It was in 1928
that Paul Simon left Schabbach...
... and his wife Maria...
... and his two little boys,
Anton and Ernst.
That's them...
Ernst in front and Anton behind him.
These are the grandparents
they lived with...
... Katharina and Mathias.
For all those years,
Maria lived only for her children.
She told herself...
..."They shouldn't be confronted
with the truth...
... the way it happened to me."
Maria was born in 1900.
On these photos,
she's 38 years old.
I get the feeling
she could start her life again.
Here she is on her way to the cinema
with her sister-in-law, Pauline.
They went to Simmern to see
Zara Leander, who was singing...
How does it go?
"The wind has brought me a song..."
And at home
they imitated Zara's curls.
This picture shows them clearly.
At that time, 5,000 men
from Saxony and Thuringia...
... came to the Hunsrück
to build a motorway.
All the way from Koblenz to Trier.
That's Otto Wohlleben
and his assistant, Pieritz.
They worked on the road as engineers.
And Otto lived
at the Simons' house...
... where Maria was.
In the evenings
he built a toy glider for Ernst...
... and sometimes
he'd let Anton take his picture.
For example here.
He liked it
when Anton photographed him.
One evening in August '38...
... Otto came home
as he had an accident at work.
His arm was in plaster for months.
Maria had to feed him the whole time.
There, yes, it's a big motor race
at the Nürnburgring.
The whole family was there.
Pieritz imitated the radio reporter.
And that's Otto and Maria...
... at a dance.
And Eduard,
who married Lucie, from Berlin.
They built themselves
an enormous villa in the Hunsrück.
It had 52 windows.
That's Martina.
She used to work with Lucie
in Berlin.
She came for a visit.
And there's Eduard,
standing by the big clock, saying...
..."This is the precise moment
when time should stand still."
"When everything should remain
just as it is."
As if we didn't all wish for that...
... just before the w*r.
UP AND AWAY AND BACK
AUTUMN
1938
Once the road linked villages,
now it by-passes them.
That's modern times.
Car drivers dont' want so many bends.
They risked running people over
in the villages.
There'll be more cars than ever.
I mean, if you drive along the
highway you see only the highway.
The village is linked to the highway.
Someone going from Paris to Berlin
won't come through Schabbach...
...so we won't see the people
who come to the Hunsrück any more.
People just want to drive faster.
When I look at the highway,
it goes from Berlin to the border.
It goes to Trier.
I just thought...
In Hermeskeil there's a bunker,
in Morbach and in Hirschfeld.
- In Kappel there are two bunkers.
- That's not news.
We know that's the West Wall.
They're building more bunkers, too.
The road goes from bunker to bunker,
not from village to village anymore.
My parents!
- You aren't from round here, either?
- How do you mean?
The beautiful Frau Simon.
She has a plaster on it now...
...but I've heard
her looks are ruined...
...she was injured in one eye.
Such a lovely villa,
and so much bad luck.
There'll be two people
in the Schabbach cemetery now...
...who never saw Schabbach
with their own eyes.
And we only get to know them
now that they're dead.
HOME
A womars made lovely
through love.
Only through love,
that's why she always longs for love.
She's full of yearning for love.
She hopes things
will always remain so...
... for a womars made lovely by love.
My fur coat's almost as nice as hers.
Pity I can never wear mine.
We'll make a trip soon,
then you can.
You've gone quite white,
and you've become handsome.
I'm so happy to be back here.
Why didn't you come at once?
Repentance and remorse...
... cleaves the sinner's heart
asunder.
Do you still know me?
That's Mummy.
I want to telephone.
Frau Kröber, come quickly.
Your children are at the window
calling, "Where's Mummy?"
Robertchen, Gabi,
what's happened?
Go in quickly...
...or you'll catch cold -
I'm coming up.
Herr Pollack,
there's still a light on in the shop.
We can't sleep.
We're wide awake.
We were in the cinema.
Probably the children woke up
and dialled your number.
Thank you very much, Herr Pick.
Did you hold on tight?
