Betrayed: Secrecy, Lies, and Consequences
Page 43
APPENDIX 5: LIST OF AWARDS RECEIVED BY WERNHER VON BRAUN
NAZI GERMANY:
1943 War Merit Cross, First Class with Swords
1944 Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross with Swords
UNITED STATES:
1958 Honorary doctorates from the University of Alabama, University of Chattanooga, and St. Louis University
1959 Honorary doctorates from Canisius College, Pennsylvania Military College, Clark University, and Adelphi College
1962 Elliott Cresson Medal
1963 Honorary doctorates from Sunshine University and William Jewell College
1964 Lifetime Achievement Award, American Astronautical Society
Honorary doctorates from Iowa Wesleyan College and Brevard Engineering College
1965 Honorary doctorates from Iona College, Wagner College, Emory University, and Butler University
1966 Honorary doctorate, Bradley University
1967 Langley Gold Medal
1967 Honorary doctorate from D’Youville College
1969 NASA Distinguished Service Medal
1969 Honorary doctorates from the University of South Dakota and Rollins College
1970 Civilian International World Citizenship Award
1970 Gold Medal from the German Society of Pennsylvania
1971 Honorary doctorate from Pepperdine College
1972 Honorary doctorate from Belmont Abbey College
1974 Honorary doctorate from Notre Dame University
1977 National Medal of Science for Engineering
EUROPE:
1949 Honorary Fellowship, British Interplanetary Society
1959 Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
1961 Gold Medal, British Interplanetary Society
1969 Hermann Oberth Medal
1975 Werner von Siemens Ring
OTHER:
1963 Honorary doctorate from Universidad Nacional de Cordoba
APPENDIX 6: CONGRESSIONAL FAILURES
H CON. R 88, INTRODUCED TO THE 103RD CONGRESS ON 27 APRIL 1993
Recognizing and commending American airmen held as prisoners of war at the Buchenwald concentration camp during World War II for their service, bravery, and fortitude.
Whereas, during World War II, 173 Allied airmen184 were captured by the enemy and held as prisoners of war at the Buchenwald concentration camp in Weimar, Germany;
Whereas captured airmen included 81 Americans, 27 Canadians, and 65 Britons, Australians, and New Zealanders;
Whereas the facts and circumstances of their confinement are amply documented in the official records maintained by the National Archives and Records Administration;
Whereas a report from the international Red Cross concerning Stalag Luft III in Sagan, Germany, mentioned six American airmen held in Buchenwald, including one whose name does not appear on the list maintained by the National Archives;185
Whereas, since the liberation of Buchenwald in 1945, numerous personal memoirs, scholarly books, and articles have been published describing the conditions of the concentration camp;
Whereas this extensive documentation records the extraordinarily inhuman treatment, deprivations, and personal suffering inflicted on prisoners of war and other inmates at Buchenwald; and
Whereas Allied governments and veterans organizations outside the United States have granted special recognition to their citizens and members who were held as prisoners of war in World War II concentration camps; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), that the Congress recognizes and commends the valiant American airmen held as prisoners of war at the Buchenwald concentration camp during World War II for their faithful service, personal bravery, and exceptional fortitude; and request that the president issue a proclamation recognizing and commending the service, bravery, and fortitude of the American airmen.
H CON R 73, INTRODUCED TO THE 104TH CONGRESS ON 25 MAY 1995
Concurrent Resolution
Recognizing and commending American airmen held as prisoners of war at the Buchenwald concentration camp during World War II for their service, bravery, and fortitude.
Whereas during World War II 173 Allied airmen were captured by the enemy and held as prisoners of war at the Buchenwald concentration camp in Weimar, Germany;
Whereas the captured airmen included 81 Americans, 27 Canadians, and 65 Britons, Australians, and New Zealanders;
Whereas the facts and circumstances of their confinement are amply documented in the official records maintained by the National Archives and Records Administration;
Whereas a report from the International Red Cross concerning Stalag Luft III in Sagan, Germany, mentioned six American airmen held at Buchenwald, including one whose name does not appear on the lists maintained by the National Archives;
Whereas since the liberation of Buchenwald in 1945 numerous personal memoirs, scholarly books, and articles have been published describing the conditions at the concentration camp;
Whereas this extensive documentation records the extraordinarily inhuman treatment, deprivations, and personal suffering inflicted on prisoners of war and other inmates at Buchenwald; and
Whereas Allied Governments and veterans organizations outside the United States have granted special recognition to their citizens and servicemembers who were held as prisoners of war in World War II concentration camps:
Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),
That the Congress —
(1) recognizes and commends the American airmen held as prisoners of war at the Buchenwald concentration camp during World War II for their faithful service, personal bravery, and exceptional fortitude; and
(2) requests that the President issue a proclamation recognizing and commending the service, bravery, and fortitude of those airmen.
