Utah Prisoner Of War Massacre
Prisoner of War Massacre
CLASSIFICATION: Mass Murder
LOCATION
Salina, Utah, United States
TIME PERIOD
July 8, 1945
VICTIMS
9 confirmed
On July 8, 1945, at midnight, a mass shooting occurred at the prisoner-of-war camp in Salina, Utah, resulting in the deaths of nine German POWs and injuries to nineteen others. The perpetrator, American private Clarence V. Bertucci, opened fire with a .30-caliber M1917 Browning machine gun from a guard tower, motivated by anti-German sentiment and mental instability. Following the incident, Bertucci was taken into custody without resistance and subsequently deemed "mentally unbalanced" after evaluation; he was not court-martialed due to his condition and was sent to Mason General Hospital for treatment. The victims were interred with military honors, and the massacre is noted as the worst of its kind in U.S. history, with a museum established at Camp Salina in 2016 to commemorate the event.
Clarence V. Bertucci's actions during the Utah prisoner of war massacre are believed to have been driven by deep-seated anti-German sentiment, which was exacerbated by his mental instability. Some speculate that the emotional toll of the war and the prevailing attitudes towards German soldiers contributed to his violent outburst. There are also discussions about whether Bertucci acted alone or if there were others who shared his views and could have influenced his actions.
The Midnight Massacre: A Tragic Tale of Wartime Hate
The Scene of Violence: Camp Salina, Utah
The tranquil town of Salina, Utah, nestled at the eastern end of Main Street, became the unlikely setting for a grim episode of wartime brutality on the night of July 8, 1945. As the clock struck midnight, a massacre unfolded at a prisoner-of-war camp housing German and Italian soldiers. This tragedy, later dubbed the "Midnight Massacre" by Time magazine, marked the largest killing of enemy prisoners on American soil during World War II.
Private Clarence V. Bertucci, an American soldier with a deep-seated hatred for Germans, unleashed a deadly rampage from the guard tower. Armed with a .30-caliber M1917 Browning machine gun, he fired relentlessly at the sleeping prisoners below. Within moments, nine German soldiers lay dead, and nineteen others were left wounded.
Setting the Stage: Camp Salina
During World War II, Utah housed around 15,000 Italian and German prisoners across various camps. Camp Salina, a temporary branch of Fort Douglas in Salt Lake City, was home to approximately 250 German soldiers, mostly from the Afrika Korps. Established in 1944, the camp featured forty-three tents with wooden floors, officer quarters, and three guard towers. Unlike other isolated American prison camps, Camp Salina was integrated into the small town's fabric, with prisoners working in local fields to harvest sugar beets and other crops.
The Perpetrator: Clarence V. Bertucci
Clarence V. Bertucci was born on September 14, 1921, in New Orleans. His education ended in the sixth grade, and by 1940, he had enlisted in the United States Army. Five years of service, including a stint in England with an artillery unit, failed to bring him the promotion he desired. Bertucci harbored a notorious "discipline problem" and often expressed his unfulfilled desire to kill Germans, feeling "cheated" of his chance during the war. At 23, he was stationed at Camp Salina, a place where soldiers unfit for frontline service, such as those with behavioral issues, were often assigned guard duty.
The Night of Terror
On the fateful evening of July 7, 1945, Bertucci spent his night drinking several glasses of beer and stopped at a café on Main Street for coffee. He confided in a waitress, ominously predicting that "something exciting" would happen that night. As midnight approached, Bertucci returned to Camp Salina to assume his guard duty. After the guard change, he climbed into the tower, loaded the machine gun, and opened fire on the tents below. His attack lasted a mere fifteen seconds, yet it was enough to fire 250 rounds, strafing thirty of the forty-three tents.
Lieutenant Albert I. Cornell, alarmed by the chaos, demanded Bertucci come down. Bertucci refused, insisting that some Germans were still alive. Eventually, another soldier managed to disarm him, and Bertucci was taken into custody without resistance. Despite his earlier drinking, he was not intoxicated upon arrest. Guards braced for retaliation from the prisoners, but none came.
The Victims
The massacre claimed the lives of nine German soldiers:
- Otto Bross (25)
- Ernst Fuchs (24)
- Gottfried Gaag (29)
- Georg Liske (31)
- Hans Meyer (24)
- Adolf Paul (28)
- Fritz Stockmann (24)
- Walter Vogel (wife Emma Vogel)
- Friedrich Ritter, who succumbed to his injuries five days later.
The wounded prisoners received treatment wherever space allowed, with some being cared for on the hospital lawn. The scene was described as "blood flowed out the front door" of the hospital.
