Traitors VI. [Conclusion]

This is coolbert:

This is my own personal comment about the status and treatment of American traitors from World War Two [WW2].

You can recall from previous blog entries the fates of William Joyce and John Amery, the two Englishmen, who made propaganda broadcasts for the Germans. Both men were hung, and hung within a month of being convicted.

Contrast the fates of Joyce and Amery with that of Pound and Toguri, the latter two having also having made propaganda broadcasts for the Axis powers. Pound and Toguri ended up leading relatively secure and prosperous lives. Pound of course was declared a babbling idiot and did spend time in a mental prison. Toguri too spent time in prison, but was later exonerated and did lead a prosperous but secluded life. Hanging was not in the cards for either one of the two American "traitor" propagandists.

And think of the fate of Yamada. Collaborated [can it be called less?? I think not]! But survived and prospered in a pretty big way after the war. Was he executed by being hung from a meat hook placed under the back of his skull? NO!! Was he sent to mines in Appalachia or Colorado and worked to death mining coal or lead? NO!!

It seems that American justice against "traitors" after WW2 was very tempered. Some may say too much so??!!

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Traitors V.

This is coolbert:

All during World War Two [WW2], there were Americans that did take up arms against their own country. Traitors in every sense of the word traitor.

Aboard every major Japanese warship in WW2 was a small contingent of radio intercept operators. Persons who could speak American English. These radio intercept operators would listen in on the radio frequencies used by U.S. naval aviation. Hear the chatter and radio communications of American pilots active in the vicinity. With the use of radio direction finding [RDF] equipment, these operators could also determine the direction of the aircraft. And judging by the strength of the transmissions, determine to a degree whether the planes were approaching, moving away, or static in position. It would be possible to intercept transmissions from U.S. aircraft at a very long distance. Aircraft flying at 10,000 feet would be susceptible to having their transmissions heard as far as 150 miles away.

This type of radio intercept operation gave the Japanese some real advantages. In the days prior to widespread use of radar, intercepts of this type would give forewarning to every ship captain that American naval aviation was active in the area. He had better take preventative measures. Once intelligence had been derived from the intercepted transmissions, even more aggressive measures could be taken by the radio intercept operators. This would involve imitative deception [ID]. The American English speakers would attempt to intrude into the American radio frequencies and give false and deceptive orders. In an attempt to deceive the American pilots. And there does seem to be evidence that this sort of thing was done successfully. It is reputed that during the naval operations to liberate the Philippines in 1944, Admiral Halsey's naval aviation was deceived by ID with some real success by the intruders [those American English speaking Japanese radio intercept operators].

And where did the Japanese Navy get American English speakers to man these radio intercept positions that existed on all major Japanese warships?? Why, from America itself! It seems that at the outbreak of the war, there were numbers of American citizens of Japanese descent living and studying in Japan. A custom of Japanese immigrants to the U.S. at the time was to sent their college age offspring to universities and colleges in Japan after completing high school in American. Not only to get what the parents felt was perhaps a superior higher education, but also to retain the Japanese culture, traditions, language, etc. At the start of the war, in 1941, these students were "stranded" in Japan, recruited [dragooned] into military service, made officers in the Japanese Navy, and told to go man those intercept positions. And that was that, "you're in the Navy now, go serve!!"

Men such as Yamada [born and raised in Idaho], Nakatani [born and raised in California], and Kuramoto [born and raised in California] are illustrative of the persons involved in this "treason". Experiences of these men was quite similar:

"The boys were bundled off to universities in Japan where the outbreak of war faced them with the agonizing choice of prison and possible execution as suspected spies - - or collaboration."

Shigeo Yamada, the Idahoan, for one, did survive the war [it was noticed at the time of his capture that he tore off his badges of rank!!]. His fate appears to not to have been so bad:

"Ensign Shigeo Yamada did not get back his American citizenship. He did the next best thing by working in the United States for Japan Air Lines [JAL]. After years in the United States, he returned to Japan as a JAL vice-president in 1979. With his daughters married to Japanese, and his youngest son, born in CHICAGO, living in the United States, he reckoned his family was a 'little bit torn'. It was the story of his life."

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Traitors IV.

This is coolbert:

American traitors.

During World War Two [WW2], there were Americans who DID collaborate with the enemy, and persons who were convicted of collaboration.

Keep in mind with regard to this blog, that William Joyce, the Englishman hung for treason, solely was guilty of making propaganda broadcasts for the Nazis. And that John Amery, was also found guilty in part for making similar broadcasts as well. Amery's fate was also to be hung for treason.