H CON R 95/S CON R 32 INTRODUCED TO THE 105TH CONGRESS ON 17 SEPTEMBER 1997
Concurrent Resolution
Recognizing and commending American airmen held as political prisoners at the Buchenwald concentration camp during World War II for their service, bravery, and fortitude.
Whereas 168 Allied airmen captured by Axis forces during World War II were held as political prisoners at the Buchenwald concentration camp in Weimar, Germany;
Whereas of these captured airmen, 82 were Americans, 26 were Canadians, 48 were Britons, 9 were Australians, 2 were New Zealanders, and 1 was Jamaican;
Whereas the facts and circumstances of their confinement are amply documented in the official records maintained by the National Archives and Records Administration;
Whereas a report from the International Red Cross concerning Stalag Luft III in Sagan, Germany, mentioned six American airmen held at Buchenwald, including one whose name does not appear on the lists maintained by the National Archives;
Whereas since the liberation of Buchenwald in 1945 numerous personal memoirs, scholarly books, and articles have been published describing the conditions at the concentration camp;
Whereas this extensive documentation records the extraordinarily inhuman treatment, deprivations, and personal suffering inflicted on these 168 Allied airmen and other inmates at Buchenwald; and
Whereas Allied Governments and veterans organizations outside the United States have granted special recognition to their citizens and servicemembers who were held as political prisoners in World War II concentration camps: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),
That the Congress—
(1) recognizes and commends the 82 American airmen held as political prisoners at the Buchenwald concentration camp during World War II for their faithful service, personal bravery, and exceptional fortitude; and
(2) requests that the President issue a proclamation recognizing and commending, by name, the service, bravery, and fortitude of those airmen.
184 The basis for this number is u
nknown.
185 The missing airman was Sam Pennell. When prisoners left Buchenwald, their numbers were often re-used by new arrivals. Sam’s name and details were crossed out and overwritten, but his entries can still be deciphered.
APPENDIX 7: ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND SOURCES
THOSE INTERESTED IN DIGGING FURTHER into this topic will find a list of reference books, relevant articles, videos, oral histories, and useful websites below. My mother, Betty Martini, and my uncles, Edward Virgilio and Richard Hover, provided information about my father’s experiences and opinions. Adelaine Chéron Lavandier, Odile Lavandier, and Eva Brown assisted me in Eure; Lionel Raulin shared his memories and encouraged me to complete this project. My father’s pilot, Loren E. Jackson, spent several days with me discussing the 385th BG and his aircrew’s missions in the ETO. I have also had the chance to correspond with several of the Buchenwald airmen, including James Stewart, Ed Carter-Edwards (before his death in early 2017), and with the families of Ed Ritter, Sam Pennell, Richard Bedford, and Joe Moser.
I was fortunate to have the help of several professional archivists. Dieter Stenger, of Stenger Historica, spent months at NARA/College Park chasing down leads, photographing documents, and providing translations of captured German records and reels of microfilm. He did most of the heavy archival lifting for me. Steve Rogers, another archivist fluent in German, examined five microfilm reels from the NASM. Kevin Jones, Hywel Maslin, and Fred Greyer accessed files in the Kew Archives in the UK, and Franck Signorile provided files from the French archives in Paris.
