Original subtitles

Who's next? Foiret?

Not yet. Our friend wants to watch him die.

What about the Boche then? -When I'm ready.

I'll check the corridor.

Alain. Pascal. Major Turner.

Major, can you give me a hand.

I'll get some water.

Vercors. They've taken Albert and Monique.

How long ago? -I don't know about 15 minutes, maybe more.

Where did they go? -I don't know. I didn't see.

Are you alright, Pascal? -Yes, yes, don't worry about me.

Alain, they've taken Monsieur Foiret. -Where have they taken them?

Rue de Bois. The old works.

Do you know who this woman is, Foiret?

This is Jacqueline Leclerc. Her husband, Guy Leclerc was my closest friend.

He was killed five months ago when you betrayed us to the Boche.

Are you listening to me, Foiret?

Look up into her eyes.

I said look up into her eyes.

I swore to her one day she would watch the last

breath squeeze from your filthy throat, Foiret.

I had no choice. -She can't hear you.

Are you pleading for her forgiveness? -I had no choice.

I thought you would betray us.

Liar.

Hey there. Stop, stop.

Hey.

Do it.

Come on.

Stop.

Oh, my God.

Grab him.

Lift him up.

Push him forward. Push him forward.

That's it, that's it.

Keep him rested. Keep him rested.

Take the flag off him, quick.

That's it.

Is he still breathing? -I don't know.

Is he dead?

You did a good job Major. You probably saved his life.

I have a prisoner to hand over.

He's alright.

Major, what about Monique Duchamps?

We can't do much until we know where they've taken her. Excuse me.

But she could be dead. We must find her.

As soon as he regains consciousness, we may know.

I'll be at HQ. I'll do what I can.

But that could be too late.

With respect mademoiselle, you are not the only people in Brussels

who need my help, nor the only evasion line.

Alain, we must find her. Help me please, Alain. Help me.

How Natalie. You've been out there. It's chaos on the street. -We have to try.

Gestapo HQ, Sir. I thought I'd bag it for us, before The Guards moved in.

Well done. How's it all going?

By the book so far. But I get the feeling that they moved out fast.

See if you can get hold of Brigade for me. - Yes, Sir.

It's alright, Sergeant. He's a prisoner.

Now Major, since you're familiar with this building,

perhaps you'd like to show me the best office.

Our senior officers would prefer one with a view.

Sorry, Sir, we haven't cleared that one yet.

I'm sure the Major will let us know if it's safe.

After you.

I see. Not terribly original.

No, give them to the Major. He'll do it for you.

That's a job for an expert, Sir.

I've no doubt the Major is familiar with German booby traps.

And since it's his own neck, he's likely to be extra careful.

Well done.

Well, let's have the window open. It's a bit stuffy in here. Not you, Sergeant.

Splendid. You're going to save us an awful lot of time, Major.

I'm so glad you waited on for us.

Pascal, can't we talk to him? He's the only one who knows where Monique is.

He's going to come round, my dear, but he'll do it in his own time.

Albert, where is she? -Natalie. For God's sake!

Tell me where Monique is. Tell me...

Natalie, come on.

There was nothing.

Some old woman in the market place said she saw them being taken away, but...

Albert, come on. -Leave him. Leave him.

Right, he's coming round.

Carry on, Sergeant.

Well Major, as an intelligence officer yourself,

I imagine you're fairly familiar with this routine.

Reinhardt, Hans Dietrich...

Yes, yes, alright, but let's try and move on a bit from there, hmm?

Your colleagues have left the city. You have stayed behind, why?

Reinhardt, Hans Dietrich...

Having decided to stay. You have already been blacklisted by

the Gestapo, so why not go the whole way and cooperate with us?

Reinhardt, Hans Dietrich Major, Luftwaffe. -No. Let's get it right. Luftwaffe police.

The senior officer responsible for the capture and torture of Allied airmen.

All prisoners taken under my command

were treated in accordance with the Geneva Convention.

Reinhardt, I have interviewed dozens of RAF aircrew.

