September 8 Conference

Speech By George Lesko

"Colonel Henry Russell Spicer was the commander of the 357th Fighter group based in England and flew the P-51 Mustang on 14 missions. He had destroyed 3 German Aircraft before flak damage on March 3rd, 1944, forced him to parachute into the near freezing waters of the English Channel. Rescue boats and aircraft failed to locate him.

Spicer drifted for 2 days in a one-man raft before reaching Cherbourg, France and because of exposure and frostbite, he was unable to walk. This was a condition that would plague him all of his life. He was found by German soldiers and taken to Oberursel, Germany for medical treatment and interrogation. Hans Scharff, a master Luftwaffe interrogator who spoke excellent English, said Spicer was an expert at avoiding or circumventing his questions. After the war, Scharff went to the United States and became a US citizen.

Upon arrival at Stalag Luft 1 in Barth Germany sometime in the Spring of 1944, Colonel Spicer became a Senior Officer of North Compound 2. He was a hearty man with a long handlebar mustache. On a very cold and bitter morning in late October or early November, during a roll call that usually took no more than 15 minutes, the prisoner count was determined to be incorrect. After some two hours of recounts, Colonel Spicer told all the POW's to go to their barracks. The prisoners ignored the German guards who made loud and threatening protests as they returned to their quarters.

Later, Colonel Spicer summoned all the men of the compound 2 to his barracks and he then stood on the top step and talked very loudly so the German guards could hear him, saying, " Remember, we are still at war with the Germans. They are still our enemies and are doing everything they can to win this war. Recently an officer was put in the cooler on two counts for failure to salute a German officer of lower rank which violates the Geneva Convention Articles." Stalag Luft 1 had ordered the saluting of all German officers by POWs.

Spicer continued by saying he observed many POWs becoming too friendly with the Germans and loudly said " Don't let them fool you around because they are dirty lying sneaks and can't be trusted." He further stated that "as an example of the type of enemy we are dealing with, the British were forced to retreat in the Arnhem area (Aachen) and had to leave their wounded in a hospital. The Germans machine-gunned all the wounded in their beds."

Colonel Spicer also related that in Belgium, behind enemy lines, a woman with her baby in her arms was evacuating the battle zone when some captured British prisoners were passing by her. She displayed a "V" for victory sign with her fingers and a German soldier saw her and shot her on the spot. Spicer concluded by saying " They are a bunch of murderous, no-good liars and if we have to stay here for 15 years to see all the Germans killed, then it will be worth it."

Much applause following Spicer's remarks and cheers arose from all the POWs that heard him speak. The German Major in charge of the guards was furious. According to a document of protest to the Swiss Legation acting as protecting power dated November 4th, 1944, Colonel Byerly, The senior American officer wrote and sent word that approximately one hour after Spicer's speech to the POWs, he was taken before the German Commandant and put in solitary confinement. He was then taken to a small cell measuring six feet by eight feet pending a court martial.

The charges against Colonel Spicer included "defaming of German character" and "inciting prisoners to riot". The German Commandant, Obserst Scherer, stated that Colonel Spicer was held in custody for court martial. We in Stalag Luft 1 later learned that he had been convicted to serve six months in solitary confinement and then be executed by a firing squad.

Colonel Spicer, prior to his conviction, interviewed new prisoners for current war news and documented German atrocities and then went to great lengths to harass the German guards. This caused very hard feelings between the POWs and their captors, which resulted in frequent roll calls during which guards often searched the barracks for "illegal possessions". There were reports of German guards drawing mustaches and more on paintings and sketches POWs had made of family members or fellow POWs.

Another incident in November of 1944 occurred when German Major Steinhower, who was the lager (camp) officer, demanded that all POWs assemble for an evening roll call in a heavy rain. Colonel Spicer concluded that the order was quite ridiculous and directed that we POWs not comply, and responded further by saying he had a couple of machine guns to eliminate the guards. In the end, the POWs submitted to the roll call.

Captain Kaufman, who was a POW in North Compound 2 and present when Colonel Spicer made his speech, determined that the speech should be documented and he solicited assistance from other POWs to accurately write down what Spicer had said. He then buried the notes in a coffee can under his barracks. Kaufman later wrote a book on his stay at Stalag Luft 1 and said " Colonel Spicer was an excellent example of a good commander - one who kept morale high by challenging the Germans on every occasion."

While Colonel Spicer was serving the six month solitary confinement order and awaiting the execution order to be carried out by a firing squad, occasionally some POWs were marched by guards near the cooler where Spicer was held. They often shouted words of encouragement to Spicer and he would call back and say " Don't give in to them and keep fighting." When asked if he needed anything, he always said " send me machine guns."

Ironically, in the end, Spicer did evade the firing squad by a single day. As the Soviet troops prepared to overtake Stalag Luft 1 in late April, all the German guards evacuated during the night leaving the camp unattended. When Spicer was told of this, he would not leave his cell saying " I have one more night to make it an even six months and I am staying here tonight." When he finally appeared every POW greeted him enthusiastically. Spicer said, " seeing and hearing you POWs made solitary confinement worth it."

It is worth mentioning at this time that the Geneva Convention observed the terms of The Hague Convention of 1907 which did not fully cover prisoners of war. The 1941 change basically stated that no POW could be forced to disclose to the captor anything other than his name, rank, and serial number. In World War 2, Switzerland and Sweden acted as protecting powers and the International Red Cross at Geneva was the clearinghouse for all POW information. It has been stated that Americans and British POWs received the best treatment from their German captors and the Polish prisoners the worst. The USSR however, was not a signer of the 1941 convention.

In conclusion, Henry Russell Spicer retired from the United States Air Force on June 1, 1964 as a Major General with 30 years of service. He died on December 5th 1968 at the relatively young age of 60. In the October 1995 issue of The Air Force Magazine, C.V. Glines, who was a flying cadet in 1941 with Lt. Spicer as his flight commander, wrote a story entitled " A Speech Worth Dying For." General Spicer will always be remembered for his speech that not only brought him a death sentence, but also brought strength and fortitude to his fellow prisoners.

RETURN

Sources:
** www.Merkki.com ( Mary Smith )
**Col. J.R. Bierly letter to Swiss Legation ( 11/14/44)
**C.V. Glines Air Force Magazine, Oct. '95 " A Speech Worth Dying For"
**Zemke's Stalag book 1951
**USAF Biography - Major General H.R. Spicer
**Columbia Encyclopedia - GenevaConvention
**Input from Lyle Shafer
**input from Bruce Bockstanz