John Godwin (Royal Navy officer)
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John Godwin
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| Born | 13 December 1919 Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Died | Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist. Sachsenhausen concentration camp |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/ |
 Royal Navy |
| Rank | Temporary Lieutenant RNVR |
| Unit | No. 14 (Arctic) Commando |
| Awards | World War II Operation Checkmate |
Temporary Lieutenant John Godwin, RNVR (13 December 1919[1] - 2 February 1945) was a British soldier. Born and brought up in Argentina, he took part in a raid named Operation Checkmate on Axis shipping near Haugesund, north of Stavanger, Norway.[1] His party managed to sink a minesweeper and a number of steamers using limpet mines, but he was eventually captured with the rest of his party, a commando sergeant, two Naval Petty Officers and three seamen. After spending some time in Grini concentration camp, they were sent to Sachsenhausen concentration camp, where contrary to the Geneva Convention, they were forced to march 30 miles a day on cobbles testing army boots.
On 2 February 1945 they were led to execution, in accordance with Hitler's Commando Order of 1942. Godwin managed to wrestle the pistol of the firing party commander from his belt and shot him dead before being himself shot. No superior officer witnessed this act so a decoration could not be awarded. However, his bravery was mentioned in dispatches (posthumously). The citation, in The London Gazette, 9 October 1945, read: "For great gallantry and inspiring example whilst a prisoner of war in German hands in Norway and afterwards at Sachsenhausen, near Oranienburg, Germany, 1942-1945".[2]
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 37299. p. 4954. 5 October 1945. Retrieved 31 December 2010.
Sources
- Volunteers from Argentina who gave their lives in WWII. Memorial
- CWGC entry
- Foot & Langley 1979 MI9 - Escape and Evasion 1939 - 1945, London, Book Club Associates, London, 1979 pp. 154,155 ISBN 0-316-28840-3
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- Use dmy dates from April 2012
- 1945 deaths
- Royal Navy officers
- People from Buenos Aires
- People executed by Germany by firearm
- Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve personnel of World War II
- British military personnel killed in World War II
- Argentina in World War II
- Military personnel who died in Nazi concentration camps
- Argentine people of English descent
- Grini concentration camp prisoners
- People who died in Sachsenhausen concentration camp
- Royal Navy Commando officers
- 1919 births
- British people executed by firearm
- Argentine people executed by firearm
- British people executed in Nazi concentration camps
- Argentine people executed in Nazi concentration camps
- Argentine prisoners of war
- Royal Navy officers of World War II
