Borkum Island war crimes trial
The Borkum Island war crimes trial involved the prosecution of ten German soldiers and five German civilians accused and found guilty of war crimes committed on the island of Borkum against seven American airmen during World War II. The airmen had been deliberately exposed to harassment and subsequently executed. Background The Borkum Island war trial followed the aftermath of the execution of seven United States Army Air Forces airmen by Wehrmacht soldiers stationed on the island of Borkum. On August 4, 1944, Boeing B-17G-75-BO 43-37909 of the 486th BG, crashed into Borkum Island, the site of a German military base. The airmen aboard included three second lieutenants and four sergeants (Pilot: 2Lt Harvey M Walthall, Co-Pilot: 2Lt William J Myers, Bombardier: 2Lt Howard S Graham, Radio Operator: T/Sgt Kenneth Faber, Ball Turret Gunner: S/Sgt James W Danno, Waist Gunner S/Sgt William F Dold, Tail Gunner: S/Sgt William W Lambertus). All seven airmen survived the crash and surrendered to the German soldiers present on the island. In accordance with typical procedures, the American prisoners should have been handed off to a nearby German naval base and relocated to a prisoner gathering point in the heart of Nazi Germany. However, upon being