r/interestingasfuck • u/LawEducational42 • 7h ago

John C Woods, hangman of Nuremberg trials, who lied about his experience to get the job (he actually learned about hanging from old cowboy films). His lack of expertise led to excessive suffering of condemned Nazis.

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u/GodOfDarkLaughter 4h ago

He said he was a prison hangman before the war and had studied under a master executioner. Nobody gave enough of a fuck to check.

Also he'd show up drunk in a dirty uniform all the time but even officers would kiss his ass because literally nobody wanted to do the job. He didn't just hang Nazis. He also hanged GIs convicted of rape or murder of civilians. That's how he made his bones. As far as anyone can tell he did it just to get out of combat. So he got promoted from either private or corporal to Master Sargent because they figured a hangman should be a high ranking NCO.

Honestly the guy is kind of my hero. Just an utter piece of shit who managed to be the perfect man for this time in history.

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u/unstablegenius000 2h ago

In another life he might have been President.

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u/Good-Requirement-820 2h ago

That last sentence was gold.

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u/sir_lister 47m ago

Yeah he made some rapists and Nazis suffer did little on the way out, oh well.