Figure 1.--This U.S. army photograph shows a German teenager aiding US infantrymen in their search for snipers in Worms, Germany. This was only a week after croissing the Rhine. We are not sure about the youth's motivation.The photograph was taken Masrch 21. |
Not all German boys were determined to fight in the defense of Germany. In fact some boys cooperated with the Allied soldiers. Here we do not mean the friendly relations that developed between American soldiers and German children during the occupation. Here we mean cooperation during the fishting as Allied armies crossed the border of the Reich. Here our preconceived concept is that msany young Germns were willing to either fight the Allies in the Volkssturm or at least fearfully watched the Allies roll through German once the Rhine River crossings were forced. We do not know how common it was for German boys to cooperate with the Allied soldiers or indeed what their motivation was. This boy could be pointing out snipers his own age. We have no idea why he was doing this. Perhaps he was bribed with food. Perhaps his parents or other family members had been interened in concentration camps. We just do not know.
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