazi officer; he was a sadist whose name became synonymous with cruelty. In the monstrous annals of humanity, this man was one of the worst.\n\nAs the second in command of the Arajs Kommando, a Latvian SS unit, Cukurs played a pivotal role in the massacre of over 30,000 Jews during the Holocaust. Survivors recounted his brutality—not just in action, but in demeanour. He reportedly laughed as he set fire to synagogues with people still inside, shot infants in their mothers' arms, and dragged women to their deaths with a whip in hand.\n\nBefore the war, Cukurs had been a national hero in Latvia—a celebrated aviator known as the \"Latvian Lindbergh.\" His fame stemmed from daring solo flights showcasing his engineering prowess and piloting skills. Pre-World War 2, he was an impressive human being. However, his legacy took a dark turn during the German occupation, where he became infamous for his involvement in atrocities, including the Rumbula massacre, where approximately 25,000 Jews were murdered over two days in late 1941.\n\nAfter the war, Cukurs vanished, leaving behind precious little in terms of clues. He fled to Brazil in 1946, travelling through Germany and France before settling in São Paulo. There, he established a new life as a pilot, operating sightseeing tours over South America. Unlike many fugitive Nazis who concealed their identities, Cukurs brazenly kept his name, even appearing in local magazines and maintaining a public presence.\n\nBy the 1960s, the Mossad had eyes everywhere. Holocaust survivors identified him, and Israel decided that Cukurs couldn't be allowed to live freely. Unlike Adolf Eichmann, who was captured and tried, Cukurs was marked for assassination—a mission not of retribution but of justice.\n\nOperation Bramburg was set in motion. A Mossad agent, Yaakov Meidad, operating under the alias \"Anton Künzle,\" posed as a wealthy Austrian businessman with a decorated Eastern-front war history. Over several months, he built a relationship with Cukurs and gained his trust. In 1965, Meidad lured Cukurs to a safe house in Montevideo, Uruguay, under the pretence of discussing a business venture.\n\nThe moment Cukurs stepped inside, the Mossad team attacked. The confrontation was vicious; despite his age, Cukurs resisted vehemently, nearly biting off one agent's finger. However, he was ultimately overpowered, thanks to a hammer to the head. The agents confronted him with his crimes, ensuring he understood why this reckoning had come. Then, a single gunshot to the head ended his life.\n\nHis body was found in the trunk of a car, along with a note that read:\n\n> \"This is for the 30,000 victims of Riga.\"\n\nAnother note had been sent to media outlets:\n\n> \"Taking into consideration the gravity of the charge levelled against the accused, namely that he personally supervised the killing of more than 30,000 men, women and children, and considering the extreme display of cruelty which the subject showed when carrying out his tasks, the accused Herberts Cukurs is hereby sentenced to death.\"\n\nThe assassination sent shockwaves worldwide. Media outlets initially dismissed the note as a prank, but upon discovering the body, the gravity of the operation became evident. The mission was a stark reminder of the atrocities committed and to deter any attempts to grant amnesty to Nazi war criminals—a topic under debate in West Germany at the time.\n\nCukurs's death was a message: justice doesn't forget. Even decades later, those who perpetrated unimaginable horrors would be held accountable, ensuring that the memories of their victims were honoured and that history would not repeat itself.\n\n## Tracking Franz Stangl – \"The Commandant of Treblinka\"\n\nFranz Stangl didn't just run a concentration camp—he ran one of the deadliest places in human history.\n\nAs Commandant of Treblinka, he oversaw the extermination of nearly 900,000 Jews in just over a year. He wasn't just another SS officer following orders. He was efficient, methodical, and disturbingly detached.\n\nStangl saw himself as a simple administrator. He later admitted he never thought about the victims—only about keeping the process running smoothly. He viewed Treblinka like a factory. His job wasn't to kill, just to ensure the machine worked.