Investigation and Aftermath
Bertucci's heinous act prompted an immediate investigation. Held under guard at the Ninth Service Command headquarters at Fort Douglas, his military record revealed prior offenses and twelve hospitalizations, several for mental examinations. Despite his calm admission that he killed the Germans out of hatred, a panel of military officials deemed him mentally unbalanced, avoiding a court-martial. Instead, he was sent to Mason General Hospital in New York. Bertucci's mother denied rumors that he sought vengeance for a loved one's death in Europe, attributing his actions to a spinal injection from an appendectomy years earlier.
The victims received full military honors at their burial in Fort Douglas Cemetery on July 12, 1945. Dressed in American uniforms, their caskets bore no flags due to the absence of a new German flag. The ceremony featured a choir from the Ogden camp, singing songs deemed appropriate by American soldiers. Friedrich Ritter received a separate service after his death.
Legal challenges hindered compensation for the victims' families, and the wounded prisoners returned to Germany when well enough to travel. A German agreement with the U.S. government restricted them from American compensation, relegating them to veteran benefits provided by Germany.
Legacy and Remembrance
In 1988, the German Air Force funded the refurbishment of the German War Memorial statue at Fort Douglas Cemetery, marking Volkstrauertag, Germany's national day of mourning. Two survivors of the 1945 massacre attended the ceremony. In 2016, a museum opened at Camp Salina, preserving the memory of the massacre and its place in history. The "Midnight Massacre" remains a somber reminder of the depths of wartime hatred and the tragic consequences it wrought.
Sources
For further information, please refer to the original Wikipedia article on the Utah prisoner of war massacre.
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Massacre Occurs
Clarence V. Bertucci opens fire on German POWs, killing nine and injuring nineteen.
Bertucci Taken into Custody
Bertucci is arrested with minimal resistance after the massacre and placed under mental observation.
Victims Buried
The nine victims of the massacre are buried with full military honors at Fort Douglas Cemetery.
Bertucci Sent to Hospital
Bertucci is determined to be mentally unbalanced and sent to Mason General Hospital.
Investigation Concludes
Military officials conclude Bertucci is insane, foregoing a court-martial.
Bertucci Dies
Clarence V. Bertucci dies after years of hospitalization following the massacre.
Museum Opens
A museum dedicated to the Utah prisoner of war massacre opens at Camp Salina.
On July 8, 1945, at midnight, a mass shooting occurred at the prisoner-of-war camp in Salina, Utah, resulting in the deaths of nine German POWs and injuries to nineteen others. The perpetrator, American private Clarence V. Bertucci, opened fire with a .30-caliber M1917 Browning machine gun from a guard tower, motivated by anti-German sentiment and mental instability. Following the incident, Bertucci was taken into custody without resistance and subsequently deemed "mentally unbalanced" after evaluation; he was not court-martialed due to his condition and was sent to Mason General Hospital for treatment. The victims were interred with military honors, and the massacre is noted as the worst of its kind in U.S. history, with a museum established at Camp Salina in 2016 to commemorate the event.
Clarence V. Bertucci's actions during the Utah prisoner of war massacre are believed to have been driven by deep-seated anti-German sentiment, which was exacerbated by his mental instability. Some speculate that the emotional toll of the war and the prevailing attitudes towards German soldiers contributed to his violent outburst. There are also discussions about whether Bertucci acted alone or if there were others who shared his views and could have influenced his actions.
The Midnight Massacre: A Tragic Tale of Wartime Hate
The Scene of Violence: Camp Salina, Utah
The tranquil town of Salina, Utah, nestled at the eastern end of Main Street, became the unlikely setting for a grim episode of wartime brutality on the night of July 8, 1945. As the clock struck midnight, a massacre unfolded at a prisoner-of-war camp housing German and Italian soldiers. This tragedy, later dubbed the "Midnight Massacre" by Time magazine, marked the largest killing of enemy prisoners on American soil during World War II.
Private Clarence V. Bertucci, an American soldier with a deep-seated hatred for Germans, unleashed a deadly rampage from the guard tower. Armed with a .30-caliber M1917 Browning machine gun, he fired relentlessly at the sleeping prisoners below. Within moments, nine German soldiers lay dead, and nineteen others were left wounded.
Setting the Stage: Camp Salina
During World War II, Utah housed around 15,000 Italian and German prisoners across various camps. Camp Salina, a temporary branch of Fort Douglas in Salt Lake City, was home to approximately 250 German soldiers, mostly from the Afrika Korps. Established in 1944, the camp featured forty-three tents with wooden floors, officer quarters, and three guard towers. Unlike other isolated American prison camps, Camp Salina was integrated into the small town's fabric, with prisoners working in local fields to harvest sugar beets and other crops.
