The Deserters : A Hidden History of World War II

[Story]

Long overdue.

In a new book, The Deserters, journalist Charles Glass tells the stories of three very different men whose lives dramatize how the strain of war can push a soldier to the breaking point — and how the line between courage and cowardice is never simple. These three lives stand in for tens of thousands of soldiers with similar stories; records show that 50,000 American soldiers deserted in the European theater during World War II. While this does not seem unusual, Glass says that impression changes if you consider the context.

http://www.npr.org/2013/06/17/189275754/wwii-deserters-stories-of-men-who-left-the-front-lines

 

[1930artdeco]

I can't really blame someone who has seen combat if they don't want to go back. Especially if their officers are lousey and not there like they should be.

Mike

 

[Worf]

An interesting article and an interesting lead. I wonder though... there were places to desert to in Europe but not a lot of wiggle room in the Pacific. I wonder if the stats were different for the two theatres and if the branches of service handled it differently. To hear Hollywood tell it U.S. troops on Europe only had one deserter and they shot him. Nice to get the rest of the story.

Worf

 

[Dixon Cannon]

And then of course, there was Eddie Slovik. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Slovik

[video=youtube;CUKEupQbqj8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUKEupQbqj8[/video]

-dixon cannon

 

[Dudleydoright]

I can't really blame someone who has seen combat if they don't want to go back. Especially if their officers are lousey and not there like they should be.

Mike

Thankfully, whilst my and many others grandfathers might have not wanted to return/stay in/at the front, they dug in and returned from leave, hospital or just stuck it out at the front to re-join their mates and fight a common foe.

There were many cases of guys leaving the front for a few hours or a day or even two without authorisation just to get a break and this was often permitted. I'm sure peer opinions of the individuals and times was a major factor in acceptance or not of this on a case by case way.