Whom did you telephone?
Did you do it, Gabi?
Well, you two night owls.
I was scared if my mum wasrt there.
Only Mum, not Dad.
When they left me alone,
I used to go to the kitchen...
...and make sure the gas oven
was turned off properly.
I was so afraid.
As soon as I got to bed
I went down to check again...
...if the oven
was properly turned off.
I can well understand
if children are scared
when their parents are out.
Not exactly a chatterbox, are you?
- It all depends.
- Then let it.
How did you get to the Hunsrück?
I come from Reichenberg, Sudetenland.
You've annexed yourself to us.
One of Konrad Henleirs flag-wavers.
I put an advertisement
in The Clockmaker's Journal.
That's how I got here.
Do they only write about clocks
in that journal?
No, there are marriage adverts, too.
Offers of marriage in the trade.
Are you keen
on getting married?
Well, sometimes.
To tell the truth,
so am I, sometimes.
Herr Pollack, Martina,
come up.
That's a great thing
with the highway, isn't it?
It wouldn't be possible without
organization, Herr Kröber.
- I hear it's reached Hermeskeil.
- Ordeter Haus, to be exact.
Does your arm hamper your work?
I'd rather it was the left hand...
...but Pieritz
is a good right hand man.
Do you remember last autumn?
Hot. I was in Holledau, in Bavaria.
May I ask you
to be quiet for a moment?
Herr Pollack and I have just got
engaged by the pendulum clock.
Well, well, the quite Herr Pollack.
Still waters run deep.
Young wedded is never regretted.
Take a seat, Herr Pollack.
Martina wont' bite you.
Well, I'm not so sure.
What were you doing there
so long?
I turned off
the light in the window.
Then I closed the spare parts box.
You should, every evening.
Some wine?
It's the '37.
It will be the best of the century,
believe me.
I've laid down
a hundred bottles of it.
- Where are the children?
- Tucked up asleep again.
Poor, sweet children.
I'd have liked
to make them some potato cakes.
Herr Pollack, have you ever eaten
Saxony potato cakes?
What's that?
You don't know
what Saxony potato cakes are?
Pauline, have you
any boiled potatoes left over?
And soft cheese?
Raisins? Pork fat?
Then off to the kitchen!
Come and keep me company,
Herr Pollack.
But it's half past ten.
- What does that mean?
- In wine lies truth.
I've noticed several times, too.
Things might get lively tonight.
I'll go down and fetch more wine.
I get tipsy so easily.
Pauline, can you give me
a pinch of salt?
You put salt in it, too?
There must be a pinch.
Herr Pollack, stop,
you've run out of potatoes.
Yes, I think they're good.
I dreamt of you, Otto.
You stood with your arm in plaster...
...on a high pedestal,
like a statue.
I thought,
he'll never get down by himself.
Maria, I'm no statue.
I'm flesh and blood,
and I love you.
Don't touch, please.
Stay a dream for me
a little while longer.
I was alone so long, Otto.
So many years.
I'm already very close to you, Maria.
In a moment it will be too late.
I feel it.
So, number five.
May I, sir?
Please do, madam.
- Is your heart there?
- My heart is there.
Oh, that's very good.
Is that your heart?
Uncle Otto.
Will your arm take a long time still?
I hope so.
How do you manage
when you have to go?
I use my left hand.
I've got to go.
Ernst, you dont' need me for that.
Isn't your arm healthy?
Go on, you're a big boy.
But Uncle Otto's
even bigger than me.
Today I'd really like to do
something special with you.
Otto, for heavers sake,
walls have ears.
Maria, you must help me
to change gear.
Now! Yes, towards you.
Wonderful, Maria.
Now into third.
You move it to the centre...
...then across to me
when I say "now".
With you I could go motor-racing,
you do it so well.
What have you got?
Our Paul's written.
I can't see anything at all.
Grandad, I'll read it to you.
My dear family back home.
For ten years I've kept trying
to write this letter...
... but I couldn't.
Now I don't even know
if you're all still alive.