The Perpetrator: Clarence V. Bertucci
Clarence V. Bertucci was born on September 14, 1921, in New Orleans. His education ended in the sixth grade, and by 1940, he had enlisted in the United States Army. Five years of service, including a stint in England with an artillery unit, failed to bring him the promotion he desired. Bertucci harbored a notorious "discipline problem" and often expressed his unfulfilled desire to kill Germans, feeling "cheated" of his chance during the war. At 23, he was stationed at Camp Salina, a place where soldiers unfit for frontline service, such as those with behavioral issues, were often assigned guard duty.
The Night of Terror
On the fateful evening of July 7, 1945, Bertucci spent his night drinking several glasses of beer and stopped at a café on Main Street for coffee. He confided in a waitress, ominously predicting that "something exciting" would happen that night. As midnight approached, Bertucci returned to Camp Salina to assume his guard duty. After the guard change, he climbed into the tower, loaded the machine gun, and opened fire on the tents below. His attack lasted a mere fifteen seconds, yet it was enough to fire 250 rounds, strafing thirty of the forty-three tents.
Lieutenant Albert I. Cornell, alarmed by the chaos, demanded Bertucci come down. Bertucci refused, insisting that some Germans were still alive. Eventually, another soldier managed to disarm him, and Bertucci was taken into custody without resistance. Despite his earlier drinking, he was not intoxicated upon arrest. Guards braced for retaliation from the prisoners, but none came.
The Victims
The massacre claimed the lives of nine German soldiers:
- Otto Bross (25)
- Ernst Fuchs (24)
- Gottfried Gaag (29)
- Georg Liske (31)
- Hans Meyer (24)
- Adolf Paul (28)
- Fritz Stockmann (24)
- Walter Vogel (wife Emma Vogel)
- Friedrich Ritter, who succumbed to his injuries five days later.
The wounded prisoners received treatment wherever space allowed, with some being cared for on the hospital lawn. The scene was described as "blood flowed out the front door" of the hospital.
Investigation and Aftermath
Bertucci's heinous act prompted an immediate investigation. Held under guard at the Ninth Service Command headquarters at Fort Douglas, his military record revealed prior offenses and twelve hospitalizations, several for mental examinations. Despite his calm admission that he killed the Germans out of hatred, a panel of military officials deemed him mentally unbalanced, avoiding a court-martial. Instead, he was sent to Mason General Hospital in New York. Bertucci's mother denied rumors that he sought vengeance for a loved one's death in Europe, attributing his actions to a spinal injection from an appendectomy years earlier.
The victims received full military honors at their burial in Fort Douglas Cemetery on July 12, 1945. Dressed in American uniforms, their caskets bore no flags due to the absence of a new German flag. The ceremony featured a choir from the Ogden camp, singing songs deemed appropriate by American soldiers. Friedrich Ritter received a separate service after his death.
Legal challenges hindered compensation for the victims' families, and the wounded prisoners returned to Germany when well enough to travel. A German agreement with the U.S. government restricted them from American compensation, relegating them to veteran benefits provided by Germany.
Legacy and Remembrance
In 1988, the German Air Force funded the refurbishment of the German War Memorial statue at Fort Douglas Cemetery, marking Volkstrauertag, Germany's national day of mourning. Two survivors of the 1945 massacre attended the ceremony. In 2016, a museum opened at Camp Salina, preserving the memory of the massacre and its place in history. The "Midnight Massacre" remains a somber reminder of the depths of wartime hatred and the tragic consequences it wrought.
Sources
For further information, please refer to the original Wikipedia article on the Utah prisoner of war massacre.
No Recent News
No recent news articles found for this case. Check back later for updates.
No Evidence Submitted
No evidence found for this case. Be the first to submit evidence in the comments below.
Join the discussion
Loading comments...
Massacre Occurs
Clarence V. Bertucci opens fire on German POWs, killing nine and injuring nineteen.
Bertucci Taken into Custody
Bertucci is arrested with minimal resistance after the massacre and placed under mental observation.
Victims Buried
The nine victims of the massacre are buried with full military honors at Fort Douglas Cemetery.
Bertucci Sent to Hospital
Bertucci is determined to be mentally unbalanced and sent to Mason General Hospital.
Investigation Concludes
Military officials conclude Bertucci is insane, foregoing a court-martial.
Bertucci Dies
Clarence V. Bertucci dies after years of hospitalization following the massacre.
Museum Opens
A museum dedicated to the Utah prisoner of war massacre opens at Camp Salina.