Biscari massacre - Revision history

Bacchus: Text replacement - "tbe " to "the "

2024-04-28T23:20:39Z

Text replacement - "tbe " to "the "

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:20, 28 April 2024
Line 1:		Line 1:
	[[File:Italian soldiers surrendering on Sicily in 1943.png\|thumb\|400px\|Italian soldiers surrendering on Sicily in 1943 ([https://de.metapedia.org/wiki/Invasion_auf_Sizilien ''Operation Husky''])]]		[[File:Italian soldiers surrendering on Sicily in 1943.png\|thumb\|400px\|Italian soldiers surrendering on Sicily in 1943 ([https://de.metapedia.org/wiki/Invasion_auf_Sizilien ''Operation Husky''])]]
	The '''Biscari massacre''' was ~~tbe~~ killing of 71 unarmed [[Italian]] and two unarmed [[Germans\|German]] [[prisoners of war]] by American soldiers on 13 July 1943 at ~~tbe~~ Biscari airfield, [[Sicily]].		The '''Biscari massacre''' was the killing of 71 unarmed [[Italian]] and two unarmed [[Germans\|German]] [[prisoners of war]] by American soldiers on 13 July 1943 at the Biscari airfield, [[Sicily]].

	==History==		==History==
	The killings occurred on two separate occasions, after facing stiff resistance, in one case after snipers had targeted wounded soldiers as well as ~~tbe~~ medics attempting to aid them. When he was informed of ~~tbe~~ massacres, General [[Omar Bradley]] told General [[George S. Patton]] that U.S. troops had murdered some 50 to 70 prisoners in cold blood. Patton noted his response in his diary:		The killings occurred on two separate occasions, after facing stiff resistance, in one case after snipers had targeted wounded soldiers as well as the medics attempting to aid them. When he was informed of the massacres, General [[Omar Bradley]] told General [[George S. Patton]] that U.S. troops had murdered some 50 to 70 prisoners in cold blood. Patton noted his response in his diary:

	: "''I told Bradley that it was probably an exaggeration, but in any case to tell ~~tbe~~ Officer to certify that ~~tbe~~ dead men were snipers or had attempted to escape or something, as it would make a stink in ~~tbe~~ press and also would make ~~tbe~~ civilians mad. Anyhow, they are dead, so nothing can be done about it.''"		: "''I told Bradley that it was probably an exaggeration, but in any case to tell the Officer to certify that the dead men were snipers or had attempted to escape or something, as it would make a stink in the press and also would make the civilians mad. Anyhow, they are dead, so nothing can be done about it.''"

	Bradley refused Patton's suggestions. Patton later changed his mind. After he learned that ~~tbe~~ 45th Division's Inspector General found "''no provocation on ~~tbe~~ part of ~~tbe~~ prisoners....They had been slaughtered,''" Patton is reported to have said, "''Try ~~tbe~~ bastards.''"		Bradley refused Patton's suggestions. Patton later changed his mind. After he learned that the 45th Division's Inspector General found "''no provocation on the part of the prisoners....They had been slaughtered,''" Patton is reported to have said, "''Try the bastards.''"

	At ~~tbe~~ trials, both Sergeant Horace T. West and Captain John T. Compton stated that Patton had ordered that if ~~tbe~~ enemy continued to resist after U.S. troops had come within 200 yards of their defensive position, then surrender of those enemy soldiers needed not be accepted, thus trying ~~tbe~~ [[superior orders]] defense. This apparently worked for Captain Compton, who was acquitted, but not for Sergeant West, who was sentenced to life imprisonment, but with ~~tbe~~ sentence soon remitted and West continuing to serve and eventually receiving an honorable discharge.		At the trials, both Sergeant Horace T. West and Captain John T. Compton stated that Patton had ordered that if the enemy continued to resist after U.S. troops had come within 200 yards of their defensive position, then surrender of those enemy soldiers needed not be accepted, thus trying the [[superior orders]] defense. This apparently worked for Captain Compton, who was acquitted, but not for Sergeant West, who was sentenced to life imprisonment, but with the sentence soon remitted and West continuing to serve and eventually receiving an honorable discharge.

