Original subtitles

NARRATOR: April 1945.

NARRATOR: April 1945.

The war is entering its brutal final stages.

The Nazis are surrounded

as the UK and US advance into Germany from the West...

..and the Soviets lay siege to Berlin from the East.

As the Allied forces sweep through Europe liberating the citizens...

..they begin to uncover the horrors of Nazi concentration camps.

In London the Allied advance brings news for Vera Atkins...

..as one of her lost women spies,

Yvonne Basden, arrives back...

- I'm taking you home.

NARRATOR: ..at Euston Railway Station.

NARRATOR: ..at Euston Railway Station.

But many other of her agents remain missing, presumed dead.

Like Violette Szabo, who left her one year old child

to fight the Nazis.

Or headstrong Noor Inayat Khan

Or headstrong Noor Inayat Khan

who many said was unsuitable to be an agent.

- Are you ready? - Yes, Miss Atkins.

NARRATOR: Vera begins the hunt to find her agents.

dead or alive.

- Answer me.

NARRATOR: But she can't do it alone.

So she turns to Britain's elite fighting service...

So she turns to Britain's elite fighting service...

..the SAS...

..and specialist Nazi Hunter Major Bill Barkworth.

It's 28th April 1945...

It's 28th April 1945...

..The Ravensbruck concentration camp for women

in Northern Germany, 90km north of Berlin.

in Northern Germany, 90km north of Berlin.

SOE agent Odette Sansom is in solitary confinement

SOE agent Odette Sansom is in solitary confinement

MAN: Where is she?

Come on! I need her now!

NARRATOR: But the camp is about to be overrun by the Soviet Red Army.

NARRATOR: But the camp is about to be overrun by the Soviet Red Army.

ISZI: At this point in the war

the Germans are completely on the back foot.

They've got the Russians attacking from one side, the Red Army,

They've got the Russians attacking from one side, the Red Army,

and the Americans and the British from the other side.

MAN: Out of my way!

NARRATOR: Himmler has given the order

that all witnesses to the horrors

that all witnesses to the horrors

of the camp must be killed.

The man who has come for Odette is Fritz Suhren.

- Get up!

Move!

Yes! Up, up, up!

Yes.

Out. Out.

- Fritz Suhren was the commandant of Ravensbruck concentration camp.

It was a women's only camp, and Seran had complete control

It was a women's only camp, and Seran had complete control

of everything that went on within it.

The forced labour programmes that the women would be sent out into,

the roundups for the executions

and also the medical experiments

that were carried out at Ravensbruck,

he would oversee those

and have an understanding of what that meant.

SUHREN: Move! Come on!

SUHREN: Move! Come on!

NARRATOR: Odette is about to see daylight for the first time

in six months.

But her life hangs in the balance.

But her life hangs in the balance.

SUHREN: Quick!

NARRATOR: Suhren flees the Soviet liberation of his camp...

..driving south of Berlin...

..towards the US army line.

- As the Red Army and the Americans get closer to Ravensbruck,

the Commandant Suhren panics.

Cos at this point, he knows he is going to get captured

Cos at this point, he knows he is going to get captured

by one army or the other.

And he's going to make that decision himself. He's gonna pick a side.

And he's going to make that decision himself. He's gonna pick a side.

And so he goes for the Americans and the British,

this is who he aims for.

NARRATOR: Suhren takes Odette with him

NARRATOR: Suhren takes Odette with him

believing she is the perfect bargaining chip

to win him freedom.

When Odette was captured, she gave the surname of her network chief,

Churchill, as her own surname...

Churchill, as her own surname...

convincing Suhren that she is related

to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

- Hands up!

- Hands up!

NARRATOR: But Suhren is about to get a nasty shock.

- Don't fire.

- Identify yourselves!

- This is Odette Churchill. Don't shoot. Get out.

This is Odette Churchill. The niece of Winston Churchill.

This is Odette Churchill. The niece of Winston Churchill.

Don't fire.

- Who are you?

- My name is Odette Sansom.

I am a member of the British Special Operations Executive.

I am a member of the British Special Operations Executive.

This man is a war criminal.

ISZI: Can you imagine what Suhren would've thought?

Because immediately Odette announces that not only is she not Churchill's

Because immediately Odette announces that not only is she not Churchill's

niece or any relation to him, but she's an SOE agent

and she just confesses everything.

and she just confesses everything.

