At a 1985 press conference, Dennis Whiles/Georg Gärtner explains why he is turning himself in after 40 years.

In the first half of the 1970's, Dennis Whiles was a tennis coach in Aptos. He was a pro and one of the winners at the Herb Caine Open in 1972 in Aptos. He lived in the area until about 1975, when he moved to Hawaii.

In 1985, he turned himself in to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. His real name was Georg Gärtner.  He had escaped from a prison of war camp in 1945. He was one of the 250,000 German prisoners held in the United States after capture. Rather than return to Eastern Germany which was then under Soviet control, he decided to escape.

Of the six German soldiers to escape, he was the only one never caught. He was on the most wanted list, and also mentioned in a special footnote in the 1956 bestseller, "The FBI Story."

He was acting as a good citizen for 40 years (once commended for bravery in bringing supplies to people trapped by snow). The government decided not to prosecute.

He wrote a book about his life in the US titled, "Hitler's Last Soldier In America." It was made into a movie in Germany.  Although out of print, the book is still in demand, selling for up to $100 on the internet.  

He now lives in Colorado.