There’s a town nearby which was the location of a German POW camp. These guys came from Rommel’s “Afrika Korps” troops. My dad remembers them getting off the train and marching through town to the camp.
Many of the men had similar stories of kindness from the local residents which you both shared.
There’s a museum there now and the last couple of years they’ve hosted a re-enactment complete with a big band dance on Saturday night and a war era movie at the theater which the museum now owns due to it being donated to them.
https://www.alicevillemuseum.org/german-pow.html
Thanks for the stories about POWs.