This key information that he has been after for ages,

it must have been incredibly frustrating and humiliating for him.

NARRATOR: Odette's final act of humiliation

is to steal Suhren's bag containing his personalised pistol.

is to steal Suhren's bag containing his personalised pistol.

- She hands him over to the Americans,

watches while he's taken in,

takes his bag, which has a pistol, and his other belongings,

and hands it over in London to Vera Atkins.

and hands it over in London to Vera Atkins.

It would've been a huge relief to finally get to safety.

It would also be crucial because she knew about other agents.

She could then give crucial information to Vera Atkins.

NARRATOR: 8th May 1945.

The Nazis surrender.

The Nazis surrender.

Victory in Europe.

In London, thousands pour into the streets to celebrate

as Churchill announces peace across the continent.

as Churchill announces peace across the continent.

For the SOE it appears much of their work is done...

For the SOE it appears much of their work is done...

..but for Vera, her hunt is just beginning.

..but for Vera, her hunt is just beginning.

Odette arrives back in London, she meets with Vera to debrief her,

and to see if she can help track down the lost women spies.

and to see if she can help track down the lost women spies.

- It's so good to have you back.

- Thank you.

After they arrested me...

After they arrested me...

..I was kept in a prison.

In Paris.

But then the Gestapo came...

(screaming, grunting)

MAN: Just tell us.

- I didn't tell them anything.

They seemed to know so much.

About the circuits...

who was involved, where, when.

And then they took me over the boarder...

into Germany...

..Karlsruhe

..Karlsruhe

..with other women.

- Karlsruhe. - Mm.

And, finally, Ravensbruck.

- Karlsruhe...

You said there were other women.

You said there were other women.

NARRATOR: Odette describes seven female agents

that she remembers from Karlsruhe.

- Thank you.

NARRATOR: It's an important lead for Vera.

NARRATOR: It's an important lead for Vera.

- Noor Inayat Khan was one of Vera's favourite agents.

- Noor Inayat Khan was one of Vera's favourite agents.

One of the people she seems to really have cared about.

When she was in training, there was some question mark

When she was in training, there was some question mark

as to whether or not Nora was

good enough for the job, because she seemed to be so kind.

She said she could never lie.

And yet Vera was really the one who gave the final approval

And yet Vera was really the one who gave the final approval

and sort of said, "No, you're going to go"

and she'll be fine, and it it'll work.

And Vera seems to have had a very guilty conscience,

a very sort of deeply felt question

a very sort of deeply felt question

as to what had happened to this delightful young woman

who she really had been responsible for sending to France.

- Pretty. But no.

Don't take my word for it, though.

Ask the BLEEP at the prison.

Becker.

Becker.

Fraulein. Becker.

She ran the place.

If any knows, she will.

- I think Vera's reaction to starting to uncover the stories

of these women and to trace them to Karlsruhe

must have come as a real shock to her.

must have come as a real shock to her.

To understand the dehumanising process

that they'd been put through right from their arrest.

that they'd been put through right from their arrest.

And now they're in solitary confinement.

These women that she would've last seen on an airfield in England

These women that she would've last seen on an airfield in England

full of life and full of hope and excitement for their missions,

suddenly in this horrible world,

having experienced some brutal things already

having experienced some brutal things already

and just starting to unravel their stories

and wondering what became of them

after they left this prison at Karlsruhe.

after they left this prison at Karlsruhe.

NARRATOR: Thanks to Odette,

Vera has a major breakthrough in intelligence.

Vera has a major breakthrough in intelligence.

It's important for Vera not only professionally

but also personally.

but also personally.

- In a way, although Vera never had children herself,

she does kind of have maternal qualities here in her investigation.

she does kind of have maternal qualities here in her investigation.

NARRATOR: Vera has the prison in Karlsruhe in Southern Germany

as the last location for at least seven women.

as the last location for at least seven women.

Vera also knows about the Ravensbruck

women's concentration camp situated in North Eastern Germany.

women's concentration camp situated in North Eastern Germany.

ISZI: Ravensbruck was a concentration camp

just north of Berlin.

just north of Berlin.

And unlike every other concentration camp, it was for women.