	General Patton was questioned about ~~tbe~~ alleged speech. Patton stated that his comments in ~~tbe~~ speech had been misinterpreted and nothing he had said "''by ~~tbe~~ wildest stretch of ~~tbe~~ imagination''" could have been taken as an order to murder POWs. An investigation ultimately cleared Patton of any wrongdoing.		General Patton was questioned about the alleged speech. Patton stated that his comments in the speech had been misinterpreted and nothing he had said "''by the wildest stretch of the imagination''" could have been taken as an order to murder POWs. An investigation ultimately cleared Patton of any wrongdoing.

	: ''If there are better histories of World War II being written than ~~tbe~~ books in Rick Atkinson’s Liberation Trilogy, I haven’t read them. A former reporter and editor for ~~tbe~~ Washington Post, Atkinson conceived ~~tbe~~ massive project of writing ~~tbe~~ history of how ~~tbe~~ British and Americans fought their way back to Europe. [...] Here Atkinson tells a story that I had never heard. A story that presents American soldiers as neither ~~tbe~~ “deliverers” nor “captors” of Italians, but as their [[murder]]ers. A story that contradicts Winston Churchill’s assertion — made at a press conference in Washington after ~~tbe~~ meetings that planned ~~tbe~~ invasions of Sicily and Italy — that “We shall not stain our name by an inhuman act.” Not quite two months after Churchill’s statement, on Wednesday, July 14, 1943, Oklahoma National Guardsmen in ~~tbe~~ 180th Infantry executed dozens of Axis prisoners near Biscari, Sicily. Outside a cluster of olive trees by ~~tbe~~ Ficuzza River, Sgt. Horace West turned a submachine gun on a group of 46 men (all but three Italian), killing thirty-seven. Then that afternoon, Capt. John Travers Compton organized a firing squad (“several men volunteered”) that executed all 36 of his Italian prisoners (five in civilian clothes). Partly thanks to ~~tbe~~ intervention of a Baptist chaplain and two war correspondents, news of ~~tbe~~ Biscari massacres soon reached American commanders. Gen. Omar Bradley confronted Gen. George Patton, who suggested obliquely that his superior engineer a cover-up. Patton’s diary entry on ~~tbe~~ subject ended with a shrug: “Anyhow, they are dead, so nothing can be done about it.” In ~~tbe~~ event, something was done: an internal investigation concluded that ~~tbe~~ prisoners had made no provocation: “They had been slaughtered.” Patton finally agreed to hold courts-martial, but ~~tbe~~ truth didn’t come out. Compton was acquitted and returned to duty; he died that November while fighting in Italy. While West was convicted and sentenced to life in a New York prison, Allied commander Dwight Eisenhower reviewed ~~tbe~~ case and decided to keep West in North Africa, away from ~~tbe~~ press. (Partly, Eisenhower seems to have feared that if news got out, it would inspire Axis reprisals against Allied troops.) In late November 1944, West was granted clemency and allowed back into ~~tbe~~ ranks. [...] The whole affair was hushed up, with ~~tbe~~ records of ~~tbe~~ courts-martial classified top secret and locked away in ~~tbe~~ safe of ~~tbe~~ Secretary of ~~tbe~~ Army. As best I can discern, it came to light in a 1989 article in The Historian by James J. Weingartner, then received new attention a little over ten years ago thanks to ~~tbe~~ work of an Italian historian, court, and newspaper. Atkinson does cite Weingartner, but also conducted his own research in ~~tbe~~ U.S. National Archives, obtaining records of West’s trial through a Freedom of Information Act request. In any case, what happened at Biscari is far from unique in ~~tbe~~ history of this war. But in a recent interview in The Telegraph, British historian Antony Beevor contends that Allied executions of Axis prisoners remain virtually “unmentionable,” especially among Americans. His recent research into ~~tbe~~ bitter fighting on ~~tbe~~ German border in late 1944 and early 1945 convinced him that American commanders actually encouraged atrocities (e.g., ~~tbe~~ execution of five dozen Germans at Chenogne) that led ~~tbe~~ Wehrmacht to start calling GIs “Roosevelt’s Butchers.”''<ref>[https://pietistschoolman.com/2015/06/11/the-dark-world-is-not-far-from-us-a-wwii-atrocity/ “The Dark World Is Not Far From Us”: A WWII Atrocity] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20230602113213/https://pietistschoolman.com/2015/06/11/the-dark-world-is-not-far-from-us-a-wwii-atrocity/ Archive])</ref>		: ''If there are better histories of World War II being written than the books in Rick Atkinson’s Liberation Trilogy, I haven’t read them. A former reporter and editor for the Washington Post, Atkinson conceived the massive project of writing the history of how the British and Americans fought their way back to Europe. [...] Here Atkinson tells a story that I had never heard. A story that presents American soldiers as neither the “deliverers” nor “captors” of Italians, but as their [[murder]]ers. A story that contradicts Winston Churchill’s assertion — made at a press conference in Washington after the meetings that planned the invasions of Sicily and Italy — that “We shall not stain our name by an inhuman act.” Not quite two months after Churchill’s statement, on Wednesday, July 14, 1943, Oklahoma National Guardsmen in the 180th Infantry executed dozens of Axis prisoners near Biscari, Sicily. Outside a cluster of olive trees by the Ficuzza River, Sgt. Horace West turned a submachine gun on a group of 46 men (all but three Italian), killing thirty-seven. Then that afternoon, Capt. John Travers Compton organized a firing squad (“several men volunteered”) that executed all 36 of his Italian prisoners (five in civilian clothes). Partly thanks to the intervention of a Baptist chaplain and two war correspondents, news of the Biscari massacres soon reached American commanders. Gen. Omar Bradley confronted Gen. George Patton, who suggested obliquely that his superior engineer a cover-up. Patton’s diary entry on the subject ended with a shrug: “Anyhow, they are dead, so nothing can be done about it.” In the event, something was done: an internal investigation concluded that the prisoners had made no provocation: “They had been slaughtered.” Patton finally agreed to hold courts-martial, but the truth didn’t come out. Compton was acquitted and returned to duty; he died that November while fighting in Italy. While West was convicted and sentenced to life in a New York prison, Allied commander Dwight Eisenhower reviewed the case and decided to keep West in North Africa, away from the press. (Partly, Eisenhower seems to have feared that if news got out, it would inspire Axis reprisals against Allied troops.) In late November 1944, West was granted clemency and allowed back into the ranks. [...] The whole affair was hushed up, with the records of the courts-martial classified top secret and locked away in the safe of the Secretary of the Army. As best I can discern, it came to light in a 1989 article in The Historian by James J. Weingartner, then received new attention a little over ten years ago thanks to the work of an Italian historian, court, and newspaper. Atkinson does cite Weingartner, but also conducted his own research in the U.S. National Archives, obtaining records of West’s trial through a Freedom of Information Act request. In any case, what happened at Biscari is far from unique in the history of this war. But in a recent interview in The Telegraph, British historian Antony Beevor contends that Allied executions of Axis prisoners remain virtually “unmentionable,” especially among Americans. His recent research into the bitter fighting on the German border in late 1944 and early 1945 convinced him that American commanders actually encouraged atrocities (e.g., the execution of five dozen Germans at Chenogne) that led the Wehrmacht to start calling GIs “Roosevelt’s Butchers.”''<ref>[https://pietistschoolman.com/2015/06/11/the-dark-world-is-not-far-from-us-a-wwii-atrocity/ “The Dark World Is Not Far From Us”: A WWII Atrocity] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20230602113213/https://pietistschoolman.com/2015/06/11/the-dark-world-is-not-far-from-us-a-wwii-atrocity/ Archive])</ref>

