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1) A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE!
In 1944, Fritz Vincken was a 12 year-old German boy who lived with his mother Elisabeth in a small cottage in the Ardennes Forest.
In 1944, Fritz Vincken was a 12 year-old German boy who lived with his mother Elisabeth in a small cottage in the Ardennes Forest.
2) On the evening of December 24, 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge, three American soldiers were separated from their unit and found their way to this isolated cottage. They were freezing and exhausted, so Fritz's mother decided to let them in.
3) Not long after welcoming the Americans, four German soldiers knocked at the door. They had lost their unit and needed a place to stay. Elisabeth agreed to let them in but firmly told everyone to put their weapons aside.
4) Seeing that an American soldier was wounded, one of the German soldiers took out his first aid kit and treated him. That night, in the middle of a deadly battle, these seven soldiers had a peaceful and friendly Christmas dinner together.
5) At one moment, Elisabeth stood up, picked up her Bible, and prayed for the war to end, and for all of them to survive. The next morning, the Germans gave the Americans a compass and directions to find their unit.
6) The seven men then said goodbye to each other and headed back to their lines. In 1995, Fritz (who was living in Hawaii and had become an American citizen) found one of the American soldiers, Sgt Ralph Bank, and for years, he had been telling his Christmas story to everyone.
7) Following their reunion, Fritz said: "When he told me: ' Your mother saved my life,' it was the high point of my life. Now, I can die in peace. My mother's courage won't be forgotten and it shows what good will do."
8) Ralph Bank passed away in 1999 in Maryland, and Fritz Vincken died in 2001 in Oregon. Fritz Vincken's father survived the war and was reunited with his wife and son. He passed away in 1963 and Elisabeth died three years later.
9) In 1997, Fritz spoke about that magical evening and said: "My mother knew the penalty for harboring the enemy, but when she looked into the young Americans eyes and saw that one was badly hurt, she opened the door and let them in.
10) I will always remember those seven young soldiers, who met as enemies and parted as friends, right in the middle of the Battle of the Bulge."
