Nazi Involvement
Immediately after the Anschluss of March 1938, Harrer on 1 April 1938 joined the Schutzstaffel (SS) where he held the rank of Oberscharführer (Sergeant), and on 1 May 1938 he became a member of the Nazi Party. After their ascent of the Eiger North Face the four climbers were received by and photographed with Adolf Hitler. Harrer later said he wore his SS uniform only once, the day of his marriage to Charlotte Wegener, daughter of the eminent explorer and scholar Alfred Wegener. After returning to Europe in 1952, Harrer was cleared of any pre-war crimes and this was later supported by Simon Wiesenthal. In his memoir, Beyond Seven Years in Tibet, Harrer called his involvement with the Nazi Party a mistake made in his youth when he had not yet learned to think for himself.
Read more about this topic: Heinrich Harrer
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