\n\nAfter the war, he was arrested by American forces—but like many Nazis, he found a way out. In 1948, he escaped a prison camp in Austria and fled to Italy, where he was hidden by a network of Nazi sympathisers and members of the Catholic clergy. With forged papers, he boarded a ship to Brazil.\n\nThere, he built a new life. A family man, a hardworking employee at a Volkswagen factory in São Paulo. He was a ghost—another Nazi who had vanished into the world.\n\nFor nearly two decades, no one knew where he was. Then came Simon Wiesenthal—the relentless Nazi hunter. A survivor of the camps, Wiesenthal had dedicated his life to tracking down those who had escaped justice. He followed a trail of old Nazi connections, tracing Stangl to Brazil in the mid-1960s.\n\nOnce Mossad got the intelligence, they acted. Unlike Cukurs, Stangl wasn't to be assassinated—he was to be dragged back to face justice.\n\nWith the help of Brazilian authorities, Stangl was arrested in 1967 at his home in São Paulo. He was caught off guard—after more than 20 years on the run, he had finally let his guard down. He was extradited to West Germany, where he was put on trial for the murder of 900,000 people. Stangl showed little remorse, claiming he was just a soldier doing his duty.\n\nHis sentence: life in prison. But justice didn't wait long. In 1971, six months after his conviction, he died in his cell of heart failure. One more Nazi wiped from the earth.\n\n## The Failed Assassination of Josef Mengele – \"The Angel of Death Slips Away\"\n\nIf there was one man who deserved a brutal end, it was Josef Mengele—Auschwitz's Angel of Death. A doctor in title only, Mengele carried out grotesque human experiments on prisoners. He was obsessed with twins, injecting chemicals into their eyes to try and change their colour, sewing them together in cruel, senseless procedures. He conducted surgeries without anaesthesia, subjected children to freezing experiments, and decided, with a flick of his wrist, who would live and who would die.\n\nUnlike many Nazis who fled in desperation, Mengele planned his escape well in advance. He knew the war was lost, and he had no intention of being captured. In 1949, with forged papers, he slipped into Argentina, just like Eichmann. But unlike Eichmann, Mengele never hid his name.\n\nHe lived openly, socialising with other Nazis in Buenos Aires. He ran a business, swam at private clubs, and even applied for German citizenship under his real identity. He was confident, untouchable.\n\nMossad had their eyes on him. In 1960, the same team that had just captured Eichmann was given a second target: Mengele. They had found his home. They had a plan. But they had a problem.\n\nTwo simultaneous extractions were too risky. The Eichmann operation had exposed Mossad's presence in Argentina, and security forces were already on alert. They had to prioritise Eichmann—a guaranteed capture—over Mengele, who had layers of protection around him.\n\nBy the time they returned for him, Mengele was gone.\n\nHe had escaped to Paraguay and later Brazil, aided by influential friends. He remained on the move, always one step ahead of his hunters. In the 1970s, Simon Wiesenthal got close—but never quite close enough.\n\nMossad tried again and again. They sent agents. They tracked leads. But Mengele had learned from Eichmann's fate—he became a ghost, constantly relocating, avoiding routine, trusting no one.\n\nIn 1979, the chase ended—not with a bullet, but with water. Mengele, living under an alias in Brazil, suffered a stroke while swimming. He drowned in front of friends who knew exactly who he was but buried him under his false identity.\n\nFor years, there were doubts. Was it another act of deception? It wasn't until DNA testing in 1992 confirmed it—Mengele was dead. Mossad never forgave themselves for letting him slip through their fingers. He didn't deserve to die a free man.\n\n## The Hunt for Alois Brunner – \"The Ghost of Damascus\"\n\nAlois Brunner was one of Adolf Eichmann's most trusted men. A dedicated SS officer, he was directly responsible for deporting over 100,000 Jews to the gas chambers. He organised transports from Austria, Greece, Slovakia, and France, personally ensuring that thousands of men, women, and children boarded trains bound for extermination.