	==Quotes==		==Quotes==
	* ''Sergeant Horace T. West killed 37 prisoners of war in cold blood at Biscari. He was court-martialed, his trial began at 2 September 1943. He was found guilty, stripped of his rank, and sentenced to life imprisonment. On 23 November 1944, he was pardoned quietly and his status restored. I find that an apt example of how ~~tbe~~ Western Allies ‘prosecuted’ criminals on their side. It seems ~~tbe~~ life of a man was worth about eleven days in prison.''<ref>[https://www.quora.com/Were-any-allied-soldiers-punished-for-war-crime-against-Axis-soldiers-or-civilians Were any allied soldiers punished for war crimes against Axis soldiers or civilians?]</ref>		* ''Sergeant Horace T. West killed 37 prisoners of war in cold blood at Biscari. He was court-martialed, his trial began at 2 September 1943. He was found guilty, stripped of his rank, and sentenced to life imprisonment. On 23 November 1944, he was pardoned quietly and his status restored. I find that an apt example of how the Western Allies ‘prosecuted’ criminals on their side. It seems the life of a man was worth about eleven days in prison.''<ref>[https://www.quora.com/Were-any-allied-soldiers-punished-for-war-crime-against-Axis-soldiers-or-civilians Were any allied soldiers punished for war crimes against Axis soldiers or civilians?]</ref>

