“Being there . . . . if brave enough, to read, endure, and contrast two antithetical personality
types of American soldier, one fair, the other foul, during World War II. Even for us serious
military buffs, it’s much easier and spiritually uplifting to bask in the warm glow of heroic
combat by our noble troops, men or women, 19 th century or contemporary, and their
distinguished valor and fortitude. True military buffs can name them all. But what of their evil-
inclined buddies? Why bother reading anything depriving American minds of their American
military’s legendary decency and goodness while fighting in a world war, especially when it’s
AMERICAN evil so contemptuous it impairs equilibrium and sickens welfare. Yet, to be truly
educated and immersed in war’s victories and defeats means reading, personally defining and
distinguishing moral goodness from moral badness, admitting we, too, are sometimes plagued
by evil, and must learn to live with it. Thus far this Spring two new WWII titles (from CASEMATE
PUBLISHERS, who else?) have appeared illuminating what the last six sentences above struggled
to articulate. Be there to read “The Human Face of D-Day”, one of the most refreshing books
yet on the courage exemplified on June 6 th , 1944, followed by the hardest, agonizingly repulsive
studies yet to emerge from WWII.
IN WORLD WAR II, 12 MILLION OF OUR TROOPS, MEN AND WOMEN, WARM, EMPATHETIC,
MORALLY HONEST AND GOOD, NOW MEET FACE TO FACE WITH 142 FELLOW AMERICAN
SOLDIERS WHO PERISHED AT THE HANDS OF THE HANGMAN AND FIRING SQUAD
Just in, reviewed and highly recommended by Don DeNevi
“THE HUMAN FACE of D-DAY – – Walking the Battlefields of Normandy: Essays, Reflections, and
Conversations with Veterans of the Longest Day”, by COL. (RET.) Keith M. Nightingale.
CASEMATE PUBLISHERS: 2023, 321 pages, hardcover, 6 ¼” x 9 ¼”; $37.95. Visit,
www.casematepublishers.com.
“THE PLOT OF SHAME – – U.S. MILITARY EXECUTIONS IN EUROPE DURING WWII”, by Paul
Johnson. CASEMATE PUBLISHERS: 2023, 248 pages, hardcover, 6 ½” x 9 ½”, $42.95. Visit,
www.casematepublishers.com.
Of course, buff, and general reader, you’ll delight in both books for new information,
although somewhat somberly and sadly, reading about our guys, time and again, exhibiting
unbelievable courage throughout June 6 th , and the days of advancement that followed, in 1944.
But can you handle visiting Plot E in an unknown, obscure French cemetery to visit gravesites of
our boys who when the opportunities arose unhesitatingly raped and murdered? Virtually all
our readers will be thankful that of the 12,000 General Court Martials (GCM) in the European,
Mediterranean, and North African theatres of operations, all but 142 received terms of
imprisonment. Plain and simple, without reservation or qualification, they were swiftly
executed.
In Colonel Keith Nightingale’s jacket flap for “The Human Face of D-Day”, he makes the point
that ever since Allied forces landed on the beaches of Normandy, the men who survived WWII
have sought to return to honor their dead brethren – – and, to teach others of what they went
through to liberate Europe. Keith, being the hero he is, conducted terrain and landscape walks
throughout Normandy for over 40 years always accompanied with veterans, active-duty
military, and local French civilians. His love of that terrain and landscape naturally led him to
research who and why so many rapists and murderers were buried together in Plot E’s
unmarked graves. His effort has resulted in one of the most significant D-Day books yet
published, a treasure for us arm-chair followers to add to our Battle for Normandy shelf.
Combining the author’s discussions with veteran and civilian participants in the invasion with
his personal reflections on Operation Overlord, Nightingale offers a unique collection of
perspectives on the “Longest Day”. Interspersed with veterans’ remarks and reminiscences,
Keith’s personal essays are inspired by specific discussions or multiple interviews. Taken
together, the cogent human observations of these participants who assisted him further
expand and illuminate our depth of understanding of what it must have been like to be pinned
down under intense fire and must do something heroic to get out of it.
Of the two books, “The Plot of Shame”, is the tough one to get through. Writes author Paul
Johnson in his three-page Introduction, “The cases are violent, disturbing, and often brutal in
their content, therefore, if you find yourself easily offended, this may be an apt point at which
to close the cover. These are not war crimes, but crimes committed in a time of war, for which
the offenders, having been apprehended and tried were subsequently executed. Their bodies
had had been buried dishonorably, and they did not have had their names recorded and
maintained in perpetuity, but there remains still somewhat of a reverence over their final
resting place, which is something that may not always apply in the cases of the victims.”
It seems that 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 were executed on the grounds of Shepton Mallet Prison in Somerset, the
majority hanged in the execution block, with two being shot by a firing squad in the prison yard.
But, in 1949, under a veil of secrecy, the “Plot of Shame” was set aside in France. It does not
exist on the maps of the cemetery, and it is not mentioned on the American Battle Monuments
Commission’s website. Visits to Plot E are discouraged, mainly because the area is concealed,
surrounded by heavy thick bushes, with signs reading, “CLOSED”. The U.S. flag is never allowed
to be flown there. The graves are nameless, just small, simple stones the size of index cards.
Each grave is positioned with its back to the main cemetery. Paul Johnson’s “The Plot of Shame”
reveals the whole tragic history of Plot E, each story a tragedy within the greater history of
World War II. Considering the full details of the cases, victims, and their rapist-murderers, are
presented without censure, but the reading is hard, very hard.