Some have been through your hands. Would you like to see the medical reports?

Not my hands. -Then whose hands?

My orders were to hand over all captured airmen

to the Gestapo, as I'm sure you are aware, Major.

Are you saying that Kessler gave the orders for torture and summary execution?

Reinhardt...

Reinhart. I have only turn you loose on the Grand Place out there.

Before you've got a dozen yards the resistance boys

will have a rope around your neck.

You will not do that, Major. -Oh, wouldn't I?

If you could hand our chaps over to the Gestapo.

Why couldn't I hand you over to the resistance?

I gave myself up. I have told you, I was acting under orders.

Where are those orders? Let me see them.

All records have been removed as you can see.

Looks to me, Sir, as if the Major is up that old familiar creek, without a paddle.

I'm afraid it does.

Apart from the brutal treatment of service personnel,

I'm getting mounting evidence of the torture,

mutilation, and murder of Belgian civilians.

The orders came from here, from this building. -But not from me.

Someone's going to have to stand trial for it.

And I'm afraid Kessler has left you holding the baby.

Take him away.

This way please.

What do you really want from me, Major?

Kessler.

Standartenführer Kessler left Brussels at midday.

As late as that? And would you care to tell me where he was heading?

As far as his petrol will take him. I suppose.

Damn it.

I ordered them to fill the tank.

I ordered them.

Come.

Ludwig, I can't keep up.

We should have reached the Liege canal by now.

We must have taken the wrong turning.

I can't keep up..

American Mustangs. They swarm around like flies.

Where's the Luftwaffe?

I'm holding you up.

No, of course not.

As long as we keep moving under cover until nightfall.

Tomorrow Dietrich's Panzers will be here and will counterattack.

Madeleine, there is a chance. Believe me.

The Allies have stretched their lines too far. It's the classic mistake.

Just say you love me.

I love you, Madeleine.

More than my own life.

Damn those Mosquitoes. -They're attacking all the canals.

We were safer on the barge, and drier. -They want to sink every barge they can.

Most of them are full of German soldiers trying to reach Holland.

I've had it!. I'm cold. I'm wet. I'm tired. I want to get out of here

What is it?

Kessler.

Who's Kessler?

Ludwig...

I'm being stung to pieces.

What is it?

What did you see?

Kessler.

Here, this is Kessler. Head of the Gestapo in Belgium.

The most hated man in the whole country.

He will be trying to reach the German lines.

He'll get himself killed.

Come on, let's get moving. It can't be all that far to Brussels.

We were only 16 km away when we left the barge.

Is there anything useful here?

He's responsible for the death of my wife.

Alright. I can manage.

Just point me in the right direction.

Maybe we've already passed through the German lines and didn't notice.

Well, which way?

Keep parallel to the canal. It will be full of troops.

I'm going to find this man.

It's now clear that the last of the German occupation troops left the

city by Northern suburbs virtually as we arrived from the Southwest.

Yes, I've just come from their barracks. There was coffee still warm in the pot.

But they left a few fireworks behind. Some real, some dummy.

Our good friends in the resistance have done a wonderful job in pinpointing

their positions and have offered to help us in any way that they can.

We are very obliged to you, gentlemen.

Obviously our first concern is to make sure

the main services are in full operation as soon as possible.

Electricity, gas and telephones.

Telephones, Mr. Dunlop. -Thank you Sir.

Now there are two 20 Kg charges in this building. Is that correct, gentlemen?

Here and here.

The first charge is wired to the existing burglar alarm circuit,

but that is in fact a dummy. -Oh, so we can ignore that? -Correct.

The real charge is linked to the switchboard itself.

One of our group is a telephone engineer.

He's ready to go with you and identify the circuits.

Tommy.

Hey, Tommy.

Don't shoot, don't shoot, please.

Hande hoch.

Looks like a local, Sir.

You were asking to get shot.

Please you must help me. -Get lost. Allez-vous.

Jeezes.

You don't understand. I have just seen Kessler head of the Gestapo in Belgium.

I don't give a damn even if you've seen 'itler. -But, I've seen him.

