The Retro Blog

Is this not the best headline you’ve ever read? Modern Mechanix brings us the story of Alfred Victor Redl and how he started World War I. Here’s a delightful segment of the sordid tale:

Outwardly he was a virile, much-decorated Colonel on the General Staff of the proudest army in Europe, chief of his country’s Counter-intelligence Corps, respected confidant of an Emperor and his heir.

Behind the scenes he was a purple pansy who delighted in posing for photos in the nude while engaged in shocking perversions—and one of the most infamous traitors in history. His betrayal of Austria’s top secret war plans helped to spark World War I, and brought about the ruin of his country and the downfall of a dynasty that had ruled for more than 600 years.