Posted on 05/15/2023 7:50:37 PM PDT by CheshireTheCat
On this date in 1946, the British hanged 10 convicted war criminals at Hameln Prison, notably including seven for the “Dreierwalde Airfield murders” of four Allied prisoners of war.
In that case, two British and three Australian airmen had been captured after bailing out during a March 21 raid. Taken to the nearby aerodrome between Dreierwalde and Hopsten in Westphalia, they were marched out the next day ostensibly for transport to a POW compound. Instead, they all ended up shot by their guards — although Australian Flight-Lieutenant Berick was able to escape, wounded, and survive the war.
The nub of the case was whether the guards cold-bloodedly murdered their prisoners (prosecutors’ version), or whether there was an escape attempt by the airmen that caused the guards to start shooting (defense version)....
(Excerpt) Read more at executedtoday.com ...
According to legend, in 1284, a ratcatcher known as the Pied Piper of Hammeln is said to have rid the town of its rat population by playing his pipe, thereby charming the rodents into following him out of town.
My understanding of that legend was political. Youngsters were lured from villages for The Crusades.
You may be right. I understand that there are Pied Piper stories from various parts of Europe.
Step 1: Piper lures rats to follow him to nearby river (Weser) where they are drowned.
Step 2: Townfolks don’t pay up as agreed.
Step 3: Piper lures the town children to follow him to nearby river where...
Step 4: Write fairy tale.
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