US soldiers fought for democracy and the freedom of other nations in WWII. Yet in the course of military operations, they too committed war crimes. Most of them were never followed up on, let alone punished. In the wake of the Allies’ advance against Hitler’s tyranny, there were numerous atrocities committed by the victors, not only in the East. Apart from their medals, some American soldiers also kept a dark secret. GIs killed German prisoners of war and raped thousands of German women.