American GI Unexpectedly Plays Santa Claus During WWII

8 min read
 
Let me take you back in time to December 1944. The German army is in full retreat. It appears World War II in Europe may be over soon, but not soon enough for members of the battle-worn 28th Infantry Division. Knowing they wouldn't be home for the holidays, the soldiers settled in the town of Wiltz, Luxembourg to regroup. The GI’s soon discovered that the town had been occupied for nearly five years by the Nazi’s. 

The destruction of war left the townspeople with nothing to celebrate the upcoming Christmas holiday. For the children, it will be especially disappointing without the hope of candies, treats or gifts on the normally town-wide celebration of what was known as St. Nicolas Day. Little did the town know, that members of the 28th Infantry Division would become the catalysts for a heartwarming Christmas miracle that would forever be etched in the history books.

Welcome to That’s Life, I Swear. This podcast is about life’s happenings in this world. Happenings that conjure up such words as intriguing, frightening, life-changing, inspiring, and more. I’m Rick Barron your host. 

That said, here's the rest of this story

It was 1944 and the small town of Wiltz, Luxembourg, and the war had taken a heavy toll in this community. During the five years of German occupation, it had been a center of resistance and the community suffered brutal reprisals. People were being shot in the town square, men who were 17 and older, were forced into the German army, and if they refused, were immediately sent to concentration camps. 

It was a very oppressive environment and the people were suppressed politically. The official language of Luxembourg [Luxembourgish] was not allowed during those five years of captivity, only German was the official language to speak. All the street names that were in French, were quickly switched to German street names such as Herman Goering Boulevard and Adolf Hitler Avenue.  Religious freedoms were curtailed including the dismissal of celebrating Christmas.  Only German holidays were to be observed

The German occupation lasted five years before the US Army and allies pushed them out in September of 1944. 

After the town’s liberation, Allied soldiers moved in for R&R (rest and recuperation). The 112th Regiment, part of the 28th Infantry Division, Pennsylvania National Guard (known as the Keystone Division), had been sent to relieve troops fighting the Germans to retake Hurtgen Forest.

Wiltz, had a storybook town look about it and was located in the center of Luxembourg. After enduring nearly five years of Nazi occupation, the ravages of war had left the townspeople in a state of despair, and the approaching holiday season brought little hope. St. Nicolas Day, a cherished celebration in the community, was traditionally marked by joyous festivities, candies, treats, and gifts for the children. But in 1944, with the town liberated, resources were scarce and very little to pull together any means of celebrating. The prospect of a bleak holiday season weighed heavily on the townspeople's, especially the children who longed for the magic of St. Nicolas Day. 

After nearly five years of Nazi occupation, they towns people are destitute and their children are disappointed they will not experience the celebration of St. Nicolas Day, a beloved Luxembourg tradition.

Hold that thought.

Corporal Harry Stutz. Courtesy of: My Edmond News

Corporal Harry Stutz, of the 28th Infantry Division, had made his way around the town getting to know the towns people. Through the conversations, Harry learned about the St. Nicholas Day celebration. It didn’t take long for Harry to brainstorm an extraordinary idea. He recognized the strong need to bring some semblance of joy and normalcy back into the lives of Wiltz, especially for the children. The town people told Harry that resources were very limited and didn’t have much due to the German occupation. 

Harry was moved by this and felt that he and his fellow GI’s could and had to do something. Gathering a group of like-minded soldiers, he proposed organizing a Christmas party that would be nothing short of magical. 

He asked the company cooks to make donuts and cookies for the children and asked his fellow GI’s to donate whatever they could to hand out little gifts to the kids. 

Some soldiers gave up Christmas packages from home intended for their own enjoyment, and would be handed out to the children. Army rations and supplies were collected for the feast as well. Other items collected were packs of chewing gum, chocolate candy, and bars of soap.

Think about that will you. Very simple gifts but heavy in what it meant, especially after five years of captivity.

A date of December 5th was agreed to for the party with the town church.

Townspeople volunteered to help decorate the town hall, prepare traditional dishes, and mend old dolls and wooden toys to be given as gifts. Children helped too, making paper decorations and practicing Christmas carols. The event gave everyone a sense of joy and renewal amidst the lingering hardships of war. 

Christmas invitations. Courtesy of: YouTube

Knowing Wiltz was kept waiting since 1939 to celebrate, Harry didn’t miss any details. He had the 20th Division Message center create formal invitations to send out to all the children and the citizens in town. The town was going to celebrate again and in grand fashion!

Ok, now Harry had to find someone to play St. Nicolas. No problem. He quickly approached his roommate Corporal Richard Brookins, who was a cryptographer in the signal company's message center. 

Richard’s first response was a flat-out no. Harry wasn’t one to give up and kept pressing him and said that a party was being pulled together for the town to celebrate Christmas and his fellow GI’s were helping to make it happen. 

Richard was still reluctant, but eventually agreed, more so as he didn’t want to disappoint the children of the town.  

Much to Richard’s surprise, Harry told him they had to go to the town church right away. When he asked why, Harry told him that the celebration was happening that day.

When Harry and Richard arrived at the church two nuns were waiting for them. The nuns helped Brookins put on his disguise using the local priest's vestments, a beard made of white rope, and a bishop's miter constructed by the nuns. "St. Nick" and two young girls, who were but eleven years old, dressed as angels.

