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In 1934, the German military swore personal loyalty to Adolf Hitler — a fateful oath that tied the army to the crimes of the Nazi regime. Among those officers was Anton Dostler, a career soldier who rose through the ranks of the Wehrmacht and served in campaigns across Europe.
In March 1944, Dostler ordered the execution of fifteen captured American commandos in Italy — soldiers who had landed behind enemy lines in uniform under Operation Ginny II. Claiming he was “just following orders,” Dostler faced the first Allied war crimes trial after the war.
The tribunal rejected his defense, ruling that obedience to unlawful orders could not justify murder. On December 1, 1945, Dostler was executed by firing squad. His case became a cornerstone of international law and a warning to every future soldier: blind obedience does not absolve guilt.

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“Obedience to Hitler: The War Crimes of General Anton Dostler”

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00:00On the 12th of October 1945, the American military tribunal found General Dossler guilty of war
00:06crimes and sentenced him to be shot to death by musketry. Anton Dossler was 54 years old when
00:13shortly after sunrise on the 1st of December 1945, the prisoner guard delivered him to the
00:19execution party. The officer in charge then read aloud the charge, the finding, and the sentence
00:25and granted Dossler a brief moment with a Roman Catholic chaplain. Afterward, things moved quickly.
00:33Three soldiers tied him to a post with his hands behind his back. Next, a medical officer placed a
00:38black hood over Dossler's head and attached a 4-inch wide target over his heart. After a 12-man firing
00:46squad took their positions from a distance of 50 feet from Dossler, the officer in charge gave the
00:51command to fire. After the shots rang out in unison, Dossler's body slumped forward, dead.
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