During World War II and its aftermath, there was a powerful desire within the Soviet Union to punish the military leaders of the German army. These were the men who commanded the forces that invaded Soviet territory and caused immense suffering. Many German generals found themselves before war crimes tribunals, or in some cases, show trials that condemned them to death without adequate defense.
Some were executed publicly before thousands of people hungry for retribution. The following examples illustrate how several German generals met their end at the close of World War II.
General Anton Dostler was a veteran of both world wars. During World War II, he insisted on carrying out an illegal order that led to the execution of 15 American prisoners of war in March 1944. By the end of the conflict, his crimes were well known, and he was tried and convicted for them.
However, there were specific reasons why Dostler was executed by firing squad rather than by hanging. Dostler was a seasoned soldier from World War I and commanded various units during World War II. He served as chief of staff of the Seventh Army and later commanded the 57th and 163rd Infantry Divisions. In 1944, he was appointed commander of the coastal area in Venice.
On March 22, 1944, 15 American soldiers landed on the Italian coast near La Spezia. They were behind enemy lines and all wore official U.S. Army field uniforms. This detail was critical, as they were later executed as spies and saboteurs despite being clearly dressed as American soldiers. Had they been disguised in civilian clothes or enemy uniforms, they could have been legally executed as spies after a military trial.
Days after landing, they were captured by German and Italian fascist soldiers. Their mission was to blow up a vital railway tunnel. After capture, they were taken to the headquarters of the 135th Fortress Brigade. A German colonel named Almers was tasked with overseeing them and knew they should be treated as prisoners of war. However, during interrogation, the prisoners revealed their mission, and this information was sent to General Dostler.
Dostler spoke with his superior, Field Marshal Albert Kesselring, and insisted the men should be executed. He ordered Colonel Almers to carry out the death sentence according to the Commando Order of 1942. Almers was uncomfortable with this, knowing it would be a war crime, but Dostler insisted. All 15 Americans were executed, and their bodies were buried in a mass grave.
Dostler was later tried for war crimes and convicted by a military court. He attempted to defend himself by claiming he was following orders from Kesselring. On December 1, 1945, just before 8 a.m., Dostler was led to a firing range. He was tied to a wooden stake, a black cover was placed over his head, and a firing squad shot him dead instantly.
Dostler was one of only two Nazi war criminals executed by the Americans by firing squad. This method was seen as a more honorable death for a military officer compared to hanging. It was considered a formal military punishment rather than a means used for common criminals. Since Dostler was a general convicted by a military court, execution by firing squad was deemed the most appropriate sentence.
The nature of the court proceedings led to this outcome. The goal was not to humiliate Dostler but to carry out a fair judgment on a man convicted of executing American soldiers. At that time, execution by firing squad was considered a standard military method for officers.
Hans Graf von Sponeck was born in February 1888 in Düsseldorf. He received a military education and became an officer in the German army in 1908. During World War I, he served on the Western Front and was wounded three times. By the end of the conflict, he had been promoted to captain and received the Iron Cross.
After the war, von Sponeck remained in the military and continued to rise through the ranks. In the 1930s, he stayed within the armed forces as Hitler relied on experienced World War I soldiers to train the next generation. He commanded the 48th Infantry Regiment and later worked with the Luftwaffe to prepare paratrooper forces.
In February 1940, von Sponeck was promoted to general. He led German soldiers in the failed Battle of The Hague and was nearly captured. He later received the Knight's Cross from Hitler personally. During Operation Barbarossa, he commanded the 22nd Infantry Division as part of Army Group South.
Before the invasion began, his staff issued orders to separate Jewish prisoners from other Soviet captives, indicating they would likely be executed. His forces worked closely with security police to identify Jewish civilians in captured territories. Around 2,000 Jewish men, women, and children were executed in the city of Melitopol with assistance from von Sponeck's troops.
Von Sponeck suffered from health issues, including sciatica and stomach problems, forcing him to leave his division in October 1941. When he returned in December, he was assigned to another unit that continued killing Jewish civilians. On December 10, 1941, he ordered that all Jews in his command area be treated as partisans and enslaved.
On December 26, 1941, the Red Army advanced toward his forces. Von Sponeck chose to withdraw his division to avoid capture, disobeying direct orders from Hitler to hold his position. He was arrested and tried before Hermann Göring on January 23, 1942. He was convicted of military disobedience and sentenced to death, but Hitler later commuted the sentence to seven years in prison.
While von Sponeck was in prison, the July 20, 1944 plot to assassinate Hitler took place. Although von Sponeck had no connection to the conspiracy, Heinrich Himmler ordered his execution. On July 23, 1944, von Sponeck was led to a firing range within the military prison. He was tied to a stake, and a firing squad shot him dead.
