The U.S. Army 7708 War Crimes Group investigated atrocities committed in Germany and Nazi-occupied Europe during World War II. These young Americans—many barely out of their teens—gathered evidence, interviewed witnesses, apprehended suspects and prosecuted defendants at trials held at Dachau. Their work often put them in harm’s way—some suspects facing arrest preferred to shoot it out. The War Crimes Group successfully prosecuted the perpetrators of the Malmedy Massacre, in which 84 American prisoners of war were shot by their German captors; and Waffen-SS commando Otto Skorzeny, aptly described as “the most dangerous man in Europe.” Operation Paperclip, however, placed some war criminals—scientists and engineers recruited by the U.S. government—beyond their reach. From the ruins of the Third Reich arose a Nazi underground that preyed on Americans—especially members of the Group.

John J. Dunphy is an author, book shop owner and retired community college instructor who lives in Godfrey, Illinois.

John J. Dunphy

Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 196
Bibliographic Info: 7 photos, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2019
pISBN: 978-1-4766-7474-2
eISBN: 978-1-4766-3337-4
Imprint: McFarland

Preface 1
Introduction 3
1. Of Lies and Truth 7
2. The Necessity of the War Crimes Trials 15
3. Report of the Deputy Judge Advocate for War Crimes 26
4. Bill Kasich: A ­Nineteen-Year-Old in ­Post-War Germany 52
5. Ralph Schulz: Seminarian Turned Record Keeper 64
6. The Malmédy Massacre 72
7. Otto Skorzeny: “The Most Dangerous Man in Europe” 90
8. Downed American Airmen: Descent into Hell 113
9. Project Paperclip: The Harvest of Nazi Technology 117
10. Barbie and Bormann: War Criminals 141
11. The Buchenwald Case 146
12. The Nazi Underground in ­Post-War Germany 157
13. The Struggle Continues 173
Epilogue 175
Bibliography 181
Index 187

• “An honorable work…captures the story of the young men who worked behind the scenes to ensure justice would be effectively pursued and enforced…Dunphy has diligently researched the source documents for the authorities to conduct the war crimes trials. Dunphy provides a macrolevel understanding of the international agreements that laid a foundation for the trials nearly eighteen months before the war in Europe ended”—Military Review

• “A genuine and worthwhile tribute to the fortitude of those men [of the 7708 War Crimes Group] and the lasting importance of their work”—On Point: The Journal of Army History

• “Dunphy skillfully details the harrowing accounts of these Americans…to provide the reader the perspective of those who lived through it…he uses a broad base of evidence from primary and secondary sources to tell a compelling story…Historians with a wide variety of research interests will find this book compelling and interesting.”—H-Net