Salina Utah POW massacre

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The Salina, Utah, Prisoners of War massacre occurred in Salina, Utah, the home of some 250 German prisoners of war who were being used as workers on the local harvest.

The incident happened on the night of July 7-July 8, 1945, two months after the German surrender. At the time of the incident the prisoners were waiting to be repatriated. Private Clarence V. Bertucci relieved the guard of the tower nearest the commanding officer's cabin and proceeded to load and fire a .30 caliber machine gun into the tents that were being used to accommodate the prisoners. Within thirty seconds of the start, his belt of 250 rounds was expended. Nine were killed and 20 were injured. Bertucci was later determined to be insane and unfit for trial; for this he spent time at a New York mental institution.