Editing Borkum Island Massacre

{{Act of Villainy
|image = Borkum Island war crimes trial A008309a.jpg
|perpetrator = [[Nazi Party]]
|date = 4 August 1944
|location = Borkum Island
|motive = Revenge for Allied bombing raids
|crimes = [[War crimes]]<br>Mass [[murder]]<br>Assault}}
The '''Borkum Island Massacre''' was a [[war crime]] committed against American POWs by [[Nazi Party|Nazi]] soldiers and civilians during [[World War II]] on Borkum Island, Germany. It concerned the beating and murder of seven American airmen who had made an emergency landing on Borkum Island. 

==Events==
On 4 August 1944, an American bomber plane was involved in a collision with another aircraft during an air raid over Bremen. Two of the nine crewmembers parachuted to safety, but the other seven - Harvey Walthall, William Myers, Howard Graham, Kenneth Faber, James Danno, William Dold and William Lambertus - were able to regain control of the plane and attempted to return to base. However, they realized that the plane was too badly damaged to make it back and made an emergency landing on Borkum Island, where they surrendered to the local authorities.

All seven prisoners were taken to the local battery, where commanders [[Jacob Seiler]] and [[Kurt Goebell]] decided to have them marched to a naval base on the other side of the island for internment, overseen by [[Erich Wentzel]] and [[Josef Schmitz]]. Seiler warned Schmitz that, according to an edict issued by [[Joseph Goebbels]], they were to allow the local population to attack the prisoners if they wanted to and ordered them to make sure the prisoner's hands were in the air at all times in order to prevent them from defending themselves if attacked. Police chiefs Heinrich Rommel and Meyer-Gerhards and mayor [[Jan Akkermann]] were informed of what was about to take place, and Akkermann proceeded to give a speech on the radio exhorting the populace to attack the prisoners before stationing soldiers at various points around the island to beat the prisoners themselves.

The first assault took place before the prisoners reached town, when they came across a Reich Work Detail who forced them to walk along the promenade while they beat them with their spades. They then continued into town, where Akkermann gave a second speech ordering the locals to attack. The people did so, ruthlessly beating the prisoners with their fists and whatever blunt instruments came to hand. Schmitz and Wentzel took part in the beatings, hitting the prisoners with their rifle butts. Howard Graham was beaten by Air Raid Policeman Gustav Mammenga until he was too injured to get up, and was then executed by one Gefreiter Langer (not a member of the escort, first name unknown) with a shot to the head. The other six prisoners continued the march to the naval base while being assaulted by the populace; however, when they reached the base they were shot by Wentzel and Schmitz. All seven victims were buried at the Borkum Lutheran Cemetery.

==Prosecution==
Borkum Island fell to the British at the end of the war. British authorities were informed of the massacre by a French POW and forwarded a report to the US Army Intelligence Corps, who opened an investigation. Gefreiter Langer was found to have been killed in action during the fall of Borkum Island and so could not be brought to trial, but 15 other alleged perpetrators were found and indicted, coming to trial on 22 March 1946. These were:
*'''Jan Akkermann''': Mayor of Borkum Island. Convicted of inciting the massacre and hanged 15 October 1948. 
*'''Heinrich Rommel''': Police chief. Convicted of allowing his men to beat the prisoners and sentenced to 2 years imprisonment.
*'''Meyer-Gerhards''': Air Raid Police chief. Acquitted of all charges.
*'''Kurt Goebell''': Ranking officer on the island. Convicted of murder under command responsibility and sentenced to death, later commuted to life imprisonment. Paroled 1956.
*'''Jacob Seiler''': Commander of the Borkum Island battery. Convicted of murder under command responsibility and sentenced to death, later commuted to life imprisonment.
*'''Erich Wentzel''': First lieutenant. Convicted of killing the prisoners and hanged 3 December 1948.
*'''Josef Schmitz''': Sergeant in charge of the march. Convicted of killing the prisoners and hanged 15 October 1948.
*'''Walter Krolikovski''': Soldier involved in the march. Convicted of beating the prisoners and being complicit in the shootings and sentenced to life imprisonment, later commuted to 14 years. 
*'''Gustav Mammenga''': Air Raid Policeman. Convicted of beating Howard Graham and sentenced to 24 years imprisonment.
*'''Gunther Albrecht''': Civilian. Convicted of beating the prisoners and sentenced to 6 years imprisonment.
*'''Karl Geyer''': Civilian. Convicted of beating the prisoners and sentenced to 4 years imprisonment.
*'''Heinrich Heinemann''': Civilian. Convicted of beating the prisoners and sentenced to 18 years imprisonment, commuted to 10 years on appeal.
*'''Johann Pointner''': Civilian. Convicted of beating the prisoners and sentenced to 5 years imprisonment.
*'''Karl Weber''': Civilian. Convicted of beating the prisoners and sentenced to 25 years imprisonment.
*'''Heinz Witzke''': Civilian. Convicted of beating the prisoners and sentenced to 11 years imprisonment.
Another trial relating to the massacre began on 26 June 1947: that of August Haesiker, the leader of the Reich Work Detail that had carried out the initial beating. Haesiker was convicted of ordering his men to beat the prisoners and sentenced to 11 years imprisonment. He was paroled in 1952. 
[[Category:List]]
[[Category:Villainous Event]]
[[Category:Villains of World War 2]]
[[Category:Germany]]
[[Category:European Villains]]
[[Category:War Criminal]]
[[Category:Mass Murderers]]
[[Category:Execution]]
[[Category:Military]]
[[Category:Vengeful]]
[[Category:Brutes]]
[[Category:Wrathful]]
[[Category:Sadists]]