Memorial

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Sgt Heathman was a graduate of Shelbina High School with the class of 1943 and was a driver.

He enlisted at Jefferson Barracks in Missouri on 10 December 1943. He received his wings as gunner from a school at Harlingen, Texas on 29 July 1944.

En route to the target 43-38046 was involved in a mid-air collision with B-17G 43-38071. 43-38046 was seen to break up in the air and no parachutes were observed.
It was reported that the formation was flying through some bumpy air during which it was believed that 43-38046, flying below 43-38071, drifted upwards and the two aircraft collided. 43-38071 was seen falling out of formation and heading toward Allied territory with a severely damaged nose section. The aircraft carried out an emergency landing at Sint Truiden (also known as Brustem airfield (A-92)) in Belgium. The crew survived the collision and the landing. However, as a result of the collision the body of Sgt. George V. Devlin from 43-38046 was found lodged in the nose of the aircraft.

The entire crew of nine men of 43-38046 was killed.

Sgt Heathmann, however, survived the crash and was taken prisoner by members of the SS. The men, guilty of his death, were tried by a General Military Court, convened at Dachau, Germany during the period 10th January to 21st March 1947.

Six German nationals were charged (Charge No. 9 of 10) that they did, on 18 March 1945, at or near Wallrabenstein, Germany, wilfully, deliberately and wrongfully encourage, aid, abet and participate in the killing of Jimmie R. Heathman, who was then and there a surrendered and unarmed PoW in the custody of the then German Reich.
Those charged were Jürgen Stroop, the former Higher SS (Schutzstaffel) and Police Leader in the SS main district of Rhein-Westmark and former SS Generalleutnant (Major General) of the Waffen SS; Hans Trummler who was a former SS Oberführer (Notionally the same level as a Brigadier General), an Oberst (Col) in the police and commander of the Security Police and the SD (Security Service of the SS) in the district of Rhein-Westmark; Otto Somann who had been Trummler's predecessor.
Also charged were Georg Best, a former Waffen SS-Major and the Commanding Officer of the Werwolf school at Wallrabenstein for Wehrkreis (Military district) XII; an Erwin Goss, a former Waffen SS-Obersturmführer (1st Lt) and the Director of the Werwolf school; a Heinrich Matthias Michely, a former Waffen SS-Private (probably an SS-Sturmmann) and an instructor at the Werwolf school.
The court heard that an American airman was captured on or about the 17th March 1945 at about 1400 hours by an unnamed member of the SS. Michely then took him to the Werwolf school, located in the village school building across from the church, where he was interrogated until about 1530 hours. Later that evening, at about 1900 hours, Goss ordered Michely to take the airman to Idstein and kill him on the way. This order conformed with an order from Stroop, to the effect that Allied airmen were to be killed, which was relayed through Best. Michely left the school on foot with the airman in the direction of Idstein. En route he directed the airman onto a small road off the highway. Here Michely shot the airman in the back three times with Sgt. Heathman's own sidearm. Michely admitted that because of the encroaching darkness he fired another two shots into the airman's head to ensure that he was dead. He then removed the airman's dog tags, his watch and his bracelet, which bore the name Jimmie Ray Heathman. He returned to the school and reported the execution of the order to Goss and made a written report which was transmitted to Best for the attention of Stroop. With Goss's permission he kept the watch and bracelet for himself.
Sgt. Heathman was later buried in the cemetery at Wallrabenstein by a Philipp Buhlmann, who was an instructor at the Werwolf school, and other unknown individuals.
The court found Stroop guilty of transmitting orders regarding the illegal treatment of captured Allied airmen and was sentenced to death by hanging. Trummler was found not guilty on this charge.
Stroop was subsequently extradited to Poland and executed there for other crimes on 6 March 1952.
The court found Michely guilty of killing Sgt. Heathman and Goss of being complicit in the killing. Both were sentenced to death by hanging. Michely had his sentence commuted to life imprisonment which was then reduced to 30 years and later to 25 years. He was subsequently paroled on 3 August 1954. Goss was also found guilty on other charges and was executed on 15 October 1948 at Landsberg.
Best was found guilty of issuing the killing order and sentenced to 15 years imprisonment commencing on the 8 May 1945. He was paroled in March 1954.
Somann was found not guilty on this charge but was found guilty on other charges and sentenced to 4 years imprisonment commencing on the 30 May 1945. He was released in May 1949.