Vitz Archive: Allied Victims of Axis Murders

Data derived from many sources. Corrections/Additions requested through Helpdesk

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GENEVA CONVENTION AS APPLICABLE TO 1939 - 1945 (Part 1 Article 2)
'Prisoners of war are in the power of the hostile Government, but not of the individuals or formation which captured them.
They shall at all times be humanely treated and protected, particularly against acts of violence, from insults and from public curiosity.
Measures of reprisal against them are forbidden.'

The data in this database is largely based on a list of Allied airmen murders collected by the late Willi Wachholz. He published his findings on a web site which is no longer available. Traugott Vitz found Mr Wachholz's list in the web archive when he co-authored a book on 'Hangmen At War' which included several airmen murder cases where the culprits were hanged. He then added to this list based on his own research using the 'Review and Recommendations' papers of the US war crime trials held at Dachau, and (British) National Archive files. These sources were also used to note and correct errors in Mr Wachholz's list. Researchers of airmen casualties within the borders of present-day Austria (which was incorporated into the German Reich in 1938) may perhaps appreciate the Memorial Book of all members of the American and British/Allied Air Forces killed in the air war in that area which was published by two Austrian researchers, in 2016, under the title 'Missing in Action - Failed to Return', freely downloadable in bilingual German/English.

In the course of our continuing research by Traugott Vitz and Ralph Snape it has become clear that the Archive should not restrict itself to air force personnel and accordingly we also cover cases involving other services as well as civilians.

Many cases are covered in more detail than in the Notes accompanying this database. A list of such cases may be found here. (Note that this list contains entries in the Pacific Theatre of Operations, which is outrside the scope of the Vitz Archive.)

All Unknown Allied Air Force victims killed in Germany Search for ALLIEDGER
All British Army victims killed in Germany Search for BritArmyGER
All British Army victims killed outside Germany Search for BritArmyOUT
All Free French Air Force victims killed in Germany Search for FFAFGER
All Norwegian Air Force victims killed in Germany Search for NAFGER
All Polish Air Force victims killed in Germany Search for PAFGER
All Polish Air Force victims killed outside Germany Search for PAFOUT
All RAAF victims killed in Germany Search for RAAFGER
All RAAF victims killed outside Germany Search for RAAFOUT
All RAF victims killed in Germany Search for RAFGER
All RAF victims killed outside Germany Search for RAFOUT
All RCAF victims killed in Germany Search for RCAFGER
All RCAF victims killed outside Germany Search for RCAFOUT
All Royal Hellenic Air Force victims killed outside Germany Search for RHAFOUT
All RNZAF victims killed in Germany Search for RNZAFGER
All South African Air Force victims killed in Germany Search for SAAFGER
All South African Air Force victims killed outside Germany Search for SAAFOUT
All SOE killed outside Germany Search for SOEOUT
All USAAF victims killed in Germany Search for USAAFGER
All USAAF victims killed outside Germany Search for USAAFOUT
All US Army killed in Germany Search for USArmyGER
All US Army killed outside Germany Search for USArmyOUT

JURISDICTION
In the main trials were held under United States, British or Canadian jurisdictions. However, two were held under Federal Republic of Germany jurisdiction. These may be found through a Search for FedRepGer.

Click the Names button to see the spelling of all names in the database.

You can Search for a Name and when you see his Unit/Aircraft Number you can then Search on the Aircraft number to see the fate of any crew members. For further information on an individual, check our other databases.

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Links are provided where more information has been found. Where you see Notes this link will take you to supplementary information we have found on the individual. Review and Recommendations Trial Papers for most cases are available via the Helpdesk.

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You searched for: “rafout”

