Posted on 05/07/2005 10:32:50 PM PDT by Former Military Chick
Thank you so much for adding your thoughts to the thread, it really does humanize the photo's I put on the thread.
Might be of interest PING
Indeed it was more difficult but there seemed to be many voices asking to see them so I found a way to put them back on FR for all to see.
I am also thankful to all those who have shared personal thoughts of this location. This prison really was known for hard labor as a punishment.
Thought this thread might interest you. PING
I toured the military prison in 1991 while attending CAS3 at the war college. It was a required tour. However, one young (and very dull) officer in another class thought those rock walls would be neat to do some rock climbing on. Needless to say the MPs and sr. officers had a slightly different view of this quickly former officer, particularly when it came to the potential of facing the inside of the walls instead.
Yikes, now this was not a story I thought I would read! Former is best for that officer.
Yes, the guy was obviously not the brightest bulb, LOL.
Same here, I can think of better things to do than being stuck in a military prison for the rest of my life.
Thanks for this wealth of information FMC.
The German POWs got me to searching the WWW.
I found 1 book on the subject, written by Richard Whittingham who evidently is huge football fan writing another book on the Washington Redskin's and has been on ESPN. Wow, what a tangled web this author has weaved. His bio is at the end of the email.
Having said that, here is my latest bit of info, the inmates were executed here at Ft. Leavenworth. BUT, are you ready for this BUT, USDB (Ft Leavenworth Prison) does not use the gallows. That is how these prisoners were to be executed. Why, maybe that is the method the German POWs were to be executed, indeed that is the form they had to be executed by and here is the well shocking update on my photo's, they were hung in the Ft Leavenworth elevator shaft. YES, you read that correctly, they had to be hung, there were no GALLOWS and they were executed through the hanging by the elevator shaft.
WOW, knock me over with a feather. I verified through the historian and I am still speechless. More so, because in all I have read, nothing gave this is the method.
Anyway, it is very fascinating and I plan to pick up the book. I plan to return and take a few better photo's and I do look forward to your thoughts on this bit of history.
The elevator shaft. That's wild. I never would have imagined that either. In too big a hurry to build a gallows, I guess.
Thanks, very interesting. I assume that hanging was still considered appropriate punishment for enemy crimes, while shooting was the norm for our own soldiers who were to be executed.
Excuse me, but that should be "5 to 7 buffaloe's in it's pen."
I really know so little, but, from that bit of info, it seemed to divide this community like no other event.
To this day, with the community leaving flower's and flags, it is not forgotten.
I'm suprised they weren't given the electric chair. I know there were several Nazi spies who were executed using that method, which was typical for that day.
I have been unable to find the rational for this method of execution, as Leavenworth did not execute American's in this manner, as noted in your comment.
Maybe that is what the German's demanded. I mean, they could have built a gallows. I believe about 10 years ago, a prisoner was sentenced to death and he actually worked on his gallow's where he would be hung from .. it was on the east coast side of the country.
Should research this before posting, but I am firm on the memory just forgot the location.
Seems it would be easy to build a stand to hang a person, instead of using an elevator.
That was great! Everyone going into the military should see it so that they would never do anything that would land them in the new facility.
Indeed. Have to say that it really is all talk, there is NO HARD LABOR at least not at USDB, beyond demotion, loss of pay, they now work in an air conditioned building. They make shadow boxes for flags of those who gave the ultimate price. Fitting isnt it?
THANK YOU!
Great photo essay!
Bookmarked.
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