- "To the victor belongs the spoils!"
- ―Weber[src]
Oberführer Weber was a Nazi official in the Schutzstaffel who oversaw the transfer of looted art and artifacts into Germany from occupied territories during World War II.
He encountered the American archaeologist Indiana Jones in 1944 while Weber's forces were evacuating a German-held French castle of its plunder.
Biography[]
In 1944, Colonel Weber was at the head of a SS operation retrieving looted antiquities from an old occupied castle in eastern France during an Allied airplane bombardment of the fortress and the surrounding area. Another obstacle was the capture of an American spy, the archaeologist Indiana Jones, who was trying to infiltrate the castle and recover the Lance of Longinus. Weber tried to interrogate him, but Jones simply stated he was there because the Nazis had plenty of nice stuff: other people's stuff. Weber proclaimed that to the victor belonged the spoils, to which Jones pointed out that Berlin was rubble and the the Führer was in hiding, that meant Germany was losing the war. With an eye twitch betraying his composure, Weber left Jones behind to be lynched by his soldiers.[1]
Voller and Weber discover the fake Lance of Longinus.
Just as he was entering the castle's courtyard, Weber was stopped by his associate, Doctor Jürgen Voller who had found the Holy Lance. Together, they opened the crate their soldiers were carrying, and, wanting to take the legendary relic to Adolf Hitler as soon as possible, Weber sent it to be loaded alongside the other loot onto a a plunder train and departed.[1]
During the journey through the French Alps, Weber's soldiers brought him Basil Shaw, Jones's friend and accomplice. However, the questioning of the so-called "birdwatcher" was interrupted by Voller, who informed Weber that the spear they had found was fake, a modern reproduction of the original. Furious at the possibility of going back to Hitler empty-handed, Weber didn't pay attention when Voller told him that they had half of a much more powerful relic in their possession, the Antikythera. Weber dismissed the physicist's claims as rubbish.[1]
Indiana Jones and Basil encountered Weber in 1944.
In that moment, an alarm was sounded in the remaining wagons. Indiana Jones had managed to escape death and boarded the train. As he was being chased through the train by Weber and his soldiers, Jones managed to free Shaw and they both climbed on top of the train, trying to escape with the Antikythera. A group of soldiers manned an anti-aircraft gun mounted on a freight wagon but an Allied plane attacked the train and killed the Nazis. Damaged, the out-of-control gun started shooting up the train, systematically picking off the remaining soldiers on board. Weber eventually reached Jones and, although he was armed with a handgun, opted to fight the archaeologist one-on-one wielding the Spear tip like a dagger. During the brawl, the Nazi officer was shot while trying to stab Jones by Shaw who had retrieved Weber's gun in all the confusion. Mortally wounded, Weber turned back to Jones, who quickly kicked the colonel from the train to his death.[1]
Behind the scenes[]
Weber was portrayed by Thomas Kretschmann in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.[2] Incidentally, Kretschmann is known for having played several German or German-accented characters, including either historical or fictional Nazis, throughout his acting career, such as Wernher von Braun, who inspired Mads Mikkelsen's Jürgen Voller, in the TV series Project Blue Book.
During the film, Weber is addressed by his soldiers several times as "Herr Oberst". Oberst is actually a rank in the Wehrmacht, and Weber was a member of the SS, which had its own system of ranks. Weber would have been properly addressed as "Oberführer". This confusion on the production's part is perhaps because both the Army rank of Oberst and the SS rank of Oberführer represent the rank of Colonel. Also, when Weber exits the car he is approached by an officer with the rank insignia of Sturmbannführer (Major) who gives him a standard military salute to which Weber responds with the same salute. Historically, all the SS officers and soldiers used the Nazi salute instead of the military salute.[1]
Appearances[]
- Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (First appearance)
