Army & Navy – Malefactors Abroad

TheU.S. Army has some slick characters in its ranks. Army indoctrination has not changed them a whit.

Reports from England have repeatedly made the point that the G.I. Joes over there behave better than their fathers did in 1917-18. Yet, among so many, there must always be a few who go A.W.O.L., who impersonate officers, who engage in petty larceny ; and an even smaller minority who commit rape or murder. The total of convictions obtained against G.I. felons up to last week by the Provost Marshal’s Office in England is relatively small: about 1, 800.

The Provost Marshal’s white-helmeted, white-gaitered M.P.s (“Ike’s Snowballs”) make periodic sweeps of London looking for A.W.O.L.s. They sift Red Cross clubs, dance halls, pubs, hotels and railway stations check dog tags and furlough papers. In one recent six-hour sweep they caught 104 soldiers absent without leave, three of whom were wearing civilian clothes.

Like Mother’s. Same con game: two U.S. soldiers showed up at a farmhouse, carrying a dead, half-plucked chicken, told the sympathetic farm wife that it was a long time since they had had chicken “like mother used to fix.” She cooked the chicken for them, served it on her best china and linen with vegetables, cake and precious butter of her own. After the boys had uttered their profuse thanks and departed, she found that the chicken had been taken from her own henhouse.

Two Negro soldiers patrolled London side streets and pubs accompanied by a peroxide blonde. When they met someone who showed interest in the girl, they sent her “home” to prepare drinks, later gave their new acquaintance a door key, an address. They also borrowed ten shillings or a pound. By the time the victim discovered that the address was a phony, the soldiers and the girl were putting on their act somewhere else.

Research in Numismatics. At Bournemouth, a private first class (wearing sergeant’s stripes) walked into a branch bank, handed a lady cashier a $100 Confederate bill and eleven current U.S. dollars, for which she gave him 26 British pounds. When caught, he explained: “I have been interested in coins all my life.”

The most spectacular officer impersonator was another private first class who went A.W.O.L. two days after landing in Britain. Gradually he acquired (by stealing) a complete officer’s outfit, including captain’s bars, gloves, an A.G.O. card. He wore Eagle Squadron wings as well as U.S. wings, and the ribbons that blazed from his chest included the Purple Heart, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with three clusters and the British Distinguished Flying Medal.

He had official-looking papers purporting to show that he had been grounded from combat duty, that he was on leave, that he had been promoted from first lieutenant to captain. Tall, handsome, correct, he cut a figure with starry-eyed girls. By watching his talk, by not getting drunk, by moving from town to town, he managed to lead a pleasant existence for ten months before he was caught.

By then he had so thoroughly assimilated his role that he made the M.P.s who questioned him stand at attention.