A search by the Coast Guard uncovered a pack of German cigarettes and a path of footprints that led them right to a buried stash of cash and explosives. With definitive proof of a German landing, a manhunt began. But by the time the Coast Guard was on the hunt, the four men were already on the 6:59 am Long Island Rail Road train that was bound for New York City.
Upon arrival in Manhattan, things definitely did not go according to plan. George Dasch took some cash and went on a 36-hour gambling spree in a Midtown bar. He managed to win a meager $250 at pinochle. He then contacted the New York office of the FBI and gave them the code name “Pastorius.” He told them that he had just arrived from Germany and that he would be in contact with their headquarters in just a few days. He then took a train to Washington D.C.
On June 18, he checked into the Mayflower Hotel and called the FBI letting them know where to find him. They immediately took him into custody and the following day the rest of the cell was arrested in New York. With information provided by Dasch and another member of the cell Ernst Burger, two members from the second cell were arrested on June 23. The last two members were arrested a few days later on June 27. Neither cell had managed to commit any sabotage and only spend $612 the fortune they had been given on food, clothes, hotels, and bribes.
A military tribunal was quickly set up to try the eight men for their crimes. Seven U.S. Army officers presided over the trial that was held inside the U.S. Department of Justice. The trial began on July 8, and after several long weeks of trial, all 8 men were found guilty and sentenced to death. However, that was not the end for Dasch and Burger. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover and D. C. Attorney General Francis Biddle lobbied President Roosevelt to spare the lives of the two men who had provided them with essential information. Roosevelt granted the request and spared their lives. The other six men were executed via electric chair on August 8 less than two months after their arrival in the United States.
As for Dasch and Burger, their luck got even better. After a few years in prison, President Harry Truman took further pity on the men who had betrayed Germany and prevented the two cells from causing any damage or casualties. While the mission was poorly planned from the outset it had the potential to cause great damage. So in April of 1948, both men were granted clemency and deported to West Germany. The men did not receive a warm welcome in Germany because they were seen as traitors who caused the death of their companions.
Sources For Further Reading:
FBI – Nazi Saboteurs and George Dasch
History Collection – 10 of the Most Inept Spies in the History of Espionage
History Collection – 7 Foreign Attacks on US Soil That Are Rarely Mentioned
History Collection – 10 Lesser-Known Foreign Attacks on US Soil
The Atlantic – The Keystone Kommandos
History Collection – 8 Attempts of Sabotage that Tried to Change the World as We Know it
Florida History Network – June 17, 1942 – German U-Boat Saboteurs Land at Ponte Vedra Beach