Soon Richard [St. Nick] and the two young angel girls were driven through town in a jeep, rather than the traditional carriage, and brought to the party at the local castle where St. Nick gave out candy to the children.

After the ceremony at the castle, Richard and his two angels paraded through the streets tossing candy and treats to the children and towns people from the jeep, most of which were women. 

Richard and his two angels parade through the streets. Courtesy of: American

During the celebration, one couldn’t notice the absence of men from the town. As mentioned earlier, most were either taken into the German army or those who refused to serve in the army, were sent to concentration camps. It was something of a bittersweet celebration. As the celebration continued a GI brought out his guitar and started playing Christmas songs. It didn’t take long before the towns people joined in to sing various Christmas carols. The townspeople were having so much fun you forgot a war was going on. People were laughing again, a sound that had been absent for almost five years.

Singing Christmas songs. Courtesy of: American WWII

The party was a huge success. The children were overjoyed, and the townspeople extremely grateful to the American soldiers for their kindness and generosity. Let his moment toss around in your head. With the hostilities of World War II still ongoing, if but for a brief moment, a group of G.I.’s brought a shimmer of light back into this small town that knew only misery for five miserable years. The celebration gave the community a reason to smile and laugh again. It gave them hope that the darkness and ugliness of war was fading.

The celebration to laugh again didn’t last long. Approximately ten days later, Adolf Hitler launched a last-ditch, all-out offensive to break through the Allied lines on Germany’s western border. The German assault into the forested Ardennes region would push American units backward, deep into Belgium and Luxembourg, into towns where war had become all too familiar. The outbreak of Hitler’s final attempt to stop the allies was known as the Battle of the Bulge. 

With the heavy bombing from both Germans and Americas, over 80% of Wiltz was damaged or destroyed in the following weeks of fighting. Tragically, many of the townspeople including children who had enjoyed the Christmas party only two weeks prior were killed. Additionally, many Keystone Division GIs were killed or injured in the fighting. The moment of St. Nicolas day was gone...but not forgotten.

Now, there is more to this story, and it defines the true meaning of never forgetting. 

In 1947, Wiltz reinstated their Saint Nicholas Day celebrations. The goal was not just to honor St. Nicholas, but also to honor the "American St. Nick", as a representative of all of the American forces who had fought to liberate Luxembourg. Richard’s identity remained a mystery until 1977 when a fellow infantryman Frank McClelland tracked him down and delivered a handwritten message from the people of Wiltz inviting him back to the town. Richard was astonished his role as Saint Nichols, was remembered after all these years.

Richard Brookins, along with his family, went back to Wiltz, to once more be the American St. Nicholas in 1977. He returned again in 1994, 1999, 2004 for the sixtieth anniversary, and again for the last time in 2014 at the age of 92 for the seventieth anniversary of the American St. Nick. Though now on oxygen and too frail to play St. Nicholas, Richard Brookins took the jeep ride as an honored guest, and greeted his many admirers at the celebration. Two women interviewed at the event for a video on the newspaper's website Luxemburger Wort, greeted Richard and told them they had been children at the time of the American St. Nick’s first visit in 1944.

In 2016, the government of Luxembourg awarded Richard Brookins the Luxembourg Military Honor Medal.

Cpl. Harry Stutz and Corporal Richard Brookins. Courtesy of YouTube

On October 11, 2018, Richard passed away at 96. 

Cpl. Harry Stutz was among many GI’s who stayed behind to help defend Wiltz during the Battle of the Bulge. He was in a convoy ambushed by Germans on the road to Bastogne. Harry immediately dug a hole on the roadside to bury his wallet, ID card, and dog tags; anything that would identify him as a Jew if captured.

Harry managed to evade the Germans for the next three days before joining up with other GI’s on the way to Neufchateau, Belgium.

Harry Stutz served in the US Army during the remainder of WWII and attained the rank of TEC 5. He died on Dec. 17, 2011 at the age of 94. Harry Stutz is buried at the Edmonds Memorial Cemetery, in the state of Washington.

Why does this story matter? 

The story of Wiltz's Christmas miracle in 1944 is a testament to the extraordinary lengths to which ordinary individuals can go to bring happiness and hope to those in need, even in the darkest of times. 

It serves as a reminder that, even amid the horrors of war, acts of kindness and selflessness can light up the lives of those who have suffered the most. 

Corporal Harry Stutz and Corporal Richard Brookins, along with their fellow soldiers, etched their names in history not for their valor in battle but for the love and compassion they showed to a town in despair.

It was a celebration of the meaning of Christmas in its most simplistic manner.

What can we learn from this story? What's the takeaway?

Harry Stutz and Richard Brookins' story tells us that kindness can bring joy in even the darkest times and forge lasting friendships and gratitude. We join the people of Wiltz in honoring these men, along with the GI’s of the 28th Infantry Division, who brought back the true spirit of St. Nicholas in 1944 and beyond. 

Well, there you go, my friends; that's life, I swear

For further information regarding the material covered in this episode, I invite you to visit my website, which you can find on either Apple Podcasts/iTunes or Google Podcasts, for show notes calling out key pieces of content mentioned and the episode transcript.

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