Inconvenient History

William Brooke Joyce, also known as “Lord Haw-Haw,” holds the distinction of being the last man ever to be hanged for high treason by the British Crown. Joyce was born an American and grew up in western Ireland. He was hanged for high treason by the British Crown at Wandsworth Prison, London, in the early morning of January 3, 1946. His offense was that he had given “aid and comfort to the King’s enemies” and assisted Germany “in her war against our country and our King” by making pro-German radio broadcasts during World War II. By the end of the war, Joyce was, after Adolf Hitler, the most detested man in Britain. This article discusses the life and career of William Joyce, and whether he should have been hanged for high treason after World War II.

Otto Skorzeny was one of the most colorful men of the Third Reich and its most successful special-operations commander. Skorzeny made it clear that, after the Allied demand at Casablanca for an unconditional German surrender, he had no other alternative but to fight to the bitter end. This article examines some of Skorzeny’s special missions and his good fortune in surviving World War II and its aftermath.