It was particularly horrifying for the sensibilities of people

It was particularly horrifying for the sensibilities of people

in the 1940s, as well, where women are meant to be kept out of combat,

out of war, and treated with some level of humanity.

Ravens Brook was a particular horrific site

Ravens Brook was a particular horrific site

to end up in.

NARRATOR: It's from here that three agents,

NARRATOR: It's from here that three agents,

including Yvonne Baseden...

..and Odette Sansom have come back alive.

..and Odette Sansom have come back alive.

Ravensbruck is also the last known location for young mother,

Ravensbruck is also the last known location for young mother,

and widow, Violette Szabo

But there is one of Vera's agents that has not been spotted

at either a prison or a camp.

at either a prison or a camp.

Noor Inayat Khan.

ALEXANDRA: There's a generally held sense that Noor,

amongst the others, might be alive.

She realises, too, that there's a tremendous amount of pressure on her

that if she's going to find her missing agents,

she's going to have to do it fast.

she's going to have to do it fast.

NARRATOR: Vera can't travel to Germany

and continue her investigations

due to her low rank.

So, she enlists the help of an army unit

who are hunting Nazis across post-war Germany.

who are hunting Nazis across post-war Germany.

A unit that was founded just a few years before.

The SAS.

The SAS.

The SAS, or Special Air Service,

The SAS, or Special Air Service,

are an elite commando unit

founded during the height of the war.

MAN: The SAS were formed in a North African desert.

MAN: The SAS were formed in a North African desert.

And the concept behind their kind of operations

were these fast hit-and-run missions.

And they were deploying in these Willys Jeeps,

which are very manoeuvrable and nimble.

which are very manoeuvrable and nimble.

And they were heavily armed with mounted machine guns.

And the idea was to carry out these hit and run raids,

largely targeting Italian and German airfields.

largely targeting Italian and German airfields.

And they were extremely successful in the North Africa campaign.

And they were extremely successful in the North Africa campaign.

So, in those 18 months or so that they soldiered there,

the SAS had destroyed 387 proven enemy warplane kills.

the SAS had destroyed 387 proven enemy warplane kills.

That's a spectacular achievement.

NARRATOR: But in the winter of 1942, Hitler fights back.

NARRATOR: But in the winter of 1942, Hitler fights back.

His Nazi high command issues the so called Commando Order.

- What the Commander Award said was that any parachutist,

so any Allied Parachutist that could be SAS,

it could be commandos, it could be special operations executive agents,

it could be commandos, it could be special operations executive agents,

any of those captured behind the lines,

whether in uniform or out of uniform,

whether fighting or not fighting,

whether fighting or not fighting,

whether trying to surrender or not,

would be kept alive only for as long as it took the Gestapo

and the SS to interrogate them

and the SS to interrogate them

and find out what they knew, and then they would be shot out of hand.

In other words, murdered.

And what that meant for the SAS, if you were captured,

it was a death sentence.

it was a death sentence.

NARRATOR: Despite the order, the SAS continue their raids

and are a key part of the Allied success

and are a key part of the Allied success

in Northern France that sees the Nazis defeated.

With the end of the war, SAS Major Bill Barkworth

and a team are sent to Germany

to hunt down Nazis who carried out the commando order

to hunt down Nazis who carried out the commando order

and bring them to justice.

- Major Eric Bill Barkworth is an extraordinary figure

- Major Eric Bill Barkworth is an extraordinary figure

in World War II and especially within Special Forces history.

He's eccentric, he's single minded,

He's eccentric, he's single minded,

he's a maverick, he's a rule breaker.

He's one of those very, very archetypal individuals

who can think the absolute unthinkable.

who can think the absolute unthinkable.

But the other thing about Barker, as well, which is key

to how he develops as a character during the war,

is he's got this unshakable moral compass.

is he's got this unshakable moral compass.

His sense of right and wrong is absolutely inflexible.

NARRATOR: Barkworth has commandeered a private villa, the Villa Degler...

..in Gaggenau, near Karlsruhe

..in Gaggenau, near Karlsruhe

on the edge of the Black Forest.

And he is here on special mission for the SAS.

And he is here on special mission for the SAS.

On 12th August 1944,

On 12th August 1944,

an SAS team was dropped behind enemy lines

in the Vosges mountains of Eastern France

to hit the Nazis before an allied advance.

