[Aktungbby]

Originally Posted by GoldenRivet

Well of all the bone headed things he could do... defecting to the Germans in late 1944 makes absolutely no sense as they were in retreat on all fronts. But i guess it must have made some kind of sense in his head.

1944's Affluenza teen? LOL

but yes... it doesnt make sense that he would have his sentence overturned and be allowed back into the military. that one is a real head scratcher

Possibly it does if you want to avoid double jeopardy on desertion and go after the far more serious charge of Treason which also carried a death penalty; The Germans had also incarcerated him at first; so outright desertion is hard to prove past bad navigation to Milan and trying to evade bad treatment under duress (Stockholm syndrome etc)

Monti was court-martialed for stealing the plane and for desertion; he was sentenced to 15 years in prison. His sentence was later suspended and he was allowed to reenlist in the Army as a private on February 11, 1947. He was a sergeant when he was discharged on January 26, 1948. Minutes later, the FBI arrested him at Mitchell Field, New York, and charged him with treason for the propaganda activities of “Martin Wiethaupt”, which the FBI had now tied to him. On October 14, a federal grand jury in Brooklyn indicted him for 21 acts of treason committed between October 13, 1944, and May 8, 1945, the day hostilities in Europe ended.

To whit: a poor radio broadcast (his talent on the radio-mike wasn't up to Axis Sally's standards) and a leaflet produced for the Nazi regime...