#	Name (↓)	First Names	Rank	Service Number	Category Code (↓)	Category	Unit/Aircraft Number (↓)	Trial By (↓)	Case Number	DateOfDeath (↓)	Place-of-Death	Name(s) of Perpetrator(s)	ExecutionDate (↓)	Photos	Remarks	Links
1	Kirby-Green	Thomas Gresham	S/L	39103	RAFOUT	Member of Royal Air Force, killed outside Germany	Great Escape	Britain	WO 235/424-432	1944-03-29	CZ-702 00 Ostrava (vicinity)	Erich Zacharias			50 Air Force officers, recaptured after escape from Stalag Luft III Sagan, were shot by Gestapo upon Hitler's personal orders. They are marked "Great Escape" instead of their former airplane number.	Wikipedia
2	Brettell	Edward Gordon	F/L	61053	RAFOUT	Member of Royal Air Force, killed outside Germany	Great Escape	Britain	WO 235/573	1944-03-29	P 64-610 Pruśce (vicinity)	[Death sentence commuted to term of imprisonment]	-.-		50 Air Force officers, recaptured after escape from Stalag Luft III Sagan, were shot by Gestapo upon Hitler's personal orders. They are marked "Great Escape" instead of their former airplane number.	Wikipedia Supplementary Notes Read Archive Report
3	Bull	Leslie George	F/L	43932	RAFOUT	Member of Royal Air Force, killed outside Germany	Great Escape	NONE	no trial	1944-03-29	CZ 43469 Most	[no one ever formally charged with victim's death]	-.-		50 Air Force officers, recaptured after escape from Stalag Luft III Sagan, were shot by Gestapo upon Hitler's personal orders. They are marked "Great Escape" instead of their former airplane number.	Wikipedia
4	Hall	Charles Piers	F/L	50896	RAFOUT	Member of Royal Air Force, killed outside Germany	Great Escape	NONE	no trial	1944-03-30	P 59-220 Legnica (vicinity)	[no one ever formally charged with victim's death]	-.-		50 Air Force officers, recaptured after escape from Stalag Luft III Sagan, were shot by Gestapo upon Hitler's personal orders. They are marked "Great Escape" instead of their former airplane number.	Wikipedia
5	Long	James Leslie Robert	F/L	89375	RAFOUT	Member of Royal Air Force, killed outside Germany	Great Escape	NONE	no trial	1944-04-12	P 50-041 Wrocław (vicinity)	[no one ever formally charged with victim's death]	-.-		50 Air Force officers, recaptured after escape from Stalag Luft III Sagan, were shot by Gestapo upon Hitler's personal orders. They are marked "Great Escape" instead of their former airplane number.	Read Archive Report
6	Marcinkus	Romualdas	F/L	89580	RAFOUT	Member of Royal Air Force, killed outside Germany	Great Escape	Britain	WO 235/573	1944-03-29	P 64-610 Pruśce (vicinity)	[Death sentence commuted to term of imprisonment]	-.-		50 Air Force officers, recaptured after escape from Stalag Luft III Sagan, were shot by Gestapo upon Hitler's personal orders. They are marked "Great Escape" instead of their former airplane number.	Wikipedia Read Archive Report
7	Milford	Harold John	F/L	103586	RAFOUT	Member of Royal Air Force, killed outside Germany	Great Escape	NONE	no trial	1944-04-06	P 50-041 Wrocław (vicinity)	[no one ever formally charged with victim's death]	-.-		50 Air Force officers, recaptured after escape from Stalag Luft III Sagan, were shot by Gestapo upon Hitler's personal orders. They are marked "Great Escape" instead of their former airplane number.	Wikipedia
8	Picard	Henri Albert	F/L	87693	RAFOUT	Member of Royal Air Force, killed outside Germany	Great Escape	Britain	WO 235/573	1944-03-29	P 83-034 Trąbki Wielkie (vicinity)	[Death sentence commuted to term of imprisonment]	-.-		50 Air Force officers, recaptured after escape from Stalag Luft III Sagan, were shot by Gestapo upon Hitler's personal orders. They are marked "Great Escape" instead of their former airplane number.	Wikipedia Read Archive Report
9	Stewart	Robert Campbell	F/O	130452	RAFOUT	Member of Royal Air Force, killed outside Germany	Great Escape	NONE	no trial	1944-03-31	P 59-220 Legnica (vicinity) (?)	[no one ever formally charged with victim's death]	-.-		50 Air Force officers, recaptured after escape from Stalag Luft III Sagan, were shot by Gestapo upon Hitler's personal orders. They are marked "Great Escape" instead of their former airplane number.	Wikipedia
10	Stower	John Gifford	F/O	107520	RAFOUT	Member of Royal Air Force, killed outside Germany	Great Escape	NONE	no trial	1944-03-31	P 50-500 Jelenia Gora (vicinity) (?)	[no one ever formally charged with victim's death]	-.-		50 Air Force officers, recaptured after escape from Stalag Luft III Sagan, were shot by Gestapo upon Hitler's personal orders. They are marked "Great Escape" instead of their former airplane number.	Wikipedia