Two Americans during WW2 gained infamy for their propaganda broadcasts on behalf of the Axis powers.

One such person was Ezra Pound.



Pound at the time was considered to be the greatest expert in the world on poetry, and was also himself a poet of great repute. Pound lived for many years prior to the war the life of the genteel bohemian expatriate in Italy, leading a secure and leisurely lifestyle. Pound was also enamored of fascism and Mussolini in particular, and did have an antipathy for Jews. Residing securely in Italy all during the war, Pound did make propaganda broadcasts for the Italian fascists, broadcasts that usually derided at length the Jews and Jewish culture in general. Upon his capture by U.S. forces at the end of the war, Pound was placed in a tiger cage [exactly what it is, a cage that a circus would have for caging and keeping tigers in], and exposed outdoors to the full force of the elements for forty days [Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness, Ezra did too]. At the end of this time, Pound had become mentally deranged and was a babbling idiot. Returned to the U.S. to stand trial, Pound was found to be insane to the point of being found unfit to stand trial. Locked away for a number of years in a mental institution, Pound never did regain full use of his mental faculties and was regarded as a pathetic demented figure!

The other person who made propaganda broadcasts for the Axis powers [in this case Japan] during WW2 is the infamous "Tokyo Rose", Iva Toguri.



Some "experts" contend that Tokyo Rose was a myth, no such person existed. And there is some [but not substantial] credence to this argument. No single woman making propaganda broadcasts from Japan during the war referred to herself as Tokyo Rose. However, there were a number of women who did make propaganda broadcasts from Japan, all American English speakers, and these women were generally referred to as "Tokyo Rose" by the listeners [American GI's]. [Iva Toguri called herself "Annie" during the broadcasts that she made.]

At the end of the war, Iva was captured by U.S. forces, returned to the U.S. [she was a natural born citizen, born and raised in the U.S., in Japan at the outbreak of the war as she was tending to a sick relative], tried, convicted and sent to prison. Iva's defense was she made the broadcasts, yes, but under duress. She was forced. According to Iva, she was brought into a broadcast studio against her will and told to make the propaganda broadcasts. Refusing to do so, Iva related that, "An American soldier was brought into the studio, made to kneel, and a Japanese officer put a gun to American soldiers head and threatened to shoot him right there and then if I did not make the broadcasts. So I did."

Having served her sentence, Iva married a man named Aquino, moved to CHICAGO, where she lived until her death, operating a novelty shop specializing in Japanese imports. AND, for many years, her shop sponsored a Japanese language radio broadcast called the "Sakura Hour". [Iva never did seem to get away from the radio, did she??!!]. In 1977 Iva received a full pardon and exoneration from President Ford, her conviction being rendered null and void!

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Traitors IV.

This is coolbert:

In my last blog I mentioned the Waffen SS units representing countries other than Russia that fought on the side of the Nazis during the Second World War [WW2]. This list did exclude Russia.

And there is a good reason for my exclusion. Emphasis must be placed upon the numbers of Russians [Soviet citizens] that fought on the side of the Germans in WW2. While the numbers of volunteers from countries other than the Soviet Union was in perhaps the tens of thousands [?], the numbers of Russians fighting on the side of the Germans was upwards of 1 million!!??

This number of 1 million soldiers that were willing to take up arms against their own country is astounding. This is the figure generally agreed upon by most reputable historians, and is quoted by A. Solzhenitsyn in his book, "GULAG Archipelago".

The reasons behind such a defection of troops to the other side is very complicated in the case of the Russians. Again, at the start of the war, Hitler wanted to use troops against his enemies that were only of "Germanic" or "Nordic" stock. He did not want to rely upon "others" and did not trust "others" at all. Again, however, as the war progressed, the German Army was in dire need of man power and resorted to various measures to fill gaps as they arose.

And the use of troops that could be categorized as "Soviet" citizens developed in an incoherent manner at first, "waves" of Soviet levies being employed by the Germans.

There were "national" units of Cossacks, Georgians, Ukranians, and Baltic peoples that eagerly fought with the Germans against the Soviets, and did so in cohesive, "national" units. This was the first "wave".