	== See also ==		== See also ==

Bacchus: Text replacement - " the " to " tbe "

2024-04-26T17:20:56Z

Text replacement - " the " to " tbe "

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:20, 26 April 2024
Line 1:		Line 1:
	[[File:Italian soldiers surrendering on Sicily in 1943.png\|thumb\|400px\|Italian soldiers surrendering on Sicily in 1943 ([https://de.metapedia.org/wiki/Invasion_auf_Sizilien ''Operation Husky''])]]		[[File:Italian soldiers surrendering on Sicily in 1943.png\|thumb\|400px\|Italian soldiers surrendering on Sicily in 1943 ([https://de.metapedia.org/wiki/Invasion_auf_Sizilien ''Operation Husky''])]]
	The '''Biscari massacre''' was ~~the~~ killing of 71 unarmed [[Italian]] and two unarmed [[Germans\|German]] [[prisoners of war]] by American soldiers on 13 July 1943 at ~~the~~ Biscari airfield, [[Sicily]].		The '''Biscari massacre''' was tbe killing of 71 unarmed [[Italian]] and two unarmed [[Germans\|German]] [[prisoners of war]] by American soldiers on 13 July 1943 at tbe Biscari airfield, [[Sicily]].

	==History==		==History==
	The killings occurred on two separate occasions, after facing stiff resistance, in one case after snipers had targeted wounded soldiers as well as ~~the~~ medics attempting to aid them. When he was informed of ~~the~~ massacres, General [[Omar Bradley]] told General [[George S. Patton]] that U.S. troops had murdered some 50 to 70 prisoners in cold blood. Patton noted his response in his diary:		The killings occurred on two separate occasions, after facing stiff resistance, in one case after snipers had targeted wounded soldiers as well as tbe medics attempting to aid them. When he was informed of tbe massacres, General [[Omar Bradley]] told General [[George S. Patton]] that U.S. troops had murdered some 50 to 70 prisoners in cold blood. Patton noted his response in his diary:

	: "''I told Bradley that it was probably an exaggeration, but in any case to tell ~~the~~ Officer to certify that ~~the~~ dead men were snipers or had attempted to escape or something, as it would make a stink in ~~the~~ press and also would make ~~the~~ civilians mad. Anyhow, they are dead, so nothing can be done about it.''"		: "''I told Bradley that it was probably an exaggeration, but in any case to tell tbe Officer to certify that tbe dead men were snipers or had attempted to escape or something, as it would make a stink in tbe press and also would make tbe civilians mad. Anyhow, they are dead, so nothing can be done about it.''"

	Bradley refused Patton's suggestions. Patton later changed his mind. After he learned that ~~the~~ 45th Division's Inspector General found "''no provocation on ~~the~~ part of ~~the~~ prisoners....They had been slaughtered,''" Patton is reported to have said, "''Try ~~the~~ bastards.''"		Bradley refused Patton's suggestions. Patton later changed his mind. After he learned that tbe 45th Division's Inspector General found "''no provocation on tbe part of tbe prisoners....They had been slaughtered,''" Patton is reported to have said, "''Try tbe bastards.''"

	At ~~the~~ trials, both Sergeant Horace T. West and Captain John T. Compton stated that Patton had ordered that if ~~the~~ enemy continued to resist after U.S. troops had come within 200 yards of their defensive position, then surrender of those enemy soldiers needed not be accepted, thus trying ~~the~~ [[superior orders]] defense. This apparently worked for Captain Compton, who was acquitted, but not for Sergeant West, who was sentenced to life imprisonment, but with ~~the~~ sentence soon remitted and West continuing to serve and eventually receiving an honorable discharge.		At tbe trials, both Sergeant Horace T. West and Captain John T. Compton stated that Patton had ordered that if tbe enemy continued to resist after U.S. troops had come within 200 yards of their defensive position, then surrender of those enemy soldiers needed not be accepted, thus trying tbe [[superior orders]] defense. This apparently worked for Captain Compton, who was acquitted, but not for Sergeant West, who was sentenced to life imprisonment, but with tbe sentence soon remitted and West continuing to serve and eventually receiving an honorable discharge.

