The defection of German soldiers to the Soviet side during the Great Patriotic War can't be called a common phenomenon; still there were hundreds of such examples. Most of them were not allowed by the Soviets to participate in the fighting, and were kept far from the front lines.
The most well-known German defector who nevertheless got a possibility to fight against the Nazis was Fritz Schmenkel, a former worker from Stettin and mobilized Wehrmacht soldier. For several years he fought alongside partisans against the German army; Schmenkel organized and participated in dozens of successful operations and sabotage missions. Unfortunately, his merits were praised only 20 years after his death.
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