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The German World War II Captive Whose Death Was Preceded By A Cruel Ultimatum

In scenes that are reminiscent of a warped version of "The Pianist" — in which a Polish Jew is spared by a German soldier after playing some Chopin on the piano — a group of Soviet soldiers communicated through gestures to a young SS soldier that he should play the piano for them, according to "Berlin: The Downfall 1945" by Antony Beever. However, unlike in the famous Polanski movie, they also signaled that the moment he stopped playing — he would die.

Some of us in such a situation may well have chosen to take the bullet and get it over with — but either hope or terror motivated the soldier to start playing. The exhausted man wound up performing for the Soviets for an incredible 16 hours before he finally collapsed onto the piano, reduced to tears, according to Beever's book.

After receiving a congratulatory pat on the back, the soldier was shot, as promised. The entire scene was witnessed by a British RAF pilot who was accompanying the Soviet troops, and who passed the story into the historical record.

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