Second World War Over 20,000 American soldiers were tried and sentenced for desertion. Forty-nine were sentenced to death, though forty-eight of these death sentences were subsequently commuted. Only one U.S. soldier, Private Eddie Slovik, was executed for desertion in World War II.
Although over 21,000 American soldiers were given varying sentences for desertion during World War II, including 49 death sentences, Slovik's death sentence was the only one that was carried out.
Desertion carries a maximum punishment of dishonorable discharge, forfeiture of all pay, and confinement of five years. For desertion during a time of war, however, the death penalty may be applied (at the discretion of the court-martial).
These men brought shame on their country and would be held in the highest disregard to discourage anyone else from doing the same. Thirty five days into war, Private Thomas Highgate, became the first British soldier to be executed for desertion.
Prior to mid-1862, desertion was lightly punished if at all, but following the Confederate Conscription Act of April 1862, enforcement was often harsh and included execution.
Desperate to keep the army intact, Washington tried to stem desertion by resorting to lashings as punishment and then threatening to shoot deserters on sight.
Approximately 500 men, representing both North and South, were shot or hanged during the four-year conflict, two-thirds of them for desertion.
Of an estimated 22,500 German soldiers sentenced to death for desertion, approximately 15,000 were shot or guillotined. More than 5,000 others were condemned for "defeatism" or "subversion of national defense," offenses that included denouncing Adolf Hitler or decrying the war.
At least 15,000 German soldiers were executed for desertion alone, and up to 50,000 were killed for often minor acts of insubordination. An unknown number were summarily executed, often in the moment, by their officers or comrades when they refused to follow commands.
Australia was the only country that did not want its soldiers (all volunteers) to be executed. The 129 Australians (including 119 deserters) that were sentenced to death during the war (117 in France) were not shot. Between April 1917 and November 1918 American court-martials sentenced 24 American deserters to death.
The soldiers' ultimate destination was Sweden, which at the time granted asylum to American servicemen who abandoned the military in protest of the war in Vietnam.
During the Civil War, both sides used desertion as a way to diminish the number of soldiers in the opposing side. The North promised deserting Confederate soldiers a pardon if they would promise allegiance and go home. If they could not return home, the Union would give them transportation to the North.
Sweden became the target destination for deserters because it was the only Western country that openly granted asylum to Vietnam War deserters. Sweden's granting of asylum to deserters worsened relations between Sweden and the United States.
On this day 100 years ago. Five soldiers who had deserted from the National Army and who were captured while fighting with the Irregulars were executed in Dublin yesterday morning.
Edward Donald Slovik (February 18, 1920 – January 31, 1945) was a private in the United States Army during World War II and the only American soldier to be executed for cowardice since the American Civil War.
Second World War
Over 20,000 American soldiers were tried and sentenced for desertion. Forty-nine were sentenced to death, though forty-eight of these death sentences were subsequently commuted. Only one U.S. soldier, Private Eddie Slovik, was executed for desertion in World War II.
At least 100,000 soldiers (out of an army of 4 million) were involved in the mutinies which mainly took place just behind the French lines. According to official French records, of those court-martialed for mutiny, 3,427 were found guilty. More than 500 received the death sentence, but only 49 were executed.
Most German POWs seem to have died before 1945 due to their poor health when falling captive after month-long fighting such as in Stalingrad. Many others died because of overwork, and because the Soviets did not allocate resources towards the POWs, but to their war effort.
After Germany's surrender in May 1945, millions of German soldiers remained prisoners of war. In France, their internment lasted a particularly long time. But, for some former soldiers, it was a path to rehabilitation.
Between 1914 and 1920, more than 3,000 British soldiers were sentenced to death by courts martial for desertion, cowardice, striking an officer, disobedience, falling asleep on duty or casting away arms.
Our research and operational missions involve coordination with hundreds of countries and municipalities worldwide. As of the latest update on May 22, 2023, more than 81,000 Americans remain missing from WWII, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, and the Gulf Wars/other conflicts.
Henry Wirz, commander of the infamous Confederate prison at Andersonville, Georgia, was hanged on November 10, 1865, in Washington, D.C., the only Confederate officer executed as a war criminal.
Confederate soldiers would be immediately paroled and allowed to return home. They would be given rations and in some cases transportation. They would not go to prison and would not be prosecuted for treason. Surrender would be the way to end the war quickly and with the least amount of bloodshed.