'Two weeks after Adolf Hitler committed suicide, German troops and American soldiers fought together to rescue a group of high profile French prisoners in the final days of the war. .. It was the only time Allied forces fought alongside German soldiers during the six year war.' Source:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...an-castle-weeks-Hitler-committed-suicide.html http://www.historynet.com/the-battle-for-castle-itter.htm
Yes, I read that. Another interesting read is a biography of Von Manstein. It discusses Hitlers hold over his generals. Hitler paid all 3000 generals their salaries from a personal fund. He also gave them bonuses, estates, pensions and other rewards. In return, they pledged loyalty to him. By the time the war turned against Germany, it was too late to change course. The generals felt Hitler was the only man who could unite the German people against the Communists. That is why the plot to kill Hitler had a lot of sympathy but little support.
From most of the sources I have read, most of the high ranking German's new the war was over when they couldn't get past Stalingrad/Moscow but were too afraid of Hitler to recommend anything "sane"
Draco; According to Manstein's biography, most generals did know the war was lost, but they still wanted to save Germany from annihilation. They hoped to achieve a stalemate in order to avoid unconditional surrender. They hoped for a miracle similar to the one the saved Frederick the Great of Prussia. He was surrounded by enemies and on the verge of destruction when the Russian empress suddenly died and the coalition against him broke up. Like him, or not, they felt that Hitler was the only leader who could keep the German people united while they tried to save the fatherland. The odds were too great.