There is an often-told story about a Canadian soldier who escaped a PoW camp in Germany in the Second World War.
He got as far as a farm in Germany before a husband and wife caught him. Only the couple didn't immediately report him to authorities.
Instead, they conveyed to him that they had a son in the German army who had been captured and placed in a Canadian PoW camp. He was being held at the Whitewater PoW Camp in Riding Mountain National Park. Their son had been allowed to write home and told his parents not to worry, the Canadians were treating him better than the German army had.
So the couple invited the escaped Canadian soldier into their home, cooked him the best meal he'd eaten in months and gave him food and supplies to aid his escape. Then they bid him adieu with a "Grüss Gott!" (God bless).
There is a long history of mutual respect and admiration between Germans and Canadians, once you get past the political leaders and power-brokers. The Whitewater PoW camp was a prime example.
more
Happy PoWs - Winnipeg Free Press
Whitewater POW Camp Archaeology Project - Image Galleries
He got as far as a farm in Germany before a husband and wife caught him. Only the couple didn't immediately report him to authorities.
Instead, they conveyed to him that they had a son in the German army who had been captured and placed in a Canadian PoW camp. He was being held at the Whitewater PoW Camp in Riding Mountain National Park. Their son had been allowed to write home and told his parents not to worry, the Canadians were treating him better than the German army had.
So the couple invited the escaped Canadian soldier into their home, cooked him the best meal he'd eaten in months and gave him food and supplies to aid his escape. Then they bid him adieu with a "Grüss Gott!" (God bless).
There is a long history of mutual respect and admiration between Germans and Canadians, once you get past the political leaders and power-brokers. The Whitewater PoW camp was a prime example.
more
Happy PoWs - Winnipeg Free Press
Whitewater POW Camp Archaeology Project - Image Galleries