Ian McLachlan, Bill Varnedoe, and Thomas Gagnon sent files and photographs from the 385th BG Association. Marilyn Walton, the keystone member of the Stalag Luft III Association, provided information and photographs, and cast a critical editorial eye over the final manuscript. Holm Kirsten of the Buchenwald Museum provided photographs and details of Little Camp as it was in 1944. Tracy Dungan, of v2rocket.com, provided editorial comments as well as photographs. Michael Leblanc provided information about the resistance network sheltering evading airmen, as did Edouard Renier, Bruce Bollinger, John Hill, John Howes, and Philippe Connart. I also appreciate the kind assistance of staff archivists at the National Archives at College Park, Maryland (William Cunliffe, Amy Schmidt, Christina Jones, James Kelling, and Paul A Brown) and at the National Air and Space Museum (Elizabeth C. Borja and David Schwartz).
In pursuing various leads and seeking additional information I had productive correspondence with staff of the Air Force Historical Society/USAF Special Collections, SHAEF, JAG/UK, the Air University Library, the Air Force Academy, the National POW Museum, the Buchenwald Museum, the Mittlebau-Dora Concentration Camp Memorial, the US National Holocaust Museum/ITS, the Bundesarchive, Yad Vashem, and the Muzeum Zagan. I also corresponded with the US Army, the FBI, and the CIA.
I would also like to thank individuals (in alphabetical order) who were kind enough to respond to my questions and provide opinions, suggestions, and assistance: Gerald Baron, Richard Breitman, Mike Digby, Michael Dorsey, Thomas Hatfield, Colin Heaton, Clarence Lasby, Thomas Lauria, Dorothy Long, Tim Naftali, Tim Nenninger, Michael Neufeld, Mary Ruwell, Bernd Schmidt, Chris Simpson, Michele Troy, and Kenneth Waltzer.
Several people took the time to review the manuscript in development and offer suggestions for improvement. First and foremost is my wife, Kathleen Welch, who also put up with the time commitment and the expense of this project, followed by our son, Frederic P.K. Martini, who prepared the photographs for inclusion in the book and, more extensively, on the associated website. Mark Bennett reviewed an early version of the text and did copyediting on the final manuscript. His interest in the project and his attention to detail are both deeply appreciated. Doug Fudge, Dan Schiller, and Grey Wicker read early iterations and helped catch inconsistencies in the narrative. And last but not least, I would like to thank my agent, Webster Stone, for his astute editorial comments and advice.
References used are listed below, along with a listing of archival sources consulted. The tens of thousands of pages of archival materials took seven years to accumulate, and I see no reason that investigators whose interests overlap my own should be forced to go through the same costly exercise to access relevant materials. Anyone with overlapping research interests can arrange access to images of original documents through my website, https://www.fredericmartini.com.
BOOKS, REPORTS, AND JOURNAL ARTICLES
Army G-2. (1944). Underground Factories - Niedersachswerfen Area (July 1944): 9pp.
Army G-2. (1945). Final Interrogation Report No. 7: Prisoner O/Stubaf Arthur Scheidler. U. F. E. T. I. C. A. 635: 27pp.
Army G-2. (1945). Final Interrogation Report - Andreas Folmer. G.-. Twelfth Army Group SOI Detachment, CIB. APO 655 US Army: 11pp.
Allen, Michael T (2002) The Business of Genocide: The SS, Slave Labor, and the Concentration Camps. University of No. Carolina Press; 309pp
Angier, J. F. (2003). Ready or Not Into the Wild Blue. The Aviation Career of a B-17 Pilot, 457th Bomb Group, 8th Air Force. South Burlington, VT, Success Networks International: 292pp.
Anon. (1949) Das war Buchenwald! Ein Tatsachenbericht. Leipzig: 130pp.
Arich-Gerz (2009) Mittelbau-Dora: American and German Representations of a Nazi Concentration Camp; 184pp; transcript www.transcript-verlag.de/ts1357/ts1357.php
Barkley, M. (1945). Atrocities and Other Conditions in Concentration Camps in Germany. U. S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, US Government Printing Office: 18pp.
Beck, Levitt C. (2010) Fighter Pilot. Kessinger Publishing; 208pp
Biddle, W. (2009). The Dark Side of the Moon. New York, NY, W. W. Norton & Co; 220pp.
Birdsall, S. (1973). B-17 in Action. Warren, MI, Squadron/Signal Publications, Inc.: 50pp.
Bode, V. and G. Kaiser (2008) Building Hitler’s Missiles: Traces of History in Peenemünde. Ch. Links Verlag, Berlin; 143pp
Bodson, H. (2005). Downed Allied Airmen and Evasion of Capture: The Role of Local Resistance Networks in World War II, Macfarland; 224pp.