\n\nUnlike some Nazis who later claimed ignorance, Brunner was unapologetic. Even decades after the war, he was proud of what he had done. He once told a journalist, \"All of them deserved to die. I regret nothing.\"\n\nBrunner was supposed to be among those tried at Nuremberg. But when the war ended, he disappeared.\n\nFor years, intelligence agencies searched for him. He wasn't in South America. He wasn't in Europe. Then, in the 1950s, Mossad confirmed the truth: Brunner had fled to Syria.\n\nThere, under the protection of the Syrian government, he advised the regime on intelligence and torture techniques. He was, essentially, untouchable. Syria refused to extradite him, and any attempt to extract him would be a diplomatic disaster.\n\nSo, Mossad got creative. In 1961, he was sent a letter bomb by Military Intelligence Unit 188, a branch of the Israel Defense Forces. When Brunner opened it, it exploded, blinding him in one eye. But Mossad wasn't finished. In 1980, they sent another letter bomb, disguised with packaging from an Austrian herb distributor he had previously used. This time, he lost four fingers.\n\nStill, Brunner remained defiant. From his hideout in Damascus, he boasted about his crimes, occasionally granting interviews where he spat on his victims' memories. The world never got to see him on trial. In the 1990s, as Syria fell into turmoil, Brunner disappeared completely. Brunner was sentenced to death in absentia in France in 1954, and for crimes against humanity in 2001.\n\nReports surfaced that he had died sometime between 2001 and 2010, in miserable conditions in a basement under house arrest. One of the former guards said that Brunner, who went by the name of Abu Hussein, \"suffered and cried a lot in his final years. He couldn't even wash himself and ate only eggs or potatoes.\"\n\nMossad never caught him. But they made sure his life was one of pain, fear, and isolation. He never knew peace—just as his victims never had a chance to.\n\n## The Hunted\n\nThey thought they could disappear. That time would erase their crimes, that the world would forget. But Israel didn't forget.\n\nThe men who orchestrated genocide—who sent millions to their deaths with the cold efficiency of bureaucrats—believed they could live out their days in peace. Some of them did, slipping through the cracks of history. But for others, Mossad was waiting.\n\nThese missions weren't just about revenge. They were about justice. About remembrance. About sending a message that no matter how many years passed, the crimes of the Holocaust would never be ignored.\n\nSome were captured and made to answer for their actions in court. Others were executed in the shadows, their deaths a whispered warning to those who might follow in their footsteps.\n\nThe message was clear: There is no hiding from history.\n\n*Olivier Guiberteau*\n\n## Key Takeaways\n\n- After WWII, many Nazis escaped to South America and lived openly or under new identities.\n- Israel's Mossad agency relentlessly tracked down and captured or killed Nazi war criminals.\n- Adolf Eichmann, the architect of the Holocaust, was captured in Argentina and tried in Israel.\n- Herbert Cukurs, known as the Butcher of Riga, was assassinated by Mossad in Uruguay.\n- Josef Mengele, the Angel of Death, evaded capture and died in Brazil under an alias.\n\n## Frequently Asked Questions\n\n### Who was Adolf Eichmann and what was his role in the Holocaust?\n\nAdolf Eichmann was the architect of the Holocaust. As an SS officer, he oversaw the logistics of mass deportations, sending millions of Jews to their deaths with the precision of an accountant.\n\n### How did Mossad capture Adolf Eichmann?\n\nMossad agents staked out Eichmann's house for weeks, watching his routine. They then captured him as he walked home from the bus, held him in a safe house for nine days, and smuggled him out of Argentina disguised as a drunk flight crew member on an Israeli plane.\n\n### What was the outcome of Adolf Eichmann's trial?\n\nEichmann was sentenced to death on December 15, 1961, and was hanged on June 1, 1962. His body was cremated, and his ashes were scattered at sea to prevent any grave or shrine from being created.\n\n### Who was Herbert Cukurs and what were his crimes?\n\nHerbert Cukurs was a Latvian SS officer known as the 'Butcher of Riga.' He played a pivotal role in the massacre of over 30,000 Jews during the Holocaust, including the Rumbula massacre.