Lämmerhirt, Rainer Ostern 1945. Krieg an der Werra

At Easter 1945, 80 years ago, there were four days of fierce fighting along the Werra between Gerstungen and Mihla between units of the 3rd US Army under General Patton and quickly assembled units of the German Wehrmacht and the Volkssturm, the last contingent. What happened back then, just a few days before the end of the war, had a long-lasting effect. Destroyed villages such as Creuzburg and Hörschel, soldiers' graves, blown-up bridges - all of this is still a reminder of the events of that time. This book is based on numerous contemporary witnesses whose testimonies have been collected over the last few decades and which have now been analysed in this report on the days at the end of March and beginning of April 1945, as well as on the latest US sources and the few surviving materials from the German side. In a frightening way, it reports on discipline and obedience, the belief in the honour of soldiers, even in the face of seemingly hopeless situations, on the senselessness of war, but also on human behaviour and many a courageous act, such as the rescue of the village of Mihla from destruction. The author's main aim is to ensure that the knowledge gathered over decades about the battles on the Werra is not forgotten and that this knowledge is understood as a warning to our generation in a time of renewed threat from wars and conflicts.