What happens if you completely disregard an order in the military?

Question

Not in it...never will be just a question

I am watching the Monuments Men, that newish movie from the spring with Clooney in it and in a scene one of the Monuments Men is in a town in France where he asks his higher up if he can have access to the towns church, where art is being stored from the Nazis. The commanding officer says no and the guy goes out on his way.

Now what would happen if the commanding officer said no you cannot go and the guy left the tent and was like "well **** that guy I'm gonna do what i want!" and proceeds to do as he wants against a direct order?

I know this movie is set in WW2 but even so, what would the punishment be?

Answer 1

If you are disobeying an order it is an article 15, unless you can prove it was an unlawful order morally.

Answer 2

"Any person subject to military law who, on any pretense whatsoever,.....willfully disobeys any lawful command of his superior officer, shall suffer death or such other punishment as a court-martial may direct. " - Article 64 of the Articles of War (which was then a U.S. military law in World War II) http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/ref/AW/index.html



Lawful orders must be obeyed as possible and if you willfully don't, you will be punished. After all, the art belonged to certain type of properties, not the certain individuals of your own armed forces. Unless you have a owner's consent, you have no right to steal something that isn't yours to begin with. That's considered looting which is illegal under international law.

Answer 3

Anything from a slap on the wrist to being shot.

Answer 4

If no one finds out, then you haven't disobeyed orders.

And some officers will look the other way - NBD.

Minor infraction - article 15. Major infraction - court martial, and maybe time in the stockade. and in a time of war, you could get yourself shot.



If you're in the service, you generally know what you can get away with. Having been in the Army, I tend to know about this.

Answer 5

It depends on what the order was, who gave the order, whether they has SOS for breakfast and which side of the bed they got up on.

Answer 6

You could be arrested, essentially.

Answer 7

They convince you to never do that again.