\n\n### How did Mossad execute Herbert Cukurs?\n\nMossad agent Yaakov Meidad, posing as a wealthy Austrian businessman, lured Cukurs to a safe house in Montevideo, Uruguay. There, Cukurs was overpowered and executed with a single gunshot to the head.\n\n### Who was Franz Stangl and what was his role in the Holocaust?\n\nFranz Stangl was the Commandant of Treblinka, overseeing the extermination of nearly 900,000 Jews in just over a year. He saw himself as a simple administrator, ensuring the efficient operation of the camp.\n\n### How was Franz Stangl captured?\n\nSimon Wiesenthal tracked Stangl to Brazil, and with the help of Brazilian authorities, Mossad arrested him at his home in São Paulo in 1967. He was extradited to West Germany and sentenced to life in prison.\n\n### Who was Josef Mengele and why was he known as the 'Angel of Death'?\n\nJosef Mengele was a doctor at Auschwitz who conducted grotesque human experiments on prisoners, particularly twins. He decided who would live and who would die with a flick of his wrist, earning him the nickname 'Angel of Death'.\n\n### How did Josef Mengele evade capture?\n\nMengele escaped to Paraguay and later Brazil, aided by influential friends. He constantly relocated, avoiding routine and trusting no one. He drowned in Brazil in 1979 while swimming after suffering a stroke.\n\n### Who was Alois Brunner and what was his role in the Holocaust?\n\nAlois Brunner was one of Adolf Eichmann's most trusted men, responsible for deporting over 100,000 Jews to the gas chambers. He organised transports from various countries and was unapologetic about his crimes.\n\n## Sources\n\n- [Original Side Projects video: 5 Times Israel Hunted Down Nazis](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcCKrv_Ne6w)\n\n## Related Coverage" url: https://sideprojects.pub/article/5-times-israel-hunted-down-nazis.md canonical: https://sideprojects.pub/article/5-times-israel-hunted-down-nazis datePublished: 2026-06-25 dateModified: 2026-06-25 author: - name: Simon Whistler url: https://sideprojects.pub/author/simon-whistler publisher: Side Projects image: "https://media.sideprojects.pub/cdn-cgi/image/width=1600,height=900,fit=cover,quality=80,format=auto/articles/UcCKrv_Ne6w/hero.jpg" type: NewsArticle contentHash: 71449cfc6de7e45c904a24c8ca5c8c9cdfa0c729b93190bcd88172f909c9cc3b tokens: 4805 summaryUrl: https://sideprojects.pub/article/5-times-israel-hunted-down-nazis.md.summary.md --- They thought they had escaped. They thought they were untouchable. But the past has a way of catching up with you. After World War II, thousands of Nazis vanished into the shadows, hiding behind new identities in faraway lands. Others simply left Europe and lived openly in countries with governments that were, shall we say, "accommodating" to ex-Nazis. But, in 1948, Israel was formally created, and this new country was not about to forget. The Holocaust had left scars too deep to heal, especially with some of its orchestrators still walking free. The Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad, became their worst nightmare. Patient, relentless, and unforgiving, they tracked down some of the most elusive war criminals—men who had orchestrated genocide and then fled, hoping time would erase their crimes. ## The Capture of Adolf Eichmann – "Operation Finale" He was the architect of the Holocaust. The man who made genocide efficient. Adolf Eichmann didn't build the gas chambers or pull the trigger himself—he made sure the trains ran on time. As an SS officer, Eichmann oversaw the logistics of mass deportations, sending millions of Jews to their deaths with the precision of an accountant. Cold, detached, and efficient. When the war ended, many high-ranking Nazis were rounded up and put on trial. But Eichmann disappeared. For years, he was a ghost, a rumour, a name whispered in the dark. The world had no idea where he was, but that's not to say people weren't looking. Eichmann had fled Europe like many former Nazis—through what was known as the ratlines, underground escape networks leading to South America. With the help of a Catholic priest, Eichmann made his way to Argentina in 1950 under the alias Ricardo Klement. He built a new life, working at a Mercedes-Benz factory and living in a