Edited sentence: After 347 good executions, why would Wood wish to complete his career with botched executions.For whatever reason except to rely upon the preposterous account by Kingsbury Smith, the above is a fabrication of the highest order based upon hearsay and not actual observation.Given the experience of the man John C.He re-entered the Army prior to the Korean conflict.I use the term "direct observer" since the hung men could only be observed after the drop through the trap door.In reality, Woods was scheduled to retire following the executions and he did.It is published by Jona Books, Bedford, Indiana (ISBN 0-9657929-2-7).Let's face it, after the most meticulous and laborious effort to assure a fair and just trial, the last thing that the tribunal would want would be botched and cruel executions.Let's put the nonsense about Woods work at Nuremberg to rest, once and for all time.Rumors were that he was relieved of his duty as hangman after the so-called botched executions.The US Army had a detailed instruction on the preparation of the rope and the determination of drop length depending upon body height, weight, and mass.The account of someone actually witnessing the executions including any struggle after the drop is in the book, "By The Neck Until Dead: The Gallows of Nuremberg" by Stanley Tilles with Jeffrey Denhart.The gallows front were covered in a black canvas cloth so no-one except those on the gallows could observe any struggle.There was only one valid witness report of the hangings and according to his direct observer, the only one who may have suffered in the hanging, I.This view was NOT available to Kingsbury Smith and his report is, as stated pure conjecture and fabrication.Tilles was the officer in charge of the hanging team, stood on the gallows, and gave the signal to Wood to drop the door.Woods, likely no one in the world could have done a better job including Britain's Albert Pierrepont.they did not die instantly, was Julious Steicher who kicked out just as the door was to be dropped