	General Patton was questioned about ~~the~~ alleged speech. Patton stated that his comments in ~~the~~ speech had been misinterpreted and nothing he had said "''by ~~the~~ wildest stretch of ~~the~~ imagination''" could have been taken as an order to murder POWs. An investigation ultimately cleared Patton of any wrongdoing.		General Patton was questioned about tbe alleged speech. Patton stated that his comments in tbe speech had been misinterpreted and nothing he had said "''by tbe wildest stretch of tbe imagination''" could have been taken as an order to murder POWs. An investigation ultimately cleared Patton of any wrongdoing.

	: ''If there are better histories of World War II being written than ~~the~~ books in Rick Atkinson’s Liberation Trilogy, I haven’t read them. A former reporter and editor for ~~the~~ Washington Post, Atkinson conceived ~~the~~ massive project of writing ~~the~~ history of how ~~the~~ British and Americans fought their way back to Europe. [...] Here Atkinson tells a story that I had never heard. A story that presents American soldiers as neither ~~the~~ “deliverers” nor “captors” of Italians, but as their [[murder]]ers. A story that contradicts Winston Churchill’s assertion — made at a press conference in Washington after ~~the~~ meetings that planned ~~the~~ invasions of Sicily and Italy — that “We shall not stain our name by an inhuman act.” Not quite two months after Churchill’s statement, on Wednesday, July 14, 1943, Oklahoma National Guardsmen in ~~the~~ 180th Infantry executed dozens of Axis prisoners near Biscari, Sicily. Outside a cluster of olive trees by ~~the~~ Ficuzza River, Sgt. Horace West turned a submachine gun on a group of 46 men (all but three Italian), killing thirty-seven. Then that afternoon, Capt. John Travers Compton organized a firing squad (“several men volunteered”) that executed all 36 of his Italian prisoners (five in civilian clothes). Partly thanks to ~~the~~ intervention of a Baptist chaplain and two war correspondents, news of ~~the~~ Biscari massacres soon reached American commanders. Gen. Omar Bradley confronted Gen. George Patton, who suggested obliquely that his superior engineer a cover-up. Patton’s diary entry on ~~the~~ subject ended with a shrug: “Anyhow, they are dead, so nothing can be done about it.” In ~~the~~ event, something was done: an internal investigation concluded that ~~the~~ prisoners had made no provocation: “They had been slaughtered.” Patton finally agreed to hold courts-martial, but ~~the~~ truth didn’t come out. Compton was acquitted and returned to duty; he died that November while fighting in Italy. While West was convicted and sentenced to life in a New York prison, Allied commander Dwight Eisenhower reviewed ~~the~~ case and decided to keep West in North Africa, away from ~~the~~ press. (Partly, Eisenhower seems to have feared that if news got out, it would inspire Axis reprisals against Allied troops.) In late November 1944, West was granted clemency and allowed back into ~~the~~ ranks. [...] The whole affair was hushed up, with ~~the~~ records of ~~the~~ courts-martial classified top secret and locked away in ~~the~~ safe of ~~the~~ Secretary of ~~the~~ Army. As best I can discern, it came to light in a 1989 article in The Historian by James J. Weingartner, then received new attention a little over ten years ago thanks to ~~the~~ work of an Italian historian, court, and newspaper. Atkinson does cite Weingartner, but also conducted his own research in ~~the~~ U.S. National Archives, obtaining records of West’s trial through a Freedom of Information Act request. In any case, what happened at Biscari is far from unique in ~~the~~ history of this war. But in a recent interview in The Telegraph, British historian Antony Beevor contends that Allied executions of Axis prisoners remain virtually “unmentionable,” especially among Americans. His recent research into ~~the~~ bitter fighting on ~~the~~ German border in late 1944 and early 1945 convinced him that American commanders actually encouraged atrocities (e.g., ~~the~~ execution of five dozen Germans at Chenogne) that led ~~the~~ Wehrmacht to start calling GIs “Roosevelt’s Butchers.”''<ref>[https://pietistschoolman.com/2015/06/11/the-dark-world-is-not-far-from-us-a-wwii-atrocity/ “The Dark World Is Not Far From Us”: A WWII Atrocity] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20230602113213/https://pietistschoolman.com/2015/06/11/the-dark-world-is-not-far-from-us-a-wwii-atrocity/ Archive])</ref>		: ''If there are better histories of World War II being written than tbe books in Rick Atkinson’s Liberation Trilogy, I haven’t read them. A former reporter and editor for tbe Washington Post, Atkinson conceived tbe massive project of writing tbe history of how tbe British and Americans fought their way back to Europe. [...] Here Atkinson tells a story that I had never heard. A story that presents American soldiers as neither tbe “deliverers” nor “captors” of Italians, but as their [[murder]]ers. A story that contradicts Winston Churchill’s assertion — made at a press conference in Washington after tbe meetings that planned tbe invasions of Sicily and Italy — that “We shall not stain our name by an inhuman act.” Not quite two months after Churchill’s statement, on Wednesday, July 14, 1943, Oklahoma National Guardsmen in tbe 180th Infantry executed dozens of Axis prisoners near Biscari, Sicily. Outside a cluster of olive trees by tbe Ficuzza River, Sgt. Horace West turned a submachine gun on a group of 46 men (all but three Italian), killing thirty-seven. Then that afternoon, Capt. John Travers Compton organized a firing squad (“several men volunteered”) that executed all 36 of his Italian prisoners (five in civilian clothes). Partly thanks to tbe intervention of a Baptist chaplain and two war correspondents, news of tbe Biscari massacres soon reached American commanders. Gen. Omar Bradley confronted Gen. George Patton, who suggested obliquely that his superior engineer a cover-up. Patton’s diary entry on tbe subject ended with a shrug: “Anyhow, they are dead, so nothing can be done about it.” In tbe event, something was done: an internal investigation concluded that tbe prisoners had made no provocation: “They had been slaughtered.” Patton finally agreed to hold courts-martial, but tbe truth didn’t come out. Compton was acquitted and returned to duty; he died that November while fighting in Italy. While West was convicted and sentenced to life in a New York prison, Allied commander Dwight Eisenhower reviewed tbe case and decided to keep West in North Africa, away from tbe press. (Partly, Eisenhower seems to have feared that if news got out, it would inspire Axis reprisals against Allied troops.) In late November 1944, West was granted clemency and allowed back into tbe ranks. [...] The whole affair was hushed up, with tbe records of tbe courts-martial classified top secret and locked away in tbe safe of tbe Secretary of tbe Army. As best I can discern, it came to light in a 1989 article in The Historian by James J. Weingartner, then received new attention a little over ten years ago thanks to tbe work of an Italian historian, court, and newspaper. Atkinson does cite Weingartner, but also conducted his own research in tbe U.S. National Archives, obtaining records of West’s trial through a Freedom of Information Act request. In any case, what happened at Biscari is far from unique in tbe history of this war. But in a recent interview in The Telegraph, British historian Antony Beevor contends that Allied executions of Axis prisoners remain virtually “unmentionable,” especially among Americans. His recent research into tbe bitter fighting on tbe German border in late 1944 and early 1945 convinced him that American commanders actually encouraged atrocities (e.g., tbe execution of five dozen Germans at Chenogne) that led tbe Wehrmacht to start calling GIs “Roosevelt’s Butchers.”''<ref>[https://pietistschoolman.com/2015/06/11/the-dark-world-is-not-far-from-us-a-wwii-atrocity/ “The Dark World Is Not Far From Us”: A WWII Atrocity] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20230602113213/https://pietistschoolman.com/2015/06/11/the-dark-world-is-not-far-from-us-a-wwii-atrocity/ Archive])</ref>