But the team were tracked down...

..and 31 soldiers were captured.

After months of interrogation...

..the soldiers were taken to the woods, stripped and shot.

..the soldiers were taken to the woods, stripped and shot.

Such a loss of life would have a profound effect

Such a loss of life would have a profound effect

on everyone in the SAS.

- When you are serving in a unit like the SAS in World War II,

- When you are serving in a unit like the SAS in World War II,

you forge these bonds of brotherhood with your fellow operators,

which are extremely, extremely powerful and close.

If you read the accounts from people at the time,

If you read the accounts from people at the time,

or you interview veterans as I have,

and you speak about those kind of relationships,

they are very, very, very special.

they are very, very, very special.

It's the kind of spirit that means you will lay down your life

for your fellow brother in arms.

And that's what so often happens.

NARRATOR: Barkworth is determined to find

NARRATOR: Barkworth is determined to find

those responsible for the deaths

of the 31 SAS soldiers.

Chief among them...

is Hans Kieffer -

the head of the SD...

the head of the SD...

..the Nazi intelligence agency in Paris...

..a man Vera also believes may know

what happened to her lost women spies.

So, Vera shares the photos of her agents with Barkworth

in the hopes he can help her.

ISZI: Both, Barkworth and Vera,

their investigations led them to one name,

and that was Hans Kieffer.

He was in charge of the SD, he was responsible

for all of the investigations that the Gestapo

and the SD were doing in Paris.

So, he was responsible for the interrogation

So, he was responsible for the interrogation

of what the agents and what the soldiers of the SAS went through.

He was a spider at the centre of the web,

issuing all these orders for interrogating

and this was the man that they were desperate to find.

and this was the man that they were desperate to find.

NARRATOR: But as the atrocities of Kieffer

and other Nazis come to light...

people back in the UK begin to ask some difficult questions.

people back in the UK begin to ask some difficult questions.

Vera receives a letter

alerting her to the actions of Violette Szabo's father,

alerting her to the actions of Violette Szabo's father,

Charles Bushell.

Violette has a child, called Tania,

Violette has a child, called Tania,

and Bushell wants to know when the baby's mother will return.

Bushell is talking to his MP,

and giving interviews to the newspapers

and giving interviews to the newspapers

about his missing daughter.

For Vera, and the SOE,

For Vera, and the SOE,

this could be a major problem.

- Vera is in a very difficult situation

because suddenly the war's over

because suddenly the war's over

and these young women who've gone off to serve somewhere,

and their families don't know anything about what they really did

in the SOE, aren't coming home.

in the SOE, aren't coming home.

Violette Szabo's father, who's been left with her infant daughter,

Violette Szabo's father, who's been left with her infant daughter,

is starting to ask questions, is starting to push for answers.

"What's happened to my daughter? Why hasn't she come home?"

And there are others starting to step forward and say, "Listen,

And there are others starting to step forward and say, "Listen,

we've heard nothing. We don't know where they were serving.

We don't know what part of the world

they've ended up in. We don't know why they're not home."

they've ended up in. We don't know why they're not home."

And so there starts to become this pressure from family members

and friends and other acquaintances, of these young women

who've just suddenly vanished.

who've just suddenly vanished.

NARRATOR: And Vera has another problem.

She has a new boss.

She has a new boss.

Head of SOE F Section Maurice Buckmaster

has returned to his civilian role

has returned to his civilian role

of public relations manager at the Ford Motor Company.

He is replaced by new broom...

He is replaced by new broom...

..Captain Norman Mott...

- Please, have a seat.

NARRATOR: ..a man who comes from the SOE security section.

NARRATOR: ..a man who comes from the SOE security section.

And whose main interest is in keeping things secret.

- Mott doesn't help Vera very much.

He doesn't see this as the sort of passionate necessity

that Vera sees it as.

And she's now started to get information about the camps.

And she's pushing to see if she can get a chance

And she's pushing to see if she can get a chance

to have some sort of contact or interrogate

the heads of these camps where her agents might have ended up.

the heads of these camps where her agents might have ended up.

And yet she's given the cold shoulder.

She's, really, effectively, told

that this isn't of interest to the government.

that this isn't of interest to the government.

This is not of interest to her former colleagues.

And would she please just leave it alone?

