1945 — July 8, U.S. Army guard machine-guns sleeping German POWs, Salina, UT  —       9

Last edit Dec 3, 2023 by Wayne Blanchard for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

–9  Bagley. “History Matters: Few know of World War II massacre in Salina.” SLT, 11-27-2005.

–9  Blanco, Juan Ignacio. “Clarence B. Bertucci.” Murderpedia. Accessed 12-3-2023.

–9  Salt Lake Tribune. “Ninth German POW Dies.” 7-17-1945, p. 1.

–9  Wikipedia. “Utah prisoner of war massacre.” 11-28-2023 edit.

Narrative Information

Bagley:  “….In July 1945, 250 German POWs were in Salina to help with the harvest. They were housed in wooden floored tents watched over by three guard towers….On July 7, after a full day of work in Salina’s beet fields, the Germans were marched back to their compound. Following the evening meal, they went to their tents to sleep. At midnight, the guard changed. Pvt. Clarence V. Bertucci climbed into the tower nearest the camp commander’s office….Bertucci waited a few minutes for the previous watch to find their beds. Then he opened an ammunition box containing a belt of 250 bullets, slapped the belt securely into the tower’s machine gun, and swung the loaded weapon toward the tents of sleeping POWs. Thirty seconds after pulling the trigger the belt was exhausted. Nine POWs were killed….”  (Bagley, Pat. “History Matters: Few know of World War II massacre in Salina.” Salt Lake Tribune, 11-27-2005.)

Wikipedia: “….The victims were buried with full military honors at the Fort Douglas Cemetery. Wounded prisoners were sent back to Germany after they were healthy enough to travel. After the massacre, Bertucci was taken into custody with minimal resistance. He was evaluated for a few weeks, before doctors determined that he was “mentally unbalanced”. Military officers forwent a court-martial on account of insanity and he was sent to Mason General Hospital in New York for an undisclosed amount of time.[1] The Midnight Massacre is remembered for being “the worst massacre at a POW camp in U.S. history”. A museum was opened at Camp Salina in 2016.”

“The victims were:

Otto Bross (b. 16 November 1919), Pforzheim, age 25, single

Ernst Fuchs (b. 19 January 1921), Kirchbert, Rhein-Hunsruck, age 24, single

Gottfried Gaag (b. 3 June 1916, Nordrhein-Westfalen), age 29, single

Georg Liske (b. 16 August 1913), age 31, wife Antonie Liske

Hans Meyer (b. 29 August 1920), age 24, single

Adolf Paul (b. 5 February 1917), age 28, single

Fritz Stockmann (b. 23 January 1921), age 24, single

Walter Vogel (b. 17 December 1912), Rossach, Franconia, wife Emma Vogel

Friedrich Ritter (b. 13 November 1896) died of his wounds five days later, age 48, wife

Berta Ritter.

(Wikipedia. “Utah prisoner of war massacre.” 11-28-2023 edit.)

Newspapers at the time

July 8, SLT:  “Salina, July 8 – Eight sleeping German prisoners of war were killed and 20 others wounded, eight of them seriously, Sunday at 12:25 a. m. when an American soldier standing in a guard tower above their tents sprayed the camp with three bursts of machine gun fire.  The soldier, identified as Pvt. Clarence V. Bertucci, 24, New Orleans, La., was being held for investigation by officers of the Ninth service command.  Col. Arthur J. Ericsson, commanding officer of the army service forces prisoner of war camp at Ogden, who conducted the day-long investigation at the branch camp at Salina, said findings and action on the soldier pended medical and mental examinations.  Questioning Sunday uncovered no apparent cause for the attack.

250 Bullets Shot Into 30 Prisoner Tents

“According to Lt. Albert I. Cornell, branch camp commander, the first burst of fire occurred approximately one-half hour after Bertucci had gone on guard duty. The two other bursts followed immediately.  Lying in the officers’ room, near the foot of the tower, Lt. Cornell jumped up, ran to the door at the first burst and seeing no disturbance ordered the soldier to cease firing.  The three bursts from the 30-caliber light machine gun had emptied a complete clip of ammunition, 250 rounds. The slugs had penetrated 30 of the 43 tents in the prison camp and injured or killed 11 of them….

“Although the bursts lasted for only 15 seconds, the entire town of Salina, approximately three blocks from the camp, was aroused. Immediately upon cessation of the gunfire, Lt. Cornell assisted by Corp Delmire O. Butts, ran to the tower and put Bertucci under guard. Meanwhile, prisoners and soldiers at the camp, which has a population of 250 persons, began treatment of the injured and dying.

“After notification was given to A S F headquarters in Ogden and Ninth service command, the most seriously injured were taken, to the Salina hospital where they were treated by Dr. Rae E. Noyes and a staff of nurses. Ambulances and medical officers dispatched from AAF overseas replacement depot at Kearns, Fort Douglas and Tooele ordnance depot arrived and assisted in the emergency treatment before the prisoners were transferred to either Kearns hospital or Bushnell General hospital, Brigham City…..

