Kurt Siegfried Schrader was an SS officer that had defected from the Nazi Germany and had been opposed to the Nazis and had been helping the Austrian Resistance and helped American Forces defend castle Itter from the SS. With his and Josef Gangl's help, they took the weapons left behind, sent out a scout to call for help, and prepared for battle. Soon, a small troop of 15 American soldiers and three members of the Austrian Resistance joined them. In time, word of their fight reached a US battalion that rushed in and saved the day.