Capital punishment by the United States military
The military of the United States executed 160 soldiers and other members of the armed forces between 1942 and 1961 (these figures do not include German prisoners of war, war criminals and saboteurs executed by military authorities between 1942 and 1951). There have been no military executions since 1961 although the death penalty is still a possible punishment for several crimes under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Of these executions, 157 were carried out by the United States Army. The United States Air Force conducted the three remaining executions, one in 1950 and two in 1954. The U.S. Navy has not executed anyone since 1849. The United States Army had previously executed a total of 36 soldiers during the First World War, eleven of these executions taking place between 5 November 1917 and 20 June 1919 in France and 25 hangings being carried out in the continental United States over the same time period.
Of the total, 106 were executed for murder (including 21 involving rape), 53 for rape and one for desertion (Eddie Slovik).[1]
Reintroduction of the military death penalty
The death penalty by the U.S. military was reintroduced by the executive order of President Ronald Reagan in 1984.[2]
On July 28, 2008, President George W. Bush approved the execution of United States Army Private Ronald A. Gray, who had been convicted in April 1988 of multiple murders and rapes. A month later, Secretary of the Army Pete Geren set an execution date of December 10, 2008 and ordered that Gray be put to death by lethal injection at the Federal Correctional Complex, Terre Haute. The military publicly released Gray's execution date on November 20, 2008. On November 26, however, Gray was granted a stay of execution. He has not yet been executed As of 2009[update].[3]
Punishable crimes
Currently, under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, 14 offenses are punishable by death. Under the following sections of the UCMJ, the death penalty can be imposed at any time:
- 94 - Mutiny or sedition
- 99 - Misbehavior before the enemy
- 100 - Subordinate compelling surrender
- 101 - Improper use of countersign
- 102 - Forcing a safeguard
- 104 - Aiding the enemy
- 106a - Espionage
- 110 - Improper hazarding of vessel
- 118 - Murder
- 120 - Rape and carnal knowledge
Four provisions of the UCMJ carry a death sentence only if the crime is committed during times of war:
- 85 - Desertion
- 90 - Assaulting or willfully disobeying a superior commissioned officer
- 106 - Spies
- 113 - Misbehavior of a sentinel or lookout
Sentencing and execution
Capital cases are tried in courts-martial before a panel of at least five military members. If the defendant is an enlisted man, he may opt for at least one third of the panel to also be of enlisted rank. The defendant cannot plead guilty to the charges. The panel must be unanimous in conviction, that the government has proven necessary aggravating factors, that the aggravating factors outweigh the mitigating factors, and that death is the only sentence applicable. All death sentences are automatically appealed first to the Court of Criminal Appeals for the military service concerned, then to the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. The sentence must be personally confirmed by the President of the United States.
Military executions would be conducted under regulations issued on January 17, 2006, and would ordinarily take place at the Special Housing Unit of the United States Disciplinary Barracks, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, although alternative locations are possible (such as the Federal Correctional Complex, Terre Haute, where federal civilian death row inmates are housed and executed). Under these regulations, the only authorized method of execution is lethal injection. There are currently nine inmates confined at the Special Housing Unit, all of whom have been convicted of premeditated murder or felony murder.
Until 1961, the last military execution to date, hanging was the sole and official method. Later, the military introduced the electric chair, which was never used.[4] Currently lethal injection is the sole method.[2]
Executions during World War II and postwar
The United States Army carried out 141 executions over a three year period in 1942–1945, and a further six executions were conducted during the postwar period, for a known total of 147 in all. 70 of these 141 wartime executions were carried out in the European Theatre, 27 in the Mediterranean Theatre of World War II, 21 in the Southwest Pacific Area, 19 in the continental United States, two in Hawai'i, one in Guadacanal and one in India. Of six postwar executions, one took place in Hawaii, one in Japan, two in France and two in the Philippines. An execution was also carried out by the Air Force in Japan in 1950.
All executions carried out by the United States Army during 1942-1948 were performed under the authority of the Articles of War of June 4, 1920, Ch. 227, 41 Stat. 787, 788, an Act of Congress which governed military justice between 1920 and 1948. With the exception of Eddie Slovik, shot for a purely military offense, Article 58. DESERTION, all of these soldiers were primarily executed for Article 92. MURDER-RAPE (it should be noted that several of the soldiers listed as convicted and executed for Article 92. MURDER-RAPE had additionally been convicted on sundry other charges, including those of a military nature such as desertion and mutiny, plus lesser crimes that would not be considered capital unless combined with more serious offenses which carried the death penalty). The text of Article 58. DESERTION, and Article 92. MURDER-RAPE are as follows.
