The navies and armies of the world have always regarded mutiny as one of the most serious of crimes, punishable in wartime by death. A mutiny can also be the signal to start a wider revolution, as were the Russian mutinies in 19 at Kronshtadt. Mutinies often occur in the armed forces of nations on the point of suffering defeat, as with the mutiny of the German navy at Kiel in 1918, and the Austrian navy at Cattaro. Such rebellion can be committed by whole armies, or on a private vessel either at sea or in port. Mutiny may range from a combined refusal to obey orders, to active revolt or to actually crossing the combat lines to fight for the enemy. Mutiny can be described as an organised act of disobedience or defiance by two or more members of the armed services. Today these events are regarded quite differently from how they were seen even 60 years ago - and it's worth considering how attitudes have changed in the past few hundred years. They have faced accusations of cowardice and dishonour ever since. They eventually returned home to find their war pensions had been reduced and their campaign medals forfeited. The mutineers were then sent back to the very units they had refused to join at Salerno. ![]() It was only through the chance intervention of the Adjutant General, Sir Ronald Adam - who later referred to the affair as 'one of the worst things we have ever done' - that all the men's sentences were suspended. Three sergeants were sentenced to death the rest of the men to between seven and 12 years penal servitude. The trial papers, originally ordered to be kept secret for 75 years, have only recently been released.Īll 191 men were found guilty. The defence team was given just six days to prepare its case, and the trial itself lasted less than a week. They were arrested and shipped back to North Africa for court-martial. The men were warned of the potential punishment for disobedience - mutiny carried the death sentence - but still 191 men refused to move. But the army could not be seen to back down. It was an administrative error that had led the men to be sent to Salerno, and by the time they got there the emergency was over: they were not needed. On landing, the reinforcements were taken to a field near the beach where they were kept for three days. 5th Army, were battling to establish a foothold in mainland Italy. Instead, they were bound for Salerno where allied forces, led by the U.S. Only when crossing the Mediterranean did they learn they were not, as they had been told at the transit camp, returning to their units. Even men who were unfit for battle volunteered for the draft, anxious to rejoin the comrades they had fought with in the desert. When the call came, they all wanted to go. They were shipped back to Africa for treatment, and then transferred to Camp 155 - the 8th Army transit camp near Tripoli where they waited to return to their units. Some were wounded in battle, others struck down by dysentery and malaria. The men of this story were amongst those who became separated from their units when the victorious 8th Army moved on to Sicily. Loyalty to your unit was the cement that bound his formidable army together. ![]() General Montgomery encouraged this 'esprit de corps'. They had fought together through much of the desert campaign against Rommel in north Africa, and had formed strong regimental bonds. Prior to the mutiny all bar one of them had unblemished service records. The mutineers were all members of the Tyne Tees (50th) and Highland (51st) Divisions. It was the biggest wartime mutiny in British military history. In September 1943, 191 soldiers of Montgomery's 8th Army downed guns and refused to take part in the battle for Salerno in southern Italy.
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