SHRABANI: So, it's really tense for Vera.

She doesn't know how much power she has to carry on this investigation.

She doesn't know how much power she has to carry on this investigation.

She needs to find out if there are agents surviving in these camps.

She has to find them before they're dead, or gone,

or any evidence of them is wiped out.

or any evidence of them is wiped out.

So, the timing is crucial.

And she is basically racing against the clock.

NARRATOR: Vera has to fight to convince Mott

and the War Office to allow her to go to Germany

and speed up the hunt for her missing spies.

and speed up the hunt for her missing spies.

Letters from agents' relatives asking difficult questions

Letters from agents' relatives asking difficult questions

puts pressure on the War Office...

..and after months of lobbying,

Vera gets her answer.

Vera gets her answer.

Vera will be given the rank of Flight Officer

in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force,

in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force,

allowing her to travel to Germany.

But she is told that she has just four days

But she is told that she has just four days

to demonstrate she can get results.

NARRATOR: December 1945.

Vera's destination is Berlin.

Vera's destination is Berlin.

A capital city in ruins.

A city conquered by the Soviet Union.

A city conquered by the Soviet Union.

In among the destruction of Germany,

Vera has just a few days

Vera has just a few days

to prove her worth to the War Office.

Vera's first mission is to identify the grave

of F Section's male agent Clement-Marc Jumeau,

of F Section's male agent Clement-Marc Jumeau,

who is believed to have died of tuberculosis

at a hospital north of Berlin.

- Many women were sent to Germany post-war,

- Many women were sent to Germany post-war,

but mostly in secretarial roles

or in a way to assist with the men of the armed forces

who were trying to reconcile Germany,

who were trying to reconcile Germany,

but Vera was there in a totally different capacity.

She had a mission that she wanted to fulfil.

And although she was probably very nervous

and had a sense of trepidation,

she really had to mask that and to go forward

she really had to mask that and to go forward

with an air of confidence

and to prove that she was the right person

to uncover the stories of the missing agents.

to uncover the stories of the missing agents.

NARRATOR: But Vera has a problem.

Jumeau's grave is most likely in Soviet controlled Germany,

Jumeau's grave is most likely in Soviet controlled Germany,

north of Berlin.

After the fall of Germany, the country is split into zones

under control of the US, the UK, France and the Soviet Union.

under control of the US, the UK, France and the Soviet Union.

At a checkpoint in Buch,

At a checkpoint in Buch,

Vera is stopped by a Soviet sentry,

and her progress is halted.

Vera is blocked from entering the Soviet Zone.

Vera is blocked from entering the Soviet Zone.

If Vera fails here,

she knows there is no chance that Mott and the War Office

she knows there is no chance that Mott and the War Office

will allow her to continue her investigations.

But then Vera address the sentry in Russian.

(no audio)

Something the sentry would not have been expecting.

Something the sentry would not have been expecting.

KATIE: They come to a Russian checkpoint

and she speaks in Russian.

And it must have been a real shock because, for him,

And it must have been a real shock because, for him,

she was a member of the WAAF.

You know, she was a lady in a blue uniform

and suddenly she's speaking Russian, which would've been something

and suddenly she's speaking Russian, which would've been something

he would've been completely unprepared for.

NARRATOR: Vera, somehow, not only speaks Russian...

NARRATOR: Vera, somehow, not only speaks Russian...

..but she does so with a level of fluency

that the sentry lets them through.

Vera is able to continue her journey into the Soviet zone

thanks to her unexpected ability to speak Russian.

thanks to her unexpected ability to speak Russian.

At the hospital Vera questions the hospital staff...

..and they direct her to the location of Jumeau's grave.

Within the first day of her time in Germany,

Vera proves to the War Office, and to Mott,

Vera proves to the War Office, and to Mott,

that her investigations get results.

Now she can move on to main reason for her journey...

Now she can move on to main reason for her journey...

Ravensbruck.

Ravensbruck.

- (camera clicking)

NARRATOR: The women's camp.

NARRATOR: The women's camp.

90km north of Berlin.

- (camera clicks)

- (camera clicks)

- Ravensbruck is hideous camp,

which was set up specifically to hold women.

which was set up specifically to hold women.

And tens of thousands of women died there.

I think over 50,000 women were imprisoned there.