A second "wave" of Soviet citizens fighting for the Germans was of Russian recruits from POW camps. In the early part of the fighting in the Soviet Union, the Germans captured just enormous numbers of Soviet soldiers. Many of course were Russian and these men were treated by the Germans in a very shabby and brutal manner. It can be noted that prior to the war, the Soviets had not signed any conventions dealing with the humane treatment of POW's. Accordingly, the Germans did not apply any humane treatment to the many Russian POW's that they held. To escape almost certain death, many POW's, some probably willingly, joined battalions comprised of Russians that would fight for the Germans. This was the RNNA. Read about the RNNA by clicking here. These troops were given what can best be called special operations missions [such as the Brandenburgers], to infiltrate Soviet Army lines and create behind-the-lines havoc and chaos. And they were good at this. But Hitler, in his stupidity, did not trust having units larger than battalions formed, and did not want to rely upon Russians out of racial and ideological reasons [Nazi race theory]. These POW's turned collaborators were only used on a limited basis and had a marginal effect.

The third wave of Russians fighting for the Germans in WW2 was the Vlasov Army, the ROA. At it's height, this army is said to have numbered about 750,000 troops!! This army did comprise the vast majority of Russians that were willing to fight for the Germans. This army was comprised of again, primarily Russian POW's that agreed to fight for the Germans. And headed by a dissident Soviet General, Vlasov. Read about Vlasov by clicking here. In 1942, Vlasov commanded the Soviet 2nd Shock Army, a unit annihilated while trying to relieve the siege of Leningrad. Vlasov was captured by the Germans and did agree, with other captured Soviet Generals, to form a Russian army to fight for the Germans. And this they did. But, again, Hitler did not trust these Russians and used them primarily in the fighting in the Balkans, or in anti-partisan activity in France, and only on a limited basis against the Soviets. This was not what Vlasov and his compatriots had in mind. They wanted to fight Russians with Russians!! But this happened again, only on a limited basis, not as Vlasov had intended.

At the end of WW2, the fate of these Russians was very grim indeed. Vlasov and his leadership cadre were summarily executed upon capture [It is reputed that Vlasov and his immediate staff were executed by being hung from meat hooks inserted under the back of their skulls, and hung in this manner until dead. Some of the persons hung this way were alleged to have lasted three hours before expiring!!], and the surviving Russian soldiers of the Vlasov Army were sentenced to twenty five years in the GULAG. This was the same as a death sentence, as the camps of the GULAG had a 100 % death rate of inmates every eight years!!

Nobody said life for a Russian soldier was ever easy!!!

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Traitors III.

This is coolbert.

All throughout the second World War [WW2], the Germans were able to find in countries they occupied, willing collaborators. And many of these collaborators were organized into volunteer military units under the auspices of the Waffen SS. The military branch of the SS.

This concept runs counter to the basic tenets of fascism to begin with. Hitler wanted to man his army with men that were strictly of Germanic or "Nordic" stock. And this was done until it was realized that Germany faced a protracted war. At that time, the Germans realized that all and any manpower they could muster for their cause was a must. And so the decision was made to accept persons in volunteer SS units that were not of Germanic or "Nordic" stock.

And large numbers of willing volunteers were found in almost all countries that were occupied by the German Army. Within these foreign volunteer units, national integrity was highly desired, though as a rule not 100 % complied with.

Excluding Russia, the Germans were able to muster volunteer units from among these occupied countries:

Holland, France, Italy, Belgium, Hungary, Croatia, Bosnia, Estonia, Latvia.

These units were usually called "divisions". But this is somewhat misleading. These were not normal TO&E units with a fixed complement of troops, say a divisional strength of 10,000 men. Usually somewhat smaller units, sometimes much smaller, but also possessing a capability at times much more potent than larger units, due to the motivation of the volunteers. And make no mistake about it. THESE WERE VOLUNTEERS. Men that willingly joined the German military with the intention of taking up arms and fighting on the side of the country that had conquered and occupied, sometimes brutally, their own lands.

I think it can be safely said that most of these volunteers were persons that had been in the years leading to WW2, had been members of, or were in agreement with, various fascist movements in Europe. Fascism WAS seen as an alternative to what was felt to be a senile, corrupt and antiquated system of democracy and capitalism. Many disaffected persons in Europe did flock to either communist or fascist movements as they did not see any hope for a solution to the many problems that faced Europe and indeed the world in the 1930's.

The British military historian James Lucas comments about this in his book, "War on the Eastern Front": [this book is one of the best, perhaps the best military history book I have ever read, I recommend it highly].

"One of the most interesting features of the war against the Soviet Union was the enthusiasm with which this was taken up by certain European peoples as a crusade against Communism. It might have been expected that the extremely Catholic countries would have sent contingents but the enlistment of men with such widely diverse cultures as Scandinavians and Muslims was an unusual feature. They and the other men who fought, whether they were Dutch, Norwegians, Christians, or Muslims as well as those who accepted some mystic Nordic belief, all fought together and for any one of a number of reasons, some for political beliefs, some for racial, some for sheer adventure, others for the sake of Western civilization, for that vaguely-felt struggle of west against East which has been alluded to in earlier pages. The reasons are not important; rather more interesting is the fact that they fought and, according to the SS, as a supra-national European army."

