The Fifth Field: The Story of the 96 American Soldiers Sentenced to Death and Executed in Europe and North Africa in World War II

by Colonel French L. MacLean

Overview

Unnamed Graves, a Secret Cemetery, Files Closed to the Public and Stored in "The Vault." During World War II, in the North African/Mediterranean and European Theaters of Operation, 96 American soldiers were convicted by Army General Courts-Martial and executed for desertion, murder and rape. Their victims were 26 fellow American soldiers and 71 British, French, Italian, Polish and Algerian civilians. The executions were not ad hoc killings. General Eisenhower, or another theater commander, approved every proceeding, but the Army did not trumpet the crimes. After the war, the Army searched for a suitable site to inter the remains of all 96 men. It chose a plot of land adjacent to – but technically outside of – the World War I American cemetery of Oise-Aisne. The area is separated from the main cemetery by a high stone wall, concealed from view, and is closed to casual visitors. Called "Plot E" by the staff, others refer to it as "The Fifth Field." The judicial files on the 96 were even harder to find – until now.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780764345777
Publisher:	Schiffer Publishing, Ltd.
Publication date:	10/28/2013
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	7.40(w) x 10.10(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

Colonel French L. MacLean, United States Army, (Ret.), served over thirty-four years in the Senior Service. Born in Peoria, Illinois, he graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1974, and later from the Army's School of Advanced Military Studies. He has written ten military history books under the Schiffer label. The author's book, Custer's Best: The Story of Company M, 7th Cavalry at the Little Bighorn, was the recipient of the John M. Carroll Award for 2012 as the best annual book on the Battle of the Little Bighorn or George A. Custer.

Table of Contents

Prologue 6

Acknowledgements 9

Dedication 10

Introduction 12

Foreword 14

Legal Foreword 16

Part I Historical and Legal Underpinnings

The Big Picture 20

The U.S. Army Judicial System in World War II 23

Part II The 96

1 David Cobb 30

2 Harold A. Smith 35

3 James E. Kendrick 38

4, 5, 6&7 Willie A. Pittman, Harvey Stroud, Armstead White & David White 40

8 Charles H. Smith 43

9 Lee A. Davis 45

10 Edwin P. Jones 47

11 John H. Waters 50

12 Charles E. Spears 52

13 J. C. Leatherberry 54

14 Wiley Harris, Jr. 57

15 Alex F. Miranda 59

16 Robert L. Donnelly 62

17 & 18 Eliga Brinson & Willie Smith 64

19 Clarence Whitfield 67

20 Ray Watson 70

21 Madison Thomas 72

22 & 23 James B. Sanders & Roy W. Anderson 75

24 Paul W. Kluxdal 80

25 & 26 Joseph Watson & Willie Wimberly Jr. 83

27 Richard B. Scott 86

28 William D. Pennyfeather 89

29 Curtis L. Maxey 91

30 Theron W. McGann 93

31 & 32 Arthur E. Davis & Charles H. Jordan 96

33 James E. Hendricks 98

34 Benjamin Pygate 102

35 & 36 Oscar N. Newman & Leo Valentine Sr. 105

37 William E. Davis 108

38 & 39 Ernest L. Clark 8c Augustine M. Guerra 111

40 & 41 John David Cooper & J.P. Wilson 114

42 Walter James Baldwin 117

43 Arthur J. Farrell 120

44 James W. Twiggs 123

45 & 46 Mervin Holden & Elwood J. Spencer 126

47 Eddie Slovik 129

48 & 49 Waiters Yancy & Robert L. Skinner 134

50 William Mack 139

51 Otis B. Crews 142

52 William Clifton Downes 145

53, 54 & 55 Amos Agee, John C. Smith & Frank Watson 147

56 & 57 Cubia Jones 8c Robert L. Pearson 151

58 John W. Taylor 154

59 Kinney Bruce Jones 156

60 John H. Mack 158

61 Lee A. Burns 160

62 Abraham Smalls 162

63 General L. Grant 164

64 Olin W. Williams 166

65 Tommie Davison 169

66 William Harrison, Jr. 172

67 Benjamin F. Hopper 175

68, 69 & 70 John Williams, James L. Jones & Milbert Bailey 178

71 Shelton McGhee, Sr. 181

72 George E. Smith, Jr. 183

73 George Green, Jr. 186

74 Haze Heard 189

75 William J. McCarter 191

76 Clete Oscar Norris 194

77 Alvin R. Rollins 196

78 Matthew Clay, Jr. 199

79 Werner E. Schmiedel 201

80 Aniceto Martinez 203

81 Victor Ortiz-Reyes 205

82 Willie Johnson 208

83 & 84 Fred A. McMurray & Louis Till 212

85 & 86 Henry W. Nelson & John T. Jones 217

87 Charles H. Jefferies 220

88 Tom E. Gordon 222

89 Robert Wray 225

90 Henry C. Philpot 228

91 Charles M. Robinson 230

92 First Class Blake W. Mariano 233

93 & 94 Woodrow Parker 8c Sydney Bennerman 236

95 Mansfield Spinks 237

96 Charlie Ervin Jr. 240

Part III A Closer Look

View from a Potential Defense Counsel or Trial Judge Advocate 243

The Case of David Cobb - Asking the Right Questions and Following-Up on the Answers 243

The Case of Harold A. Smith - A Strong Investigation Leads to a Strong Case 245

The Case of Willie A. Pittman, Harvey Stroud, Armstead White 8c David White - Why Severed Cases Need Separate Juries 246

The Case of Paul M. Kluxdal - Weighing Contradictory Testimony 247

The Case of James E. Hendricks - Taking the Stand as a Defendant 248

The Case of Cubia Jones & Robert L. Pearson - But at the Mouth of One Witness He Shall Not Be Put to Death 249

The Case of Henry W. Nelson & John T. Jones - Inside the Jury Room 251

The Case of Charles M. Robinson - Fair and Impartial Juries 251

View from a Potential Juror 252

Conclusions and Future Fields of Study 258

Postscript 268

Epilogue 269

Appendices

Appendix 1 Officer Branch/Grade Abbreviations 273

Appendix 2 Dramatis Personae 274

Endnotes 287

Bibliography 344

Personnel Index 350