Ernst Werner Techow

Who was Ernst Werner Techow?

Ernst Werner Techow was a German right-wing assassin. In 1922, he took part in the assassination of the Foreign Minister of Germany Walther Rathenau. After his release from prison Techow initially joined the Nazi party, but soon fell out with the movement and dropped into obscurity. Late in World War II he joined the Volkssturm. He was killed after being captured by the Soviet Red Army near Dresden on May 9, 1945. Legend has it that Techow changed his political beliefs after his release from prison, joined the French Foreign Legion under the name of "Tessier" and later embarked on helping Jews escape from occupied France. This completely unfounded narrative can be traced back to hearsay that American journalist George W. Herald had turned into a story for Harper's Magazine in 1943.