On the 5th of May 1945, US soldiers and German Wehrmacht troops fought on the same side, defending French VIP prisoners in an Austrian castle against a veteran SS unit sent to execute the prisoners.
For two days, members of the US 12th Armoured Division, the 103rd Infantry Division, and Wehrmacht troops led by Major Josef Gangel fought against the battle hardened crack troops of 17th Waffen-SS Panzer Grenadier Division.
The French prisoners included the ex-prime ministers Paul Reynaud and Eduard Daladier and former commanders-in-chief Generals Maxime Weygand and Paul Gamelin.
The Battle raged until the defenders were almost out of ammunition, when, at the last moment, they were saved when US troops arrived to reinforce them.
The full story of this extraordinary joining of Allied and Axis forces is told in Stephen Harding's 'The Last Battle'.
No comments:
Post a Comment