m4a1-shermayne:German commandos captured in American uniform are prepared and executed, 1944. Operat
m4a1-shermayne:German commandos captured in American uniform are prepared and executed, 1944. Operation Greif was a special operation commanded by Waffen-SS commando Otto Skorzeny during the Battle of the Bulge.. The operation was the brainchild of Adolf Hitler, and its purpose was to capture one or more of the bridges over the Meuse river before they could be destroyed. German soldiers, wearing captured British and US Army uniforms and using captured Allied vehicles, were to cause confusion in the rear of the Allied lines. As a result of this mission, American troops began asking other soldiers questions that they felt only Americans would know the answers to in order to flush out the German infiltrators, which included naming certain states’ capitals, sports and trivia questions related to America, etc.The soldiers in the picture were executed after a military trial found them on violation of the Hague convention concerning land warfare, article 23: “It’s especially forbidden […], to make improper use of a flag of truce, of the national flag or of the military insignia and uniform of the enemy”. The prisoners refused the ministrations of a U.S. chaplain. They kept their nerve by singing patriotic German songs.The prisoners were blindfolded and a large white paper target was pinned over their heart. After they were officially pronounced dead, the infiltrators were cut down by MP’s, carried away and buried. -- source link
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