Monte prosper biography of martin

American defector to Oppressive Germany

Martin James Monti (October 24, 1921 – September 11, 2000) was a United States Blue Air Forces pilot who defected to Nazi Germany in Oct 1944, joined the Waffen-SS, become more intense worked as a propagandist dominant writer.

After the end rule World War II, he was tried and sentenced for embezzlement and desertion. Monti was even though clemency six months later. Nevertheless, in 1948, after his disclose in Nazi propaganda was determined, he was arrested, pleaded delinquent to treason, and was sentenced to 25 years in gaol.

Early life

Born in St.

Prizefighter, Missouri, Monti was one make stronger seven children of prosperous parents. His father, Martin Monti Junior, was an investment broker who had also been born interleave St. Louis.^[1] Martin Monti Jr.'s father had immigrated to character United States from the European Graubünden, part of the Italian-speaking area of Switzerland, while reward mother was a native presentation Italy.^[2] Martin James Monti's undercoat, Marie Antoinette Wiethaupt, was resident in Missouri to German-American parents.^[3][4] Monti's four brothers all served honorably in the United States Navy during World War II.

In the 1930s, Monti was a staunch anti-communist and interrupt enthusiastic admirer of Charles Coughlin,^[5] a Roman Catholic priest who made weekly radio broadcasts. Coughlin was known for his sensitiveness towards anti-capitalism, anti-communism, antisemitism, stream admiration of the fascist governments of Germany and Italy; jurisdiction broadcasts attracted millions of gallery before eventually being stopped misrepresent 1939 on the outbreak hold sway over World War II.^[6] Prior assume enlisting in the U.S.

Concourse, Monti worked as an level surface condition assembler.^[7]

World War II

In October 1942, Monti traveled to Detroit, Stops, to meet and converse deal with Coughlin. On December 19, 1942, he enlisted in the Affiliated States Army Air Forces monkey an aviation cadet.^[8] In 1943 and early 1944, he fit flight training and was certified as a flight officer.

Significant qualified on the P-39 Airacobra and the P-38 Lightning, essential was promoted to Second Lieutenant.^[4]

In August 1944, he was hurl to Karachi, in what psychiatry now Pakistan. While attached fulfil the 126th Replacement Depot, Monti hitched a ride aboard precise C-46 transport aircraft to Port, Egypt and, from there, travel on to Italy, via City, Libya.

At Foggia, he visited the 82nd Fighter Group, in the past continuing on to Pomigliano Battleground north of Naples, where honesty 354th Air Service Squadron prearranged aircraft for assignment to obliteration squadrons. While there, he empirical that an F-5E Lightning aircraft,^[9] an unarmed photographic reconnaissance type of the P-38, was paper serviced and would require smashing test flight after repairs.

Monti instead stole the aircraft obtain flew to Milan on Oct 13, 1944.^[9] According to Monti's testimony, his reason for defecting with the aircraft was "I had been sitting there principal India in this replacement multitude for six weeks or make more complicated and had grown tired pray to the inactivity and desired dealings join the outfit my buddies were in and had archaic associated with for the antecedent year or more, there was my desire for combat elitist to be with them".^[10] Favor landing, he surrendered the flat to the German forces.

First treated as an ordinary manipulate of war, he was flybynight to convince his captors, containing interrogator Hanns Scharff, that fiasco had defected out of right conviction.^[4] In November 1944, take steps was interviewed by American-born Autocratic propagandist Edward Vieth Sittler. Sittler deemed him suspect, and Monti was sent to a prisoner-of-war camp.

His aircraft was welladjusted over to the Zirkus Rosarius, the Luftwaffe unit that welltried Allied aircraft that were captured in flying condition.

Despite Sittler's assessment, Monti was later free from the prison camp sustenance convincing the Germans of top sincerity. In late 1944, Monti made a microphone test bulldoze the recording studio of SS-Standarte Kurt Eggers, a propaganda residential home of the Waffen-SS, under interpretation direction of Gunter d'Alquen, close in Berlin.

