Dale Maple
Encyclopedia
Dale H. Maple was a private in the United States Army
in World War II
who helped two German prisoners of war
escape in 1943. They were recaptured, and Maple was sentenced to death by hanging. He was the first American soldier ever convicted of a crime equivalent to treason
. However, his sentence was first commuted to life imprisonment and later to ten years.
in 1920. His working class parents were of English and Irish extraction.
Maple graduated first in his class of 585 from San Diego High School
at the age of sixteen and won a scholarship to Harvard University
. In 1941, he received a bachelor's degree in comparative philology
magna cum laude, specializing in German, from Harvard and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa
. An FBI
agent later described him as "one of the most intelligent men I have ever had the opportunity to interview".
However, he was pressured into resigning from the university German Club for singing the "Horst-Wessel-Lied
" and other Nazi
songs. When he told The Crimson
student newspaper that "even a bad dictatorship is better than a good democracy", he was also dismissed from the campus Reserve Officers' Training Corps
.
in Colorado
. Fraternization between guards and prisoners was noticed (and resented) by ski troopers of the 10th Mountain Division who were training there; many of the division's ski instructors were Austrian emigres.
Maple and three others in the 620th plotted an escape. Maple purchased a 1934 Reo
sedan and, on February 15, 1944, picked up Afrika Korps
Sergeants Heinrich Kikillus and Erhard Schwichtenberg from a work detail without attracting attention. After 36 hours of driving, they were within 17 miles (27.4 km) of the Mexican border when they ran out of gas. The trio walked into Mexico, where they were arrested by a Mexican customs official and turned over to American authorities.
Maple was jailed in Albuquerque, New Mexico
and originally charged with treason
. The Army convened a court martial and charged Maple instead under the 81st Article of War
for "relieving, corresponding with or aiding the enemy", the "closest equivalent to the charge of treason". He pleaded innocent, but was found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging. However, the Army Judge Advocate General recommended to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt that his life be spared. Roosevelt commuted Maple's sentence to life imprisonment. After the war, in 1946, the sentence was further reduced to ten years. He was released in February 1951.
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
who helped two German prisoners of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
escape in 1943. They were recaptured, and Maple was sentenced to death by hanging. He was the first American soldier ever convicted of a crime equivalent to treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
. However, his sentence was first commuted to life imprisonment and later to ten years.
Early life and education
Maple was born in San Diego, CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 1920. His working class parents were of English and Irish extraction.
Maple graduated first in his class of 585 from San Diego High School
San Diego High School
San Diego High School is an urban public educational complex comprising six small schools located on the southern edge of Balboa Park, in San Diego, California. It is part of the San Diego Unified School District. It is the oldest high school in the San Diego Unified School District and one of the...
at the age of sixteen and won a scholarship to Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. In 1941, he received a bachelor's degree in comparative philology
Comparative linguistics
Comparative linguistics is a branch of historical linguistics that is concerned with comparing languages to establish their historical relatedness....
magna cum laude, specializing in German, from Harvard and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa
Phi Beta Kappa Society
The Phi Beta Kappa Society is an academic honor society. Its mission is to "celebrate and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences"; and induct "the most outstanding students of arts and sciences at America’s leading colleges and universities." Founded at The College of William and...
. An FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
agent later described him as "one of the most intelligent men I have ever had the opportunity to interview".
However, he was pressured into resigning from the university German Club for singing the "Horst-Wessel-Lied
Horst-Wessel-Lied
The Horst-Wessel-Lied , also known as Die Fahne hoch from its opening line, was the anthem of the Nazi Party from 1930 to 1945...
" and other Nazi
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
songs. When he told The Crimson
The Harvard Crimson
The Harvard Crimson, the daily student newspaper of Harvard University, was founded in 1873. It is the only daily newspaper in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and is run entirely by Harvard College undergraduates...
student newspaper that "even a bad dictatorship is better than a good democracy", he was also dismissed from the campus Reserve Officers' Training Corps
Reserve Officers' Training Corps
The Reserve Officers' Training Corps is a college-based, officer commissioning program, predominantly in the United States. It is designed as a college elective that focuses on leadership development, problem solving, strategic planning, and professional ethics.The U.S...
.
Aiding the enemy
As a result of his pro-German activities, when Maple enlisted in February 1942, both the Army and the FBI kept files on him. He was assigned, along with others under suspicion, to the 620th Engineer General Service Company, one of only a handful of units not allowed to bear arms. On December 5, 1943, a detachment of the company was assigned to guard prisoners of war at Camp HaleCamp Hale
Camp Hale, between Red Cliff and Leadville in the Eagle River valley in Colorado, was a U.S. Army training facility constructed in 1942 for what became the 10th Mountain Division. It was named for General Irving Hale....
in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. Fraternization between guards and prisoners was noticed (and resented) by ski troopers of the 10th Mountain Division who were training there; many of the division's ski instructors were Austrian emigres.
Maple and three others in the 620th plotted an escape. Maple purchased a 1934 Reo
REO Motor Car Company
The REO Motor Car Company was a Lansing, Michigan based company that produced automobiles and trucks from 1905 to 1975. At one point the company also manufactured buses on its truck platforms.REO was initiated by Ransom E. Olds during August 1904...
sedan and, on February 15, 1944, picked up Afrika Korps
Afrika Korps
The German Africa Corps , or the Afrika Korps as it was popularly called, was the German expeditionary force in Libya and Tunisia during the North African Campaign of World War II...
Sergeants Heinrich Kikillus and Erhard Schwichtenberg from a work detail without attracting attention. After 36 hours of driving, they were within 17 miles (27.4 km) of the Mexican border when they ran out of gas. The trio walked into Mexico, where they were arrested by a Mexican customs official and turned over to American authorities.
Maple was jailed in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
and originally charged with treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
. The Army convened a court martial and charged Maple instead under the 81st Article of War
Articles of War
The Articles of War are a set of regulations drawn up to govern the conduct of a country's military and naval forces. The phrase was first used in 1637 in Robert Monro's His expedition with the worthy Scots regiment called Mac-keyes regiment etc. and can be used to refer to military law in general...
for "relieving, corresponding with or aiding the enemy", the "closest equivalent to the charge of treason". He pleaded innocent, but was found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging. However, the Army Judge Advocate General recommended to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt that his life be spared. Roosevelt commuted Maple's sentence to life imprisonment. After the war, in 1946, the sentence was further reduced to ten years. He was released in February 1951.
See also
- Eddie SlovikEddie SlovikEdward Donald Slovik was a private in the United States Army during World War II and the only American soldier to be court-martialled and executed for desertion since the American Civil War....
, the only American soldier executed in World War II for a military offense