Treasure with Bill Burrud: HITLER'S GOLD

[Music] one day last year in the snow covered mountains of Austria these two people made a startling Discovery a discovery that brought to light the little known story of a Gestapo officer an Army Major and Hitler's go treasure with your host Bill burrett thank you very much welcome to our treasure program well tonight we have an unusual treasure tale for you it takes place in Austria in the Magnificent setting of the Austrian Alps it concerns the struggle between two men both of them in the German army during World War II The Struggle over the secret location of a rich gold mine in the mountains now let's return to the ski slopes of the Austrian Alps and those two skiers who made that discovery that brought this story to the attention of the [Music] world the time 1958 the place a ski resort in Austria subject to the discovery of a body in the snow hardly the type of a thing you'd expect to find while skiing with your best girl but then when you think about it the snow on these slopes covers many things that have been left by the passing years things from the terrible years of World War II and as his girl left to get help this young man wondered wondered what story this dead man could tell he could see that there was a uniform covering the body the uniform of a member of Hitler's Armed Forces a grotesque reminder of the Nazis preserved in the snow in this elevation undiscovered till [Music] now who could he be how did he end up at this particular place and then he found something something that might furnish a clude at least part of the answer a small red notebook and written written in long hand was one of the most fascinating stories to ever come out of World War II it was a story of life and death struggle for gold high in the Austrian Alps the story began in the early days of the war the Nazis overrunning the small countries of Europe their War Machine and high gear they were practically Invincible from the submarine pens at Keel brah havan dorf the under sea craft shipped out to sea they wrecked Havoc upon the Allied ships [Music] the war effort was going well for Germany but with every torpedo fired every bomb dropped the cost continued to M the old city of Munich a plan was beginning to take [Music] form the Allied bombers were taking their toll of Germany's factories every day and the third right the Third Reich was laboring laboring Round the Clock to keep up with the demands of the war effort the government desperately needed more money and in an old house on maximan stas a little man with big Ambitions had already started working on this problem his name was H fety he was a mining expert a loyal Nazi he summoned a young Army Major for a conference a man named Hans geart who before the war had been a mining engineer working in the Austrian Alps ha fetting explained that this project had top priority with the Nazi government in fact the furer himself had said this project must succeed without fail and then he went on to explain explain that Gart had been assigned to reopen a gold mine in the little town of badgastein at one time this mine had been a rich source of gold but then the Ore had been worked out now now it was up up to gean to reopen that mind to try to try to find out whether there was still a rich vein of gold in the earth surrounding the M sha gold that could help save the war in a fetting reminded major Gart of the rewards if he succeeded in finding that go but he added if you should fail if you should say fail the fur would be very upset the next day major geart was on his way to badas and so major Gearhart arrived arrived in bastan he thought of the many times that he'd been there in the past during peace time in those days it had been a gay Carefree little town now almost deserted except for the old people the old people who had been left behind mind as unfit for the Army and as he walked through the empty streets he met two of them he asked for directions to the mind and they pointed to the mountain side but they added he was wasting his time in going up there after all the mine had been worked out everyone knew that nevertheless major Gart continued on toward the old mine he'd been assigned to this project he'd have to bring back some kind of answer to the authorities a short time later he found a group of former miners drafted them into going back to work in the tunnels they grumbled they complained but it did them no good the young major had the authority of the Nazi government behind him the authority could not be denied and the Nazis needed money money to continue the war and so they headed for the old M sha a collection of unwilling recruits major Hans garhart who in his own way in his heart was the most unwilling one of [Music] all once inside the mine the major discovered that the old man in the village were right the mine was done worked out useless no sign of gold in it and so he left it behind and went into the mountains he knew that his superiors expected him to make an exhaustive search a search of the entire area in an effort to find gold gold that could be used to finance the war with the Allies perhaps somewhere up here in the mountains of Austria he could find a continuation of the rich vein that had been a part of the abandoned mine at bad gustan if he did find it it probably would mean a a promotion for him perhaps even a a much larger reward in the back of his mind though Hans knew that he really hoped he wouldn't find it he had his own personal reasons his own reasons as he as he began to ski Down The Long slope his thoughts went back back to the years before the war he'd worked he'd lived in these magnificent Alps life had been good then with his mother his father he' lived in a small village not far from here there been a girl a girl that he planned to marry one day the future looked bright his his thoughts went to those days of peace now all that changed his mother and father killed his girl sent to Berlin to work in the Army he hadn't seen her for over a year and suddenly the war and everything that went with it seemed useless andal would end to [Music] his train of thought was interrupted by the sight of a large outcropping of rocks a strange outcropping he picked up a sample he found definite signs of an ore deposit from his knowledge of the area the strata of The Rock he knew that this could very well be a Rich vein perhaps the same vein that once ran down through the Earth ended in the mine at badas time far below his curiosity was aroused now he had to know the answer even though he wanted no part of helping the Nazi war effort then there it was a rich deposit of gold glittering in the sunlight from the appearance of the ore it could be an important Discovery just what the German government needed to continue the war effort major Gearhart wanted to be sure he dug into the ore