Private Eddie Slovik/Merged

[Bob Womack]

Looks like a couple of posts got lost on another thread so I brought the discussion back together. Play on!

Bob

[George Sr.]

When he deserted infantry replacements had in some units reached the 400% turnover level, in n.w. Europe. Cooks ,Truck drivers and various others were not needed,infantry replacements were.He was given the opportunity to have the charges dropped if he would go back to the infantry,he refused! Also stated in his confession he would run away again. He was counting on the sentence being reduced to 20 yrs. and after the war a pardon.

[TomSudz]

Slovik never really served with the 109th or any one else. He and a friend bailed while in transit to his assignment to "G" company. He hooked up with a Canadian MP outfit and basically spent about a month with them doing various chores before they ran him up to his company.

By the time his court martial had been conducted and the sentence handed down the 28th had been bloodied badly in both the Hurtgen Forest and then the Bulge taking thousands of casualties in each battle.

Its true that some of the people he encountered said he was great guy who would do anything for you..except his duty.

According to records he actually was at G company for about an hour before bailing again, then showed up a day or so later with a written confession (again, he wasn't the brightest), but that doesn't matter much anyway because you belong to who you're assigned to even if you never show up there. With the casualties taken by the 109th in the Hurtgen (1,357) and later the Ardennes (1,174), Eddie would likely have been killed either way.

[Vern Humphrey]

By the time his court martial had been conducted and the sentence handed down the 28th had been bloodied badly in both the Hurtgen Forest and then the Bulge taking thousands of casualties in each battle.

With the casualties taken by the 109th in the Hurtgen (1,357) and later the Ardennes (1,174), Eddie would likely have been killed either way.

When talking about Eddie Slovic, we need to understand the points made above. The 28th Infantry Division (PA NG) had taken horrible casualties. And being a National Guard division, many of the officers and NCOs were long-tme friends. They looked at the ordeals they had been through, the numbers of their old friends who were dead, and looked at Eddie, the man who refused to serve in the time of the Division's greatest need. They did not sympathize with Eddie.

A great deal has been made of the fact that there were no combat officers on Eddie's court-martial. But no one explains that the 28th Infantry Division at that point had no combat officers to spare -- most of them were dead or wounded.

[Bill Hollinger]

"An Army at Dawn", about Ike and the North African campaing.

Had Ike been, what he became, then the Axis would have been wiped up earlier.
Only after getting "cut-throat", and weeding out the incompetents, did the Allies kicked butt.

Most striking is the contempt on UK & US side for each other and the uncertainty of the French loyalty.

What a great read! A must

[JGaynor]

Vern, I recently stumbled across a DVD that a young woman had assembled about the 109th infantry during WW2. It included combat films plus inteviews with surviving vets (and their wives or widows) at a reunion a few years ago. At one point a Vet remarked in an interview that casualities in the rifle companies were horrific and he thanked god that he was in the anti-tank company. My dad was the CO of the 109th Anti-tank company. He survived the war and in the early 50's provided Bill Huie with the background information on the 28th in WW2 when Huie was writing "The Execution of Private Slovik". The original hardcover edition has an acknowledgement in the frontispiece.

But your point is well taken. Slovik was never a part of the unit. Never fought. Never soldiered in any meaningful way. He took his chances and unfortunately things went against him.

Regards,

Jim

PS The 109th DVD for anyone who might be interested is:
"Our Heroes and Their Ladies in Waiting" 2005, Linda Rae Stockton
www.lindaraeproductions.com

[DRB]

We all remember or have heard of him, right? So many articles written and even a movie about him being the first and only US Army soldier to be executed (WW11) since the civil war.

Just to clarify SLovak was the only US soldier executed for desertion during WWII. Between 1942 and 1961 160 members of the military were exected. In WWI 36 were exectuted. So his execution was not the first since the civil war it was the first for desertion. Currently the death penalty is in place for cetain crimes and at least nine military members on death row awaiting execution.

Here are the crimes still punishable by execution, note desertion in time of war is still punishable by death and to note we are at war right now:

Currently, under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, 14 offenses are punishable by death. Under the following sections of the UCMJ, the death penalty can be imposed at any time:

94 - Mutiny or sedition
99 - Misbehavior before the enemy
100 - Subordinate compelling surrender
101 - Improper use of countersign
102 - Forcing a safeguard
104 - Aiding the enemy
106a - Espionage
110 - Improper hazarding of vessel
118 - Murder
120 - Rape and carnal knowledge
Four provisions of the UCMJ carry a death sentence only if the crime is committed during times of war:

85 - Desertion
90 - Assaulting or willfully disobeying superior commissioned officer
106 - Spies
113 - Misbehavior of a sentinel or lookout

[Gibbs505]

Sure he was the only soldier shot, but there were a whole bunch hung for other crimes!
I remember reading in Albert Perriponts book that he was hired by the US to carry out a whole bunch of executions just before D-Day!

[Ken The Kanuck]

To be honest with you I haven't read the book for 10 or 20 years but what I remember about it was that Slovik was a loser. Not only was he incapable of making an intelligent choice, he was also unlucky. Sort of like the kid when you went stealing apples who would always get caught while the rest of you ran away.

If that was the message that the author intended, then he did a good job as that is what stuck with me.

KTK

[John Kepler]

When we got back home again
To desert was my intent, sir
I sold my cot and I sold my coat
And over the wall I went, sir.

Went to a tavern and I got drunk
That is where they found me
Back to barracks in chains I was sent
And there they did impound me.

Fifty I got for selling me coat
Fifty for me blankets
If ever I 'list for a soldier again
The devil shall be me sergeant.

From "The Rogues March"