Unique P-38 (F-5) driver

[JDK]

Interesting story I'd not come across before:



Martin James Monti, an American who stole and flew a P-38 (F-5) to the Germans, and defected. He later joined the Waffen-SS, and also read propaganda on radio broadcasts under the alias 'Martin Wiethaupt'. Postwar tried and convicted of treason, after pleading 'guilty' the only US citizen to do so... For those who suspect the point of IQ testing, he had a good IQ, but had a number of psychological oddities and wasn't very good at writing his broadcasts.

Short:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_James_Monti

Longer and more interesting:
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=58686

This account alleges his father was a senator.

I wonder if a) the F-5 told the Germans anything useful, and b) what happened to it? (Circus Rosarius) (There are links in the refs, but I've not managed to get to the data - yet.

Cheers,

[mattsb2000]

Isn't treason punishable by death?

[JDK]

Isn't treason punishable by death?

Yes. But it's not an automatic punishment. Either his metal state or his father's senatorship (if you are cynical) may have moderated the sentence.

[Jack Cook]

Jack Ilfrey has a 4-5 page story in King's Cliffe Remembered.
He flew on a C-47 from China (?) to Utaly them stole it by faking a clearence to fly it.
It was a new a/c and he flew it away on a test flight. He spemt time in prison but was released in the 60s.

Last edited by Jack Cook on Tue Nov 18, 2008 7:37 am, edited 1 time in total.

[mattsb2000]

Isn't treason punishable by death?

Yes. But it's not an automatic punishment. Either his metal state or his father's senatorship (if you are cynical) may have moderated the sentence.

That was likely how he kinda got away with this.

[Jack Cook]

He was behind bars for over 30 years.

[JDK]

From the more detailed link I provided:

Second Lieutenant Martin James Monti (born 1910 in St Louis of an Italian-Swiss father and German mother) went awol Oct 1944, travelled from Karachi to Naples (through Cairo and Tripoli) where to stole a F-4 or F-5 photographic reconnaissance aircraft (photo recon version of the P-38 ) and flew to Milan. There he surrendered, or rather defected, to the Germans and worked as a propaganda broadcaster (as Martin Wiethaupt) before entering the Waffen-SS as a SS-Untersturmführer in SS-Standarte Kurt Eggers. At the end of the war he went south to Italy where surrendered to US forces (still wearing his SS uniform) claiming that he had been given the uniform by partisans. He was charged with desertion and sentenced to 15 years hard labour. This sentence was soon commuted and Monti rejoined the US Air Corps, but in 1948 he was discharged and picked up by the FBI. He was now charged with treason and sentenced to 25 years the following year. He was paroled in 1960.

3/?/44 Monti graduated with class 44c, as a Flight Officer. Everyone
else became a 2nd Lt. Then he was sent to Ephrata, Wa. for training in a P-39.
Then was sent to Van Nuys, Ca. for training in the P-38.

8/12/44 Monti embarked from Florida for Karachi, India, assigned to the
14th Air Force. While in India he was commissioned a 2nd Lt.

10/1/44 Monti deserted the Army Air Force, hitching a ride aboard a
C-46 to Cairo, Egypt.

10/4/44 Monti arrives by aircraft at Naples, Italy.

10/10/44 Monti hitched a ride by jeep to Foggia, Italy. He found his
friends in the 82nd Fighter Group. He tried to join their unit.

10/13/44 Monti loitered in the hallway at Pomigliano Airport, base
operations, then asked Leading Aircraftsman W.S. King, 1373002, 23 AACU, for
clearance to fly a P-38, model P-38L-I-LO, AAF #44-23725. Monti said he
belonged to the 82nd Fighter Group. Monti filled out the clearance form. His stated
purpose for the flight was purportedly to test an engine.

(12:20 hrs) Monti walked to the P-38 carrying a parachute and climbed up
the wing. Cpl Sam R. Johnston, 354th Air Service Squadron, climbed up on the
opposite wing to question Monti. Monti told him he was the test pilot for
the plane. Johnston checked the Form with a red diagonal, and the test flight
requirements, He watched Monti perform the cockpit check, start the engines,
and taxi away, all performed perfectly.

Monti took off in the P-38 from Pomigliano Airfield at 12:29 hrs,
reporting an estimated 2 hour flight.

After Monti took off, he checked a map he had acquired, and noted a
location of a small airfield near Milan. He located the small grass airfield
behind German lines, and landed. Several Italian civilians and a German
soldier came toward his plane, and the soldier took a shot at him, but missed.
Monti was driven to an unknown location and placed in a locked room.

[tom d. friedman]

fascinating story james, how did you come about it?? what drove this guy to defect?? fyi unrelated to this thread, only 1 u.s. serviceman was executed during ww 2, private eddie slovik, infantryman europe. he refused to fight due to religious reasons. general eisenhower approved the execution by firing squad.

[mattsb2000]

He was behind bars for over 30 years.

Yes, but they didn't execute him. Hence the kinda part.

[JDK]

fascinating story james, how did you come about it??

It is, isn't it?

It seems he was a bit unbalanced, used religion to mask his own internal conflicts and thus regarded the Russians and FDR as 'Evil', ergo the Germans as 'good'. Oops.

I came across it as an indirect mention on the Flypast forum.

[Shay]

He was behind bars for over 30 years.

Where do you get 30 years from??

For the treason charge he was incarcirated for 11 to 12 years (depending on the trial time 48 to 60). Considering that treason during a time of war was grounds for execution. I think his Father's position might have had something to do with it.

He may have served 12 plus years but he had the next 40 years of freedom to enjoy befoore his death in 2000. If it had been you, me or anyone else, I think it would have been the gallows for us.

Did he wrote a book? I would be surprised if he didn't.


Shay
____________
Semper Fortis

[Jack Cook]

Where do you get 30 years from??

Monti spent 28 years in Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary on his 2nd conviction. Plus previous jail time for the first conviction plus time awaiting trail and sentencing.

[Django]

That was interesting for sure. The dropping of charges for reelistment is so bizarre.

What happened to the P-38?

I didn't know that Rudolf Hess flew the coop either.

[Shay]

Where do you get 30 years from??

Monti spent 28 years in Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary on his 2nd conviction. Plus previous jail time for the first conviction plus time awaiting trail and sentencing.

I know this may be trivial but clue me in if I'm not understanding.

- AWOL in Oct of 1944

- Post May of 1945 Arrested, tried and sentence by Fith Army HQ to 15 yrs for desertion

- Jan 3 1946 Arrived in U.S. sentence remitted and Enlisted Feb 11.

At most 9 months served for the Desertion charge.


- 26 Jan 1948 Discharged and arrested

- 17 Jan 1949 Tried and convicted of treason.

Here is where some confusion lies. Wiki states he was paroled in 1960 and the other account that JDK presents says he was released in 1968.

That's 11 plus years, between 1949 to 1960. 19 if you go by the 1968 release date. Either way that's not 28 yrs.

Am I missing somthing?



Regarding the F-4 or F-5. i thought i read that the germans flew it until a corrosive compatability fuel system issue came up.


Shay
____________
Semper Fortis

[tony nelson]

I'm pretty sure he didn't spend anywhere close to 30 years behind bars. I believe it was closer to 10-12ish. I know my parents visited him in prison on their honeymoon in 1959(good times I'm sure). The prison was in Pennsylvania(not Leavenworth) I'm also pretty sure he was at my Baptism in 1964 since he was my godfather.