I just recently finished reading Proud to Be a Railsplitter by Mike Chirco, filled with anecdotal stories of the 84th Infantry Division as they battled at the Siegfried Line and fought in the Battle of the Bulge during WWII. This was the division my father fought in.
Finally the Americans had broken through and were racing across Germany toward Berlin, and yet they continued to meet pockets of resistance. In some villages, white flags went up at some of the homes, welcoming the Americans and the impending end to the war, but others held out for Hitler.
Outside of one small village the troops met some resistance and at one point an American soldier went down. A medic, clearly identified by a red cross on his helmet and bright jacket, ran forward to help. It was against the rules of war to shoot a medic. yet a sniper in a nearby barn took direct aim and shot the medic. Angered, the troops rushed the barn and found a 13-year-old boy inside the barn wearing the Nazi uniform and holding a rifle.
As the troops entered the barn, this teen-age boy dropped his rifle, threw his arm up in a Nazi salute and yelled, :Heil Hitler! I gladly give my life for the glorious leader."
And the author of the story said, "And so he did."
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