Martin James Monti
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| Martin James Monti | |
|---|---|
| Place of birth | St Louis |
| Allegiance | United States Army Air Force, Waffen SS |
| Rank | Second Lieutenant, SS-Untersturmführer |
| Unit | SS-Standarte Kurt Eggers |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Martin James Monti (Born 1910) US Airman, who enlisted in the USAAF as a pilot and was at the rank of second lieutenant when he defected to Germany, taking his P-38 Lightning aircraft {#44-23725 used by KG 200 as "T9+MK", See [[1]]} and landing at Milan on October 13,1944. Monti gave propaganda speeches on German radio, using the alias "Martin Wiethaupt", but was regarded as a poor broadcaster and little used.
He joined the SS in the last weeks of the war and was given the rank of SS-Untersturmführer before heading to Italy, where he surrendered to the Americans. In 1946, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison on the charge of desertion, but was pardoned within a year on condition he join the army. He was serving as a sergeant when the FBI rearrested him in 1948. He was charged with treason and sentenced to 25 years in prison. Monti was paroled in 1960.
[edit] References
- http://www.axishistory.com/index.php?id=310
- http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=58686 {discussion thread that includes photos and a contemporary New York Times article}
