Heinrich Harrer (1912–2006)

Harrer was already a member of the Sturmabteilung (SA) in 1933, when it became an illegal organisation in Austria. In 1938 he joined the Nazi Party and the SS, in which he rose to the higher ranks. After a successful first climb of the north face of the Eiger mountain, he was awarded an honour by Adolf Hitler in person.

When the Nazi regime attacked Poland in 1939, Harrer was in India as part of an expedition to Nanga Parbat. As a member of the SS, he was taken prisoner by the British administration of India. In 1944 he escaped to Tibet, where he became a tutor and advisor to the Dalai Lama. In 1952 he returned to Austria and came to fame with a book about his life in Tibet. A Hollywood film based on this book and starring Brad Pitt was released in 1997.