The enemy of my enemy… became my brother in arms.

In the final days of World War II, as Hitler’s regime collapsed and the Western Front pushed deep into Austria, an extraordinary event unfolded—one so surreal, so improbable, that it sounds like the plot of a war movie. But it happened. And it’s true.

May 5, 1945. In the mist-shrouded Tyrolean Alps, a medieval stone fortress known as Castle Itter stood at the center of a harrowing standoff. Inside were some of France’s most important political and military prisoners—former prime ministers, generals, cultural icons—held by the Nazis as "high-value" captives. Outside, an SS assault force prepared for a final bloodbath. But the defense of the castle would come from an alliance so unthinkable it shattered every wartime norm.

A small band of American soldiers. A lone Sherman tank. A handful of German Wehrmacht defectors. Together, they fought side by side to protect their former enemies against a fanatical SS onslaught.

This was not just another skirmish. It was the only known instance in World War II where U.S. and German forces joined together in combat. The battle that unfolded would be brief, brutal, and utterly bizarre—an explosive finale to a war that had already redefined the boundaries of good and evil, loyalty and betrayal.

In The Siege of Castle Itter: The Untold Shocking True Story of a US and German Alliance in WWII, Gary Covella, Ph.D., bestselling author of Mossad’s Nazi Commando, pulls back the curtain on one of the strangest chapters in modern military history. Drawing from newly declassified U.S. military records, rare German field reports, eyewitness accounts, and postwar interviews, this gripping narrative plunges readers into the chaos of a dying regime—and the fleeting spark of unity that defied it.

You’ll witness:

The arrival of a ragtag American unit who had no orders—but knew they had to act.
The moral reckoning of German Major Josef Gangl, a former Nazi officer turned defector who made the ultimate sacrifice.
The eccentric, brilliant, and fiercely combative French prisoners—who took up arms in their own defense.
The ruthless SS troops who surrounded the castle, refusing surrender, determined to die with the Reich.
And at the heart of it all: a crumbling castle caught between worlds, its ancient stone walls holding the line against annihilation.

With cinematic pacing, vivid historical detail, and a deep understanding of the psychological fractures of war, Covella tells a story not just of strategy and firepower, but of humanity—at its worst, and at its best. It’s a tale of desperate choices, impossible alliances, and the strange, stirring power of shared purpose.

If you think you know World War II, think again. This is a battle historians almost missed. A story Hollywood never dared tell. A moment in time when former enemies became unexpected heroes—and history turned on a hinge of courage.

Buy The Siege of Castle Itter now and discover the unbelievable true story that proves, even in history’s darkest hour, honor can shine through.