Why won't you listen? -This man is impossible.

Go home.

Why won't you listen?

That man is important. He must be found.

Come on.

I'm afraid the Major's in a briefing conference at the moment.

There hasn't been much time. As you can imagine, we've been rather busy.

Can I see him, please?

Not at the moment. He's with the resistance leaders.

Oh, so much the better.

I say you can't just pop in there like...

Major Turner, you promised to make inquiries about Monique Duchamps.

Terribly sorry, Sir, she just wouldn't wait.

Alright. -Have you? -Can any of you chaps help us?

Do any of you know Monique Duchamps?

The lady from the Candide restaurant.

We know her.

I think not well enough.

The Candide was owned and run by us.

Albert Foiret, Monique Duchamps, Alain Muny

and this young lady here, Natalie Chantrens were our agents.

But...

Why weren't we told this before? -It was too great a risk.

I see Major. You can trust a black marketeer

like Monsieur Foiret, but not the resistance movement.

Did you tell the evasion lines who you people were?

We used people who are least likely to arouse suspicion, just as you did.

Monsieur...

Do you know Paul Vercors?

I might. -Where can I find him?

You can trust her Monsieur. It is important.

What do you want him for?

He tried to hang Albert Foiret. If he's got Monique, he may do the same.

Where is he Monsieur Spaatz? I want to know.

He could be anywhere in the city. -I think you can do better than that.

You might find him in the Gift des Souris -- later today. -Thank you.

Shall I send someone with you? -No thank you Major. I'll go alone.

Where is everyone?

Why aren't they eating?

Haven't we opened?

You are feeling better, Albert? -I'm alright.

What's this?

It's a miracle that any of us survived.

I've never seen such anarchy on the streets.

It's only a tiny minority, but they were creating chaos.

They say the British are bypassing Brussels, making straight for Antwerp.

No, no they're here. -Only a handful.

Enough to say they've taken the city. How can they keep order?

The mobs, are they still out there?

Who can stop them? Too many for the police to cope with.

Where's Monique?

Monique? -Yes, where is she?

Albert, what happened?

What happened? When?

I couldn't breathe.

I couldn't breathe.

Ludwig, are you sure we're going in the right direction?

I think that's a road.

Come on, it'll easier for you. -But more dangerous.

It's a Wehrmacht car.

Stop, stop.

Why didn't they stop?

Stop. -Stop.

Get me Evere Forward HQ. -Yes, Sir.

I knew they wouldn't pass the message on.

Well, they probably tried, but there's so much traffic on this one line.

Come on operations, urgent.

Can you show me the exact position you spotted him? -Yes.

Here. -And the time?

Over two hours ago. -Damn.

He'll have made quite a bit of distance now,

even if he's kept off the roads.

And he has a woman with him. -A woman. Are you sure?

Major. Operations, Sir, -Good.

Ronnie? Neil Turner. Operation Foxhunt.

Ronnie, we have a definite sighting on Kessler.

On foot in open country with a woman companion

heading East 3 miles South of Burg Leopold.

About 1300 today.

Listen, Ronnie, can you get AOP to set up a search?

Yes, if we spot him, make sure we get him alive. Thanks Ronnie.

He may have reached the German lines by now.

They're all running like hell for Holland.

Our man's heading in the opposite direction.

Is he here?

Not yet.

What are you doing? -That uniform must not have a face.

Good God.

I don't know how you can do that.

I can do anything that is necessary for our survival. -Ludwig...

You must never call me that again.

I'm Major Franz Spitzweg. That is Ludwig Kessler.

I don't think I know you at all. -Then you will have to learn. Come.

Come on!

Yes, put him through.

Hello? It's Dunlop, Sir.

Oh, very good. Just a moment, Sir. They run your fox to ground, Sir.

Hello. Well done.

Oh, I see.

What, totally unrecognizable?

So you haven't got positive identification. That's a pity.

Two other bodies?

Just a moment. What happened to our bargee friend, Van Broeken?

He's downstairs.

Get him back here.

Listen, was there a woman with them?

