The Nazi of Damascus/ Graphic novel

Serge Klarsfeld (a famous nazi hunter in France) is 8 when Gestapo knocks at his door

With his mother and his sister, they hide in the bottom part af a wardrobe, while his father opens the door

Serge Klarsfeld does not hear anything, only mumbling voices. He says today: "I must have heard Aloïs Brunner's voice. It was his commando team and he was used to make arrests himself"

"Gestapo"

Aloïs Brunner sent Serge Klarsfeld's father to Drancy (a concentration camp in France Aloïs Brunner was responsible for) and then to Auschwitz

"The best man"

Aloïs Brunner was born in 1912. He was one of the first nazis. He was responsible for the implementation of the "Final Solution"

In his memoirs, Adolf Eichmann, the architect of the "Final Solution", says about him: "he was my best man"

Responsible for the deportation to Auschwitz of 56000 Jews from Vienna, 43000 From Thessaloniki (Greece), 14000 from Slovakia and 23500 from France, where he was the director of the camp in Drancy, Aloïs Brunner never paid for his crimes.

1944, the escape

When the nazi regime fell, he escapes thanks to a mistake from the Allies who execute a certain Anton Brunner (SS) in the place of him. Aloïs Brunner follows the flow of refugees,

takes a new identity and is employed by the US Army as a truck driver.

1947, Essen (Germany)

In 1947, he works in a coal factory in Essen (Germany)

1954, Syria

Then in 1953, he flees to Egypt where he rents a room from a Jewish family. In 1985, he says about them: " they were really nice people". But he stays not that long in Egypt. He flees quickly to Damascus with the help of The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem.

1941 - The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem with Hitler

1954-1961: a not clearly stated amnesty?

Condamned to death for "war crimes" by the Court of the Armed Forces in Paris, Aloïs Brunner meets his friend Franz Rademacher in Damascus (the former Chief of the Jewish Affairs department). The later employs Aloïs Brunner in his firm, OTRACO (Orient Trading Company)

It is difficult to investigate on his first 10 years in Syria. His 581 pages file was destroyed in 1994 by the BND, the West-German Secret Services.

The BND said they were "sorry for the accident" when the magazine "Der Spiegel" interviewed them.

Aloïs Brunner (AKA Georg Fischer, his fake identity) could have been an informer for the BND. It would be no wonder, as the chief of the BND was then a former Nazi, Reinhard Gehlen.

1961: Israel does not forget

Aloïs Brunner takes the "bad habit" to write regular letters with the name of Georg Fischer. Among them, one letter in which he invites a friend to read the book of Simon Wiesenthal (another Nazi hunter) : "how I hunted Eichmann".

The US secret services understand Georg Fischer is Aloïs Brunner.

In 1961, first attempted murder against Aloïs Brunner. He loses an eye.

In 1980, second attempted murder against Aloïs Brunner. He loses fingers. The Mossad is still supposed to be responsible for both attacks.

Every countries understand where to find Aloïs Brunner. Austria is the first country that requests the extradition to the Syrian regime.

1966: under the wing of the Assad family

1966: Hafez El Assad becomes the new Ministry of Defense thanks to a "coup". His rising power was built on terror and secrecy with the help of an expert: Aloïs Brunner.

Before 1966, Aloïs Brunner had already helped Abdel Hamid El Saaraj, the pioneering Chief of the Syrian Secret Services.

2000: Hafez El Hassad dies. His son, Bachar El Assad inherits of a perfectly structured power. Aloïs Brunner remains one of his counselors for maintaining the power.

A friend of the El Assad familly says today: every countries knew that he was here in Syria, and active. Countries were just not ready to any deal with Syria to obtain his extradition. He was key for Hafez in every diplomatic deal he made.

In Damascus, father and son never admitted they knew Aloïs Brunner:

Bachar: "Father, do you know any Aloïs Brunner?"

Hafez: "Allo Who?"

Since 60 years, Aloïs Brunners' life and death are a mystery. We thought he had died in 1992. And then we thought he had died in 2010, following the investigation of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Syria till 2014.

In fact, he died in 2001. His body was washed following the Muslim rite and burried at the Al Affif cimetery.

Note: It became so dangerous for The Assad family to hide him, that after using his competencies, they hid him, isolated him for more discretion and finally put in a jail and waited for his death. he ended up like a slave to the power.