- Ravensbruck is of particular interest to Vera

because she interviewed Odette who'd come out of Ravensbruck,

because she interviewed Odette who'd come out of Ravensbruck,

who had told her about her agents who were there.

So, Ravensbruck seems to be the place, the concentration camp,

So, Ravensbruck seems to be the place, the concentration camp,

where a lot of her agents disappeared.

NARRATOR: Vera is here to interrogate

the Commandant Fritz Suhren.

the Commandant Fritz Suhren.

Ravensbruck camp is the camp which Odette left alive.

It is also the last known location of Vera’s missing agent

It is also the last known location of Vera’s missing agent

Violette Szabo along with two others:

Lilian Rolfe and Denise Bloch.

Lilian Rolfe and Denise Bloch.

Suhren holds the key to not just one,

but possibly the lives of three of her agents.

but possibly the lives of three of her agents.

The pressure is on.

- Vera's not particularly experienced yet at interrogations

- Vera's not particularly experienced yet at interrogations

and she knows he has information.

He knows everything that went on in the camp

He knows everything that went on in the camp

and if there were special prisoners considered to be agents,

he would have known.

- How many English women were at the camp?

- There were no English women at the camp.

- Odette is English.

- Odette is English.

- She was a special prisoner...

for whom I had special responsibilities...

because we thought she was related to Churchill.

because we thought she was related to Churchill.

- So, the other English women...

..how many were there?

- I already told you.

There were no others.

There were no others.

- I have testimony that there were.

Answer me!

- I have nothing else to say.

- I have nothing else to say.

NARRATOR: Suhren offers Vera nothing.

NARRATOR: Suhren offers Vera nothing.

Without any new evidence Vera leaves Ravensbruck,

and returns to London empty handed.

Back in London, Vera gets some news

that could prevent her from ever finding her agents.

that could prevent her from ever finding her agents.

- Have a read, please.

NARRATOR: She is informed that F-section is to be closed down...

NARRATOR: She is informed that F-section is to be closed down...

permanently.

- Norman Mott tells Vera that she is to wind down,

- Norman Mott tells Vera that she is to wind down,

she is to close the office and really nobody is very interested in

what is happening to these agents of hers.

what is happening to these agents of hers.

- There is no sense that there should be accounts

- There is no sense that there should be accounts

from surviving agents which is what we see

from other military intelligence departments.

So, there's no accountability,

So, there's no accountability,

there's no learning from the mistakes of the past.

SOE was so embarrassed by some of its mistakes

SOE was so embarrassed by some of its mistakes

that it was just gonna hush everything up

and close it down as quickly as possible.

NARRATOR: If F-section is shut down,

NARRATOR: If F-section is shut down,

it would see Vera without the mandate

to find her lost women spies.

They would remain missing, presumed dead.

They would remain missing, presumed dead.

- But for Vera, this wasn't acceptable, it wasn't fair.

It wasn't fair on them, it wasn't fair on their families

It wasn't fair on them, it wasn't fair on their families

and so she was determined to find out what had happened,

particularly to the young women agents

particularly to the young women agents

that she had personally sent to France.

NARRATOR: What Vera needs is new evidence that will shock her bosses

into letting her continue.

NARRATOR: Vera receives word from SAS Major Barkworth

NARRATOR: Vera receives word from SAS Major Barkworth

about evidence from a secret concentration camp.

A camp that had been liberated, and filmed, by US forces.

A camp that had been liberated, and filmed, by US forces.

Known as Natzweiler-Struthof,

the camp is hidden in the Vosges Mountains of Eastern France,

the camp is hidden in the Vosges Mountains of Eastern France,

close to the German border.

It is the only camp the Nazis build in France.

A camp built to destroy the French Resistance.

On 7th December 1941,

Hitler passes an order code-named Night And Fog.

This secret order means anyone believed

to be endangering German security

can be abducted at night, and, without trial,

can be abducted at night, and, without trial,

taken to Natzweiler.

People would be, according to the Nazi order,

People would be, according to the Nazi order,

'turned into mist'.

- It's a way of punishing people that was more feared than any other.

- It's a way of punishing people that was more feared than any other.

NARRATOR: But it's what Barkworth includes next in his report

NARRATOR: But it's what Barkworth includes next in his report

that has the most shocking impact on Vera's hunt

for her lost women spies.

