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Frederick "Fred" Mayer (born October 28, 1921 in Freiburg) is a German-born Jewish American who was an OSS agent for the United States during World War II. He negotiated the surrender of the German Army in Innsbruck, Austria in 1945 after he was captured in Operation Greenup. ==Background== Friedrich Mayer was born in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden, Germany, into a Jewish family. His father, Heinrich Mayer, had served in the Imperial German Army during World War I, and was decorated with the Iron Cross Second Class for gallantry during the Battle of Verdun.〔O'Donnell 2009, p. 5〕 After finishing high school, Friedrich Mayer worked as a diesel mechanic with the Ford Motor Company. He lived by a practical motto: "Do your best at everything every day, control what you can, and what you can't, don't worry about".〔O'Donnell 2009, p. 5〕 After the Nazis came to power in the early 1930s, antisemitism became an official policy of the German government. Mayer's father hoped his distinguished military record would protect his family, but his wife insisted that the family leave Germany while they still could. They emigrated to the United States in 1938, one year before World War II broke out in Europe. Frederick Mayer worked at twenty different jobs during his time in New York City. When one of his bosses made an antisemitic remark, Mayer knocked him down and resigned on the spot, just as he had previously done in Germany.〔O'Donnell 2009, pp. 5-6〕 In December 1941, following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor Mayer enlisted in the United States Army. During a training exercise in Arizona, he crossed the "enemy" line and "captured" several officers, including a brigadier general. The general said, "You can't do that! You are breaking the rules!" Mayer replied, "War is not fair. The rules of war are to win." The general raised his hands in the air, admitting defeat.〔O'Donnell 2009, p. 4〕 Mayer was trained in demolition, infiltration, raiding, sniping, and hand-to-hand combat. His knowledge of several European languages (German, French, Spanish) made him a good candidate for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). Mayer's group of 30 men included four other European Jewish refugees: George Gerbner (Hungary), Alfred Rosenthal (Germany), Bernd Steinitz (Germany) and Hans Wynberg (Netherlands). Each of them spoke at least two European languages, all were familiar with the European environment, and all were eager to do what they could to defeat the Nazis. Eventually, all five would serve in Austria in various OSS operations. Mayer became commander of Operation Greenup, with Wynberg serving as his radio operator.〔O'Donnell 2009, pp. 57-59〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Frederick Mayer (spy)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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