I just read Tonya Allen's review of Richard Whittingham's Martial Justice: The Last Mass Execution in the United States while surfing the always excellent Uboat.Net. I was unfamiliar with the fascinating story of Werner Drechsler, a captured U-Boat sailor who reportedly worked for the US military as a spy inside POW camps in the United States. A search for more information regarding Drechsler brought up Find A Grave's website for fourteen German POWs who were executed for murder by US authorities and buried in the Fort Leavenworth Military Prison Cemetery.

In addition to Werner Drechsler, two other German POWs - Horst Guenther and Johannes Kunze - were also murdered by fellow German POWs in POW camps in the United States. Like Drechsler, both Guenther and Kunze were killed by their fellow POWs due to allegedly treasonous conduct. A search for more information regarding Kunze and Guenther brought up Richard Rongstad's review of Wilma Trummel Parnell's The Killing of Corporal Kunze.

Are these among the true stories which lie behind such films as Decision Before Dawn and Stalag 17?

[ 02. November 2003, 12:04 AM: Message edited by: Crapgame ]

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"The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here." - Abraham Lincoln, Nov. 19, 1863
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Hi CG,
I know this is slightly off topic, but there was a History Channel feature on a similar story in Britain.
At the war's end, a low category, non Nazi pow was sent by mistake to Camp 21 at Comrie, Perthshire, Scotland. This place was full of hardened Nazis, and the guy was murdered as a traitor. If I remember, at least two Nazis were hung in Pentonville Prison, London in 1946 for this murder.
I believe there was a book published on the subject a few years ago.
Apologies for wandering off topic.
Regards,
Gordon

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Regards,

Gordon
http://www.freewebs.com/thehistoryvault/
http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y20/Historian/

Thank for sharing this Historian. I had not heard about this incident. I may have placed this topic in the wrong forum, but this is a topic worth exploring.

[ 08. November 2003, 08:44 AM: Message edited by: Crapgame ]

__________________
This information has been posted for non-commercial, educational, and research purposes.
- - - -
"The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here." - Abraham Lincoln, Nov. 19, 1863
- - - -
"The past is not dead. In fact, it's not even past." - William Faulkner

A brief biography of Werner Drechsler by Leigh Smith:

http://www.epcc.edu/ftp/Homes/monica...%27s_story.htm

[ 08. November 2003, 09:02 AM: Message edited by: Crapgame ]

__________________
This information has been posted for non-commercial, educational, and research purposes.
- - - -
"The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here." - Abraham Lincoln, Nov. 19, 1863
- - - -
"The past is not dead. In fact, it's not even past." - William Faulkner

Hi,
Forgot to mention that After The Battle did a feature on it a few years back.
Regards,
Gordon

__________________
Regards,

Gordon
http://www.freewebs.com/thehistoryvault/
http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y20/Historian/

Just got the History Channel VHS on this ( yes, VHS...) from local net auction.

Intend to watch it next weekend.

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