Private Eddie Slovik: the Unluckiest U.S. Soldier of WW2

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You’ve probably considered yourself to be incredibly unfortunate at one time or another. I think it’s only natural, and we all have. The same goes for the 25-year-old Eddie Slovik. He considered himself the most unlucky man on earth. And, well, from his perspective, it’s not difficult to see why. During the Second World War, nearly 50.000 United States soldiers and 100.000 British soldiers deserted. But even though these numbers are quite staggering, and desertion tends to lead to a court-martial and harsh sentence, there was only 1 US soldier throughout the entire war that was to be executed for that exact crime. That was Eddie Slovik, and he was well aware he was the only one.

Eddie Slovik was a Polish American boy, born in February 1920, that grew up in Detroit. His early years were filled with petty crime. He had multiple run-ins with the police and even was arrested several times.

In the Summer of 1944, he was conscripted in the U.S. Army and sent to France as an infantry soldier. He didn’t participate in D-Day, and when he arrived in Europe, the Allied powers were already making plans to advance into Germany over the Ardennes. After several months of training in the European war theatre, mind you, Slovik had not seen combat yet, he decided to desert. He considered himself not cut out for war, was too afraid to serve in an infantry unit and just didn’t believe in it.

A pretty curious decision considering the vast majority of all deserters that tried to escape battle served on the frontline and only decided to desert after long, violent campaigns. And unlike many deserters that simply attempted to disappear in the chaotic war theatre, Slovik publicly acknowledged he’d prefer prison over war. He wrote a note in which he explained his reasons and gave it to an army soup kitchen. The cook that received the letter informed the military police.
After the summoning of the military police and an army officer, they gave Slovik the opportunity to tear up the note and return to his unit. Slovik refused and stated he was willing to be court-martialled. He expected to receive a light sentence like 48 other men that were sentenced to death for desertion before him. All appeals of these cases were accepted and sentences were reduced. Slovik figured his would be as well.

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Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
0:54 Eddie Slovik
5:05 Slovik's Legacy
6:56 The Luckiest U.S. Deserter

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Sources:

Glass, C. (2014). The Deserters: A Hidden History of World War II. Penguin.

Photos, paintings and imagery: Public Domain, Wikicommons

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