with his hunting knife he found more of the precious metal this was it he'd accomplished his mission but there was still a big problem should he report his Discovery or not if he did it would be a definite help for the Nazis if he didn't it would be his contribution toward bringing the war nearer to an end by triangulation on the surrounding mountain peaks he was able to definitely establish the position of the gold or deposit carefully he took his measurements wrote it all down on an overlay and then folding it carefully ever so carefully he put it away in his pack for safekeeping he was ready to leave but he forgot one thing his hunting knife still stuck in that log in his concern over the discovery of gold he neglected to take the knife with him that night in a beer hall in Bodin major Gart found the villagers laughing and singing as though it might be the last chance they to have to enjoy themselves he couldn't share their false gay he was writing his report for H fetting just as he was finishing it a man suddenly stopped at his table a member of the Gestapo his name major van wolfin this could mean only one thing H fetting had sent vanon wolfin to check up on him Hans had heard about this man ambitious ruthless as the Gusto men were they ordered beer and then the Gestapo man proposed a toast to the furer to victory over the Allies a toast to the much needed gold as they drank gearhart's mind was racing and then came that that inevitable question van wolfen wondered that he found the source of gold hun said no no the die was cast he'd committed himself if Von wolfen ever discovered that he was lying his white life wouldn't be worth two reiches marks major gearhart's answer didn't satisfy the gastao man he announced the next day he would accompany Hots accompany him into the mountains as they left the beer hall he added we must find that gold major no matter what the cost believe me we will the following morning they went into the mountains the Alps near badgastein major geart tried to throw van wolfen off the track telling him the ore deposit couldn't be possibly where he thought it was but the Gestapo man was stubborn he insisted in making all of the [Music] decisions and so they started off headed right for the mountain where Hans had discovered the rich vein of gold [Applause] the next day they were getting uncomfortably close close to the sight of the Rocks where Hans had found the gold the gold that could save Germany he was desperately trying to think of a way to throw them off their course it wasn't easy Von wolin seemed to have an uncanny way of knowing where to look for the precious metal it was impossible for HS to dispose of him with a bullet because on had brought along three armed men from the Nazi ski troops they continued to argue Hans kept hoping he could lead them away from the gold then it happened he removed his pack The Notebook fell out into the snow van wolfen saw it picked it up he looked at the overlay that hats had made at the site of the gold deposit that was all he needed to [Music] see he put the notebook the overlay inside his jacket waiting now for major geart to walk into the Trap [Music] hat looked The Notebook the overlay were missing it could only be one answer van wolfin had them his lie had been discovered now he had to make a break for it Von wolfen determined to bring him back he mustn't be allowed to [Music] escape [Music] Von wolfen studied the overlay again now he would have his chance now he could find the gold prove his worth at the Third Reich the furer would would reward him [Music] handsomely [Music] [Applause] H had fooled his pursuers now he'd have to go back because vanon wolfin would be looking for the gold dear hard checked the pistol [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh Von wolfen had already reached the outcropping of rocks and there still stuck in the log was Major gearhart's hunting knife now he was sure this had to be the rocks that were shown on the [Music] map and here he hear a piece of ore that looked very promising with gearhart's knife he decided to cut into that piece of ore to see if there was if there was really gold he found what he wanted but it wasn't so simple after [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] all [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] dear har was out of ammunition Ron wolin waited for him to make a [Music] move hunt had no choice all he could do was try to get away [Music] [Applause] [Music] Von wolfin wasn't so lucky the gun fired start in the [Music] [Applause] [Music] Avalanche that was the story carefully written down in a little red book unknown until the skier found major van wolin's body buried in the snow just last year this girl returned with a B from the ski lot they would have to take the body back they would have to notify the [Music] police [Music] but the strange story was not quite over for one of the men who came down from the lodge to help was named H garhart formerly a major in the German Army he put the notebook in his pocket major Von wolfin wouldn't be needing it any longer the other men were quite excited about the the discovery of the dead body a strange reminder of World War II kept in the snow of the high elevations the villagers in badgastein would be talking about it for months and they prepared to take that long Trek Back to the [Music] lodge and Hans took the overlay that he' drawn so many years before and tore it up for several years now the gold that he'd found on the mountain had been put to good use it was used to help of Germany dedicated to peace but then thought Hans that's something that Von wolfin wouldn't understand the struggle for Hitler's goal had come to an end and his mind went back to the words of Von wolfin in the beer HW we must find the gold no matter what the cost many great men have attained the highest office in the land the presidency of the United States can you guess the name of this man he was a delegate to the first and second continental congresses and won initial theme for himself as one of the committee which Drew up the Declaration of Independence he was known as the master Diplomat negotiating treaties with France Great Britain the Netherlands and Prussia he was also America's first ambassador to England it was this man who proposed George Washington as commanderin-chief of the American forces during the Revolutionary War and he later served as vice president under Washington you should have Name by now but if you don't here's one more important clue he lived to see his own son become president now can you identify this [Music] man he was John Adams second president of the United States his life is part of your American heritage [Music] pap [Music] [Applause] oh [Applause] [Music] your Crews throughout the West are flown by Western Airlines the wonderful way to fly in Western America