Vera reads Barkworth's interrogation report

of a former prisoner at Natzweiler...

Franz Berg.

Franz Berg.

Berg tells Barkworth he worked in the crematorium as a stoker.

One day, in July 1944, he and the other stokers

are told to expect some English women.

are told to expect some English women.

From his crematorium cell, he witnesses their arrival.

From his crematorium cell, he witnesses their arrival.

SHRABANI: Franz gives a detailed deposition.

SHRABANI: Franz gives a detailed deposition.

He describes these English women who come.

And on the night, he says that the head of the of the crematorium

And on the night, he says that the head of the of the crematorium

has told him to light the fires

and take it to the hottest point by 9:30pm.

They're hearing that these girls are going to be killed

They're hearing that these girls are going to be killed

by lethal injection.

They see three women being dragged -

They see three women being dragged -

these are the English women - two are unconscious.

One of them seems to be moving. There's groans and grunts.

And one even speaks and says, "Pourquoi."

And one even speaks and says, "Pourquoi."

They are then dragged into the crematorium. They can't see anymore.

And they say later that one of the women was alive

And they say later that one of the women was alive

and had scratched one of the men who had come.

Then they heard the crematorium doors being shut,

and they knew it was all being fired up.

and they knew it was all being fired up.

After that, there's silence.

It's horror at what these girls would've gone through.

There is no way when they prepared them for their training,

There is no way when they prepared them for their training,

for the torture that might lie ahead,

they would've envisaged something like this.

NARRATOR: After being shown Vera's photographs of her missing spies,

Berg says that he believes

one of the women brought to the crematorium...

one of the women brought to the crematorium...

..is Noor Inyat Khan.

SHRABANI: Vera would've been absolutely horrified.

SHRABANI: Vera would've been absolutely horrified.

And the thought that this could have been Noor...

I mean, horrified for all the girls,

And the fact that maybe this is what happened to Noor

is something that really haunted her.

NARRATOR: Armed with Berg's testimony from Natzweiler,

Vera heads to her superiors.

Vera heads to her superiors.

She will not give up on her women.

Berg's testimony makes disturbing reading

Berg's testimony makes disturbing reading

for the British security services.

HELEN: Whitehall will be deeply troubled by the evidence

that Vera is actually gaining

of the sheer horror of the concentration camps.

of the sheer horror of the concentration camps.

Because let's not forget that the public don't know

that women were sent behind enemy lines.

that women were sent behind enemy lines.

Whitehall would not want this highly secret organisation,

the SOE, knowledge of it to come out,

the SOE, knowledge of it to come out,

but even more sensitive and potentially a public outcry

to hear that women have been dropped into these dangerous areas

to hear that women have been dropped into these dangerous areas

and that some of them hadn't come back

and have been horrifically tortured.

NARRATOR: After seeing Berg's testimony,

NARRATOR: After seeing Berg's testimony,

MI6 agree to fund Vera for another three months of investigations.

In the hope that Vera can keep the story of the lost woman spies

In the hope that Vera can keep the story of the lost woman spies

out of the public eye.

Vera heads back to Germany.

Vera heads back to Germany.

Vera is assigned to the War Crimes Unit

at the British Army headquarters in Germany.

KATIE: The War crimes unit was based at Bad Oeynhausen,

KATIE: The War crimes unit was based at Bad Oeynhausen,

which was the headquarters of the British Army on the Rhine.

So, it was a very important place.

So, it was a very important place.

And the war crimes unit was really trying to find high ranking Nazis,

people who would've been involved in what we would call war crimes.

people who would've been involved in what we would call war crimes.

So, with executions, with maltreatment of prisoners,

with the concentration camp system in general.

And the idea would not only be to find these officers,

And the idea would not only be to find these officers,

but also to find evidence about crimes against humanity

that they had committed.

So, various murders or procedures

So, various murders or procedures

that they had followed that were against the Geneva Convention.

NARRATOR: Vera will support the British judges

in their evidence gathering.

KATIE: Vera's main role within the war crimes unit

was to trace the missing SOE agents.

And her job would be to trace them as best she could.

And her job would be to trace them as best she could.