modest house in Buenos Aires with his wife and children. He thought he was safe. Then came the tip. Lothar Hermann, a German Jew who survived Dachau, also lived in Argentina. His daughter, Sylvia, had unknowingly started dating Eichmann's son, Klaus—who boasted about his father's role in the Nazi regime. Sylvia, suspicious, relayed this information to her father. Lothar contacted Israeli authorities, and things quickly ramped up. Eichmann had altered his appearance, aged, and tried to erase his past, but intelligence agents staked out his house for weeks, watching him return home every night on the same bus, always walking the same route. Mossad became all but certain. It was him. The order was given. Take him alive. On the evening of May 11, 1960, Mossad agents waited in a parked car close to his house. As Eichmann stepped off his usual bus and walked home, they struck. One agent lunged, wrestling him to the ground. Another covered his mouth. He fought back, but he was no soldier anymore—just a middle-aged man who had spent too long living a normal life. They stuffed him into the car and drove off. For nine days, he was held in a safe house and interrogated. At first, he denied everything. But when agents confronted him with details only Eichmann would know, he broke down and admitted his identity. Now, the problem was getting him out of Argentina. Extradition was out of the question—Argentina had a history of protecting former Nazis. Instead, Mossad came up with an audacious plan: they would smuggle him out on an Israeli plane disguised as a drunk flight crew member. They drugged Eichmann and dressed him in an El Al flight uniform. On May 20, 1960, he was quietly loaded onto a plane and flown to Israel. When the news broke, the world was stunned, and Argentina was furious. But Israel had made their move, and there was no turning back. Eichmann's trial began in April 1961. It was the first time Holocaust survivors had had the chance to testify about the horrors they endured. The trial was televised worldwide. It was gripping, horrifying—heartbreaking television. For months, the world listened as survivors recounted the suffering Eichmann had orchestrated. He sat in a glass booth, emotionless, claiming he had just been "following orders." On December 15, 1961, Adolf Eichmann was sentenced to death. He was hanged on June 1, 1962—the only person Israel has ever executed by law. His body was cremated, and his ashes scattered at sea, so there would be no grave, no shrine, no place for Nazi sympathisers to gather. Justice had been served. But this was only the beginning. ## The Execution of Herbert Cukurs – "The Butcher of Riga Meets His End" Herbert Cukurs wasn't merely a Nazi officer; he was a sadist whose name became synonymous with cruelty. In the monstrous annals of humanity, this man was one of the worst. As the second in command of the Arajs Kommando, a Latvian SS unit, Cukurs played a pivotal role in the massacre of over 30,000 Jews during the Holocaust. Survivors recounted his brutality—not just in action, but in demeanour. He reportedly laughed as he set fire to synagogues with people still inside, shot infants in their mothers' arms, and dragged women to their deaths with a whip in hand. Before the war, Cukurs had been a national hero in Latvia—a celebrated aviator known as the "Latvian Lindbergh." His fame stemmed from daring solo flights showcasing his engineering prowess and piloting skills. Pre-World War 2, he was an impressive human being. However, his legacy took a dark turn during the German occupation, where he became infamous for his involvement in atrocities, including the Rumbula massacre, where approximately 25,000 Jews were murdered over two days in late 1941. After the war, Cukurs vanished, leaving behind precious little in terms of clues. He fled to Brazil in 1946, travelling through Germany and France before settling in São Paulo. There, he established a new life as a pilot, operating sightseeing tours over South America. Unlike many fugitive Nazis who concealed their identities, Cukurs brazenly kept his name, even appearing in local magazines and maintaining a public presence. By the 1960s, the Mossad had eyes everywhere. Holocaust survivors identified him, and Israel decided that Cukurs couldn't be allowed to live freely. Unlike Adolf