Article 58. DESERTION.-Any person subject to military law who deserts or attempts to desert the service of the United States shall, if the offense be committed in time of war, suffer death or other such punishment as a court-martial may direct, and if the punishment be committed at any other time, any punishment, excepting death that a court-martial may direct.
Article 92. MURDER-RAPE.-Any person subject to military law who commits murder or rape shall suffer death or imprisonment for life, as a court-martial may direct; but no person shall be tried by court-martial for murder or rape committed within the geographical limits of the states of the Union and the District of Columbia in time of peace.
Sources for list in References section.
| Executed person | Date of execution | Location | Method |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Rowe | 6 November 1942 | Fort Huachuca, Arizona | Hanged |
| Edward J. Leonski | 9 November 1942 | Pentridge Prison, Melbourne, Australia, Southwest Pacific Area | Hanged |
| Jerry Sykes | 19 January 1943 | Fort Huachuca, Arizona | Hanged |
| David Cobb | 12 March 1943 | Shepton Mallet, United Kingdom, European Theater | Hanged |
| George S. Knapp | 19 March 1943 | Bastrop, Texas, Fort SnellingMinnesota(buried) | Hanged |
| Francis A. Line | 26 March 1943 | United States | Hanged |
| Harold A. Smith | 25 June 1943 | Shepton Mallet, United Kingdom, European Theater | Hanged |
| James E. Kendrick | 17 July 1943 | Oran, Algeria, North African Theater of Operations | Hanged |
| Levi Brandon | 26 July 1943 | United States Disciplinary Barracks, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas | Hanged |
| Walter J. Bohn | 6 August 1943 | Camp Claiborne, Lousiana], United States | Hanged |
| Willie A. Pittman | 30 August 1943 | Sicily, Mediterranean Theatre of World War II | Hanged |
| Harvey Stroud | 30 August 1943 | Sicily, Mediterranean Theatre of World War II | Hanged |
| Armstead White | 30 August 1943 | Sicily, Mediterranean Theatre of World War II | Hanged |
| David White | 30 August 1943 | Sicily, Mediterranean Theatre of World War II | Hanged |
| Charles H. Smith | 6 September 1943 | Algiers, North African Theater of Operations | Hanged |
| Lee A. Davis | 14 December 1943 | Shepton Mallet, United Kingdom, European Theater | Hanged |
| Charles A. Spears | January 1944 | Oran, Algeria, Mediterranean Theatre of World War II | Hanged |
| Edwin P. Jones | 5 January 1944 | Oran, Algeria, North African Theater of Operations | Hanged |
| John H. Waters | 10 February 1944 | Shepton Mallet, United Kingdom, European Theater | Hanged |
| J.C. Leatherberry | 16 March 1944 | Shepton Mallet, United Kingdom, European Theater | Hanged |
| Wiley Harris | 26 May 1944 | Shepton Mallet, United Kingdom, European Theater | Hanged |
| Alex F. Miranda | 30 May 1944 | Shepton Mallet, United Kingdom, European Theater | Shot |
| Robert L. Donnelly | 31 May 1944 | Mediterranean Theatre of World War II | Hanged |
| Eliga Brinson | 11 August 1944 | Shepton Mallet, United Kingdom, European Theater | Hanged |
| Willie Smith | 11 August 1944 | Shepton Mallet, United Kingdom, European Theater | Hanged |
| Clarence Whitfield | 14 August 1944 | Normandy, France, European Theater | Hanged |
| Ray Watson | 29 August 1944 | Mediterranean Theatre of World War II | Hanged |
| James W. Peoples | 2 September 1944 | Oro Bay, New Guinea, Southwest Pacific Area | Hanged |
| Harry Beven | 26 September 1944 | United States | Hanged |
| Arthur T. Brown | 2 October 1944 | Oro Bay, New Guinea, Southwest Pacific Area | Hanged |
| Andrew Gibson | 2 October 1944 | Oro Bay, New Guinea, Southwest Pacific Area | Hanged |
| Leroy E. Greene | 2 October 1944 | Oro Bay, New Guinea, Southwest Pacific Area | Hanged |
| Charles A. Horne | 2 October 1944 | Oro Bay, New Guinea, Southwest Pacific Area | Hanged |
