Hi
The following link states that America only prosecuted 12 of its citizens for treason. It only mentions Mildred Gillars and not the other 11.
www.wfmu.org/LCD/GreatDJ/AxisSal.html
Were other people charged with other crimes - assisting the enemy (or the American equivalent) etc? It seems a very low number for such a big country - even Britain can beat that with other categories included.
Jacky
Only 12 American Treason Personnel?
Moderator: John W. Howard
Re: Only 12 American Treason Personnel?
Hello Jacky, this post reminded me of a piece that I read the other day in one of those old Time Life World War Two books - "Prisoners of War". To sum it up.....
Growing up lonely in the 1930s, a whiz at languages - especially German - in college, Dale Maple was a youthful military enthusiast and an early Nazi sympathizer. He was a private first class in the US Army when he helped a pair of German POWs try to escape from a compound at Camp Hale, Colorado on Feb 15 1943. For this act Maple became the first native-born American soldier ever convicted of treason.
As a youngster in San Diego, Maple - described by a high-scholl classmate as a 'queer, pale, ugly duckling and a sissy" - had few friends. But he was a musical prodigy with an IQ higher than 150, and he won a scholarship to Harvad. There Maple carved a reputation as a linguist; among other things he spoke German like a native. A member of the ROTC in both high school and college, Maple became increasingly attracted to Nazi ideology. He graduated from Harvad in 1941, and after Pearl Harbour he joined the US Army and served an uneventful hitch as a radio operator. When the Army caught up with his pro-Nazi past, Maple was transferred to a special unarmed labour unit set up for men - mostly native Germans and Italians - considered poor security risks, and in 1943 he was sent to Camp Hale.
At last Maple found friends - not only in his new unit, but also among the German POWs that Maple guarded. On one three day pass, Maple sneaked back into the POW compound, spending his entire leave with hs POW comrades. Later, he returned their friendship by helping two of them in a failed attempt to escape to Mexico. When he was caught and court-martialed, Maple's defense was bizarre: He claimed that he had only intended to shock the authorities into acknowledging that the existence of his unit was a discredit to America. Unimpressed, the court found Maple guilty of treason, and he spent the next seven years in the stockade at Fort Leavenworth, Kanas.
Enjoy - Rand.
Growing up lonely in the 1930s, a whiz at languages - especially German - in college, Dale Maple was a youthful military enthusiast and an early Nazi sympathizer. He was a private first class in the US Army when he helped a pair of German POWs try to escape from a compound at Camp Hale, Colorado on Feb 15 1943. For this act Maple became the first native-born American soldier ever convicted of treason.
As a youngster in San Diego, Maple - described by a high-scholl classmate as a 'queer, pale, ugly duckling and a sissy" - had few friends. But he was a musical prodigy with an IQ higher than 150, and he won a scholarship to Harvad. There Maple carved a reputation as a linguist; among other things he spoke German like a native. A member of the ROTC in both high school and college, Maple became increasingly attracted to Nazi ideology. He graduated from Harvad in 1941, and after Pearl Harbour he joined the US Army and served an uneventful hitch as a radio operator. When the Army caught up with his pro-Nazi past, Maple was transferred to a special unarmed labour unit set up for men - mostly native Germans and Italians - considered poor security risks, and in 1943 he was sent to Camp Hale.
At last Maple found friends - not only in his new unit, but also among the German POWs that Maple guarded. On one three day pass, Maple sneaked back into the POW compound, spending his entire leave with hs POW comrades. Later, he returned their friendship by helping two of them in a failed attempt to escape to Mexico. When he was caught and court-martialed, Maple's defense was bizarre: He claimed that he had only intended to shock the authorities into acknowledging that the existence of his unit was a discredit to America. Unimpressed, the court found Maple guilty of treason, and he spent the next seven years in the stockade at Fort Leavenworth, Kanas.
Enjoy - Rand.
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Re: Only 12 American Treason Personnel?
Hi Rand
We had a few people who helped German POWs and they escaped more lightly. I don't know the exact punishment but it certainly was not treason. They were charged with barbouring an escaped fugitives. During the war the POWs were either detained in the Isle of Man, in Australia and Canada or later working on farms, Being an island helped I think. Only one escaped POW successfully evaded capture and he went from Canada to America. Those in camps made ttheir own arrangements to escape.