Eichmann, who was captured and tried, Cukurs was marked for assassination—a mission not of retribution but of justice. Operation Bramburg was set in motion. A Mossad agent, Yaakov Meidad, operating under the alias "Anton Künzle," posed as a wealthy Austrian businessman with a decorated Eastern-front war history. Over several months, he built a relationship with Cukurs and gained his trust. In 1965, Meidad lured Cukurs to a safe house in Montevideo, Uruguay, under the pretence of discussing a business venture. The moment Cukurs stepped inside, the Mossad team attacked. The confrontation was vicious; despite his age, Cukurs resisted vehemently, nearly biting off one agent's finger. However, he was ultimately overpowered, thanks to a hammer to the head. The agents confronted him with his crimes, ensuring he understood why this reckoning had come. Then, a single gunshot to the head ended his life. His body was found in the trunk of a car, along with a note that read: > "This is for the 30,000 victims of Riga." Another note had been sent to media outlets: > "Taking into consideration the gravity of the charge levelled against the accused, namely that he personally supervised the killing of more than 30,000 men, women and children, and considering the extreme display of cruelty which the subject showed when carrying out his tasks, the accused Herberts Cukurs is hereby sentenced to death." The assassination sent shockwaves worldwide. Media outlets initially dismissed the note as a prank, but upon discovering the body, the gravity of the operation became evident. The mission was a stark reminder of the atrocities committed and to deter any attempts to grant amnesty to Nazi war criminals—a topic under debate in West Germany at the time. Cukurs's death was a message: justice doesn't forget. Even decades later, those who perpetrated unimaginable horrors would be held accountable, ensuring that the memories of their victims were honoured and that history would not repeat itself. ## Tracking Franz Stangl – "The Commandant of Treblinka" Franz Stangl didn't just run a concentration camp—he ran one of the deadliest places in human history. As Commandant of Treblinka, he oversaw the extermination of nearly 900,000 Jews in just over a year. He wasn't just another SS officer following orders. He was efficient, methodical, and disturbingly detached. Stangl saw himself as a simple administrator. He later admitted he never thought about the victims—only about keeping the process running smoothly. He viewed Treblinka like a factory. His job wasn't to kill, just to ensure the machine worked. After the war, he was arrested by American forces—but like many Nazis, he found a way out. In 1948, he escaped a prison camp in Austria and fled to Italy, where he was hidden by a network of Nazi sympathisers and members of the Catholic clergy. With forged papers, he boarded a ship to Brazil. There, he built a new life. A family man, a hardworking employee at a Volkswagen factory in São Paulo. He was a ghost—another Nazi who had vanished into the world. For nearly two decades, no one knew where he was. Then came Simon Wiesenthal—the relentless Nazi hunter. A survivor of the camps, Wiesenthal had dedicated his life to tracking down those who had escaped justice. He followed a trail of old Nazi connections, tracing Stangl to Brazil in the mid-1960s. Once Mossad got the intelligence, they acted. Unlike Cukurs, Stangl wasn't to be assassinated—he was to be dragged back to face justice. With the help of Brazilian authorities, Stangl was arrested in 1967 at his home in São Paulo. He was caught off guard—after more than 20 years on the run, he had finally let his guard down. He was extradited to West Germany, where he was put on trial for the murder of 900,000 people. Stangl showed little remorse, claiming he was just a soldier doing his duty. His sentence: life in prison. But justice didn't wait long. In 1971, six months after his conviction, he died in his cell of heart failure. One more Nazi wiped from the earth. ## The Failed Assassination of Josef Mengele – "The Angel of Death Slips Away" If there was one man who deserved a brutal end, it was Josef Mengele—Auschwitz's Angel of Death. A doctor in title only, Mengele carried out grotesque human experiments on prisoners. He was obsessed with twins, injecting