| Eugene A. Washington, Jr. | 2 October 1944 | Oro Bay, New Guinea, Southwest Pacific Area | Hanged |
| Lloyd L. White, Jr. | 2 October 1944 | Oro Bay New Guinea, Southwest Pacific Area | Hanged |
| Madison Thomas | 12 October 1944 | Shepton Mallet, United Kingdom, European Theater | Hanged |
| James B. Sanders | 25 October 1944 | European Theater | Hanged |
| Ray W. Anderson | 25 October 1944 | European Theater | Hanged |
| Paul Kluxdal | 31 October 1944 | European Theater | Hanged |
| Willie Wimberly, Jr. | 9 November 1944 | European Theater | Hanged |
| Joseph Watson | 9 November 1944 | European Theater | Hanged |
| Aveline Fernandez | 15 November 1944 | Oro Bay, New Guinea, Southwest Pacific Area | Hanged |
| Curtis L. Maxey | 16 November 1944 | St. Tropez, France, Mediterranean Theatre of World War II | Hanged |
| Richard Scott | 18 November 1944 | European Theater | Hanged |
| William D. Pennyfather | 18 November 1944 | European Theater | Hanged |
| Theron McGann | 20 November 1944 | European Theater | Hanged |
| Arthur E. Davis | 22 November 1944 | European Theater | Hanged |
| Charles H. Jordan | 22 November 1944 | European Theater | Hanged |
| James Hendricks | 24 November 1944 | Normandy, France, European Theater | Hanged |
| Benjamin Pygate | 28 November 1944 | Shepton Mallet, United Kingdom, European Theater | Shot |
| Oscar N. Newman | 24 November 1944 | European Theater | Hanged |
| Leo Valentine, Sr. | 24 November 1944 | European Theater | Hanged |
| Charles Williams | 18 December 1944 | United States | Hanged |
| William E. Davis | 27 December 1944 | European Theater | Hanged |
| Waiter J. Baldwin | 17 January 1945 | European Theater | Hanged |
| Sylvester Davis | 5 January 1945 | United States | Hanged |
| Augustine Guerra | 8 January 1945 | Shepton Mallet, United Kingdom, European Theater | Hanged |
| Ernest L. Clarke | 8 January 1945 | Shepton Mallet, United Kingdom, European Theater | Hanged |
| John. D. Cooper | 9 January 1945 | European Theater | Hanged |
| John R. O'Connor | 15 January 1945 | United States | Hanged |
| Arthur J. Farrell | 19 January 1945 | European Theater | Hanged |
| James W. Twiggs | 22 January 1945 | European Theater | Hanged |
| Samuel Hawthorne | 29 January 1945 | Oro Bay, New Guinea, Southwest Pacific Area | Hanged |
| Marvin Holden | 30 January 1945 | Lemur, Belgium | Hanged |
| Elwood J. Spencer | 30 January 1945 | Lemur, Belgium | Hanged |
| Eddie Slovik | 31 January 1945 | Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines, France, European Theater | Shot |
| J.P. Wilson | 2 February 1945 | European Theater | Hanged |
| Robert L. Skinner | 10 February 1945 | European Theater | Hanged |
| Yancy Waiters | 10 February 1945 | European Theater | Hanged |
| William Mack | 15 February 1945 | European Theater | Hanged |
| Otis B. Crews | 21 February 1945 | Mediterranean Theater | Hanged |
| Williams C. Downes | 28 February 1945 | European Theater | Hanged |
| Amos Agee | 3 March 1945 | European Theater | Hanged |
| John C. Smith | 3 March 1945 | European Theater | Hanged |
| Frank Watson | 3 March 1945 | European Theater | Hanged |
| Olins W. Williams | 9 March 1945 | European Theater | Hanged |
| Lee A. Burns | 11 March 1945 | Aversa, Italy, Mediterranean Theatre of World War II | Hanged |
| General L. Grant | 11 March 1945 | Aversa, Italy, Mediterranean Theatre of World War II | Hanged |
| Herman Perry | 15 March 1945 | Ledo, Assam, India | Hanged |
| Robert L. Pearson | 17 March 1945 | Shepton Mallet, United Kingdom, European Theater | Hanged |
| Cubia Jones (listed in some records as Parson Jones) | 17 March 1945 | Shepton Mallet, United Kingdom, European Theater | Hanged |
| Henry Baker | 18 March 1945 | Philippines | Hanged |
| John M. Mack | 20 March 1945 | Aversa, Italy, Mediterranean Theatre of World War II | Hanged |
