Execution of Germans who Massacred US Airmen during WW2: Rüsselsheim

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On 26 August 1944, the war reached a moment of raw vengeance in the German town of Rüsselsheim. The night before, British bombers had devastated the Opel factory and much of the surrounding city, leaving fires visible from more than a hundred kilometers away. Homes lay in ruins, bodies were still being recovered, and a furious population—exhausted by years of Allied air raids—seethed with rage. When eight captured American airmen from the B-24 “Wham! Bam! Thank You, Ma’m” were marched through the destroyed streets the next afternoon, the crowd believed they were responsible for the attack. What followed became one of the most brutal lynchings of the war. Women were the first to scream for blood, shouting, “There are the terror flyers—beat them to death!” A stone flew, then another, unleashing chaos. The mob armed itself with hammers, sticks, rocks, and shovels. German soldiers guarding the prisoners stood aside as the townspeople kicked, clubbed, and smashed the airmen to the ground. Among the civilians was air-raid warden Josef Hartgen, who escalated the violence by dragging the wounded men to the curb and shooting six of them in the head before running out of ammunition. The battered bodies were piled onto a cart and taken toward the cemetery; some of the victims may have still been alive when they were dumped there. Two men—Sidney Brown and William Adams—miraculously managed to escape. After the war, American investigators uncovered the truth, and eleven residents of Rüsselsheim stood trial. Hartgen and four others were sentenced to death and executed by U.S. Army hangman John C. Woods, while several additional perpetrators received long prison terms. Decades later, survivors returned to Rüsselsheim to receive an apology and witness the unveiling of a memorial marking the place where justice finally confronted the hatred of that day. Join World History channel and get access to benefits: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKKy_pNKZBX4KcCct8505HA/join Disclaimer: All opinions and comments below are from members of the public and do not reflect the views of World History channel. We do not accept promoting violence or hatred against individuals or groups based on attributes such as: race, nationality, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation. World History has right to review the comments and delete them if they are deemed inappropriate. ► CLICK the SUBSCRIBE button for more interesting clips: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKKy_pNKZBX4KcCct8505HA/?sub_confirmation=1 #Rüsselsheimmassacre #worldwar2 #worldhistory #history #worldwar2videos #WWII #ww2 #nazi #documentary #NaziGermany #WorldWarTwo #german #german #wehrmacht #luftwaffe #warcriminals #warcrimes #blitzkrieg #operationbarbarossa #b24liberator #hanover #frankfurt #usarmy Rüsselsheim massacre, German war crimes, Germany war crimes, Nazi war crimes, WW2 war crimes, War trials, Nazi criminals, War criminals, War criminals WW2, Wham! Bam! Thank You, Ma'm, Allied bombing of Bermanym, WWII air raids, Bombing of germany WW2, Strategic bombing WW2, Josef Hartgen, Margarete Witzler, Käthe Reinhardt, Johannes Seipel, Phillip Gutlich, Nazi propaganda, John C. Woods, Johann Opper, Friedrich Wust, Otto Stolz, Franz Umstatter, Nuremberg executioner, Nuremberg hangman,