chemicals into their eyes to try and change their colour, sewing them together in cruel, senseless procedures. He conducted surgeries without anaesthesia, subjected children to freezing experiments, and decided, with a flick of his wrist, who would live and who would die. Unlike many Nazis who fled in desperation, Mengele planned his escape well in advance. He knew the war was lost, and he had no intention of being captured. In 1949, with forged papers, he slipped into Argentina, just like Eichmann. But unlike Eichmann, Mengele never hid his name. He lived openly, socialising with other Nazis in Buenos Aires. He ran a business, swam at private clubs, and even applied for German citizenship under his real identity. He was confident, untouchable. Mossad had their eyes on him. In 1960, the same team that had just captured Eichmann was given a second target: Mengele. They had found his home. They had a plan. But they had a problem. Two simultaneous extractions were too risky. The Eichmann operation had exposed Mossad's presence in Argentina, and security forces were already on alert. They had to prioritise Eichmann—a guaranteed capture—over Mengele, who had layers of protection around him. By the time they returned for him, Mengele was gone. He had escaped to Paraguay and later Brazil, aided by influential friends. He remained on the move, always one step ahead of his hunters. In the 1970s, Simon Wiesenthal got close—but never quite close enough. Mossad tried again and again. They sent agents. They tracked leads. But Mengele had learned from Eichmann's fate—he became a ghost, constantly relocating, avoiding routine, trusting no one. In 1979, the chase ended—not with a bullet, but with water. Mengele, living under an alias in Brazil, suffered a stroke while swimming. He drowned in front of friends who knew exactly who he was but buried him under his false identity. For years, there were doubts. Was it another act of deception? It wasn't until DNA testing in 1992 confirmed it—Mengele was dead. Mossad never forgave themselves for letting him slip through their fingers. He didn't deserve to die a free man. ## The Hunt for Alois Brunner – "The Ghost of Damascus" Alois Brunner was one of Adolf Eichmann's most trusted men. A dedicated SS officer, he was directly responsible for deporting over 100,000 Jews to the gas chambers. He organised transports from Austria, Greece, Slovakia, and France, personally ensuring that thousands of men, women, and children boarded trains bound for extermination. Unlike some Nazis who later claimed ignorance, Brunner was unapologetic. Even decades after the war, he was proud of what he had done. He once told a journalist, "All of them deserved to die. I regret nothing." Brunner was supposed to be among those tried at Nuremberg. But when the war ended, he disappeared. For years, intelligence agencies searched for him. He wasn't in South America. He wasn't in Europe. Then, in the 1950s, Mossad confirmed the truth: Brunner had fled to Syria. There, under the protection of the Syrian government, he advised the regime on intelligence and torture techniques. He was, essentially, untouchable. Syria refused to extradite him, and any attempt to extract him would be a diplomatic disaster. So, Mossad got creative. In 1961, he was sent a letter bomb by Military Intelligence Unit 188, a branch of the Israel Defense Forces. When Brunner opened it, it exploded, blinding him in one eye. But Mossad wasn't finished. In 1980, they sent another letter bomb, disguised with packaging from an Austrian herb distributor he had previously used. This time, he lost four fingers. Still, Brunner remained defiant. From his hideout in Damascus, he boasted about his crimes, occasionally granting interviews where he spat on his victims' memories. The world never got to see him on trial. In the 1990s, as Syria fell into turmoil, Brunner disappeared completely. Brunner was sentenced to death in absentia in France in 1954, and for crimes against humanity in 2001. Reports surfaced that he had died sometime between 2001 and 2010, in miserable conditions in a basement under house arrest. One of the former guards said that Brunner, who went by the name of Abu Hussein, "suffered and cried a lot in his final years. He couldn't even wash himself and ate only eggs or