| John W. Taylor | 20 March 1945 | Aversa, Italy, Mediterranean Theatre of World War II | Hanged |
| Kinney Jones | 20 March 1945 | Aversa, Italy, Mediterranean Theatre of World War II | Hanged |
| Robert A. Pearson | 20 March 1945 | Guadalcanal | Hanged |
| Abraham Smalls | 27 March 1945 | Mediterranean Theatre of World War II | Hanged |
| Tommie Davison | 29 March 1945 | European Theater | Hanged |
| William Harrison, Jr. | 7 April 1945 | Shepton Mallet, United Kingdom, European Theater | Hanged |
| Curn Jones | 10 April 1945 | United States | Hanged |
| Benjamin F. Hopper | 11 April 1945 | European Theater | Hanged |
| Dan Boswell | 16 April1945 | United States | Hanged |
| James L. Jones | 19 April 1945 | European Theater | Hanged |
| Mileert Bailey | 19 April 1945 | European Theater | Hanged |
| John Williams | 19 April 1945 | European Theater | Hanged |
| William T. Curry | 20 April 1945 | Oro Bay, New Guinea, Southwest Pacific Area | Hanged |
| Shelton McGhee, Sr. | 4 May 1945 | Mediterranean Theatre of World War II | Hanged |
| George E. Smith, Jr. | 8 May 1945 | Shepton Mallet, United Kingdom, European Theater | Hanged |
| George Green, Jr. | 15 May 1945 | European Theater | Hanged |
| Haze Heard | 21 May 1945 | European Theater | Hanged |
| William McCarter | 28 May 1945 | European Theater | Hanged |
| Clete O. Norris | 31 May 1945 | European Theater | Hanged |
| Alvery R. Rollins | 31 May 1945 | European Theater | Hanged |
| Matthew Clay, Jr. | 4 June 1945 | European Theater | Hanged |
| Werner E. Schmiedel | 11 June 1945 | Aversa, Mediterranean Theatre of World War II | Hanged |
| Ancieto Martinez | 15 June 1945 | Shepton Mallet, United Kingdom, European Theater | Hanged |
| Victor Ortiz | 21 June 1945 | European Theatre | Hanged |
| Willie Johnson | 26 June 1945 | European Theater | Hanged |
| Fred A. McMurray | 2 July 1945 | Aversa, Italy, Mediterranean Theatre of World War II | Hanged |
| Louis Till | 2 July 1945 | Aversa, Italy, Mediterranean Theatre of World War II | Hanged |
| Charles H. Jefferies | 5 July 1945 | Aversa, Italy, Mediterranean Theatre of World War II | Hanged |
| John T. Jones | 5 July 1945 | Aversa, Italy, Mediterranean Theatre of World War II | Hanged |
| Henry W. Nelson | 5 July 1945 | Aversa, Italy, Mediterranean Theatre of World War II | Hanged |
| Tom E. Gordon | 10 July 1945 | European Theater | Hanged |
| Harold Crabtree | 31 July 1945 | Philippines | Shot |
| Cornelius Thomas | 1 August 1945 | Schofield Barracks, Hawai'i | Hanged |
| Jesse D. Boston | 1 August 1945 | Schofield Barracks, Hawai'i | Shot |
| Robert Davidson | 6 August 1945 | Green Haven, New York | Shot |
| Ernest J. Harris | 9 August 1945 | Philippines | Hanged |
| Lee R. Davis | 10 August 1945 | United States (possibly Camp Claibourne), Louisiana | Hanged |
| Herbert W. Reid | 14 August 1945 | Camp Beale,California | Hanged |
| Clinton Stevenson | 14 August 1945 | Camp Beale, California | Hanged |
| Ellis McCloud, Jr. | 20 August 1945 | Philippines | Hanged |
| Robert Wray | 20 August 1945 | European Theater | Hanged |
| Edward J. Reichl | 25 August 1945 | United States Disciplinary Barracks, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas | Hanged |
| Harvey W. Nichols | 28 August 1945 | Philippines | Hanged |
| Albert Williams | 28 August 1945 | Philippines | Hanged |
| Bradley Walters, Jr. | 31 August 1945 | Philippines | Hanged |
| Henry C. Philpot | 10 September 1945 | European Theater | Hanged |
| Fred Hurse | 20 September1945 | United States | Hanged |
| Clarence Gibson | 24 September 1945 | United States | Shot |
| James C.Thomas | 25 September 1945 | Philippines | Hanged |
| Charles M. Robinson | 28 September 1945 | European Theater | Hanged |
| Blake W. Mariano | 10 October 1945 | European Theater | Hanged |
| Sidney Bennerman | 15 October 1945 | European Theater | Shot |
