Peace in the Forest: The Second Christmas Truce

The year was 1944, World War II was still in full swing as Germany now found itself being squeezed from both east and west. The Christmas of 1944 would be the last “Good” Christmas Germans would have for a really long time, but there were those who were already feeling the strain of the war during the festive season.

One of them was a young boy by the name of Fritz Vincken, who lived with his mother in a small cottage near the town of Aachen. Vincken’s father was a cook in the German Army, so he would not be spending the holiday with Fritz or his mother. The two were getting their Christmas dinner ready when there was a sudden knock at the door, which was weird considering the weather and that they lived in a rather isolated area. But when Fritz’s mother opened the door, she was met with an unsettling sight.

A Knock at the Door

Standing before her now, were three American Soldiers. These men had actually taken part in what would be known as the “Battle of the Bulge” and had been separated from their unit during the German offensive. Worst still, one of them was wounded and all three had been trying to get back to the Allied lines for the last 3 days.

Now it must be noted that harbouring Allied Soldiers was a big no-no in the eyes of the Germans. Doing so was an instant death sentence via firing squad. But seeing just what state the men were in, Fritz’s mother let them into her home to warm up and, more importantly, rest, all the while using French to communicate.

As the two made their new guests comfortable, another knock was heard and thinking it were more Americans, Fritz answered the door… And was met with 4 armed German Soldiers who were on a patrol and were looking for any American soldiers who were in hiding. Remember what I said about firing squads?

The Germans Arrive

“We have lost our regiment and would like to wait for daylight… Can we rest here?” one of the soldiers asked, just as Fritz’s mother came.

“Of course,” she replied, knowing very well what could happen. “You can also have a fine, warm meal and eat ‘til the pot is empty. But, we have three other guests, whom you may not consider friends. This is Christmas Eve, and there will be no shooting here.”

Sure enough, the Germans realized just who the woman was talking about. She then said… “Listen. You could be my sons, and so could they in there. A boy with a gunshot wound, fighting for his life, and his two friends, lost like you and just as hungry and exhausted as you are. This one night, this Christmas night, let us forget about killing.”

Christmas Miracle

I guess you can say, what happened next was a real Christmas miracle. As the Germans left their guns at the door and soon would spend Christmas Eve with “the enemy.”

The Germans ended up contributing to the impromptu Christmas Dinner with a bottle of wine and rye bread. Mrs. Vincken led a small prayer before they ate and soon enough, both American and German soldiers began to chat with one another. One of the Germans, who had been trained as a medic, even gave treatment to the American soldier who had been wounded. The truce remained all through the night and into Christmas day, when both sides left the cottage and made their way back to their respective lines. But this is not the end of the story…

Rekindling the War-Time Bonds

You see, Fritz never forgot that night and once he was older, he actively tried to locate any of the soldiers who had been there that night. Eventually, he reached out to a little television show called “Unsolved Mysteries” which ran a story about the truce and a few weeks after the episode aired, one of the American soldiers was located.

Ralph Blank had been a member of the 121st Infantry Division stationed on the western front in the Ardennes and was one of the soldiers who was there. Both he and Fritz were eventually reunited 50 years after the truce.

Merry Christmas ~NC