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- Werner Drechsler was a German U-boat crewman during World War II. He was stationed on U-118 which was sunk off the Azores in 1943. When he was taken prisoner he enthusiastically cooperated with his captors, which was likely due to the fact that his father had spent time in one of Hitler's Concentration Camps as a political prisoner. Eventually, U.S. Navy intelligence officers recruited Drechsler as a spy and placed him in a POW camp near Fort Meade, Maryland with other U-Boat sailors. After arrival, Dreschsler worked undercover, befriending his fellow POWs in order to collect information regarding German submarine technology, operational procedures/tactics and any other intelligence which could be useful to the allies. On March 12, 1944 Drechsler was transferred to a different POW camp in Arizona which was filled mainly with other submariners of the Kriegsmarine. This transfer took place despite the fact that Drechsler was supposed to be kept segregated from other naval prisoners, particularly his former crewmates on the U-118, who were aware of Drechsler's spying activities. The American authorities made a glaring error in transferring Drechsler to Arizona which quickly had fatal results: some members of the U-118 were confined at the camp and they immediately recognised their former crewmate. Word of Drechsler's undercover activities spread rapidly through the camp, and a Kangaroo Court Martial was convened while Drechsler was asleep. The other prisoners eventually decided that it was necessary to kill Drechsler to ensure he could no longer spy upon them, and also to act as a deterrent for any other POWs who might consider collaborating with the enemy. Next morning Drechsler was found hanging in the shower room. He had been murdered within hours of arrival at the camp. Seven men (Helmut Fischer, Fritz Franke, Gunther Kuelsen, Heinrich Ludwig, Bernard Ryak, Otto Stenger and Rolf Wizuy) were executed for the beating and hanging of Werner Drechsler. In what was to ultimately become the last mass execution in the United States, the men were hanged in August 1945 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
- Werner Drechsler, fue un marinero alemán durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial destinado en un submarino U-118 que fue hundido en las Azores en 1943. Al ser cogido prisionero, cooperó con entusiasmo con su captores debido a que su padre había pasado algún tiempo en campos de concentración de Adolf Hitler como prisionero político. Oficiales de inteligencia de las fuerzas navales Estadounidenses convencieron a Drechsler para hacer de informador, y lo internaron en un campo de concentración cerca de Fort Meade, Maryland. Con otros marineros de submarinos alemanes. Presumiblemente, recogió información para sus captores. El 12 de marzo de 1944, Drechsler fue transferido a un campo de concentración en Arizona, en el cual había gran cantidad de prisioneros navales, y entre ellos algunos miembros del U-118. Esta transferencia ocurrió incluso cuando él suponía que podía se rechazado por otros prisioneros. Desafortunadamente para Drechsler, muchos prisioneros habían oído de su colaboración con el enemigo, y celebraron una Corte marcial mientras dormía. Los prisioneros decidieron que era necesario matar a Drechsler para asegurarse que no espiaría, y persuadir a otros prisioneros a no colaborar con el enemigo. A la mañana siguiente Drechsler fue encontrado colgado en las duchas. A tan solo a unas horas después de haber llegado. Siete hombres (Helmut Fischer, Fritz Franke, Gunther Kuelsen, Heinrich Ludwig, Bernard Ryak, Otto Stenger y Rolf Wizuy) fueron juzgados por golpear y matar a Werner Drechsler, y fueron colgados en el agosto de 1945 en Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Esta fue la última ejecución masiva en Estados Unidos
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