Bowman, M. W. (1992). Flying to Glory: The B-17 Flying Fortress in war and peace. UK, Patrick Stephens, Ltd; 224pp.
Bowman, M. W. (2000). Castles in the Air. Washington, DC, Brassey’s Inc; 211pp.
Bowman, M. W. (2002). B-17 Flying Fortress Units of the 8th Air Force (Part 2). Oxford, UK, Osprey Publishing: 96pp.
Breitman, R. and N. J. W. Goda (2009). “Hitler’s Shadow: Nazi War Criminals, US Intelligence, and the Cold War.” U. S. N. Archives: 110pp.
Brown, P. B. (2008). Safehaven Reports of the War Crimes Branch 1944-1945. Washington DC, NARA: 51pp.
Buchenwald Camp, The Report of a Parliamentary Delegation (1945). His Majesty’s Stationery Office, Cmd. 6626: 8pp
Burgess, C. (1995). Destination: Buchenwald. Australia, Kangaroo Press; 184pp.
Caidin, M. Flying Forts. The B-17 in World War II. New York, Bantam Books: 483pp.
Carr, E. C. (2002). On Final Approach. Recollections of a World War II B-17 Air Crew. Rochester, WA, Edward C. Carr: 208pp.
Cawthorne, N. (2002). Fighting Them on the Beaches. The D-Day Landings June 6,1944. London, UK, Arcturus Publishing: 239pp.
Childers, T. (2002). In the Shadows of War. New York, Owl Books; 443pp
CIA (1950+). Document file related to Project Paperclip released under FOIA: 268pp.
Clark, A. P. (2004). 33 Months as a POW in Stalag Luft III. Golden, CO, Fulcrum Publishing; 207pp.
Comer, J. (1988). Combat Crew. The true story of one man’s part in World War II’s allied bomber offensive. London, UK, Penguin Group: 268pp.
Cox, L. C. (1990). Always Fighting the Enemy. Baltimore, MD, Gateway Press, Inc; 363pp.
Crowley, I. F. and J. R. Trudeau (2011). Wernher von Braun: An Ethical Analysis; 52pp.
Cunliffe, William H. (2006). Select Documents on Japanese War Crimes and Japanese Biological Warfare, 1934-2006. National Archives and Records Administration; PDF available online, 170pp.
Dick, S.J., ed. (2
008). Remembering the space age: Proceedings of the 50th anniversary conference. H. Division. Washington, DC, Government Printing Office: 467pp.
Durand, A. A. (1988). Stalag Luft III: The Secret Story. Baton Rouge, LA, Louisiana State University Press; 412pp.
Dyreborg, E. (2003). The Young Ones: American Airmen of WW II. New York, iUniverse, Inc; 618pp.
Feigin, J. Striving for Accountability in the Aftermath of the Holocaust. M. M. Richard, Department of Justice, Criminal Division, Office of Special Investigations: 397pp.
Fore, J. P. (1996). Tragedy and Triumph. A Pilot’s Life Through War and Peace. L. Jacks. Colorado Springs, CO, Skyward Press: 294pp.
Gibson, G. (1946). Enemy Coast Ahead. London, Michael Joseph: 302pp.
Gimbel, J. (1973). “Project Paperclip: German Scientists and the Cold War [Review].” Political Science Quarterly 88(3): 1.
Gimbel, J. (1986). “U.S. Policy and German Scientists: The Early Cold War.” Political Science Quarterly 101(3): 18.
Gimbel, J. (1990). “German Scientists, United States Denazification Policy, and the ‘Paperclip Conspiracy’.” The International History Review 12(3): 24.
Goldhagen, D. J. (1997) Hitler’s Willing Executioners: Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust. Random House; 634pp.
Harvie, J. D. (1995). Missing in Action: An RCAF Navigator’s Story. Canada, McGill-Queens University Press; 243pp.
Holmes, Linda Goetz (2010). Guests of the Emperor, The Secret History of Japan’s Mukden POW Camp. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD; 192pp.
Hunt, L. (1985). “U.S. Coverup of Nazi Scientists.” Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (April 1985): 8.