Death at Papago Park POW Camp: A Tragic Murder and America's Last Mass Execution

by Jane Eppinga

Overview

World War II came to Arizona via two significant avenues: prisoner-of-war camps and military training bases. Notorious for its prisoners' attempted escape through the Faustball Tunnel, Papago POW Camp also had a dark reputation of violence among its prisoners. An unfortunate casualty was Werner Drechsler, who supplied German secrets to U.S. Navy authorities after his capture in 1943. Nazis held there labeled him a traitor and hanged him from a bathroom rafter. Controversy erupted over whether the killing was an act of war or murder, as well as the lack of protection Drechsler received for aiding in espionage. Ultimately, seven POWs were hanged for the crime. Author Jane Eppinga examines the tangled details and implications of America's last mass execution.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781467135764
Publisher:	History Press, The
Publication date:	06/19/2017
Series:	True Crime
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	829,590
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Jane Eppinga is an award-winning author and historian living in Tucson, Arizona. The author of over a dozen books, her biography of Henry Ossian Flipper, West Point's first black graduate, was part of a package presented to President W.J. Clinton as a successful appeal to have Henry Ossian Flipper posthumously pardoned. She is a graduate of the University of Arizona. Learn more about Jane at www.desert-silhouettes.com.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 5

Introduction 7

1 Day of Infamy 17

2 Divebomb to Hell 29

3 Sunday in the Park 54

4 Confessions and Court-martial 69

5 Conviction and Appeals 96

6 Execution 101

Appendix A Articles of War 109

Appendix B Crew List of the U-118 113

Notes 117

Bibliography 121

Index 125

About the Author 128