Enemy war veterans who are now friends reunite - WATCH

Graham Stevenson, aged 93, of Walsall, and Karl ‘Charley’ Fredrich Koenig, 94, of Hamburg, fought against each other in the African desert in 1943.

The pair met again this week at Cannock Chase War Cemetery and will be heading off together to Normandy for the D-Day landings anniversary.

Without even knowing, they came into contact in Tunisia during the Second World War, when the British and opposition tanks came up against one another – with Mr Stevenson’s tank on the right flank and Mr Koenig’s on the left.

WATCH: The reunited veterans speak to the Express & Star

“Who knows if we came up against each other? We couldn’t have been too far away,” said Mr Stevenson.

“The first time we met in Nottingham at the regimental annual reunion and dinner. Karl was looking at an artist’s impression of the battle and I pointed at the tank nearest and said ‘that was my tank – number 24’. He said ‘well I was on the left flank’.

“I said well it’s a bloody good job we missed then!”

Mr Stevenson was just 16 when he signed up and was a machine gunner for the Sherwood Ranger Yeomanry Tank Regiment and went on to fight in Normandy – before being hit by gun fire, which saw the end of his service.

Mr Koenig was part of the German 21st Panzer Division and his war came to an end in May 1943. He was captured by the Americans and became a prisoner of war until 1947 in the US, Belgium and England.

He said: “I became a PoW in Africa after the campaign ended. There was very little food. I began to learn the American expressions.

“I began to practice immediately but with my school English I was already pretty good. When we had to go aboard a ship, I became immediately the interpreter of a boat.

“When I came back from captivity, we German soldiers were in some places considered the scum of the earth, because they thought that we were aware of what had happened in the concentration camps. This is not the truth.

“On the contrary, of course they had to keep it hush-hush otherwise we would not have fought. I remember that we were all convinced that we had to fight for our country. My whole class volunteered except for a Danish fellow and two Jewish fellows. I was 18 at the time and I tried to get accepted when I was 17. It was a question of pride and honour.”

In 1991, Mr Koenig was invited to become an honorary member of the Sherwood Rangers Old Comrades’ Association.

He had sought out Ken Ewing – a crew mate and friend of Mr Stevenson – who was head of the southern branch of the group.

More than 15 years later, Mr Koenig always wears a Sherwood Rangers beret and now they are the only two left of the group.

After meeting on yearly basis over the past decade or so, this could be the last time they both meet.

American Heather Steele, of the World War Two History Project, has been crowdfunding to produce a film detailing their story.

Mr Stevenson said: “The only positive thing that can come out of war is when the enemy can become friends. It seems funny that we were such a small company that me and Ken Ewing were in the same tank.”

Mr Koenig says: “I consider being a Sherwood Ranger as an honour.” He added “Ken Ewing was first person I ever contacted and became like a brother.

“What I want is that people should get to know each other, understand each other and respect each other. And if possible, become friends.

"That is what I have on my mind all the time. I have been considering this as my mission.

The German people were demoralised and by re-education – some of them – became so full of animosity against us veterans.

“I had the wish and dream that through my work at least some of the young German people would see the light and have the intention to learn the truth about history.

“But apparently it was wishful thinking and doesn’t work. So I lost my country – and my countrymen. My life seems to be useless.”

To mark the 75th anniversary of their fight in the desert, the World War Two History Project has launched the crowdfunding campaign.

To find out more and to donate head online to www.indiegogo.com/projects/for mer-enemies-best-friends-friendship-peace