JUSTUS GERSTENBERG FOR THE MIRDER OF US AIRMAN, SGT. WILLARD M. HOLDEN.

Justus Gerstenberg for the murder of US airman, Sgt. Willard M. Holden.


Justus Gerstenberg was tried at Ludwigsburg by the US Army on the 17th and 18th of January 1946 on the generic charge of the murder of “an unknown member of the United States Army on or about the 16th July 1944 by shooting him with a gun”.  The records show that Gerstenberg was aged 49 and a resident of Gertenbach in Germany.  He was a local policeman (Gendarmerie) there and also a painter by trade, who had fought in World War I.

The court heard evidence of several air battles over the villages of Gutfreudenthal and Gertenbach on the 16th and 17th of July 1944, during which a number of US planes were shot down.  One of these was B-17G bomber, 43-38012, whose eight man crew bailed out.  

A local farmer, Richard Nestler was first on scene and found Sgt. Holden lying on his back smoking a cigarette.  Nestler noted that Holden had an injured hand.  Gerstenberg arrived a few minutes later on his motorbike.  Gerstenberg asked those present "Now, haven't you beaten him to death yet?". Have you not yet killed the flyer?  The accused examined Sgt. Holden to see if he had a weapon and then pulled out his 7.65mm pistol and shot him between the eyes.

Later in the day he ordered William Siebert, a German civilian, to bury Holden, saying he died of his wounds. On the following day, Siebert found a coffin for Holden and transported it to Ermschwerd.  Gerstenberg went to the village and opened the coffin to retrieve Holden’s dog-tags, one of which he gave to Siebert.  Siebert made a cross for Holden’s grave and screwed the dog-tag to it.  This enabled the victim to be identified.  

In his defence Gerstenberg cited orders that he had received in the Spring of 1944, saying that all pilots who parachuted down were to be killed on the spot, rather than handed over to the Wehrmacht as prisoners of war.  The original orders for this came from none other than Himmler.
Gerstenberg was convicted of the murder and sentenced to death.  His trial and sentence were reviewed and upheld on the 8th of June 1946.

Master Sgt. John C. Woods and Private First Class Joseph Malta travelled to Landsberg to carry out the execution of Gerstenberg on the 12th of September 1946.
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