Joseph Malta (November 27, 1918Jose Malta
found at ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com – January 6, 1999) was the United States Army hangman who, with Master Sergeant

John C. Woods John Clarence Woods (June 5, 1911 – July 21, 1950) was a United States Army master sergeant who, with Joseph Malta, carried out the Nuremberg executions of ten former top leaders of the Third Reich on October 16, 1946, after they were senten ...

, carried out the

Nuremberg executions The Nuremberg executions took place on the early morning of October 16, 1946, shortly after the conclusion of the Nuremberg trials. Ten prominent members of the political and military leadership of Nazi Germany were executed by hanging: Hans Frank, ...

of ten former top leaders of the

Third Reich Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictat ...

on October 16, 1946, after they were sentenced to death during the

Nuremberg Trials #REDIRECT Nuremberg trials {{redirect category shell, {{R from other capitalisation{{R from move ...

. Malta was a 28-year-old

military police Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. Not to be confused with civilian police, who are legally part of the civilian populace. In wartime operations, the military police may supp ...

man when he volunteered for the job. He ultimately hanged a total of 60

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

government and military leaders. A floor sander in civilian life, Malta left the Army in 1947 and returned to his former job. "It was a pleasure doing it," noted Malta in 1996, echoing the sentiments of his colleague Woods.

References

Nuremberg Hangman: No Regrets
* Joseph Kingsbury-Smith

1918 births 1999 deaths People from Revere, Massachusetts Military personnel from Massachusetts American executioners Nuremberg trials United States Army soldiers American police officers United States Army personnel of World War II American law enforcement officials {{US-mil-bio-stub