	==Quotes==		==Quotes==
	* ''Sergeant Horace T. West killed 37 prisoners of war in cold blood at Biscari. He was court-martialed, his trial began at 2 September 1943. He was found guilty, stripped of his rank, and sentenced to life imprisonment. On 23 November 1944, he was pardoned quietly and his status restored. I find that an apt example of how ~~the~~ Western Allies ‘prosecuted’ criminals on their side. It seems ~~the~~ life of a man was worth about eleven days in prison.''<ref>[https://www.quora.com/Were-any-allied-soldiers-punished-for-war-crime-against-Axis-soldiers-or-civilians Were any allied soldiers punished for war crimes against Axis soldiers or civilians?]</ref>		* ''Sergeant Horace T. West killed 37 prisoners of war in cold blood at Biscari. He was court-martialed, his trial began at 2 September 1943. He was found guilty, stripped of his rank, and sentenced to life imprisonment. On 23 November 1944, he was pardoned quietly and his status restored. I find that an apt example of how tbe Western Allies ‘prosecuted’ criminals on their side. It seems tbe life of a man was worth about eleven days in prison.''<ref>[https://www.quora.com/Were-any-allied-soldiers-punished-for-war-crime-against-Axis-soldiers-or-civilians Were any allied soldiers punished for war crimes against Axis soldiers or civilians?]</ref>