potatoes." Mossad never caught him. But they made sure his life was one of pain, fear, and isolation. He never knew peace—just as his victims never had a chance to. ## The Hunted They thought they could disappear. That time would erase their crimes, that the world would forget. But Israel didn't forget. The men who orchestrated genocide—who sent millions to their deaths with the cold efficiency of bureaucrats—believed they could live out their days in peace. Some of them did, slipping through the cracks of history. But for others, Mossad was waiting. These missions weren't just about revenge. They were about justice. About remembrance. About sending a message that no matter how many years passed, the crimes of the Holocaust would never be ignored. Some were captured and made to answer for their actions in court. Others were executed in the shadows, their deaths a whispered warning to those who might follow in their footsteps. The message was clear: There is no hiding from history. *Olivier Guiberteau* ## Key Takeaways - After WWII, many Nazis escaped to South America and lived openly or under new identities. - Israel's Mossad agency relentlessly tracked down and captured or killed Nazi war criminals. - Adolf Eichmann, the architect of the Holocaust, was captured in Argentina and tried in Israel. - Herbert Cukurs, known as the Butcher of Riga, was assassinated by Mossad in Uruguay. - Josef Mengele, the Angel of Death, evaded capture and died in Brazil under an alias. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Who was Adolf Eichmann and what was his role in the Holocaust? Adolf Eichmann was the architect of the Holocaust. As an SS officer, he oversaw the logistics of mass deportations, sending millions of Jews to their deaths with the precision of an accountant. ### How did Mossad capture Adolf Eichmann? Mossad agents staked out Eichmann's house for weeks, watching his routine. They then captured him as he walked home from the bus, held him in a safe house for nine days, and smuggled him out of Argentina disguised as a drunk flight crew member on an Israeli plane. ### What was the outcome of Adolf Eichmann's trial? Eichmann was sentenced to death on December 15, 1961, and was hanged on June 1, 1962. His body was cremated, and his ashes were scattered at sea to prevent any grave or shrine from being created. ### Who was Herbert Cukurs and what were his crimes? Herbert Cukurs was a Latvian SS officer known as the 'Butcher of Riga.' He played a pivotal role in the massacre of over 30,000 Jews during the Holocaust, including the Rumbula massacre. ### How did Mossad execute Herbert Cukurs? Mossad agent Yaakov Meidad, posing as a wealthy Austrian businessman, lured Cukurs to a safe house in Montevideo, Uruguay. There, Cukurs was overpowered and executed with a single gunshot to the head. ### Who was Franz Stangl and what was his role in the Holocaust? Franz Stangl was the Commandant of Treblinka, overseeing the extermination of nearly 900,000 Jews in just over a year. He saw himself as a simple administrator, ensuring the efficient operation of the camp. ### How was Franz Stangl captured? Simon Wiesenthal tracked Stangl to Brazil, and with the help of Brazilian authorities, Mossad arrested him at his home in São Paulo in 1967. He was extradited to West Germany and sentenced to life in prison. ### Who was Josef Mengele and why was he known as the 'Angel of Death'? Josef Mengele was a doctor at Auschwitz who conducted grotesque human experiments on prisoners, particularly twins. He decided who would live and who would die with a flick of his wrist, earning him the nickname 'Angel of Death'. ### How did Josef Mengele evade capture? Mengele escaped to Paraguay and later Brazil, aided by influential friends. He constantly relocated, avoiding routine and trusting no one. He drowned in Brazil in 1979 while swimming after suffering a stroke. ### Who was Alois Brunner and what was his role in the Holocaust? Alois Brunner was one of Adolf Eichmann's most trusted men, responsible for deporting over 100,000 Jews to the gas chambers. He organised transports from various countries and was unapologetic about his crimes. ## Sources - [Original Side Projects video: 5 Times Israel Hunted Down Nazis](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcCKrv_Ne6w) ## Related Coverage