This was going to be exceptionally difficult for her

as the prisoners were classified as Nacht und Nebel - Night and Fog.

as the prisoners were classified as Nacht und Nebel - Night and Fog.

So, most records would technically have disappeared

if they'd ever been kept in the first place.

But her job was to trace them through the various prison systems

But her job was to trace them through the various prison systems

that they'd been through, had they gone into camps.

And not only to trace them, but to trace the people responsible

And not only to trace them, but to trace the people responsible

for their imprisonment and murders,

if that was going to be the case.

NARRATOR: Vera begins by tracing back her agents' whereabouts

NARRATOR: Vera begins by tracing back her agents' whereabouts

before they get to the camp at Natzwieler...

..and her attention turns to a witness who could hold the key.

..and her attention turns to a witness who could hold the key.

It's a name given to Vera by Odette Sansom.

It's a name given to Vera by Odette Sansom.

It is the chief warder of Karlsruhe prison...

Fraulein Becker.

Vera leaves the war crimes office

headed for Karlsruhe prison

in the hope that finding Becker

in the hope that finding Becker

might give her the information she needs.

KATIE: Fraulein Becker would've been really important for Vera

KATIE: Fraulein Becker would've been really important for Vera

to get her hands on.

She'd been identified in one of the affidavits

of the surviving agents anyway.

And Vera needed to go out and find her

And Vera needed to go out and find her

because as the chief wardress, she would've received all new prisoners

coming into Karlsruhe.

She would've met them personally, taken away their personal effects,

She would've met them personally, taken away their personal effects,

made a record of what they were,

but she would've also recorded their names.

So, be they real names or their aliases,

So, be they real names or their aliases,

she would've recorded the names of the SOE women

going into that prison.

NARRATOR: On arrival at the prison,

Vera discovers that Fraulein Becker

Vera discovers that Fraulein Becker

hasn't even left her post...

..as chief warder.

Vera can now begin her questioning.

- Karlsruhe was technically a civilian prison.

- Karlsruhe was technically a civilian prison.

So, it wasn't really used for political prisoners,

which arguably the SOE agents were.

When they arrived at Karlsruhe,

they were put into solitary confinement.

Food would've been pretty grim and very scarce.

They would've only had the clothes they were standing up in.

And we know that the cells were quite sparse.

And we know that the cells were quite sparse.

A single bed, maybe a bucket for a toilet.

So, it was a very grim place.

- I didn't want them here.

This is a regular prison. Not for politicals like them.

They should never have been here.

They should never have been here.

- Them?

- (keys and doors rattling)

(door closes)

- Yes.

- All of them?

- All of them?

And they all left in July 1944?

- No.

The one you mentioned, Odette,

she left then.

The others, it was later in the year.

The others, it was later in the year.

- So, these seven in the photographs...

They didn't leave in July?

- That is what I said. They left later.

- That is what I said. They left later.

- I need to see your records. Now, please.

Don't have any.

Don't have any.

- I can't imagine that.

- The French.

When they came they destroyed everything. Smashed it all up.

When they came they destroyed everything. Smashed it all up.

All gone.

- Thank you, Fraulein Becker.

- Thank you, Fraulein Becker.

I'm sure I'll see you again soon.

NARRATOR: Vera doesn't have the written records

she needs as evidence,

but she does have something more important.

Becker's testimony directly contradicts

the evidence of the crematorium stoker at Natzweiler, Franz Berg.

the evidence of the crematorium stoker at Natzweiler, Franz Berg.

Berg stated that four women are killed at the Natzweiler camp

in July 1944...

..but Becker claims that, including Noor,

seven of Vera's lost women spies are still in Karlsruhe prison

seven of Vera's lost women spies are still in Karlsruhe prison

later than July 1944.

So, those women could not have been the ones killed at Natzweiler.

- Vera already has an eyewitness testimony

from Natzweiler saying that Noor is dead.

And now she has another eyewitness testimony saying,

And now she has another eyewitness testimony saying,

"Nope, that is not true. She is here."

She needs some sort of corroborating evidence

to prove where Noor is, one way or the other.

to prove where Noor is, one way or the other.

NARRATOR: Vera leaves Becker, and Karlsruhe,

with the chance that some of her lost women spies

with the chance that some of her lost women spies

could still be alive.

Subtitles by Sky Access Services

Subtitles by Sky Access Services