The Plot of Shame by Paul Johnson

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The Plot of Shame by Paul Johnson

Regular price $63.59
Condition - new
3 in stock
Regular price $63.59
Condition - new
3 in stock
Summary

The author reveals how the cases surrounding those buried in Plot E are violent, disturbing and often brutal in their content. They are not war crimes, but crimes committed in a time of war.

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The Plot of Shame by Paul Johnson

The Oise-Aisne American Cemetery is the last resting place of 6,012 American soldiers who died fighting in a small portion of Northern France during the First World War. The impressive cemetery is divided into four plots marked A to D. However, few visitors are aware that across the road, behind the immaculate fa ade of the superintendent's office, unmarked and completely surrounded by impassable shrubbery, is Plot E, a semi-secret fifth plot that contains the bodies of ninety-four American soldiers. These were men who were executed for crimes committed in the European Theatre of Operations during and just after the Second World War. Originally, the men whose death sentences were carried out were buried near the sites of their executions in locations as far afield as England, France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, and Algeria. A number of the men were executed in the grounds of Shepton Mallet prison in Somerset - the majority of whom were hanged in the execution block, with two being shot by a firing squad in the prison yard. The executioner at most of the hangings was Thomas William Pierrepoint, assisted mainly by his more-famous nephew Albert Pierrepoint. Then, in 1949, under a veil of secrecy, the plot of shame', as it has become known, was established in France. The site does not exist on maps of the cemetery and it is not mentioned on the American Battle Monuments Commission's website. Visits to Plot E are not encouraged. Indeed, public access is difficult because the area is concealed, surrounded by bushes, and is closed to visitors. No US flag is permitted to fly over the plot and the graves themselves have no names, just small, simple stones the size of index cards that are differentiated only by reference numbers. Even underground the dishonoured are set apart, with each body being positioned with its back to the main cemetery. In The Plot of Shame, the historian Paul Johnson uncovers the history of Plot E and the terrible stories of wartime crime linked to it.
PAUL JOHNSON is a recognised military & aviation researcher, historian and author, who has published a number of books covering various aspects of both the First and Second World Wars. An occasional battlefield guide, he has worked as an historical consultant and contributor for both television, radio and projects of national remembrance.
SKU NGR9781399011778
ISBN 13 9781399011778
ISBN 10 1399011774
Title The Plot of Shame
Author Paul Johnson
Condition new
Binding type Hardback
Publisher Pen & Sword Books Ltd
Year published 2023-02-03
Number of pages 224
Cover note Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note This is a new book - be the first to read this copy. With untouched pages and a perfect binding, your brand new copy is ready to be opened for the first time