The Execution of German GENERAL Anton Dostler in World War II
Anton Dostler ( Munich , May 10, 1891 – Aversa , December 1, 1945) was a general of the infantry in the regular German Army during World War II . In the first Allied war trial after the war, Dostler was found guilty of war crimes and executed by a firing squad . General Dostler ordered and oversaw the unlawful execution of fifteen captured US Soldiers. The soldiers were sent behind the German lines with orders to demolish a tunnel that was being used by the German army as a supply route to the front lines. They were captured and upon learning of their mission, Dostler ordered their execution without trial. The US soldiers were wearing proper military uniforms and carried no civilian or enemy clothing and were in compliance with Hague Convention to be considered non-combatants after their surrender. Under the 1907 Hague Convention on Land Warfare, it was legal to execute “spies and saboteurs” disguised in ci...