My dad was captured at the Battle of the Bulge and taken to stalag 13 in Germany. At the end of the war Patton tried to liberate the camp because his son-in-law was there but the first attempt failed. My dad escaped and was recaptured with a couple other guys. Soldiers were lining them up for a firing squad and an SS officer ("they were the worst of the worst") intervened and told them to stand down. They weren't happy and a soldier stood up to him. The officer took of his white glove "one finger at a time, like this...." and slapped the soldier across the face with it and said "You will obey me. The war is over, there's been enough killing". Short version of a true story.
Don't get me wrong, the Germans were ruthless (as they should have been they were fighting for their lives,) but they also seemed to understand that there were protocols that had to be followed. Perhaps I'm just reading too much into it, but thanks for that feet on the ground account.
Wow that's a helluva story for the grandkids
For sure! He never talked about it when we were kids but I asked him later in life and wrote it all down. After they escaped he and a few others took refuge in a small shack. A young boy around 12 or 13 spotted them. They knew he'd report them but they weren't gonna go after a kid.
Dad was smart. While at stalag 13 he spoke French and asked German farmers on the other side of the fence who spoke French if he could have the weeds they were pulling from the fields. The fresh dandelion greens were a treat for him and the other POW's to supplement the meager gruel. "If a horse died there might be meat in it".
Amazing stuff.
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