An Incredible True Christmas Story From WWII

 In the times and seasons that we find ourselves in, I wanted to post something that would give hope. It did not take long to find the touching story of "The Incredible True Christmas Story From WWII's Dark Days" by John Champion, December 25, 2017.

I am sure there were more stories that happened throughout Europe and if you know of any, please contact me. I would love to share them.

In the last days of the war in World War II, the German Army was attempting to make their final push against the allies. You could imagine fighting during the wet and cold, winter of Germany in 1944.

There is a small cottage on the German-Belgian border occupied by a mother and a 12-year-old boy named Fritz Vincken. A knock at the door broke the quietness of the house and in come three American soldiers, one of them seriously wounded. They were armed, desperately cold, on Christmas Eve. 

The Nazi Regime considered sheltering Allied soldiers as an act of high treason for a German citizen for which she could shot and her property confiscated. Yet, she invited them in any way and tended to their wounds.

It wasn't long before suddenly there was another knock at the door. In comes four Nazi soldiers. She took one of the biggest gambles of her natural life. She invited them and sternly told the cold and hungry soldiers that there would be no killing in her home that night. She and the boy had a fatted chicken that they were going to prepare for Christmas dinner. They prepared the feast for their Christmas guests.

They agreed to her terms and turned their weapons over the woman and they shared the meal together without so much as an insult.

The Christmas visit gets even better. One of the German soldiers was a medical student before the war began. Surprisingly, he began to treat the wounds of the American soldier. In the morning, the Germans gave the Americans their spare compass and directed them back to the allied forces. They even told them how to avoid all the Nazi-occupied areas. 

Over the years Fritz Vincken has been sharing the story over many years. It has been shared with "Reader's Digest," and even former President Ronald Reagan shared it once in a speech that he gave in Germany. 

In 1995, Fritz found one of the soldiers who had also been sharing the story also and for years. In this time and season, can't we put aside our differences for a while? Can't we stop the hostilities and appreciate the real meaning of Christmas? Let's start today.

-John