二戰期間有沒有關於德國士兵和軍官的勇敢故事？
二戰中德軍英勇的例子數以千計（只要看看獲得的鐵十字勳章的數量）。其中許多是由單個士兵完成的，但也有一些是由瓦爾特·溫克將軍的第 12 軍等大型編隊集體執行的。
1945 年 4 月下旬，第三帝國的日子到頭了，紅軍包圍了柏林，蘇聯軍隊在城市的街道上作戰，距離德國國會大廈和帝國總理府只有一箭之遙。德國士兵和平民都拼命逃往西方，向西方盟國投降，躲避報復性的蘇聯人。
當時溫克將軍的第 12 集團軍正與易北河對岸的美國人對峙。溫克等人輕而易舉的，就是豎起一面大白旗，過河投降，他們這樣做是最有利的，誰能怪他們呢？
但是沒有，溫克命令他的軍隊向東進攻，向柏林進攻，開闢一條通往被包圍的第 9 軍的走廊，以營救盡可能多的士兵和難民。實際上，溫克被命令向柏林市中心進攻以拯救元首（而且只有元首），但溫克只是無視了它。相反，他告訴他的工作人員：“一個人的命運不再重要了……我們將盡可能靠近柏林……我們將嘗試與第 9 軍會合，然後讓每個士兵都出去。和能夠到達西部的平民”。
他和他的軍隊成功了，他們突破了蘇聯的防線，並設法讓一條狹窄的走廊保持足夠長的時間，讓大約 40,000 名第 9 集團軍的士兵和 60,000 名平民逃到易北河並向美國人投降。
他們的勇敢和無私拯救了成千上萬的生命。
德國士兵和難民沿著易北河上一座被毀壞的橋的不穩定平台行走，向美軍投降，而不是向蘇聯軍隊投降。溫克本人是最後一個跨過半毀橋的人之一。
There were literally thousands of examples of German bravery in World War II (just look at the number of Iron Crosses awarded). Many of them were done by individual soldiers, but some were collectively carried out by a large formation such as General Walther Wenck’s 12th Army.
In late April 1945, the days of the Third Reich were numbered, the Red Army had encircled Berlin, Soviet troops were fighting in the city’s streets and were within a stone’s throw of the Reichstag and Reich Chancellery. German soldiers and civilians alike tried desperately to flee to the west to surrender to the Western Allies and avoid the vengeful Soviets.
General Wenck’s 12th Army at the time was facing the Americans across the River Elbe. The easy thing for Wenck and his men to do was simply to erect a big white flag then cross the river to surrender, they were in the most advantageous position to do so and who could blame them?
But no, Wenck ordered his army to attack to the east, toward Berlin to open up a corridor to the encircled 9th Army to rescue as many soldiers and refugees as possible. Actually, Wenck had been ordered to attack toward downtown Berlin to save the Fuhrer (and the Fuhrer only) but Wenck simply ignored it. Instead, he told his staff: “The fate of one person does not matter any more … We will drive as close to Berlin as we can … We will try for a link-up with the 9th Army, and then let’s get out every soldier and civilian who can make it to the west”.
He and his army succeeded, they broke through the Soviet perimeter and managed to keep a narrow corridor open long enough for about 40,000 men of the 9th Army and 60,000 civilians escape to the Elbe and surrender to the Americans.
Their bravery and selflessness saved thousands of lives.
German soldiers and refugees walk along a precarious platform spanning a ruined bridge over the Elbe River to surrender to US forces instead of Soviet forces. Wenck himself was among the last to cross the half-destroyed bridge.
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