Thank you for your information - it was very interesting.
Jacky
We had a few people who helped German POWs and they escaped more lightly. I don't know the exact punishment but it certainly was not treason. They were charged with barbouring an escaped fugitives. During the war the POWs were either detained in the Isle of Man, in Australia and Canada or later working on farms, Being an island helped I think. Only one escaped POW successfully evaded capture and he went from Canada to America. Those in camps made ttheir own arrangements to escape.
Thank you for your information - it was very interesting.
Jacky
Re: Only 12 American Treason Personnel?
Well Iva Toguri D'Aquino is another, though better known to many as Tokyo Rose. She was eventually pardoned by Presidnt Ford. She died in 2006
Regards
Regards
You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life.
And so as I patrol in the valley of the shadow of the tricolour I must fear evil, For I am but mortal and mortals can only die
And so as I patrol in the valley of the shadow of the tricolour I must fear evil, For I am but mortal and mortals can only die
Re: Only 12 American Treason Personnel?
Hello all,
from the book "Escape From Canada" by John Melody....
A German pilot, one Peter Krug, was able to escape from a Canadian POW camp and made his way into Detroit, making contact with a German-American fifth columnist named Max Stephan. Krug had found Stephan by memorizing the names and addresses of parcels he and other POWs had received from German sympathizers in Detroit. Krug was able to find the home of Margareta Bertelmann, who, though nervous, had phoned the German-born restaurateur Stephan to take Krug off her hands. Stephan was a braggart who soon took Krug on a whirl-wind tour throughout the Eastern US where Krug was introduced to a number of German sympathizers and American Bund members. Krug was eventually sent to San Antonio in order to cross into Mexico, but was arrested at a local hotel. Krug appeared as a witness at the trial of Stephan, who was found guilty of treason against the US and sentenced to be hanged, but President Roosevelt commuted it to life imprisonment 24 hours before the sentence is due to be carried out.
A brief write up on Krug
http://webhome.idirect.com/~lhodgson/germanpows.html
From 'Time' magazine on Stephan - period article
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/artic ... 13,00.html
Rand.
from the book "Escape From Canada" by John Melody....
A German pilot, one Peter Krug, was able to escape from a Canadian POW camp and made his way into Detroit, making contact with a German-American fifth columnist named Max Stephan. Krug had found Stephan by memorizing the names and addresses of parcels he and other POWs had received from German sympathizers in Detroit. Krug was able to find the home of Margareta Bertelmann, who, though nervous, had phoned the German-born restaurateur Stephan to take Krug off her hands. Stephan was a braggart who soon took Krug on a whirl-wind tour throughout the Eastern US where Krug was introduced to a number of German sympathizers and American Bund members. Krug was eventually sent to San Antonio in order to cross into Mexico, but was arrested at a local hotel. Krug appeared as a witness at the trial of Stephan, who was found guilty of treason against the US and sentenced to be hanged, but President Roosevelt commuted it to life imprisonment 24 hours before the sentence is due to be carried out.
A brief write up on Krug
http://webhome.idirect.com/~lhodgson/germanpows.html
From 'Time' magazine on Stephan - period article
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/artic ... 13,00.html
Rand.
Re: Only 12 American Treason Personnel?
Hi Rand
Thank you very much. I can't help thinking the Americans received harsher punishment for minor crimes. Our citizens who helped the enemy just received short holidays at His Majesty's expense. Our 4 men convicted of High Treason were sentenced to hang - 2 did Amery and Joyce with the other 2 being commuted. A lot of men and a few women were tried under the Treachery Act and hanged for spying while Schurch betrayed men causing fatalities and was hanged.
Jacky
Thank you very much. I can't help thinking the Americans received harsher punishment for minor crimes. Our citizens who helped the enemy just received short holidays at His Majesty's expense. Our 4 men convicted of High Treason were sentenced to hang - 2 did Amery and Joyce with the other 2 being commuted. A lot of men and a few women were tried under the Treachery Act and hanged for spying while Schurch betrayed men causing fatalities and was hanged.
Jacky