Shmuel Birnbaum

Shmuel Birnbaum was a survivor of the Nazi mass murder of Jews during World War II. Prior to being sent to Auschwitz, Birnbaum had been used as slave-labor by Reinhard Heydrich sometime between 1943-1944. Birnbaum had helped dig the network of mines and tunnels at the base of the Alps the German Freedom Front used as its headquarters after the war ended. Birnbaum was sent to Auschwitz specifically so he would be eliminated. However, he survived. In 1947, Birbaum was in Berlin. After being shot in the leg by a Soviet soldier, and then taken into custody by two NKVD officer, Moisei Shteinberg and Vladimir Bokov. When Birnbaum told them his story, the two quickly realized that Birnbaum was a valuable resource. Because the Alps were in the American zone of occupied Germany], the NKVD men were able to persude their superior [[Yuri Vlasov that Birnbaum should be turned over to the U.S.

Birnbaum accompanied Bokov to Fent's Establishment, which had, before the war, been owned by Adolf Hitler's half-broth Alois. Birnbaum saw the old name bleed through the paint of the new name, and tried to back out, but Bokov forced him in.

Once Birnbaum and Bokov contacted two Americans, Howard Frank and Lou Weissberg, Birnbaum calmed down some, as both Americans were also Jews, and had, in an interesting coincidence, given Birnbaum money and food just before Birnbaum was taken into Soviet custody. Birnbaum went with the Americans, hoping to prevent the Nazis from ever rising again.