Von Sponeck's execution remains controversial. Some have called for memorials in his name, but he willingly participated in war crimes that led to the deaths of thousands of innocent people. He was a general executed for disobeying orders, yet he was happy to carry out Nazi policies of extermination.
Alfred Jodl was born on May 10, 1890, in Bavaria. He came from a well-off family and began a military career at a young age. During World War I, he served on the Western Front with an artillery unit and was awarded the Iron Cross. After the war, he remained in the military.
Jodl first saw Hitler in 1923 and became attracted to Nazi ideology. By 1935, he had reached the rank of general. Hitler appointed Jodl as chief of operations staff at the Supreme Command of the Armed Forces, known as the OKW. Jodl served as deputy to Wilhelm Keitel, who was seen by many as a mere follower of Hitler.
Jodl was confident the Germans would defeat Britain during the Battle of Britain. One of the major charges against him at the Nuremberg trials was his signing of two military orders that violated the laws of war. The first was the Commissar Order of June 6, 1941, which stated that any Soviet political commissar captured among enemy soldiers should be executed immediately. The order also called for the killing of any prisoners who believed in Bolshevism.
The second order was the Commando Order of October 28, 1942. This required German forces to execute all Allied commando troops found in Europe and Africa without trial, whether they wore uniforms or not, even if they attempted to surrender. These orders resulted in dozens of illegal executions and war crimes.
During the July 20 plot to assassinate Hitler, Jodl was present in the room when the bomb exploded and suffered a concussion. As the war turned against Germany, Hitler shot himself while Berlin collapsed. Jodl signed the German surrender document on May 7, 1945, as a representative of Admiral Karl Dönitz.
Jodl was arrested and taken to Nuremberg to face war crimes trials. He was charged with conspiracy to commit crimes against peace, planning and waging aggressive wars, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. The charges specifically related to the Commissar Order and Commando Order he had signed.
Jodl pleaded not guilty but was convicted on all four counts. He was sentenced to death and scheduled for execution at the Nuremberg prison gymnasium. On October 16, 1946, the executions were carried out by hangman John C. Woods.
The Nuremberg executions were notoriously botched. The trap door was too small, causing many condemned men to hit their heads and bleed. Woods did not use standard hanging methods, and many took between 14 and 28 minutes to die slowly by strangulation.
Jodl was the tenth of eleven defendants to be executed, though he was actually ninth because Hermann Göring had killed himself the night before. Jodl was led to the gymnasium and up the steps of the gallows. When asked for his last words, he said, "Greetings to you, my Germany." A hood was placed over his head, and he dropped through the trap door.
Jodl was a respected general and military leader who wanted to carry out Hitler's demands for conquest. He signed the orders that sealed his own fate, and the evidence against him at Nuremberg was overwhelming.
Adolf Hamann was born on September 3, 1885. He joined the German army at age sixteen and served for decades. During World War I, he was considered an excellent soldier and received the Iron Cross twice. He continued serving after the German surrender.
After the invasion of Poland, Hamann was assigned to command a border defense area on the Polish frontier. From August 1941 to January 1942, he served as commander of the 239th Infantry Division. The division was later dissolved in December 1941.
Hamann was transferred to the Führer Reserve, a pool of senior officers awaiting new assignments. He was later appointed commander of a regiment in the 270th Division stationed in France. On June 1, 1942, he was promoted to major general and sent to the Eastern Front.
He became the military commander of Orel, a city under German occupation in the Soviet Union. During the Battle of Kursk, Hamann was still leading Orel. He later became commander of the city of Bryansk. During the Battle of Bryansk, the Red Army lost more than 80,000 soldiers killed, and the Germans captured 50,000 more.
Hamann became responsible for Bryansk, and many war crimes were committed under his control. When the Red Army recaptured Bryansk, he was transferred to become military commander of a city in occupied Belarus. He then commanded the 383rd Infantry Division, which was destroyed during the Soviet Operation Bagration.
Hamann was captured when his city was surrounded. His capture was considered a major victory for the Soviets. He and 50,000 other German prisoners were forced to march through the streets of Moscow as Soviet civilians mocked them.
Hamann was brought to trial on December 30, 1945. A Soviet military court charged him with war crimes against civilians in Bryansk. As commander, he was held responsible for the execution of civilians in the city and was quickly sentenced to death.
The execution was carried out in Bryansk, the place where Hamann had been responsible during much of the conflict. He was led to the gallows, climbed the steps, and the Soviet hangman placed the noose around his neck. The platform was removed, and he was left hanging. The execution took place on the same day as the sentencing.
Hamann was a high-ranking German general entrusted with important tasks during the war. He commanded several cities and was responsible for suppressing civilian populations. Under his control, many war crimes occurred. For the Soviets, capturing him was a valuable prize.