	== See also ==		== See also ==

𝗔𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗹: Text replacement - ".jpg|" to ".png|"

2024-02-22T22:51:06Z

Text replacement - ".jpg|" to ".png|"

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:51, 22 February 2024
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	[[File:Italian soldiers surrendering on Sicily in 1943.~~jpg~~\|thumb\|400px\|Italian soldiers surrendering on Sicily in 1943 ([https://de.metapedia.org/wiki/Invasion_auf_Sizilien ''Operation Husky''])]]		[[File:Italian soldiers surrendering on Sicily in 1943.png\|thumb\|400px\|Italian soldiers surrendering on Sicily in 1943 ([https://de.metapedia.org/wiki/Invasion_auf_Sizilien ''Operation Husky''])]]
	The '''Biscari massacre''' was the killing of 71 unarmed [[Italian]] and two unarmed [[Germans\|German]] [[prisoners of war]] by American soldiers on 13 July 1943 at the Biscari airfield, [[Sicily]].		The '''Biscari massacre''' was the killing of 71 unarmed [[Italian]] and two unarmed [[Germans\|German]] [[prisoners of war]] by American soldiers on 13 July 1943 at the Biscari airfield, [[Sicily]].

𝗔𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗹: Text replacement - "{{reflist}}" to "{{reflist|2}}"

2024-02-07T04:22:44Z

Text replacement - "{{reflist}}" to "{{reflist|2}}"

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:22, 6 February 2024
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	==References==		==References==
	{{reflist}}		{{reflist\|2}}

	[[Category: Allied atrocities]]		[[Category: Allied atrocities]]
	[[Category:Massacres]]		[[Category:Massacres]]
	[[Category:Italy]]		[[Category:Italy]]

𝗔𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗹: 1 revision imported

2024-02-06T22:40:37Z

1 revision imported

← Older revision	Revision as of 13:40, 6 February 2024
(No difference)

en>Crusader at 17:18, 8 December 2023

2023-12-08T17:18:01Z

New page

[[File:Italian soldiers surrendering on Sicily in 1943.jpg|thumb|400px|Italian soldiers surrendering on Sicily in 1943 ([https://de.metapedia.org/wiki/Invasion_auf_Sizilien ''Operation Husky''])]]
The '''Biscari massacre''' was the killing of 71 unarmed [[Italian]] and two unarmed [[Germans|German]] [[prisoners of war]] by American soldiers on 13 July 1943 at the Biscari airfield, [[Sicily]].

==History==
The killings occurred on two separate occasions, after facing stiff resistance, in one case after snipers had targeted wounded soldiers as well as the medics attempting to aid them. When he was informed of the massacres, General [[Omar Bradley]] told General [[George S. Patton]] that U.S. troops had murdered some 50 to 70 prisoners in cold blood. Patton noted his response in his diary:

: "''I told Bradley that it was probably an exaggeration, but in any case to tell the Officer to certify that the dead men were snipers or had attempted to escape or something, as it would make a stink in the press and also would make the civilians mad. Anyhow, they are dead, so nothing can be done about it.''"

Bradley refused Patton's suggestions. Patton later changed his mind. After he learned that the 45th Division's Inspector General found "''no provocation on the part of the prisoners....They had been slaughtered,''" Patton is reported to have said, "''Try the bastards.''"

At the trials, both Sergeant Horace T. West and Captain John T. Compton stated that Patton had ordered that if the enemy continued to resist after U.S. troops had come within 200 yards of their defensive position, then surrender of those enemy soldiers needed not be accepted, thus trying the [[superior orders]] defense. This apparently worked for Captain Compton, who was acquitted, but not for Sergeant West, who was sentenced to life imprisonment, but with the sentence soon remitted and West continuing to serve and eventually receiving an honorable discharge.

