Waldemar Von Oppenheim

**Croix de Guerre** · 02-09-2012, 06:26 PM

Hey guys, I'm trying to dig up some information on a German officer by the name of Von Oppenheim. Based upon the description I have of him, I am certain that he is part of the famous Von Oppenheim banking family from Cologne. I've checked around and have narrowed it down to this man Waldemar Von Oppenheim, but I need to verify that he was in the German army in WWI. His uncle Max Von Oppenheim was a famous archeologist and was involved in espionage in the East, particularly in India. The Von Oppenheim I am searching for was described as "young' which fits for Waldemar as he was born in 1894 which would've made him 24 in 1918. A Captain Von Oppenheim interrogated a RFC pilot I am researching after he was shot down and captured. Any ideas on where I could search for this Captain Von Oppenheim??

**Croix de Guerre** · 02-10-2012, 03:26 PM

Over on the Aerodrom forum, a contributer posted this info; There was a Lt x Frhr von Oppenheim who served as observer in a FAA in Flandern during summer 1918.

So there was a Baron (or Freiherr) Von Oppenheim in Flanders in 1918.

In the narrative I have my pilot Tommy Thomson of 74 Squadron states that he was picked up by a "Von Oppenheim who was the son of a wealthy Cologne banker, Baron Von Oppenheim. His father's race horses had "won the German Derby last year and whose stable had brought in a million marks". We arrived at a house in Iseghem, (which I later determined belonged to the Oppenheim family,) just in time for dinner. "It was a good dinner too at that, with wine being served in honor of me, their “guest”. We were joined by two other German officers whom all spoke English. One was a pilot and another was assigned to an anti-aircraft battery. "

I just found this link from the NY Times dated July 26, 1914. LEADS ON GERMAN TURF. - Baron von Oppenheim's Earnings So Far This Season Are $125,000. - View Article - NYTimes.com

This keeps getting stranger,,,I've found a mention of a Waldemar Von Oppenheim who is listed in book by Charles Higham "Trading with the Enemy" about a supposed Wall Street/ Third Reich banking connection as being a Nazi Spy in WWII.

**Croix de Guerre** · 02-10-2012, 03:38 PM

So here is what I have so far; In a post-war narrative, George Franklin "Tommy" Thomson of RAF 74 Squadron who was shot down and captured near Armentieres on June 12, 1918, is taken to a divisional HQ somewhere near Steenwercke (France). The following day he is picked up by this Von Oppenheim officer, who Tommy describes as "young, Oxford educated, son of a wealthy Cologne banker whose father made a fortune off of race horses. He is taken to a house owned by the Von Oppenheims in Iseghem (Belgium, north of Courtrai) where he is interviewed by two other German officers (a pilot and an anti-aircraft officer).

The only Von Oppenheim that I can find that fits this bill is Waldemar Von Oppenheim who was possibly involved in espionage work in WWII. What I need is proof positive that the afore mentioned "Lt x Frhr von Oppenheim" is one and the same. The Von Oppenheims were and still are a very wealthy and powerful German family, surely there is some record about this Waldemar fellow.

**Croix de Guerre** · 02-10-2012, 03:54 PM

Here is a little info on the Von Oppenheims and German banking;

The bank was founded in 1789 in the city of Bonn by seventeen-year-old Salomon Oppenheim, Jr. as a commissions and exchange house. Oppenheim dealt in commodities, exchanging of foreign currency, and extending credit.

In 1798, the business, then the most important banking place in Germany, moved to Cologne. In 1828, Salomon Oppenheim, Jr., died, and his wife Therese took over the direction of the bank along with their two sons, Simon and Abraham. Through the marriage of Abraham Oppenheim to Charlotte Beyfus in 1834, the family became closely related to the prominent Rothschild banking family in matters both personal and business-related.

In 1936, the bank voluntarily Aryanised with the addition of Robert Pferdmenges as partner. Likewise, in 1936, the bank absorbed the Jewish Bank of A. Levy. In 1938, the bank signed their name to the newspaper campaign of the Nazi Party as Robert Pferdmenges & Co.. The first private German horse stud farm, Schlenderhan, which was founded by Eduard von Oppenheim in 1869, was transferred to the SS in 1942. After the imprisonment of Waldemar and Friedrich Carl von Oppenheim in 1944, the bank came to a standstill.

In 1945, the bank started up business again under the name of Pferdmenges & Co., and, in 1947, the name was changed back to Sal. Oppenheim Jr. & Cie., with the Oppenheims once again becoming shareholders. The bank, amongst others, helped finance the Auto Union, which later became Audi AG

**Croix de Guerre** · 02-10-2012, 04:02 PM

Baron Friedrich Carl von Oppenheim - The Righteous Among The Nations - Yad Vashem
I found this link about Waldemar's brother Friedrich Von Oppenheim; He was granted the status of "Righteous Among the Nations" by Israel in 1996. Amazing what you find when you start digging! I still have to prove that the Von Oppenheilm that interviewed my pilot was Waldemar Von Oppenheim.