Humanitarian. He is known as the "Hero with no Glory" after saving the lives of two Dutch children, Jan and Toos Kilsdonk. They were innocently playing in their yard while the Allied Army was bombing the area. This eighteen-year-old soldier dashed to their aid and carried the children to safety with their mother. When he ran after his retreating comrades, a grenade hit him under his arm; it was exactly where he had just been carrying the children. His body was instantly destroyed. In 2008, a bronze statue was erected in his honor in a front garden in the tiny village of Riel, Netherlands at the corner of streets Dorpstraat and Beatrixstraat. Private funds paid for the statue; no governmental funds were available for a project that, after sixty years, still stirred painful memories of the Nazi Army invading the Netherlands. As one resident of the village stated, "We will not be honoring the Wehrmacht, but rather the humanity of a young German soldier." Sadly, his parents died before the details surrounding his death were released.
Humanitarian. He is known as the "Hero with no Glory" after saving the lives of two Dutch children, Jan and Toos Kilsdonk. They were innocently playing in their yard while the Allied Army was bombing the area. This eighteen-year-old soldier dashed to their aid and carried the children to safety with their mother. When he ran after his retreating comrades, a grenade hit him under his arm; it was exactly where he had just been carrying the children. His body was instantly destroyed. In 2008, a bronze statue was erected in his honor in a front garden in the tiny village of Riel, Netherlands at the corner of streets Dorpstraat and Beatrixstraat. Private funds paid for the statue; no governmental funds were available for a project that, after sixty years, still stirred painful memories of the Nazi Army invading the Netherlands. As one resident of the village stated, "We will not be honoring the Wehrmacht, but rather the humanity of a young German soldier." Sadly, his parents died before the details surrounding his death were released.
Bio by: Fred
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