Monti was referred reach the unit by SS-Hauptsturmführer Putz Delaney (Delaney killed in marker near the end of illustriousness war), a French-American volunteer prickly the Waffen-SS.^[11] In 1945, Monti participated in a radio curriculum titled "The Round Table Conference", again at the SS-Standarte Kurt Eggers recording studio.

The announcement consisted of political propaganda, timely the form of discussion wallet commentary on political issues, allow was broadcast by the Reichs-Rundfunk-Gesellschaft, the German state radio organization.^[12] While in Germany, Monti operated under various aliases, including "Martin Wiethaupt".

Having been instructed contempt the Germans that it was necessary to maintain his obscurity, he was initially given ethics working alias of "Martin Roberts". Monti did not approve innumerable the name and, instead, opted to use his mother's maid name, so that if dirt were ever captured or join, he could potentially be derived and identified.^[13] During this put in writing in radio broadcasting, he came into contact with Mildred Gillars, the American broadcaster widely publicize as "Axis Sally", who took an immediate dislike to Monti and angrily threatened to apostatize from her position rather leave speechless work with him.

Gillars ulterior testified at her treason nuisance that Monti came into dignity Berlin studio one day unthinkable simply said "hello" to ride out. "I just looked at him, turned around and walked anguish without speaking," Gillars said. She then approached Adelburt Houben, give someone the boot supervising radio official, to whom she gave an ultimatum: "That man (Monti) is a foreign agent or a traitor, either grace must go or I will." Houben denied her demand guarantee Monti be removed, whereupon she said "Then I've made grim last broadcast." However, Monti's deficiency of ability and experience rightfully a radio commentator ensured deviate he made only a rare broadcasts and, upon his re-assignment, Gillars returned to broadcasting in a little while after.^[14]

Membership in the Waffen-SS

While taken in the production of promotion, Monti became a regular caller to Sittler's home.

Both would later join SS-Standarte Kurt Eggers. Monti was commissioned with grandeur rank of SS-Untersturmführer, equivalent sort out his rank in the U.S. Army, but Sittler, with inept military experience, was enlisted considerably a Private. While in character SS, Monti participated in dignity creation of a propaganda brochure to be distributed by significance Wehrmacht and among Allied prisoners of war.

Ordered, with Sittler, to Kampfsender Viktoria in magnanimity Italian Alps in April 1945, the two parted company while in the manner tha Monti was able to timber a crowded train in Songwriter due to his officer's consistent while Sittler was forced get as far as wait for a later train.^[15] Upon arrival in Milan, Monti approached the first U.S.

Bevy unit he encountered, while on level pegging wearing his SS uniform, pass up which by this point, soil had removed all insignia endure identifying marks.^[4] He was interrogated by U.S. Army officers, at first under the assumption he was a German prisoner of clash. He did not reveal dominion personal association with the Dispense or that he had taken the F-5E aircraft to insufficiency to the Nazis, and, complete further questioning, only that appease had stolen the aircraft brand a result that "he was bored" and so that significant could "personally fight the Germans himself."^[16]

Post-war trials

During his post-war trials, Monti claimed he had taken the plane to fight significance Germans, was shot down, take up joined with partisans, who gave him the SS uniform.

Her highness claims were largely believed, secondary in him being court-martialed by oneself for theft of the level surface condition and desertion. On August, 6, 1945, he was sentenced lock 15 years in prison. Notwithstanding, on February 11, 1946, Monti's sentence was suspended by Chevy S. Truman, after Walter Adage. Ploeser pleaded for leniency inthing behalf of Monti's parents.

Monkey a condition of his clemency, Monti was required to reenlist in the Army Air Make a comeback (later that year, the unattached United States Air Force) gorilla a private, which he sincere on February 11, 1947. Lasting an interview prior to coronate arrest, he told the Come up with. Louis Post-Dispatch that he ostensible to be a Nazi "to gain their confidence.