11	Street	Denys Oliver	F/O	123026	RAFOUT	Member of Royal Air Force, killed outside Germany	Great Escape	NONE	no trial	1944-04-06	P 50-041 Wrocław (vicinity) (?)	[no one ever formally charged with victim's death]	-.-		50 Air Force officers, recaptured after escape from Stalag Luft III Sagan, were shot by Gestapo upon Hitler's personal orders. They are marked "Great Escape" instead of their former airplane number.	Wikipedia
12	Swain	Cyril Douglas	F/L	37658	RAFOUT	Member of Royal Air Force, killed outside Germany	Great Escape	NONE	no trial	1944-03-31	P 59-220 Legnica (vicinity) (?)	[no one ever formally charged with victim's death]	-.-		50 Air Force officers, recaptured after escape from Stalag Luft III Sagan, were shot by Gestapo upon Hitler's personal orders. They are marked "Great Escape" instead of their former airplane number.	Wikipedia
13	Valenta	Arnost	F/L	82532	RAFOUT	Member of Royal Air Force, killed outside Germany	Great Escape	NONE	no trial	1944-03-31	P 59-220 Legnica (vicinity) (?)	[no one ever formally charged with victim's death]	-.-		50 Air Force officers, recaptured after escape from Stalag Luft III Sagan, were shot by Gestapo upon Hitler's personal orders. They are marked "Great Escape" instead of their former airplane number.	Wikipedia
14	Walenn	Gilbert William	F/L	73022	RAFOUT	Member of Royal Air Force, killed outside Germany	Great Escape	Britain	WO 235/573	1944-03-29	P 64-610 Pruśce (vicinity)	[Death sentence commuted to term of imprisonment]	-.-		50 Air Force officers, recaptured after escape from Stalag Luft III Sagan, were shot by Gestapo upon Hitler's personal orders. They are marked "Great Escape" instead of their former airplane number.	Wikipedia Read Archive Report
15	Williams	John Edwin Ashley	S/L	40652	RAFOUT	Member of Royal Air Force, killed outside Germany	Great Escape	NONE	no trial	1944-03-29	CZ 460 01 Liberec	[no one ever formally charged with victim's death]	-.-		50 Air Force officers, recaptured after escape from Stalag Luft III Sagan, were shot by Gestapo upon Hitler's personal orders. They are marked "Great Escape" instead of their former airplane number.	Wikipedia Archive Report
16	Williams	John Francis	F/L	106173	RAFOUT	Member of Royal Air Force, killed outside Germany	Great Escape	NONE	no trial	1944-04-06	P 68-100 Żagań (vicinity)	[no one ever formally charged with victim's death]	-.-		50 Air Force officers, recaptured after escape from Stalag Luft III Sagan, were shot by Gestapo upon Hitler's personal orders. They are marked "Great Escape" instead of their former airplane number.	Wikipedia
17	Ingram	Kenneth Herschel Callender	F/Sgt	1400819	RAFOUT	Member of the Royal Air Force, killed outside Germany	LL840 VN-M	NONE	no trial known	1944-10-02	NL 7311 Apeldoorn	[known to historians; no proof of any prosecution found]	-.-	Memorial in Apeldoorn	Death date given by CWGC is 1944-10-01. Buried: Apeldoorn General Cemetery Plot 4 Grave 299.	Supplementary Notes
18	Banks	Arthur	Sgt	1607992	RAFOUT	Member of RAF, killed outside Germany	112 Sdn.	Britain	WO 235/252	1944-12-20	I 45012 Ariano Nel Polesine	[imprisonment between 20 and 5 yrs for 5 accused, 6 acquittals]	-.-		Sgt Banks was posthumously awarded the George Cross. Citation see London Gazette of 5th November, 1946.
19	Hood	Gerald	F/O	178869	RAFOUT	Member of Royal Air Force, killed outside Germany	LM658 HW-W	Britain	WO 235/8	1945-03-21	Almelo, Netherlands	Georg Otto Sandrock, Ludwig Schweinberger	1945-12-13			Supplementary Notes Read Archive Report
20	Habgood	Frederic Harold	Sgt	160253	RAFOUT	Member of Royal Air Force, killed outside Germany	NE164 BQ-O	Britain	WO 235/171+172	1944-07-31	F 67130 Natzwiller	Peter Straub, Franz Berg	1946-10-11	Courtesy Julian Simmonds		Supplementary Notes Read Archive Report
21	Walker	Ronald Arthur	F/L	149550	RAFOUT	Member of Royal Air Force, killed outside Germany	ND551OL-V	Britain	WO 235/345	1944-07-09	Tilburg, Netherlands	Karl Paul Schwanz, Albert Rösener, Karl Cremer, Michael Rotschopf	1947-09-05			Supplementary Notes
22	Cochran	Dennis Herbert	F/O	122441	RAFOUT	Member of Royal Air Force, killed outside Germany	Great Escape	Britain	WO 235/424-432	1944-03-31	F 67130 Natzwiller (vicinity)	Josef Gmeiner, Walter Herberg, Otto Preiss	1948-02-26		50 Air Force officers, recaptured after escape from Stalag Luft III Sagan, were shot by Gestapo upon Hitler's personal orders. They are marked "Great Escape" instead of their former airplane number.	Wikipedia
23	Hayter	Anthony Ross Henzell	F/L	42124	RAFOUT	Member of Royal Air Force, killed outside Germany	Great Escape	Britain	WO 235/424-432	1944-04-06	F-67130 Natzwiller (vicinity)	Alfred Schimmel	1948-02-26		50 Air Force officers, recaptured after escape from Stalag Luft III Sagan, were shot by Gestapo upon Hitler's personal orders. They are marked "Great Escape" instead of their former airplane number.	Wikipedia