Had your revolution then?

There's someone looking for you.

Who?

Natalie Chantrens. Looking for her friend,

the songbird from the Candide. -Well I wish her luck.

The British claim they're innocent.

What do the British know? They weren't here.

They were paying the piper. They ought to know. -More fool them.

Vercors. I've just come from British headquarters.

And I think you've got it wrong.

The Candide was the center of Lifeline.

And I'm beginning to think that you knew that all the time.

You lied to your comrades. That's your affair.

But you lied to us. We don't like that.

It's the British who are lying.

What's the matter with you? Want a nice fat payment for your resistance work?

Look, you're absolutely sure the woman was with him?

When I last saw them by the canal they were together.

He had a mistress, you know.

Well, we have Kessler we think.

What? -But he's dead.

Dead?

But you have positively identified this man as Kessler?

No, but... -I can identify him for you Major.

Yes, I hope so.

And ze woman?

Nothing.

Ludwig, can we stop?

Well, put your shoes back on again. -I can't, I've got a blister.

You're hurt.

It's my ankle. I think I've sprained it.

Can you walk?

Yes. -Are you sure? -Yes

Madeleine, you can't walk far.

In little more than an hour it'll be dark.

We shall hide up until then.

Come on, put your arm round my neck.

This is Free Radio Brussels.

Spearhead troops of the British Guards Regiment and the 11th Armored Division

march their way on victoriously towards Holland.

The Allied Air Forces rule the skies.

The complete liberation of our beloved country is now only a matter of days.

There are excited citizens on the streets to hail the victors.

We're free.

We're free.

I have to tell you, however

that the British Military Command has issued this communique.

While we fully understand your delight at the liberation of your city,

we must ask you not to impede the progress of our troops.

We appeal to you for calm.

Disorder has broken out in several parts of the city.

The destruction of property, looting and instances of murder by public hanging.

In order to ensure the safety of the law abiding population of Brussels,

it has been decided to continue the curfew for the next few days...

They can't do that! -Why not? The Germans did.

I issue this order with regret, but I must ask

for your patience during the hours of darkness.

We are seriously concerned that unruly elements, determined on vengeance

may prove impossible to control.

Well, that freedom was short lived. They're continuing the German curfew.

They're quite right.

They could at least allow the restaurants to stay open.

Albert, you're a fool. You were lucky to escape with your life.

Well, where are the troops? The patrols?

I'm told there are not more than 100 of them in the whole of Brussels.

We're no safer than we were before. -If anything, less so.

The mobs are building cages. I've seen them on the streets.

All civilians are ordered to be off the street by 1700 hours

and remain in their homes until 0600 tomorrow morning.

Night workers and people maintaining essential

services will be issued with special passes.

And what will your new friends do when they find us on the streets, eh?

Shoot us down? Like the Nazis. -They're doing the best they can.

So Kessler lives again, this time in a British uniform.

You expect them to leave the city to your anarchists? -Why not? It's our city.

Monsieur Vercors?

May I speak with you, please? Alone.

Watch it, Vercors.

Name, rank and number? -Franz Spitzweg, Major. 618924.

Regiment? -Alright?

I'm with the 15th Artillery.

Date of birth? -13 November 1898.

Place? -Travemünde.

How long have you been serving on the western front?

I've been there for three months.

Before that I was on the Russian front for two years.

Charkov, Smolensk and Voronez under General Von Bock.

Yes, that's most convincing.

You've left out the most important question of all.

Have you ever been a member of the National Socialist Party?

No, never. I have no interest in politics.

As a serving soldier, I carried out the orders

of my superior officers according to my oath of allegiance.

Are you married Franz Spitzweg? -I doubt if that would interest them.

They're more concerned with trying to place the disposition of regiments.

But if they should?

Yes, I've been married for five years to Gertrud Liselotte Spitzweg.

We have two children, Kurt and Elizabeth.

So you have a settled family life, Herr Major?

Madeleine. You and I know it's only a fiction. Spitzweg is dead.

Who are you?

