La Chouette

The place

La Chouette ("The Owl"): A Secret Organization Hunting Nazi War Criminals La Chouette is a secret organization said to have been formed to secretly continue the hunt for Nazi war criminals after Israel officially abandoned it in 1960. The capture of Adolf Eichmann in Argentina by the Mossad that same year had raised questions about the legality, under international law, of the tracking operations conducted by Israel. Background and Disclosure The existence of La Chouette was revealed in 2002 by Dany Baz, a former colonel in the Israeli Air Force, in his book "Ni oubli, ni pardon. Au cœur de la traque du dernier Nazi" ("Neither Forgetting Nor Forgiveness: At the Heart of the Hunt for the Last Nazi"). Founded in the 1970s, the organization is said to have ceased operations in the late 1980s. Some of its members allegedly had ties to the CIA and the FBI. Its presumed leader was said to be a concentration camp survivor who had grown rich in the US oil industry. He is said to have funded the tracking operations with contributions of $6 million, in reference to the 6 million Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Operations and Actions Carried Out According to Dany Baz, La Chouette identified and executed members of the "Shock Squad 5", responsible for massacring Jews in the Balkans, as well as former members of the Hungarian Arrow Cross. Furthermore, members of the organization allegedly apprehended, tried, and put to death Nazi war criminal Aribert Heim on Catalina Island in 1982. However, the Simon Wiesenthal Center stated that this information was incorrect and that Aribert Heim still remained on the list of Operation Last Chance, aimed at capturing and trying the last living Nazis. Sources and Rebuttals The organization La Chouette remains shrouded in mystery and controversy, caught between claims of its heroic acts of justice and rebuttals from established historical organizations such as the Simon Wiesenthal Center. Related Links Operation Last Chance Nakam Additional Information The organization La Chouette is believed to be no longer active today, but its story continues to spark debate and questions within the historical and memorial community.