| Woodrow Parker | 15 October 1945 | European Theater | Shot |
| Ozell Louis | 15 October 1945 | Philippines | Hanged |
| Charlie Ervin, Jr. | 19 October 1945 | Aversa, Italy, Mediterranean Theatre of World War II | Shot |
| Mansfield Spinks | 19 October 1945 | Aversa, Italy, Mediterranean Theatre of World War II | Shot |
| Dan J. Lee | 9 November 1945 | Philippines | Shot |
| Ellsworth Williams | 5 January 1946 | Germany, European Theater | Hanged |
| Solomon Thompson | 11 September 1946 | France, European Theater | Hanged |
| Garlon Mickles | 22 April 1947 | Schofield Barracks, Hawai'i | Hanged |
| James Norman | 25 April 1947 | Philippines | Hanged |
| William Abney | 1 December 1947 | Mandaluyong, Philippines | Hanged |
| Manuel Martinez | 23 April 1948 | France, European Theater | Hanged |
| Stratman Armistead | 16 December 1948 | Yokohama, Japan, Far East Command | Hanged |
Executions of German POWs during World War II
In 1945, the United States Army executed fourteen German Prisoners of war by hanging at the United States Disciplinary Barracks, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. These POWs, members of the German Armed services, had been convicted by general court-martial for the murders of fellow Germans believed by their fellow inmates to be collaborating as confidential informants with the United States military authorities. These hangings at the United States Disciplinary Barracks were carried out in a warehouse elevator shaft which had been converted into a temporary gallows. The fourteen Germans were subsequently buried in the Fort Leavenworth Military Prison Cemetery.[5]
| Executed person | Age | Date of Execution | Name of victim |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walter Beyer | 32 | 10 July 1945 | Johannes Kunze |
| Hans Demme | 23 | 10 July 1945 | Johannes Kunze |
| Hans Schomer | 27 | 10 July 1945 | Johannes Kunze |
| Willie Scholz | 22 | 10 July 1945 | Johannes Kunze |
| Berthold Seidel | 30 | 10 July 1945 | Johannes Kunze |
| Erich Gauss | 14 July 1945 | Horst Günther | |
| Rudolph Straub | 14 July 1945 | Horst Günther | |
| Helmut Fischer | 25 August 1945 | Werner Drechsler | |
| Fritz Franke | 25 August 1945 | Werner Drechsler | |
| Guenther Kuelsen | 25 August 1945 | Werner Drechsler | |
| Heinrich Ludwig | 25 August 1945 | Werner Drechsler | |
| Bernard Reyak | 25 August 1945 | Werner Drechsler | |
| Otto Stengel | 25 August 1945 | Werner Drechsler | |
| Rolf Wizuy | 25 August 1945 | Werner Drechsler |
Executions by the United States Air Force
The United States Air Force has executed a total of three airmen by hanging between 1950 and 1954. The first execution, that of Robert E. Keller, was conducted under the authority of the 1920 Articles of War; those of Burns and Dennis, Jr. were carried out under a short-lived revised version of the Articles of War popularly known as the Elston Act of 1948.
| Executed person | Date of execution | Location | Crime |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert E. Keller | 11 March 1950 | Yokohama, Japan | Murder |
| Robert Burns | 28 January 1954 | Guam | Murder and rape |
| Herman Dennis, Jr. | 28 January 1954 | Guam | Murder and rape |
Executions under the Uniform Code of Military Justice
A total of ten military executions have been carried out by the United States Army under the provisions of the original Uniform Code of Military Justice of 5 May 1950. The first four of these executions, those of Bernard J. O'Brien, Chastine Beverly, Louis M. Suttles and James L. Riggins, were carried out by military officials at the Kansas State Penitentiary near Lansing, Kansas. The remaining six executions took place in the boiler room of the United States Disciplinary Barracks, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Hanging was the method employed in these ten executions.
