Secrets Uncovered: Georgia Pro Wrestler Trained WWII Spies in Deadly Arts At Classified Camp

Frank Simmons Leavitt, AKA, Man Mountain Dean, was an Army Veteran, professional wrestler, professional football player, movie star, policeman and known friend of Chicago mobster Al Capone. But unbeknownst until top secret records were declassified, Leavitt also trained immigrant Europeans to spy in World War II. With his training in close quarters and hand-to-hand combat, the American spies were sent behind enemy lines with the training and a license to kill.

The rolling hills of Marietta National Cemetery are the final resting place of more than 15,000 American service personnel and families.Photo byDeanLand / OurTravelCafe

The rolling hills of Marietta National Cemetery are the final resting place of more than 15,000 American soldiers and their family members. Each headstone hides stories of how brave men and women served to protect our freedoms. And some made the ultimate sacrifice in their service. As Memorial Day approaches, we’ll be sharing stories of these heroes in the Marietta hills. This is one of those stories.

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Story Lines and Plot Twists

When tracing the story of Frank Simmons Leavitt, it’s nearly impossible not to be confused by the plot twists in his life’s story line.

Let’s start with the names. Born in New York as Frank Simmons Leavitt, he was best known by his final wrestling moniker, Man Mountain Dean. But before that tag stuck, he also was known as Hell’s Kitchen Hillbilly, Soldier Leavitt and Stone Mountain.

Man Mountain Dean stood nearly six feet tall and weighed over 300 pounds. He served in the US Army twice, once fulfilling a secret mission.Photo byInternet Photo

By way of life experience, Leavitt twice joined the US Army and traveled the world as a professional wrestler. He served as a police office in Florida then was kicked off the force. He once said he attended five colleges to play football, never attended a single class, and had a brief stint in the young National Football League.

Underaged at the outbreak of World War 1, he reportedly paid a New York street bum to impersonate his father so he could join the US Army. He went on to be stationed in Texas, then fought with the US Army in France.

Life's Colorful Chapters

After the war, those colorful chapters of his life that included football, police work, mobsters, professional wrestling and acting began playing out. In 1921, he played football for the New York Brickley Giants in what would eventually become the NFL.

Later, with his enormous size – he was 5-11, and listed at 310 pounds – Leavitt tried his hand at professional wrestling. His schtick didn’t work and gigs dried up. So he moved to Miami and joined the police force.

After admitting he made visits to the Miami home of Chicago mobster Al Capone, Leavitt was fired from the police force for “conduct unbecoming an officer.”

He returned to wrestling with a new name, Man Mountain Dean. His career took off and he became an international figure, traveling the world. Then, he parlayed his wrestling fame into an acting career, appearing in eight movies.

After an injury, his wrestling and acting careers were mostly behind him. The Leavitts returned to their home in Norcross, GA. There, he was literally living large, an international man of leisure. He liked performing stunts (such as lifting cars), often driven by bets and dares from town folk.

On the road and at home, Leavitt enjoyed taking on dares and bets to demonstrate his enormous strength.Photo bySanta Monica History Museum/Bill Beebe Collection

You're In the Army, Again

When the Japanese attacked Pear Harbor, Leavitt re-enlisted in the Army. Over 50 and with a body worn from football, wrestling and life, the Army didn’t quite know what to do with their newest mountain of a recruit.

Leavitt was assigned to Camp Ritchie in the Maryland hills. While the camp location was known, everything about it was top-secret and remained that way over time. Thus, if you were read accounts of Frank Leavitt’s life or his obituary from 1959, you would find no mention of his Camp Ritchie experiences. But based on declassification of secret documents, following is a summary. Some of this also is documented in the book, Immigrant Soldier, by K. Lang-Slattery.

Recognizing the need for translators and culture experts, the US Army recruited recent European immigrants from Germany and other Axis countries to serve in a special unit assigned to Camp Ritchie. They were assigned to gather critical intelligence, perform commando tasks, and protect their secrets if discovered. They needed training in spy craft and self-defense, plus the kind of close quarters, hand-to-hand combat which might be required to carry out stealthy missions.

Techniques and a License to Kill

When Leavitt arrived at Camp Ritchie, both the Immigrant Soldiers and Americans stationed at Camp Ritchie recognized and were infatuated with the famous Man Mountain Dean.

They soon learned the full range of his skills. Leavitt was the camp’s specialist in hand-to-hand combat. The Man Mountain’s focus was on close-in fighting and killing techniques.

Lang-Slattery related the experience of Camp Ritchie graduate Gerd Grombacher. He credited Leavitt with teaching him how to kill an enemy at close quarters with a stiletto knife -- “and how to make it so clean that it wouldn’t even hurt.”

After the war ended, Leavitt returned to Norcross and the family farm. On May 29, 1953, Leavitt died of a heart attack while listening to a baseball game at his home.

Frank Simmons Leavitt is buried at Marietta National Cemetery in Section J, Site 9672-D.

Frank Simmons Leavitt died of a heart attack while at home in May 1953. He's buried at Marietta National Cemetery.Photo byDeanLand / OurTravelCafe

More of This Story

There's lots more to this story at OurTravelCafe.com, where the page and author may earn incentives.

You can also find our other Memorial Day feature stories here:

UGA's Hero Football Coach: From Gridiron to Battlefield

Remembering Heroes at Marietta National Cemetery