Member-only story
The Time Germans and Americans Fought Side By Side During WWII
One of the oddest battles of the war
Germany was the ultimate villain of World War II and the sworn enemy of the Allies. The Third Reich was one of the worst states in history, with a long history of war crimes, genocide, and mass surveillance. Germany represented racism, authoritarianism, and the ultimate martial state led by a charismatic leader. Nazi Germany stood against everything that the United States valued. It is no surprise that the United States and Germany found themselves on opposite sides of the conflict due to their ideological incompatibilities.
So it is strange that for one brief battle in the war, American doughboys took up arms alongside Wehrmacht soldiers in defense of a castle of all things. The Battle of Castle Itter was a chaotic engagement that took place in the last days of the war in Europe.
Adolf Hitler killed himself on April 30th, 1945, and the battle took place a week later on May 5th. After Hitler’s death, the war took on a frenetic and uncanny character. Many people wanted to surrender. Orders were being disobeyed and followed in equal measure. Some Germans simply wanted to watch the world burn, while others wanted to surrender and join the Allies. It was in this uneven environment that this situation unfolded.