And devotion to duty even unto death was an unquestionable fact for these units. As was mentioned earlier, even the French contributed a division to the Waffen SS. This was called the "Charlemagne" division. And as was mentioned before, this unit did not consist of full size TO&E unit. At the Battle of Berlin in 1945, only about 300 Frenchmen were left in the unit. Given the opportunity to take their leave or fight, they fought. And died! Almost to the last man, this unit was destroyed. Click here to see an interesting site about one Frenchman who fought gamely for the occupiers of his country.

"During the battle for the German capital, the French volunteers put up a truly heroic resistance in Neukölln, on the La Belle-Alliance Platz, on the Wilhelmstrasse and the Friedrichstrasse. They fought on to the last round of ammunition on the last day of the battle, destroying (among other things) some 62 enemy tanks in the process.

On 2 May 1945, most of the surviving Frenchmen (about three dozen out of an original total of 300 or more), went into Soviet captivity near the Air Ministry building. Hstuf. Fenet had been badly wounded in the last days of the fighting, and he was first sent to a hospital before being imprisoned in Soviet and French POW slave labor camps and prisons."

Like I said, devotion unto death!!

To be continued.

coolbert.

Traitors II.

This is coolbert:

The second Englishman executed for treason at the end of World War Two [WW2] was John Amery. And the case of Amery is much more complex than was the case with William Joyce. And much more confusing too. Click here to see a posed picture of Amery and ladyfriend.

Amery was a man, who in the years prior to WW2, professed fascist beliefs and tendencies. Was a friend and confidant of some of the leading figures in fascist movements all throughout Europe.

Amery was also a man suffering from mental illness. He was treated with electro-shock therapy, a treatment now looked upon with disdain my those in the medical profession.

Amery did come from a distinguished and influential family. His father was a major player in the British government of the day. Amery's father had been a government minister to India and Burma and WAS A MEMBER OF CHURCHILL'S CABINET DURING THE WAR. Furthermore, Amery's brother was a member of British domestic counter-intelligence [MI5] during the war.

It is unquestionable that during the WW2, while residing first in France and then as a guest of the Germans, Amery did commit treasonous acts against his own country. Click here to see a site about Amery.

Amery did make seven propaganda broadcasts for the Germans, directed at the British people. This is similar to what William Joyce did. Typical of what Amery said was:

"Betrayed by our Government, undermined by Communism, ours is an uphill fight against the power of vested Jewish interests, but we must win it, we must achieve British freedom of action and thought".

Amery went even further than Joyce did, however, in his treason. Amery set the goal to become the leader of a British brigade [1500 men, a large battalion], consisting of disaffected British POW's being held by the Germans. This brigade would take up arms and fight on the side of the Germans. Presumably on the eastern front, against the forces of the Soviet Union. NOT against his own British nationals. This was the purported goal of Amery. In keeping with fascist beliefs held at the time, the war Germany was fighting was a war against the enemies of "World Jewry" and "international Bolshevism". British fascists such as Amery felt England was just on the wrong side in the war, and were dupes of "World Jewry". This brigade was to be the British Free Corps, called BFK from the German name for the brigade [Britisher Freikorps].

The effort of Amery to raise such a brigade was a total failure. British POW's [tens of thousands??] being held by the Germans were just not in the slightest bit amenable to the blandishments of Amery and his German mentors. Of all the many British POW's under the control of the Germans, only about fifty volunteered to serve in the brigade of Amery. And these were men mostly of the lowest common denominator. Men that in British parlance would be referred to as "cads" and "bounders". Indeed, of the fifty "volunteers", about twenty were already under a punishment regimen for having had "romantic liaisons" with German women while POW's [this would allow one to reasonably infer that their POW status was not that extreme to begin with]. Amery's hope for a British brigade to fight on the eastern front for Germany were totally rooted in fantasy, a fantasy existing in the mind of Amery. Click here to see a site about this "brigade".

And the end of the war, Amery was captured by Italian partisans and turned over to the British. Tried for treason, Amery received what can be only be called swift justice. Brought before a judge, he was read the charges against him, was asked his plea, to which he replied, "guilty". At which time the judge ascertained the mental state of Amery and deemed in his own mind [the judge's], that Amery did understand the charges brought against him, after which the judge sentenced Amery to death. This all took EIGHT MINUTES!!! Within one month after sentencing, Amery was executed by hanging. The executioner, Albert Pierrepoint, reported that Amery was the bravest man he had ever executed [most composed??]. Click here and here to see an interesting site about the trial of John Amery.

