Topic: The Night God Came To Dinner

In December 1944, the German army invaded the Ardennes Forest in the famous Battle of the Bulge. During the fighting, three American soldiers were cut off from their unit and one of them was wounded in the leg. For two days and nights they wandered in the snow, until finally they found refuge in the home of Elisabeth Vincken and her 12-year-old son Fritz, who lived near the German-Belgian border. The Vinckens did not speak English but were able to communicate with them in French. Elisabeth took them in and began to prepare Christmas Eve dinner.

Before they could eat there was a knock at the door. Elizabeth opened it and expected more American soldiers but instead she was confronted by four German soldiers. They had also been cut off from their unit. Elisabeth invited them in to share Christmas dinner with her family and her other guests. When the Germans asked who the guests were, she admitted they were Americans. The Germans raised their rifles only to be told by Elisabeth that it was Christmas Eve and there was going to be no shooting in her house. She told them to put their weapons in a shed and join them for a peaceful Christmas dinner. They did.

The Americans were stunned to see four German soldiers enter the house. Elisabeth took their guns away, too, and sat everyone down around the table. She said grace, one that Fritz remembered was not a rote prayer but a heartfelt supplication to God for his safety and peace. One of the Germans examined the wounded soldier's leg and said he would survive. After a restful night, the soldiers went their separate ways but not before the Germans gave the Americans a compass and directions on how to get back to their lines.

Fritz was deeply moved by this encounter and told the story often. He spent years unsuccessfully searching for the American and German soldiers, until in March 1995 the story was featured on the "Unsolved Mysteries" television show. Following the program, a nursing home chaplain in Maryland called to say he knew a man who had been telling this same story. In January 1996, Vincken went to the nursing home to meet Ralph Blank, who had served with the 121st Infantry, 8th Division, during World War II. Blank showed Vincken the compass the German soldiers had given him. "When he told me, 'Your mother saved my life,' it was the high point of the life," Fritz Vincken said of the reunion. "Now, I can die in peace. My mother's courage won't be forgotten and it shows what good will will do."

In recalling the story in his 1985 visit to Germany, President Reagan noted that it "needs to be told and retold because none of us can ever hear too much about building peace and reconciliation."
(Fritz Vincken died in 2001)

Attribution:
Title: The Night God Came To Dinner
Data Source: Unsolved Mysteries Television Show
Article Author: Phil Boatwright
Typist Or Article Provider: David Holwick

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