“Battlefield Bargain”

AP reporter Hal Boyle filed this story from Sicily, and newspapers across the country ran it. It tells how 17 American paratroopers, captured by the crews of two disabled German Tiger tanks, ended up drinking wine with two German soldiers at an old villa near Niscemi on July 12, 1943, and how a "gentleman's agreement" set them free.

Medical Sgt. Earl Wills and three other medics drove out under Red Cross flags to treat the wounded. When they brought the story back, it reached Capt. John Lauten, the regiment's intelligence officer. Zoom into the bottom of the third column to find him:

“But I set out to investigate it, and it turned out to be absolutely true. I found the two tanks with their turrets and guns blown up, and I talked with the parachutist lieutenant, who corroborated the story. I know the story sounds crazy, but crazy things happen in war.”

Historians in Sicily are now working to mark the site, known as the Iacono winery, as a memorial that honors both sides. John will be included.

The family's copy is from an unidentified newspaper. The story also ran in the St. Paul Pioneer Press on August 15, 1943.