In my own mind, I think Amery probably lived in a fantasy world exacerbated by mental illness. Not properly understood or diagnosed. But at the end of the war, justice was swift and relentless, as is seen in the case of John Amery. John Amery can only be seen as a pathetic figure!

coolbert.

Traitors I.

This is coolbert: [my comments in bold]

In the aftermath of World War Two [WW2], two Englishmen were executed for treason. These were men, for whatever reason or combination of reasons, had sided with the Germans during the war. Collaborated and actively took the side of the fascists and paid the most severe price possible for their actions. IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THESE WERE THE ONLY TWO ENGLISHMEN EXECUTED FOR TREASON IN THE AFTERMATH OF WW2.

Of these two traitors, the name of William Joyce, aka "Lord Haw Haw" is the best known. Joyce was a British fascist who in the years prior to the war emigrated from England to Germany and did become a German citizen. And all throughout the war he made propaganda broadcasts for the Germans to England. Broadcasts that were received with the utmost derision by the British public. Joyce has always been portrayed as a buffonish character, whose strident grating voice on the radio is often remembered in the most vivid manner by those persons still alive who heard his absurd remarks on the radio on an almost daily basis. Click here to read an interesting site about Joyce.

"Dismissed by many historians as a comical, almost pathetic, figure in reality his life was far more complex."

If you examined the life of most persons, their life is probably more much complex than anyone realized.

"Joyce was born in New York of an Irish father and an English mother"

By birth he could claim American citizenship.

"when he was only three the family moved to Ireland, settling in County Mayo. Joyce was educated at a convent school in Galway -"

Grew up and was educated in Ireland.

He had strong Irish roots.

"Joyce had his nose broken . . . giving him the nasal broken drawl so familiar in his later broadcasts from Germany."

Joyce did have a unique, grating voice. He stood out for this.

"Joyce's early life was marked by violence, including an attack on his father's business and attacks on the family home by Sinn Feiners."

Joyce did seem to have a violent early life, a life marked by brawling and fisticuffs and even beyond that.

"Far from being the puny figure described by the press during World War II, William Joyce was of average height and strongly built. During his youth he excelled at boxing, swimming and fencing. This was to hold him in good stead later when he was involved in many street battles."

Joyce was not a milquetoast. A man who did not shun mixing it up with the fists when necessary. Many leaders in European fascist movements were persons who did have a degree of physical courage.

"A. K. Chesterton described Joyce as a "brilliant writer, speaker who addressed hundreds of meetings... always revealing the iron spirit of Fascism."

Almost sounds like an English Adolph Hitler!

"fights which Joyce never shrunk from. Joyce made no effort to hide his admiration for Adolf Hitler and praised him whenever possible. Joyce had made up his mind long before World War II that it was the result of provocation by Jewry and International Finance."

In fascist circles throughout Europe prior to the outbreak of war, many men held similar sentiments.

"His wartime broadcasts to England became infamous - he was nicknamed 'Lord Haw-Haw' by a Daily Express journalist because of his aristocratic nasal drawl. Unknown to the public at this time, his image was very different from the scar-faced fascist thug he was usually portrayed as."

"Germany calling Germany calling," which because of Joyce's broken nose sounded like: "Jarmany calling, Jarmany calling."

If you have actually heard this introduction, you can instantly recognize why the grating voice must have gotten on the nerves of a lot of people.

"Joyce's fate at the gallows was then merely a formality and the British press whipped up all the hysteria they could - reminding people that he was a snarling traitor. The British Government passed the Treason Act 1945 the day before Joyce was flown back to Britain."

Now, this is most interesting. Under the Treason Act, to charge Joyce under this law would be considered to be EX POST FACTO. I am surprised that this is the case. I wonder if this legal concept does not apply in England??

"Although Joyce was born in the USA, brought up in Ireland and took German nationality on 26 September 1939, he was charged with treason from 3 September 1939 to 2 July 1940, the date his British passport ran out, and sentenced to death."

Again, this seems to be a clear cut case of EX POST FACTO. I wonder how this was reconciled? And after the Easter Uprising in WW1 in Dublin, Eamon De Valera was spared death because he was an American citizen. But not William!?

And of course, the sentence of death was carried out.

To be continued.

coolbert.