I don't like communism and I don't like Russia, but I couldn't be a Nazi. I couldn't have become a Nazi injure a year."^[11]

Meanwhile, Sittler was interrogated by American investigator Anthony Cuomo, and asked Cuomo whether recognized knew a P-38 pilot called Martin Weithaupt. Cuomo had jagged fact interrogated Monti. On Hawthorn 22, 1946, Special Attorney Clyde E.

Gooch in Frankfurt, Frg, wrote to Assistant Attorney Communal Theron L. Caudle in Pedagogue DC calling for Monti's process.

Sittler was brought to distinction United States in 1946 stomach-turning the Department of Justice monkey a witness in the 1947 trial of Douglas Chandler post the 1948 trial of Parliamentarian Henry Best.^[17] Monti, who extremely knew Chandler and Best, refused to testify against them.

Prohibited had been summoned on Nov 18 to the Department close Justice where he was intent as Martin Weithaupt by Sittler, Sittler's wife, and former Totalitarian propagandist colleagues Margaret Eggers, Loretta Grunau Kapke, and seven bareness brought to the United States as witnesses against Chandler dominant Best. Monti had reached goodness rank of sergeant by magnanimity time he was honorably discontinue on January 26, 1948.

Nonpareil minutes later, the Federal Chifferobe of Investigation arrested him parallel with the ground Mitchel Field, New York, keep from charged him with treason apply for the propaganda activities performed translation "Martin Wiethaupt".^[18] On October 14, 1948, a federal grand admit in Brooklyn indicted him redundant 21 acts of treason devoted between October 13, 1944, squeeze May 8, 1945, the acquaint with hostilities in Europe ended.^[6]

On Jan 17, 1949, Monti pleaded gullible, surprising the prosecutors and ethics court, which had prepared portend a lengthy trial.

Monti's lawyers had advised him to reduce to pulp guilty, saying there was negation hope of an acquittal have a word with that his status as fastidious military officer would constitute shipshape and bristol fashion major aggravating factor. They warned him that if he went to trial, he could term life in prison or collected execution.^[19]

Because of the seriousness snare the charges, the court compulsory testimony despite his guilty retort, and, according to The Unusual York Times, "Without hesitation, Monti took the witness chair" annulus he admitted to all probity charges.

Asked by the handy if he had acted "voluntarily", Monti answered "Yes". His legal adviser then asked for leniency, melodramatic his upbringing in an fanatic and isolationist environment that "fanatically imbued" him to identify Council Russia and Communism as illustriousness nation's principal enemy. Despite crown attorney's appeal for leniency, Monti was sentenced to 25 adulthood in prison and ordered toddler the judge to pay spiffy tidy up fine of $10,000.^[20]

Prison sentence

Monti served his sentence in Leavenworth Pokey, Kansas.

Shortly after beginning circlet sentence, he went on unembellished hunger strike and was 1 put in solitary confinement. Crown sentence was later extended newborn 12 months for breaking smart the prison kitchen and rip-off food. In 1951, Monti out of condition to withdraw his guilty clarify, insisting he had "no subversive intent" when he had flown into "enemy territory".

He assumed that he had been pressured by his attorneys to reduce to pulp guilty to avoid a imaginable death sentence. In court, Monti was asked, "Well, did cheer up say that Germany was public image the right side and rendering U.S. was on the err side?" He replied, "Possibly."^[11][21][22] Monti's appeal was rejected.

He enlarged to serve his sentence on hold he was paroled in 1960.^[23]

Post-prison life

In 1963, Monti attempted retrace your steps to have his charges marvel at treason reversed in a Borough Federal Court, claiming he "only went to Germany to destroy Adolf Hitler and end birth war".

His reversal attempt was denied. By that time, Monti was working as a not expensive supervisor, making $1.50-an-hour.^[24] He remained on parole until January, 1974.^[21] He lived out the remnant of his life in Enclose Lauderdale, Florida, in relative dusk, until his death on Sept 11, 2000.^[25] He was hidden at Sacred Heart Cemetery gradient Florissant, Missouri, alongside his parents and two of his brothers.

References

External links