January 31, 1945 ~ The execution of Pvt. Slovik
On this day, Pvt. Eddie Slovik becomes the first American soldier since the Civil War
to be executed for desertion-and the only one who suffered such a fate during World
War II.
Pvt. Eddie Slovik was a draftee. Originally classified 4-F because of a prison record
(grand theft auto), he was reclassified 1-A when draft standards were lowered to
meet growing personnel needs. In January 1944, he was trained to be a rifleman,
which was not to his liking, as he hated guns.
In August of the same year, Slovik was shipped to France to fight with the 28th
Infantry Division, which had already suffered massive casualties in France and
Germany. Slovik was a replacement, a class of soldier not particular respected by
officers. As he and a companion were on the way to the front lines, they became lost
in the chaos of battle and stumbled upon a Canadian unit that took them in.
Slovik stayed on with the Canadians until October 5, when they turned him and his
buddy over to the American military police. They were reunited with the 28th Division,
which had been moved to Elsenborn, Belgium. No charges were brought, as
replacements getting lost early on in their tours of duty were not unusual. But exactly
one day after Slovik returned to his unit, he claimed he was "too scared and too
nervous" to be a rifleman, and threatened to run away if forced into combat. His
confession was ignored-and Slovik took off. One day later he returned and signed a
confession of desertion, claiming he would run away again if forced to fight, and
submitted it to an officer of the 28th. The officer advised Slovik to take the confession
back, as the consequences were serious. Slovik refused and was confined to the
stockade.
The 28th Division had many cases of soldiers wounding themselves or deserting in
the hopes of a prison sentence that might protect them from the perils of combat. A
legal officer of the 28th offered Slovik a deal: dive into combat immediately and avoid
the court-martial. Slovik refused. He was tried on November 11 for desertion and was
convicted in less than two hours. The nine-officer court-martial panel passed a
unanimous sentence of execution, "to be shot to death with musketry."
Slovik's appeal failed. It was held that he "directly challenged the authority" of the
United States and that "future discipline depends upon a resolute reply to this
challenge." Slovik had to pay for his recalcitrant attitude, and the military made an
example of him. One last appeal was made-to Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, the
Supreme Allied Commander-but the timing was bad for mercy. The Battle of the
Bulge in the Ardennes forest was resulting in literally thousands of American
casualties, not to mention the second largest surrender of an U.S. Army unit during
the war. Eisenhower upheld the death sentence.
Slovik was shot and killed by a 12-man firing squad in eastern France. None of the
rifleman even flinched, firmly believing Slovik had gotten what he deserved