If I should be unlucky enough to be captured, then I am Spitzweg.

Simply to satisfy the interrogators.

If you are captured and you are a major in the 15th Artillery

with a wife and two children in Travemünde, then who am I?

You took a risk coming here.

You saw what happened to Foiret. Did he die, by the way?

I came here Monsieur to reason with you. -I see. To plead?

No, not to plead. To try to convince you that you've made a mistake.

We were not German puppets. But you knew that.

You knew all about Lifeline.

You wanted to take it over, but you couldn't.

We have helped hundreds of British airmen get back to England

and you call us collaborators.

No doubt the Allies will reward you.

If you want her, go out and look for her.

Monsieur Vercors...

Well, Meneer Van Broecken?

This body is not Kessler. -You can't be sure that.

Major, Kessler was responsible for the death of my wife.

I know Kessler. He wore glasses.

But there were no marks, either on the front or behind the ears.

Kessler was a desk man. He has soft, pale hands.

This man has been in the field for months using weapons.

His hands are rough, calloused.

And is it coincidence that this man had his face blown off?

Just his face.

And how did he come to be in that car?

Couldn't something have happened to his own car

and he obtained a lift from fellow officers?

The officers in that car were all regular army officers.

That body is wearing SS uniform.

Well?

Regular Army officers fleeing from the enemy would not stop for an SS officer.

Why not? They're all Germans. -Major Turner they detested the SS.

How can you be sure? -I'm sure. I'm German.

Soon it will be dark. The sky is cloudy, there'll be no moon.

We must make as much ground as we can. -No, let me try.

Well, I doubt if I'll get far like this. -Then I'll carry you.

As far as the German lines? -To the Fatherland itself if necessary.

You Germans. You still believe you're Siegfried.

The name is Franz.

Ludwig, why did you decide to pose as a married man?

I didn't decide. Spitzweg was married, that's all.

You can't know that. It wasn't in his papers. -No, it was in a letter.

What letter?

A letter from his wife.

Here.

You read it? -Of course.

How else would I know the name of his wife? That he had two children?

So it wasn't a fiction? -Of course not.

You shouldn't have read his letter. It's personal.

There can be nothing more personal than taking a man's identity.

You've no right to pry into his wife's letters.

Burn it. -But it helps to confirm my new identity. -Burn it.

Let it die with him.

You may think you've a right to his uniform, his name even, Ludwig,

but not his wife and family.

Madeleine. -Burn it.

Very well.

If it upsets you so much.

Suppose the widow...Suppose she hears of you? Comes to find you?

Well, that's unlikely. There are so many widows from this war.

You're claiming to be the father of those children, Ludwig.

One day they may track you down.

I took only a man's name and uniform.

You took a man's past.

I have no past.

Only a future.

Our future, Madeleine.

When we reach Germany, we shall be married

somewhere a long way from all this.

And we too will have children.

Always hiding. Always afraid.

Listen.

Our troops.

They are advancing.

Ludwig?

It's must be.

Hande hoch.

Hoch.

It works like a charm. That's the fourth one today.

Move.

How many many more of you inside? -No one. Just me

We'll see about that.

Smith, cover the door.

Harris, over there.

You're a naughty boy mate.

Smith, pull up the wagon. Right, back over there. Move.

We'll have a bit of a wait. Name, rank and number?

Spitzweg, Franz. Major. 618924.

And who's your lady friend?

She's my hostage.

Come on, Spitzburger, come on.

Your war is over.

Just stand here quietly.

Some of my lads are a bit trigger happy. Know what I mean?

Everything ok, driver?

Right Miss. If you want walk over there and hit that Jerry where it hurts most,

no one's going to notice.

Go on. Don't be shy.

I love you.

Come on, lads. In the wagon.

There, makes you feel better, doesn't it?

Drive on.

Right Spitzburger. Walkies. Collins, escort the prisoner. Move.

Missed your chance there, Sir. She was a bit of alright.

Sam, I could put you on a charge for what you were thinking.

Congratulations.

You saved me. -You're welcome.

Left, left, left, left...