General Patton was questioned about the alleged speech. Patton stated that his comments in the speech had been misinterpreted and nothing he had said "''by the wildest stretch of the imagination''" could have been taken as an order to murder POWs. An investigation ultimately cleared Patton of any wrongdoing.

: ''If there are better histories of World War II being written than the books in Rick Atkinson’s Liberation Trilogy, I haven’t read them. A former reporter and editor for the Washington Post, Atkinson conceived the massive project of writing the history of how the British and Americans fought their way back to Europe. [...] Here Atkinson tells a story that I had never heard. A story that presents American soldiers as neither the “deliverers” nor “captors” of Italians, but as their [[murder]]ers. A story that contradicts Winston Churchill’s assertion — made at a press conference in Washington after the meetings that planned the invasions of Sicily and Italy — that “We shall not stain our name by an inhuman act.” Not quite two months after Churchill’s statement, on Wednesday, July 14, 1943, Oklahoma National Guardsmen in the 180th Infantry executed dozens of Axis prisoners near Biscari, Sicily. Outside a cluster of olive trees by the Ficuzza River, Sgt. Horace West turned a submachine gun on a group of 46 men (all but three Italian), killing thirty-seven. Then that afternoon, Capt. John Travers Compton organized a firing squad (“several men volunteered”) that executed all 36 of his Italian prisoners (five in civilian clothes). Partly thanks to the intervention of a Baptist chaplain and two war correspondents, news of the Biscari massacres soon reached American commanders. Gen. Omar Bradley confronted Gen. George Patton, who suggested obliquely that his superior engineer a cover-up. Patton’s diary entry on the subject ended with a shrug: “Anyhow, they are dead, so nothing can be done about it.” In the event, something was done: an internal investigation concluded that the prisoners had made no provocation: “They had been slaughtered.” Patton finally agreed to hold courts-martial, but the truth didn’t come out. Compton was acquitted and returned to duty; he died that November while fighting in Italy. While West was convicted and sentenced to life in a New York prison, Allied commander Dwight Eisenhower reviewed the case and decided to keep West in North Africa, away from the press. (Partly, Eisenhower seems to have feared that if news got out, it would inspire Axis reprisals against Allied troops.) In late November 1944, West was granted clemency and allowed back into the ranks. [...] The whole affair was hushed up, with the records of the courts-martial classified top secret and locked away in the safe of the Secretary of the Army. As best I can discern, it came to light in a 1989 article in The Historian by James J. Weingartner, then received new attention a little over ten years ago thanks to the work of an Italian historian, court, and newspaper. Atkinson does cite Weingartner, but also conducted his own research in the U.S. National Archives, obtaining records of West’s trial through a Freedom of Information Act request. In any case, what happened at Biscari is far from unique in the history of this war. But in a recent interview in The Telegraph, British historian Antony Beevor contends that Allied executions of Axis prisoners remain virtually “unmentionable,” especially among Americans. His recent research into the bitter fighting on the German border in late 1944 and early 1945 convinced him that American commanders actually encouraged atrocities (e.g., the execution of five dozen Germans at Chenogne) that led the Wehrmacht to start calling GIs “Roosevelt’s Butchers.”''<ref>[https://pietistschoolman.com/2015/06/11/the-dark-world-is-not-far-from-us-a-wwii-atrocity/ “The Dark World Is Not Far From Us”: A WWII Atrocity] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20230602113213/https://pietistschoolman.com/2015/06/11/the-dark-world-is-not-far-from-us-a-wwii-atrocity/ Archive])</ref>

==Quotes==
* ''Sergeant Horace T. West killed 37 prisoners of war in cold blood at Biscari. He was court-martialed, his trial began at 2 September 1943. He was found guilty, stripped of his rank, and sentenced to life imprisonment. On 23 November 1944, he was pardoned quietly and his status restored. I find that an apt example of how the Western Allies ‘prosecuted’ criminals on their side. It seems the life of a man was worth about eleven days in prison.''<ref>[https://www.quora.com/Were-any-allied-soldiers-punished-for-war-crime-against-Axis-soldiers-or-civilians Were any allied soldiers punished for war crimes against Axis soldiers or civilians?]</ref>

== See also ==
*[[Superior orders]]
* [[Lippach massacre]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category: Allied atrocities]]
[[Category:Massacres]]
[[Category:Italy]]