After the Second World War, there were a number of war crimes trials that took place to bring
justice to a number of people who committed crimes against humanity.
There were scores of atrocities committed during the conflict, and inside of the concentration
camps some of the most disgusting violence was inflicted.
There were also a number of German officers and members of the military and the SS who
were executed because of their killing of POWs and innocent people.
One such man brought to trial was Anton Dostler, and he was accused of ordering the executions
of 15 American prisoners in March 1944, whilst the Germans were fighting the Italian campaign.
But what did he do, and what was he executed for?
Join us today as we look at, ‘The DISGUSTING Crimes of Anton Dostler,’ remember to support
our channel, please make sure to subscribe.
Anton Dostler had a long career in the German military, and he joined the German Army in
1910 and served as a junior office during World War 1.
But as the Second World War broke out, he remained inside of the military and from 1940
was working as the Chief of Staff of the 7th Army.
HE then was given command of the 57th Infantry Division from 1941 to 1942, and then the 163rd
Infantry Division.
As time went on he was then appointed as the commander of the 75th Army Corp for 6 months
in 1944.
He was then placed in a position as the commander of the Venetian coast which is where he ended
the Second World War.
But after the conflict, Dostler was accused of being responsible for a war crime that
took place in Italy.
On the 22nd March 1944, a party of 15 soldiers of the US Army landed on the Italian Coast
north of La Spezia.
They landed as part of Operation Gibby, two sabotage missions that were conducted by OSS,
and their aim was to blow up railway tunnels that would sever the line of communication
between the German army in central Italy.
The first mission failed, and then the OSS team had to abort as they landed in the wrong
spot, but then a second attempt was made.
The American soldiers were then dressed in the field uniform of the US Army, and they
had no civilian clothes.
Their plan was yet again to blow up and demolish a tunnel at Framura.
This was a key railway line between Genoa and La Spezia, and this would have caused
problems with German supply routes and lines.
Three men wore paratrooper boots, and the others wore GI shoes, and they also wore knit
stocking caps, and had their jackets inside out hiding any distinctive markings that indicated
they were part of OSS.
They were armed with cold 43 pistols, and fighting knives, and 6 of them had Marlin
submachine guns.
But yet again the Americans had landed in the wrong spot, and it was discovered that
they landed near to the village of Carpineggio, 2 miles from their landing zone and 1 mile
from their target.
They lost contact with the PT boats, and then the men went into hiding mode.
They hid during the day, and then established contact with the PT boats the following night
before they tried to complete the mission.
They hid their rubber dinghy boats and explosives and equipment under trees, and moved up a
slope until they found an empty barn.
Two team members in the following morning went to find food, and an Italian farmer then
saw them and he agreed to help them.
On the evening of the 23rd March, the US boats were launched to pick the men up, but they
ran into trouble and one was spotted on a radar and it was clear that the enemies of
the Germans were on the coast.
The men were forced into hiding again, and an Italian fisherman noticed the boats along
the shore, and the authorities were informed.
Two militiamen found the explosives, and then the German command were informed and a search
party swept the area.
But the 15 Americans who were hiding in the barn were captured, and there were a few clashes
with Italian Facist and German forces before they were captured and then taken to the German
Headquarters in La Spezia for interrogation.
One of the soldiers did reveal the intention of the raid, and informed that they were to
blow up tunnels to disrupt German supply routes.
Now this information was then passed onto Anton Distler who was at the Headquarters
of the 75th Army Corp.
He was told it was a commando raid, and then Dostler asked his superior Field Marshal Albert
Kesselring who was in charge of the German forces in Italy what he should do.
It was said that Kesselring responded to Dostler by ordering the executions of the US Soldiers,
and then Dostler sent the telegram containing this order to the 135th Fortress Brigade.
He outlined that the commando party was to be executed, as Hitler had issued the Commando
order that stated that any enemy commandos and saboteurs taken prisoner should be executed
immediately without any trial.
Colonel Almers who received the order was hesitant to order the executions, and he asked
Dostler again to delay these killings.
Dostler then told him to carry out the executions, and two attempts were made further to stop
the executions, but Dostler continued to force through the executions.
Colonel Almers stated that he knew executing uniformed POWs was a war crime violating the
Geneva Convention, but the appeals were unsuccessful.
On the 26th March 1944 in the morning, the American men were executed whilst still wearing
their US Army uniforms.
They were marched and lined up by the Germans in Punta Bianca above the sea on a rocky outcrop.
They were then shot by a firing squad, and were then buried in a mass grave which was
then camoflaughed and disguised.
The men had not been given a trial.
But after the Second World War, Anton Dostler was taken as a POW by the USArmy and the story
of the commando team was uncovered.
For this he was placed on trial.
He was accused of carrying out an order which was illegal, and Dostler claimed to state
that he was simply passing on the orders of a higher power onto his subordinate.
Dostler at his trial lied that the captured men were dressed in civilian clothes when
they were captured, and he claimed they wore no distinctive markings stating they were
Americans.
Because of this he said they had no protection by the rules of war, but the bodies were found
with their US Army uniform and insignia on them.
It was said that, Dostler’s order to execute the US Soldiers was in violation of Article
2 of the Geneva convention of POWs, and it was said, ‘no soldier and still less a Commanding
General can be heard to say that he considered the summary shooting of prisoners of war legitimate
even as a reprisal.’
It was legal to execute spies and saboteurs who were in civilian clothing or enemy uniforms
in disguise, but it was not legal to execute those in uniforms of their own army.
This made Anton Dostler’s execution order a war crime, and for this he was sentenced
to death as a war criminal.
He was executed by a 12 man firing squad on the 1st December 1945, and he was then buried
in a war cemetery.
Anton Dostler was a loyal member of the German Army, but his biggest crime was in sanctioning
the executions and ordering the illegal killing of 12 US Army soldiers, who should have been
taken as prisoners of war and given some care.
The illegal order was ultimately what signed the death warrant of Anton Dostler himself.
He was just one of many more war criminals and members of the German army who were now
sentenced to death.
Thanks for watching
To support our channel, please make sure to subscribe
Thanks for watching