Back Vier von Breda German Quatre de Breda French Fjouwer fan Breda Frisian Quattro di Breda Italian Vier van Breda Dutch
The Breda Four (Dutch: Vier van Breda), later known as The Breda Three (Dutch: Drie van Breda) and subsequently The Breda Two (Dutch: Twee van Breda), were the last four imprisoned German war criminals in the Netherlands following the Second World War. The group consisted of Willy Lages, Joseph Kotalla, Ferdinand aus der Fünten, and Franz Fischer. They were incarcerated in the Koepelgevangenis in Breda, which inspired their collective name. From the 1960s onward, calls for their release—supported in part by the West German government—were made, and multiple Dutch ministers considered granting clemency. However, these attempts consistently triggered social unrest and political opposition.
Lages was released in 1966, and died in 1971. Kotalla died in prison in 1979. Aus der Fünten and Fischer were released in 1989 and both died the same year.[1]