Was this 'Sgt Woods' the American executioner? I only ask, because some at least of the war criminals were executed by the famous Albert Pierrepoint, the English hangman, brought over specially. Apparently the British authorities on the ground were unhappy with the American strangling and the Russian firing squads, both of which were inclined to be inefficient and messy. Pierrepoint was a master of the 'measured drop', which by a combination of correct placement of the knot and a precise drop from a hatch, ensured a quick, if not instant, death. It was said that Pierrepoint only needed to look at a person to see how long a drop was needed. He also insisted that those executed should have individual coffins, rather than being thrown into mass graves.