German saboteurs landed in the United States in June 1942 with plans to attack factories, power stations, and commit other mayhem. They had connections with the United States and were well-trained. One saboteur quickly defected with the help of another member of his team. The sabotage operation was stopped before it started. The government tried them by military commission, executed six, and gave the two defectors a long prison sentence. They were released after the war and deported back to Germany.
Sabotage!
The French word “sabot” refers to the iron shoes (not the kind you wear) used to secure rails in place on railroad tracks. French laborers destroyed these metal sabots during a railroad strike.
The result is the word “sabotage” (the act) and “saboteurs” (those who perform the act). Sabotage involves acts that damage and destroy property. Saboteurs during a war perform acts of sabotage against factories, military installations, railroads, bridges, and other key targets.
Germany vs. the United States
Germany used sabotage to destroy war materials in the United States worth millions of dollars during World War I. Germany planned to cause more trouble as World War II began.
It used a German-American industrialist to help establish a spy ring. William Sebold, however, became a double agent. Thirty-three Nazi spies were arrested.
Germany and the United States were formally at war against each other in December 1941.
Adolf Hitler was very upset about the botched Sebold Affair. He wanted to conduct a direct sabotage operation. His intelligence chief thought it was doomed to fail. Hitler insisted.
The saboteurs would be trained to use explosives against railroads, factories, and other targets. They learned special techniques to disable power plants. They studied U.S. maps.
The final eight chosen (from a larger group) had earlier spent time in the United States and spoke English. Two were American citizens. The saboteurs could pose as ordinary Americans. They would be well supplied, both with money and explosives. What could go wrong?
The United States, protected by a large ocean, had long felt safe and secure. The attack on Pearl Harbor was traumatic enough. This time, the enemy would be attacking much more than an island outpost. The reaction to the 9/11 attacks comes to mind.
The sabotage plan was code-named “Operation Pastorius.” Francis Daniel Pastorius was the German-born founder of Germantown, Pennsylvania. These Germans would be more troublesome.
The Landing
The eight saboteurs arrived in the United States by submarine in two separate groups. They would land in German uniforms (if caught, they would be treated as POWs), which they would immediately remove. If caught in civilian clothes, they could be arrested as spies.
George John Dasch, along with Ernest Peter Burger (American citizen), Heinrich Harm Heinck, and Richard Quirin, landed at Long Island, New York, on the evening of June 12, 1942. They rowed to shore, changed out of their uniforms, and began to bury some of their supplies.
An unarmed member of the Coast Guard saw them. Dasch first claimed they were fishermen. Then, Dasch bribed him to go away. Outnumbered and in fear for his life, the officer took the money and reported what happened. The supplies were found, and the FBI was notified.
Four days later, Edward John Kerling, along with Herbert Haupt (American citizen), Hermann Neubauer, and Warner Thiel, landed near Jacksonville, Florida. They had no problems.
Thiel and Haupt went to Cincinnati. Haupt went to Chicago, where he had family members. Haupt would later claim he had only gone along to be able to get back to his family. Haupt’s family would get in trouble for helping him. Kerling went to New York City. Neubauer went to Chicago.
The Capture
George Dasch had extended ties with the United States.
He illegally entered the country at age twenty. He stayed there for fifteen years, marrying an American citizen and having a son. Dasch also served in the American military. He later returned to Germany. Dasch appeared to be an ideal saboteur with his extended knowledge of America.
Dasch secretly opposed the Nazi regime. He quickly decided to give himself up and convinced Burger to go along. Dasch informed the at first unbelieving FBI about the operation.
The FBI managed to capture the rest before any acts of sabotage began.
Trial and Execution
Dasch believed he would soon be pardoned for his assistance after a civilian trial. Civilian courts were in operation. The Constitution appeared to require a civilian trial for the saboteurs.
The Roosevelt Administration had other plans. First, it did not want it to become public that the FBI had so little to do with capturing the saboteurs. They had bragged about being big crime stoppers without mentioned it was largely thanks to a German informer. Embarrassing!
Second, since the saboteurs were captured before they did anything, only a mild criminal punishment was warranted. The public, still distraught about Pearl Harbor and fearful of sabotage elsewhere, would not be satisfied. The government wanted a quick trial and execution.
The saboteurs were tried by a military commission, which the Supreme Court quickly authorized. Dasch and Burger received long prison sentences for their assistance. The others were executed on August 8. Operation Pastorious was, quite quickly, a complete failure.
What Happened Next?
Months after authorizing the military commissions (and the six executions), the Supreme Court released a full opinion explaining its reasoning. Dasch and Burger were released and deported to Germany in 1948. They were refused entry back into the United States.
The Supreme Court decision, Ex parte Quirin, was precedent when military commissions were used to try enemy combatants (including American citizens) during the War on Terror.
Military officers oversaw the defense of the German saboteurs. The defense had little success. Nonetheless, the saboteurs received certain basic protections of due process.