Why Did So Many Nazi Officers Escape to Argentina After WW2?

After the end of World War II, an international support network facilitated the escape of numerous former officials of the German regime to South America, with Argentina as the main destination. Taking advantage of routes established between Spain, Italy, and Buenos Aires, the fugitives traveled under new identities, using Red Cross passports and visas issued with diplomatic and religious assistance. The government of Juan Domingo Perón, motivated by political and anti-communist reasons, authorized their entry under the pretext of national reconstruction. Figures such as Carlos Fuldner and Rodolfo Freude coordinated operations from the Casa Rosada, linking state agencies with intermediaries in Europe. In Rome and Genoa, the Pontifical Commission for Assistance and Bishop Alois Hudal provided documentation to those seeking refuge. Between 1946 and 1950, more than three thousand Europeans with ties to the Reich entered the country, integrating into German communities, industries, and schools. High-profile cases such as those of Adolf Eichmann and Erich Priebke reveal the structured functioning of this network. Both entered the country with false documents and lived under new identities until they were discovered decades later. The connection between Argentine and European institutions made it possible to keep their whereabouts hidden for years. Recent research shows that, after the change of regime in 1955, many official records were altered or destroyed. However, documents preserved in Europe demonstrate the existence of a coordinated system of protection and transfer. This political, diplomatic, and ecclesiastical network turned Argentina into the main refuge for former members of the Third Reich in the postwar period.