Fritz vincken truce in the forest
- •
Truce in the Forest: The Story of a World War II Christmas Eve Truce Between German & American Soldiers During the Battle of the Bulge
Most people have heard the story of the front-line, Christmas-time, truce in France during World War One, partially due to its retelling in the 2005 movie, Joyeux Noël, but not many have heard of the small Christmas Eve truce forced upon a handful of American and German Soldiers by a godly German woman during the Battle of the Bulge in World War Two. In 1973, Fritz Vincken told the story of what young Fritz witnessed as a child, in his home on the German-Belgian border that miraculous Christmas Eve. It is reposted here, in its entirety, for educational purposes:
.
Truce in the Forest, by Fritz Vincken1
It was Christmas Eve, and the last desperate German offensive of WWII raged around our tiny cabin. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door…
When we heard the knock on our door that Christmas Eve in 1944, neither Mother nor I had the slightest inkling of the quiet miracle that lay in store for us. I was 12 then,
- •
The following story was found in the records of BOBA’s Ohio Buckeye chapter. The chapter recently closed but the son of the last president thought to contact us to see if we want to have the records sent to us. We are making an arrangement with Jim Triesler to have the Virginia War Memorial serve as the archive of VBOB/BOBA records.
*******
Christmas Peace
A True Story by Fritz Vincken,
Found in the papers of the Ohio Buckeye Chapter, VBOB
More than half a century ago, on Christmas Eve 1944, in the middle of the battle about the Ardennes, mother and I had unexpected guests.
On that Holy Eve the infantry division No. 256, having received replacements from Bohemia was fighting left on the Rhine bank. Its six battalions had been regrouped. In the New Year Night they once more attacked the Maginot Line from the area around Pirmasens under the code name ‘Nordwind.’ The casualties of that final German advance in the west are buried on the soldier cemetery at Bad Niederbronn (Alsace) and at Dahn (Palatinate).
At that time I was twelve years old and we were living in a
- •
Interview of Fritz Vincken
February, 1997 in Honolulu, Hawaii
Conducted by Joalena Ashmore
Senior at Kahuku High
Fritz Vincken was a twelve year old boy in Germany who lived with his mother in the Ardennes Forest, in a hidden refuge during the fall of 1944. On the Eve of Christmas, American soldiers found their way to this isolated cottage and carried one of their wounded to shelter. Fritz' mother saw their need and decided to let them in even though she could be killed for doing so. She & Fritz spoke no English, but used hand motions to invite them inside. Not long after a heavy knock at the door caused panic as Fritz and his mother realized that German soldiers were outside. Fritz' mother knew the punishment for harboring the enemy, but acted quickly and told the soldiers outside that they could have a nice hot meal, but must leave their guns outside because she had visitors inside and that even though they may not be friendly visitors, this was Christmas Eve and no one would use guns on this sacred night of peace. German soldiers and American soldi
Copyright ©icythaw.pages.dev 2025