Warbird Information Exchange

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.

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.

He was behind bars for over 30 years.

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

He was behind bars for over 30 years.

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.