During the liberation of Paris, my unit found itself in the middle of fire engaged by the Germans and French. Seeking refuge, I ran into the Chamber of Deputies. It happened to be occupied by several hundred Germans, whose officers were debating whether to surrender to the French. Thinking quickly, I offered them another option: surrender to the Americans, who would treat them much better than the vengeful French. They agreed. I led them out the door—and then bolted. Since no American officers were there to accept their surrender, the French rounded them up. A French newspaper did an article on the event, which was picked up by the Chicago Tribune.
©Phil Drell