funds or (according to some sources) by Austrian intelligence, Skorzeny set up a secret organization named Die Spinne (English: "The Spider"), which helped as many as 600 former SS men escape from Germany to Spain, Argentina, and from there to other countries. Over the years, Skorzeny, Gehlen, and their network of collaborators supposedly gained enormous influence in Europe and Latin America. Death In 1970, a cancerous tumour was discovered on Skorzeny's spine. Two tumours were later removed while he was staying at a hospital in Hamburg, leaving him temporarily paralyzed. Skorzeny died of lung cancer on 5 July 1975 in Madrid. He was 67 years old. At no point in his life did Skorzeny ever denounce Nazism. He was given a Roman Catholic funeral Mass in Madrid on 7 August 1975. His body was cremated afterwards, and his ashes were later taken to Vienna to be interred in the Skorzeny family plot at Döblinger Friedhof. His funerals in Madrid and Vienna were attended by former SS colleagues who gave the Hitler salute, and also sang some of Hitler's favourite songs. Skorzeny was portrayed in the television drama series Mussolini: The Untold Story and Mussolini and I, and the drama film Walking with the Enemy (2014). Awards Iron Cross (1939) Second Class (26 August 1941) & First Class (12 September 1943) Knights Cross of the Iron Cross, 13 September 1943; Oak Leaves, 9 April 1945 (826th) See also Citations General and cited references Annussek, Greg (2005). Hitler's Raid To Save Mussolini , Da Capo Press, . Durschmied, Erik (1990), Don't Shoot the Yanqui, Grafton Books, . Durschmied, Erik (2001), Whisper of the Blade, Coronet Books, . Foley, Charles (1987), Commando Extraordinary, Arms & Armour, . Infield, Glenn (1981), Secrets of the SS, Stein and Day, . Skorzeny, Otto, David Johnson transl. (1995), My Commando Operations: The Memoirs of Hitler's Most Daring Commando, Schiffer Publishing, . Skorzeny, Otto (1997), Skorzeny's Special Missions, Greenhill Books, . Smith, Stuart (2018), Otto Skorzeny - The Devil's Disciple, Osprey/Bloomsbury, . Tetens, T. H. (1961), The New Germany and the Old Nazis, Random House/Marzani & Munsell; LCN 61–7240. Wechsberg, Joseph (1967), The Murderers Among Us—The Simon Wiesenthal Memoirs, McGraw Hill, LCN 67–13204. Whiting, Charles (1998), Skorzeny: "The Most Dangerous Man in Europe", DaCapo Press; . Explanatory notes External links Trial of Otto Skorzeny and Others, General Military Government Court of the U.S. Zone of Germany, 18 August