Soldiers who suffered a wound in the hand or foot could have those wounds examined for evidence of powder burns, raising suspicion of self-inflicted injury. What was the punishment after court-martial in the British, American, German or "glorious" Soviet Red Army?
..good question....I take it there weren't too ''many'' of those--so there would not be too many records of them....?..then, how many would be made public?.....then how many of the medics would turn the person in? yes, ''suspicion'' -...., how many COs would want to '''waste'' time on it?
The penalty would be for rendering their self unfit for duty. So a "dereliction of duty" charge would be filed. The "damaging government property" thing is a myth and a joke. This is only for the US military, I can't speak for the other services.
In the First World War self mutilation in the trenches carried the death penalty. In thi case two indian soldiers were sentanced to death, but their sentence was commuted to 2 years RI (Imprisonment?) Self-harm and hand wounding - The National Archives
In the Red Army, the soldier who did such a thing, would feel lucky to be sent to a punishment battalion. It wasn't quite a death sentence but damn close. Only death or wounding would get you out of it.
Even for other reasons. A Half a dozen Finnish soldiers refused to cross the old Fiinnish-Soviet border in late 1941 and Mannerheim gave the order to shoot them.