“First Sgt. Hans Fertig, spokesman for the Germans, testified to army officers that until Sunday morning no threats or shots had ever been experienced at the camp….

“Pvt. Bertucci was described as dark, slender, intelligent and soft spoken. He joined the regular army in 1940 and although he spent eight months in England with a field artillery unit, he has never seen battle action. Before Sunday night he had been subjected to three disciplinary actions, once for being absent without leave, once for refusing guard duty and once for missing a train. 

“Other officers and enlisted men at the camp said they could remember of no recent trouble between Americans or the prisoners. Col. Ericsson, through an interpreter, then expressed deep regret for the army and for himself for the incident. Fertig, answering for the prisoners, said he understood how one guard might run amuck, and asked the colonel to allow the prisoners Monday and Tuesday away from work. Col. Ericsson refused the request, saying he thought it better for the prisoners to be working than brooding over the attack in their tents. Fertig nodded assent and thanked the colonel when he informed him a prisoner delegation will be allowed to attend the funeral of their eight companions. The funeral will be held at Fort Douglas….”  (Salt Lake Tribune. “Utah Camp Guard Kills 8 Nazis.” 7-9-1945, p. 1.)

July 10, Salt Lake Tribune: “Pvt. Clarence V. Bertucci, guard at the Salina branch German prisoner of war camp who sprayed the compound with 250 30-caliber machine gun bullets early Sunday, was being held under observation Monday in a medical ward at Ft. Douglas awaiting further action in the mass slaughter and wounding of sleeping prisoners. The death toll remained at eight, although several of the 20 wounded were in serious condition at AAF overseas replacement depot, Kearns, and Bushnell General hospitals. At the camp, the shocked prisoners and guards went about their usual routine of working in the beet fields….

“Under questioning Sunday, Pvt. Bertucci reportedly expressed neither regret nor pride in his act.

The investigation disclosed he spent the early part of the evening in Salina, drank a few glasses of beer; later, had a cup of coffee and reported back to the camp to go on guard duty at midnight,

apparently in a normal condition.

“After going to the tower it was necessary for him to insert the shell clip in the machine gun, as the weapons normally are not kept loaded. The ammunition belt was in the tower ready for loading in event of any sign of disturbance in the compound. Within 15 or 20 minutes after the guard went to the tower he criss-crossed the compound with the machine gun fire two or three times in three bursts. Thirty of the 43 tents were hit and men in 11 were killed or wounded. Sgt. Fertig was alone in a tent through which 15 slugs passed, but he escaped injury.

“Bertucci reportedly called out for more ammunition before he was escorted down by Corp. Delmire O. Butts, who, with Lt. Albert I. Cornell, camp commander, reached the foot of the tower at the approximate time the firing was over.” (Salt Lake Tribune. “Hospitalized POW Guard Waits Action by Army.” 7-10-1945, p. 1.)

July 17, SLT:  “Death of one of the German prisoners of war wounded in the machine gunning of a branch camp compound at Salina July 8 was announced Monday by the Ninth service command public relations department. This raised the death toll to nine. The prisoner, Pfc. Friedrich Ritter, died last Friday afternoon at Kearns AAF overseas replacement depot hospital of peritonitis resulting from lung and abdominal gunshot wounds. Other wounded prisoners of war were reported to be recovering….”  (Salt Lake Tribune. “Ninth German POW Dies.” 7-17-1945, p. 1.)

Sources

Bagley, Pat. “History Matters: Few know of World War II massacre in Salina.” Salt Lake Tribune, 11-27-2005. Accessed 4-17-2013: http://www.sltrib.com/ci_3256256?rss

Blanco, Juan Ignacio. “Clarence B. Bertucci.” Murderpedia. Accessed 12-3-2023 at: https://murderpedia.org/male.B/b/bertucci-clarence.htm

Salt Lake Tribune, UT. “Hospitalized POW Guard Waits Action by Army.” 7-10-1945, p. 1. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=90289241&sterm=german+salina

Salt Lake Tribune, UT. “Ninth German POW Dies.” 7-17-1945, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=90289407&sterm=german+salina

Salt Lake Tribune, UT. “Utah Camp Guard Kills 8 Nazis.” 7-9-1945, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=90289219&sterm=german+salina

Wikipedia. “Utah prisoner of war massacre.” 11-28-2023 edit. Accessed 12-3-2023 at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utah_prisoner_of_war_massacre

[1] Juan Ignacio Blanco notes in Murderpedia, “Clarence B. Bertucci.” That Bertucci died in December 1969. Blanco was also unaware of how long Bertucci spent in the NY or any other mental hospitals.