Clara Stauffer
Clara Stauffer | |
---|---|
Spanish | |
Organization | Sección Femenina |
Movement | Falangism |
Clara Stauffer (1904–October 4, 1984) was a Spanish
Early life and Spanish Civil War
Clara Stauffer was born in Madrid in 1904.[1] Her father was Konrad Stauffer, a German brewer that had taken charge of the Mahou brewery after he immigrated to Spain in 1889.[2] Her mother was Clara Sofía Loewe,[1] a member of the prominent Loewe family.[2] Stauffer spent some of her childhood in Germany,[3]: 133 while also spending time among Madrid's high society.[2] She was already a prominent figure in Madrid by 1931 due to her athletic accomplishments as one of the city's first female athletes,[2] where she excelled in swimming and skiing.[3]: 133 Stauffer won a swimming competition in 1931 by crossing the Peñalara lagoon in under two minutes,[1] and in 1938 she was the first woman to attempt the Flying Kilometer skiing race of St. Moritz. She failed to complete the latter event, but at one point achieved a speed of 65.59 miles per hour (105.56 km/h).[3]: 133 To maintain her athletic prowess, she insisted on walking wherever she traversed the city. Besides athletics, she was also multilingual and was able to play the piano.[2]
Stauffer moved back to Spain permanently in 1936.
Nazi collaboration
In 1943, Stauffer accompanied Pilar Primo de Rivera to Germany on a mission to strengthen relations between Germany and Spain.
After the end of World War II in Europe, Stauffer became a major figure in Spanish–German relief efforts, which she helped form alongside José Boos.[5][6]: 491 The Spanish government tacitly endorsed the operation but advised them not to heavily publicize or formalize their work.[6]: 491 Over the following years, she worked to hide and find employment for Nazis escaping to Spain, and she became involved with the ratlines that smuggled Nazis to Argentina.[5] Her work was primarily funded by Johannes Bernhardt, a German–Spanish businessman.[3]: 137
Much of her work involved securing the release of Nazis who were imprisoned in Spain, such as those at the Sobron internment camp, by taking charge of them in the capacity of a charitable organization.[3]: 137 [6]: 493 Stauffer's apartment became a hub for the smuggling effort and she kept numerous outfits to serve as disguises for Nazis.[1] Her supply was considerable; her nephew described each room as "filled with dozens of pairs of boots, shirts, jackets, trousers, socks and gloves".[3]: 136 She is estimated to have aided 800 Nazis in their escape to Spain,[7] including figures such as Léon Degrelle, Otto Skorzeny, and Adolf Eichmann.[1][2]
Stauffer's activities became publicly known on 23 January 1945, after British journalist Sefton Delmer published an interview with her in the Daily Express. The interview was allegedly about her work in assisting refugees, but it was coupled with an anonymous statement from a Nazi, signed "Rodak", explaining that her refugees were exclusively Nazis escaping from justice.[2] Two years later, her name was included on the Allied Control Council repatriation list of 104 individuals in Spain wanted for their involvement in Nazi crimes. She was the only woman on the list, and she was responsible for sheltering many of the others.[1] She maintained a working relationship with the Spanish government, which permitted her activities and prevented her extradition.[3]: 134 In 1948, Stauffer was afflicted with pleurisy, which was attributed to the constant working and traveling she engaged in as part of the ratline.[3]: 133
Death and legacy
Stauffer lived in Madrid for the rest of life, where she was a prominent member of the city's social life. She died in Madrid on 4 October 1984.
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i García, Javier Martín (2 July 2020). "Clarita Stauffer, la dama que escondía nazis en España" [Clarita Stauffer, the lady who hid Nazis in Spain]. La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 April 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g Pereda, Marcos (17 February 2016). "Odessa en la Sierra Madrileña: la historia de Clara Stauffer". Contexto y Acción (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 28 June 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-307-59248-4.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8262-6282-0.
- ^ S2CID 159528003.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4875-3251-2.
- ^ El Pais (in Spanish). Archivedfrom the original on 26 August 2017. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
- ^ Fanjul, Sergio C. (20 April 2023). "'Los pacientes del doctor García': la Guerra Civil verosímil pero fabulada". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 June 2023.