In the quiet, early hours of July 8, 1945, a tragedy unfolded in the small town of Salina, Utah, forever marking it as the site of the largest massacre of prisoners of war on American soil during World War II. Among the victims was Hans Meyer, a 24-year-old German prisoner of war. The war in Europe had been over for two months, and the German soldiers, many of whom had been captured in North Africa, were awaiting their return home.
They were housed in a camp at the edge of town, a former Civilian Conservation Corps facility, where they worked on local farms.
On that fateful night, an American guard, Private Clarence V. Bertucci, ascended a guard tower overlooking the sleeping prisoners. Harboring a deep-seated hatred for Germans, Bertucci unleashed a barrage of gunfire from a. 30-caliber machine gun into the tents below. The chaotic scene was one of unimaginable horror as the unsuspecting prisoners were caught in the deadly assault. In the immediate aftermath, six men lay dead, and many others were wounded.
The wounded, including Meyer, were rushed to the local hospital, which was quickly overwhelmed. The small facility struggled to cope with the number of casualties, with some of the injured being treated on the hospital lawn. Despite the efforts of the medical staff, two more prisoners succumbed to their injuries at the Salina hospital, and another died after being transferred to an army hospital, bringing the total number of fatalities to nine. Hans Meyer was among those who died from their wounds on that day.
The perpetrator, Private Bertucci, was taken into custody without resistance. During the subsequent investigation, he made no secret of his motives, stating that he hated Germans and had killed them for that reason. An evaluation of Bertucci's military record revealed a history of disciplinary issues. He was ultimately deemed "mentally unbalanced" by military doctors and was sent to a hospital in New York, thus avoiding a court-martial. The nine deceased German soldiers, including Hans Meyer, were buried with full military honors at the Fort Douglas Cemetery.
