enough of his life sentence to demonstrate that he could be returned to active duty". After West's brother wrote to the Army and his local US representative, it was decided to "resolve the worrisome matter" and on the recommendation of the War Department's Bureau of Public Relations, the Deputy Commander of Allied Headquarters in Italy signed an order remitting West's sentence on 24 November 1944. He was restored to active duty and continued to serve during the war at the end of which he received an honorable discharge. West died in Oklahoma in January 1974. In regard to the second incident, Captain John T. Compton was also court-martialed and charged with the premeditated murder of 36 POWs under his charge. He also pleaded not guilty, and relying upon the respondeat superior legal doctrine, also defended his actions by claiming that he was merely following orders of his commanding general given in a speech to the officers in his division. On 23 October 1943 the court martial panel acquitted him, but the Judge Advocate's review of the trial declared that in his opinion, Compton's actions had been unlawful. Compton was transferred to the 179th Infantry Regiment and subsequently was killed in action on 8 November 1943 in Italy. The commanding general named by both West and Compton was Patton. The War Department Inspector General's office conducted an investigation into the killings, and in the course of the investigation General Patton was questioned about the alleged speech. Patton stated that his comments in the speech had been misinterpreted and nothing he had said "by the wildest stretch of the imagination" could have been taken as an order to murder POWs. The investigation ultimately cleared Patton of any wrongdoing. See also Allied war crimes during World War II List of massacres in Italy Perfidy Third Geneva Convention Notes Sources Balboni, Mark (2021). Corruption of Conscience: George Patton and the Biscari Massacres, Maintaining the High Ground: the Profession and Ethic in Large-Scale Combat Operations p. 187-208 Further reading U.S. Department of War, A Manual for Courts-Martial, U.S. Army, 1928 (Corrected to April 20, 1943), Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1943. Whitlock, Flint. The Rock of Anzio. From Sicily to Dachau: A History of the U.S. 45th Infantry Division. Boulder: Westview Press, 2005. War Department Field Manual FM 27-10 (1940) – Rules of Land Warfare Allied invasion of Sicily Massacres in Italy Massacres in