John C. Woods
Encyclopedia
John Chris Woods was an American Master Sergeant
and the hangman for the Third United States Army at the Nuremberg Trials
.
, on October 16, 1946, Woods carried out the executions of the ten convicted German Main War Criminals. The executions took place in the gymnasium of Nuremberg Prison.
Either Woods or his colleague Malta calculated wrong lengths for the ropes used for the executions, so that several convicts did not die quickly due to a broken neck
as intended, but had to suffer a slow and painful death by suffocation.
In addition to that mistake, the trapdoor
was too small, so that several convicts suffered bloody head injuries when they hit the trapdoor.
Woods is said to have kept small pieces of the rope used for each convict as his souvenir, considered to be against the policy adopted at Nuremberg Trials by the Colonel in charge of executions.
Altogether he executed 347 people during his 15-year career.
Woods said after the Nuremberg executions:
And:
.
Master Sergeant
A master sergeant is the military rank for a senior non-commissioned officer in some armed forces.-Israel Defense Forces:Rav samal rishoninsignia IDF...
and the hangman for the Third United States Army at the Nuremberg Trials
Nuremberg Trials
The Nuremberg Trials were a series of military tribunals, held by the victorious Allied forces of World War II, most notable for the prosecution of prominent members of the political, military, and economic leadership of the defeated Nazi Germany....
.
The executions in Nuremberg Prison
Together with Joseph MaltaJoseph Malta
Joseph Malta was the hangman who, with John C. Woods, executed the top 10 leaders of the Third Reich in Nuremberg on October 16, 1946, for crimes against humanity. Malta was a 28-year-old U.S...
, on October 16, 1946, Woods carried out the executions of the ten convicted German Main War Criminals. The executions took place in the gymnasium of Nuremberg Prison.
Either Woods or his colleague Malta calculated wrong lengths for the ropes used for the executions, so that several convicts did not die quickly due to a broken neck
Cervical fracture
A cervical fracture is commonly called a broken neck. There are seven cervical vertebrae in the human neck, and the fracture of any can be catastrophic. The most common causes are traffic accidents or diving into shallow water...
as intended, but had to suffer a slow and painful death by suffocation.
In addition to that mistake, the trapdoor
Trapdoor
A trapdoor is a door set into a floor or ceiling .Originally, trapdoors were sack traps in mills, and allowed the sacks to pass up through the mill while naturally falling back to a closed position....
was too small, so that several convicts suffered bloody head injuries when they hit the trapdoor.
Woods is said to have kept small pieces of the rope used for each convict as his souvenir, considered to be against the policy adopted at Nuremberg Trials by the Colonel in charge of executions.
Altogether he executed 347 people during his 15-year career.
Woods said after the Nuremberg executions:
And:
Death
Woods was accidentally electrocuted while repairing a high voltage power line in Eniwetok, Marshall Islands. He is buried in Toronto Township Cemetery, Toronto, KansasToronto, Kansas
Toronto is a city in Woodson County, Kansas, United States, along the Verdigris River. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 281.-Geography:Toronto is located at...
.
Famous convicts hanged by Woods
- Hans FrankHans FrankHans Michael Frank was a German lawyer who worked for the Nazi party during the 1920s and 1930s and later became a high-ranking official in Nazi Germany...
- Wilhelm FrickWilhelm FrickWilhelm Frick was a prominent German Nazi official serving as Minister of the Interior of the Third Reich. After the end of World War II, he was tried for war crimes at the Nuremberg Trials and executed...
- Alfred JodlAlfred JodlAlfred Josef Ferdinand Jodl was a German military commander, attaining the position of Chief of the Operations Staff of the Armed Forces High Command during World War II, acting as deputy to Wilhelm Keitel...
- Ernst KaltenbrunnerErnst KaltenbrunnerErnst Kaltenbrunner was an Austrian-born senior official of Nazi Germany during World War II. Between January 1943 and May 1945, he held the offices of Chief of the Reichssicherheitshauptamt , President of Interpol and, as a Obergruppenführer und General der Polizei und Waffen-SS, he was the...
- Wilhelm KeitelWilhelm KeitelWilhelm Bodewin Gustav Keitel was a German field marshal . As head of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht and de facto war minister, he was one of Germany's most senior military leaders during World War II...
- Joachim von RibbentropJoachim von RibbentropUlrich Friedrich Wilhelm Joachim von Ribbentrop was Foreign Minister of Germany from 1938 until 1945. He was later hanged for war crimes after the Nuremberg Trials.-Early life:...
- Alfred RosenbergAlfred Rosenberg' was an early and intellectually influential member of the Nazi Party. Rosenberg was first introduced to Adolf Hitler by Dietrich Eckart; he later held several important posts in the Nazi government...
- Fritz SauckelFritz SauckelErnst Friedrich Christoph "Fritz" Sauckel was a Nazi war criminal, who organized the systematic enslavement of millions from lands occupied by Nazi Germany...
- Arthur Seyss-InquartArthur Seyss-InquartArthur Seyss-Inquart was a Chancellor of Austria, lawyer and later Nazi official in pre-Anschluss Austria, the Third Reich and for wartime Germany in Poland and the Netherlands...
- Julius StreicherJulius StreicherJulius Streicher was a prominent Nazi prior to World War II. He was the founder and publisher of Der Stürmer newspaper, which became a central element of the Nazi propaganda machine...