Eduard Roschmann - Fictional Portrayal

Fictional Portrayal

A fictionalized version of Roschmann was given in Frederick Forsyth's novel The Odessa File. A film version of the novel was released in 1974, where Roschmann was played by actor Maximilian Schell. In the book and the movie, Roschmann is portrayed as a ruthlessly efficient killer. Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal was portrayed in the film by actor Shmuel Rodensky. Wiesenthal himself also functioned as a "documentary advisor". Historian Schneider sharply disputes this fictionalized image of Roschmann. She describes this fiction novel as "lurid" and containing "many inaccuracies" Among the inaccuracies of Forsyth's fictional version of Roschmann are:

• Roschmann never murdered a Wehrmacht captain at the Latvian port of Liepāja to force his way onto an evacuation ship;
• No mention is made of Rudolf Lange, whom Schneider describes as the real Butcher of Riga;
• Krause is portrayed as Roschmann's deputy, rather than as his predecessor.
• Alois Hudal is incorrectly identified as the "German apostolic nuncio" and a cardinal.
• Roschmann is described as having been sheltered in a "big" Franciscan convent in Genoa which apparently never existed;
• In the book, ODESSA is portrayed as having purchased 7,000 Argentinian passports for people like Roschmann. No explanation is given for why, if this were so, Roschmann would need a travel document from the International Red Cross.

Researcher Matteo San Filippo, who studied the issue of the discrepancies between the fictional and the real Roschmann, gives the following analysis:

We cannot blame Forsyth for being inaccurate. He was writing a thriller, not an historical essay. The role of Wiesenthal in the genesis of the novel is more interesting. Later, the Nazi hunter confessed that he wanted to influence the writer. In fact, Wiesenthal was using the thriller to force Roschmann out into the open, which is what actually happened.

Wiesenthal himself, in his 1990 book Justice Not Vengeance, admitted that he had suggested, in response to Forsyth's inquiry, that Forsyth's book, and the later film, include fictional statements about Roschmann, and that he, Wiesenthal, had done so for the purpose of casting the light on Roschmann and forcing his arrest.