| Executed person | Date of sentencing | Date of execution | Crime |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bernard J. O'Brien | 19 June 1952 | 31 July 1954 | Premeditated murder |
| Chastine Beverly | 10 October 1951 | 1 March 1955 | Robbery, premeditated murder |
| Louis M. Suttles | 10 October 1951 | 1 March 1955 | Robbery, premeditated murder |
| James L. Riggins | 10 October 1951 | 1 March 1955 | Robbery, premeditated murder |
| Thomas J. Edwards | 1 April 1953 | 14 February 1957 | Premeditated murder |
| Winfred D. Moore | 19 August 1953 | 14 February 1957 | Murder, assault with intent to commit robbery |
| Ernest L. Ranson | 5 June 1953 | 3 April 1957 | Lifting weapon against superior officer, premeditated murder, rape, robbery, 2 counts of assault with dangerous weapon |
| Abraham Thomas | 15 April 1954 | 23 July 1958 | Four counts premeditated murder |
| John E. Day, Jr. | 1 October 1951 | 23 September 1959 | Murder, premeditated assault with attempt to do bodily harm with dangerous weapon, assault |
| John A. Bennett | 8 February 1955 | 13 April 1961 | Rape, premeditated attempted murder |
Executions by the United States Navy
The United States Navy has executed approximately seventeen sailors and marines for various offenses, of which the most famous were several crew members of the USS Somers who were summarily hanged for allegedly conspiring to mutiny. No member of the Navy has been executed since 1849. The United States Navy also executed fourteen Japanese nationals by hanging on charges of war crimes on Guam after the Second World War.
See also
- Shepton Mallet Military Prison
- Plot E - "The Dishonored Dead"
- American executions at Shepton Mallet
- Dirty Details - US Military Executions During WW2
References
- ^ Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2000
- ^ a b The U.S. Military Death Penalty, Death Penalty Information Center
- ^ "Military sets date for first execution since 1961". Associated Press. November 20, 2008.
- ^ Baldor, Lolita C. (June 29, 2006). "Iraq murder charges raise specter of rarely used military death sentence". Associated Press.
- ^ Fort Leavenworth Military Prison cemetery
Sources
Information on listed military executions between 1942–1961 has been primarily derived from the following sources. Research on these executions continues.
- A handwritten list, Executed Death Cases Before 1951, discovered at The Pentagon in December 2003. The list is only partially legible and must therefore be used with some caution. The linked public version of this list is quite truncated, thereby omitting a great deal of useful information about these cases. The supplemental addendum, Death Sentence Ledger, tracks military capital cases between 1950-1967.
- Two tables of U.S. Soldiers executed during World War II's European Theater and Pacific Theater may be found on Before the Needle
- The U.S. Rosters of World War II Dead, 1939-1945 (payment required) contains the names of many American servicemen executed by military authority overseas. These individuals are generally identified in the Rosters as GP (or General Prisoners) and were interred under the category of Administrative Decision.
- The Nationwide Gravesite Locator contains the names of numerous executed soldiers, many of them listed as being General Prisoners.
- The U.S. Veterans Gravesites, ca.1775-2006 (payment required) contains the names of numerous executed soldiers, many of them listed as being General Prisoners.
- Historical archives of the Stars and Stripes Newspaper, WWII Europe and North Africa Editions, 1942-1958 (payment required) contain numerous contemporary references to military executions.
- Death Penalty Cases in WWII Military Courts: Lessons Learned from North Africa and Italy, a paper written by Professor J. Robert Lilly of the School of Law, Northern Kentucky University, and Associate Professor J. Michael Thomson of the Political Science Department Northern Kentucky University, and presented at the 41st Annual Meeting of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences March 10–13, 2004. Las Vegas, NV, contains statistical information on 97 executions carried out in the European Theatre and the Mediterranean Theatre of World War II. It does not appear to be available online at this time.
- Taken by Force, by J. Robert Lilly, (ISBN 023050647X) published by Palgrave Macmillian in August, 2007, discusses crimes of sexual violence committed by American soldiers in the Second World War. It contains numerous references to military capital cases during this period.
- Official File, Court Martial Cases, Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, contains information on sentence confirmation dates of soldiers executed for capital crimes within the continental United States between 1942-145.
- Official File, Court Martial Cases, Harry Truman Museum and Library, contains information on sentence confirmation dates of soldiers and members of the Air Force executed between 1945-1954.
- History of the JAG Branch Office, U.S. Forces, European Theater, 18 July 1942 to 1 Nov. 1945: n.a., Vol. 1–2, prep. by the Branch Office of the JAG-ETO, n.p ., n.d. (1946?), contains a summary on 70 military executions carried out in the European theater between 1943-1945.
- Ted Darcy Casualty Database
- Subchapter X, "Punitive Articles" of the Uniform Code of Military Justice