My great-great-grandfather, Wilhelm Beicht, was a Freemason living in what is now Poland. I was told that he refused to flee Poland like the rest of my German family at the end of WWII because he believed there would be Masons in the Red Army who would recognise him and spare him from harm. This did not happen, and he was taken to the gulags.
However, I'm wondering whether it was common during WWII for Freemasons on opposing sides to believe that the bond of being a Mason would transcend the Axis/Ally boundary. Was there a lot of internationalist rhetoric among Masons during this period, whether German or otherwise? And if so, was this just an empty ideal (as it was for my g-g-grandfather), or did it ever actually happen that being a Mason protected people during the war or led to bonding between people on opposing sides? Or was it the case that most Masons were so patriotic as to value their allegiances in the war over any potential links with Masons from other countries?
Firstly as a mason, I am moved by the dedication your G-G-Grandfather had to the values of brotherly love during the darkest time of modern European history. Unfortunately from what I have researched, it was an admirable but sadly misguided notion. To help answer your question, I can give an overview of Freemasonry in Germany and Russia at the time which should explain why masonic assistance would be difficult.
Lodges in Germany prior to the 20th century had in fact flourished, contrary to Austria where it had been banned since 1794. They were often hubs of liberal thought and enlightenment which in the eyes of Nazi officials looking back stuck out like a sore thumb. In the aftermath of the First World War and the emergence of the "Stab in the Back Myth", Jews were blamed for the apparently unjustified defeat of Germany, yet at the same time, the infamous Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion was published and circulated. Readers were horrified to discover the relatively benign masons of Germany were in fact plotting with Jews for world domination. There was of course not a grain of truth in the document but it gave the resemblance of an answer as to why Germany which was supposedly on the cusp of victory was defeated by the Allies.
Fast forward to the ascension of Hitler in 1933, the SD in particular started to collate documentation on Freemasonry which led to their targeting and persecution. They argued Freemasonry stood for "liberalism and tolerance" while walking hand in hand with Jews and Bolsheviks. They argued Masons had excessive influence in the railways and banking system which were vital to the Nazi state and their removal was required immediately. On top of this, they argued the rest of the world was colluding against the Reich thanks to the international nature of Freemasonry pointing out men like FDR were in the craft.
Through the 1933 Enabling Act, masonic lodges were disbanded and their property was taken. The membership records kept by lodges made it very easy for the Nazis to know exactly who was in the craft leading to their dismissal from the military, civil service, or any other position of power. Goebbels ensured that the propaganda apparatus of the state openly targeted Masonry as a political enemy of the Reich and it was regularly broadcasted through the media and even had a museum created to portray Freemasonry in a deeply negative light. All in all, supporting or endorsing Masonry in Germany at this time was contrary to the "correct" political thought and something not to be discussed. In the case of your G-G-Grandfather, there would have been no help coming from the German side of the invasion.
Now onto attitudes in Russia. Freemasonry only entered the country via military officers from Western Europe who were employed by the state to improve the armed forces. The reactionary nature of Russia throughout the centuries, especially in response to events like the French Revolution or 1848 Revolutions, led them to deeply distrust Masonry. It was in essence opposite to everything the autocracy stood for and had been banned since 1822. Similar to how Leo Tolstoy describes masonry in War and Peace, it did operate underground still and strictly reserved for the aristocracy. The Provisional Government after the 1917 Revolution did allow the ban to lapse but it was quickly reinforced again by majority Bolshevik rule the same year. I understand a small number of lodges continued to operate illegally underground but in deep secrecy fearing reprisal. It is therefore doubtful that any Red Army soldier or officer would have been involved with Freemasonry, or had the financial means to do so, and even less likely they would have exposed themselves to try and save foreign masons.
In response to the other part of your question, I haven’t found any examples of Masonry transcending the Allies/Axis lines. Masonry which remained active in the free countries during the war played their part in the war effort and encouraged their members to donate metal regalia. There is a history of Masonry in POW camps where Allied soldiers tried to form covert lodges and carry on their craft. Additionally in the occupied Channel Islands the islanders continued to practice their meetings using paper aprons and homemade equipment (If you ever have a chance, you can see these on display at the Museum of Freemasonry at United Grand Lodge in London).
I hope this sheds some light.
Sources:
Johnstone M, The Freemasons (London 2016)
Burleigh M, The Third Reich (London 2000)