Britischer Kommandosoldat wird mit Kieler Ehrenmedaille ausgezeichnet
Ich habe diesen Artikel vor kurzem auf der Seite der britischen Tageszeitung Daily Mail entdeckt..
[Links nur für registrierte Nutzer]British hero who seized key German port during World War II is honoured ... by Germany
A soldier who seized a key German port during World War II has become the first Englishman to be given the freedom of a city - in Germany.
Major Tony Hibbert, 92, led a team of 500 commandos as part of Operation Eclipse to take Kiel in May, 1945.
The men secured the port which led to the surrender of a large German garrison and stopped Kiel falling into Soviet hands.
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He said: 'I was given no explanation but I was told the order had come direct from Eisenhower and the other allied leaders, so I presumed it was very serious.
'It was only later I discovered that the Russians had decided to break the Yalta agreement and march on to take Denmark. They wanted a nice free port.
'If they had succeeded there is no doubt that World War III would have started before World War II had finished.'
Once they arrived in Kiel the commanders searched for Admiral Karl Doenitz commander of the German fleet, who had taken over from Adolf Hitler following his suicide.
The major was in plaster and on crutches at the time, following an earlier crash in a jeep under German fire.
One of his first ports of call was at German naval headquarters in Kiel.
He said: 'A German naval officer stood at the top of the steps watching me with disgust. I put up my hands and said, "I have come to help you end this war".
'He helped me up the stairs and within 10 minutes agreed the surrender of the German west Baltic fleet and troops in Schleswig-Holstein state and Denmark.
'The mission was successful because we stopped the Russians who wanted to take Kiel, Denmark and, as I discovered only recently, Norway too.'
He admitted he was "surprised" when he was told he'd been honoured by the Germans - his former enemy.
He said: 'I must admit I was a bit surprised when I heard about this.
'It came out of the blue and it seems a bit strange to receive an award from what was the enemy.
'But I am very proud of this award because I did my bit to help bring peace.'
Zu der ganzen Sache mag man jetzt stehen wie man will. Strategisch geseehen war es natürlich besser, dass Kiel in die Hände der Engländer gefallen ist. Natürlich wären die Russen, hätten die Westalliierten nicht im Weg gestanden bis nach Spanien weitermarschiert um ihre Weltrevolution zu verbreiten.
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Zitat von Steiner
