Salt Lake Telegram | 1945-05-25 | Page 1 | Yank Draws Two Years for Punching Germans

YANK DRAWS TWO YEARS FOR PUNCHING GERMANS WASHINGTON May 25 UP A JP-A A roaring mad congressional congressional con con- gressional leader Friday asked army authorities to review the case of a soldier sentenced to two years at hard labor for punching nine German prisoners of war Democratic Leader McCormack of Massachusetts told reporters the year old soldier Joseph McGee of Worcester Mass received the sentence after a court court- martial at Le Mans France Oct 17 1914 1944 Most of the evidence McCormack said came from German people and McGee who pleaded innocent did not testify own behalf In a letter to Maj Gen M. M C. C Cramer of the judge advocate generals general's office McCormack declared the evidence evidence evi evi- dence justifies reconsideration and restoration of the soldier soldier sol aol dier to duty When H we have in mind the treatment that was accorded accorded accorded ac ac- ac- ac corded to Americans who were prisoners of war in Germany Germany Germany Ger Ger- many he said also the poor unfortunate civilians who were put in nazi concentration camps it seems to me that the verdict arrived at in this case was unnecessary and emotional and that the sentence imposed was entirely out of proportion to the so called offenses even if they were established as having been committed The prosecution did not contend the alleged assaults resulted in serious injuries requiring medical treatment McCormack McComack said but that they were in violation of the Geneva convention The record showed that the alleged assaults and batteries batteries batteries bat bat- teries occurred near a German prisoner of war stockade somewhere in France on Sept 16 1944 The Germans were setting up barbed wire fences when McGee was alleged to have hit them with his fist or kicked them In one instance it was said McGee struck a man with his club