Father, Mother,
Maria and the children.
I'm living in Detroit.
I've been lucky in America.
It was a long way.
Please believe
that I've often thought of you all.
Especially as recently...
... we've all heard so much
about Germany.
I'm worried...
... so I've decided
to see my home again.
Above all, I'm worried about Anton,
Ernst, and also about you, Maria.
The business makes a good profit.
Electrical business.
In a year, at the latest,
I'm booking a passage to Germany.
You'll get details later.
Give me a sign of life. Your Paul."
Grandad,
at the top of the letter it says...
...SIMON-ELECTRIC INCORPORATION.
POSTBOX 2179, DETROIT, U.S.A.
And a picture of the factory,
stretching to the horizon.
I can't see anything.
Is it true, Katharina?
Did you see where Ernst went?
I'll look for him.
Till tomorrow, Pieritz.
And don't go joy-riding in the car.
Some hopes.
I'll soon be falling asleep
at the wheel.
What are you doing there?
I love you so much, Otto.
You're so dear to me.
That's no reason to cry.
That man, that stranger.
For years
he's had nothing to do with me.
It's as if he were dead.
And he is dead for me, Otto.
For me, he's really dead.
Otto, he simply went away.
He said nothing, simply left.
And that corpse
writes a letter after twelve years.
He's dead for me
because he has no heart.
Who are you speaking of?
Your husband?
He's written a letter
to say he's coming.
I love you so much, Otto.
So much.
Hold me tight.
You must leave, Otto.
Come home, Ernst.
I don't want to see him.
Neither does Mother.
Engineer Wohlleben
is transferred to Trier.
Come on, Ernst.
Aunt Lucie's waiting.
Careful, Horst.
He can't stay with me...
...and he won't go home
with the confusion there.
Is it that bad, Ernst?
Take it to the table, Horst.
Be careful.
I've got him a place
on a gliding course.
Arert you a bit too young?
Well, you've always wanted
to fly properly yourself.
That's a good idea, Wilfried.
Let Ernst live here
until he's posted
to the Hitler Youth Air Corps.
Whers your father coming?
According to what I hear,
end of August.
They've made Uncle Otto leave.
Don't look at it like that, Ernst.
Certain conventions must be observed.
Simon-Electric...
...lncorporation, Detroit, U.S.A.
It sounds good.
And he hasn't forgotten
that he's German.
You must remember that.
You hate him so much, Ernst?
He's a Yankee.
Excuse me,
was a lady here on her own?
I've booked us a room.
The months without you, Maria...
I could hardly bear it.
You're lying on my bad arm,
but it's healed now. Did you notice?
I'm shivery all the time,
I keep trembling.
I can't remember things.
They ask something
and I forget what they've said.
And I've started k*lling time.
k*lling time is m*rder.
At home they're cleaning the house.
They've rearranged the kitchen.
And his parents keep doing things.
Otto, do you know something?
I've pressed Paul's suits,
can you imagine that?
I've ironed his old suits.
And Antors learnt
a poem by heart.
To recite when he comes.
"In front of my dear family's door
I hang my walking-stick today.
"What drove me through the world
before now at her feet I'll lay".
What was I just saying?
Maria,
you're not really here at all.
Oh yes... Anton.
They want to hang garlands
across the street.
And the whole time
nobody's asked me...
...how I feel about it,
what I think about it.
I've lost my job, Maria.
That doesn't happen nowadays, Otto.
What have you done?
You know my mother's Jewish.
But they need engineers.
Apparently they can do without me.
And you?
Do you still need me, Maria?
His father goes round the forge
tidying up and saying...
..."At last I'll have some help here,
now I can't see so well."
Since the letter came,
he's almost blind in one eye.
Listen!
I asked you something, Maria.
Young Ernst
The man with the hat,
that could be him.
Yes, Mother,
he just waved at us.
It can't be him,
he can't see us from back there.
He doesn't know we're in here.
He won't come at all.
Of course he'll come,
we'll wait a bit.
Are you Frau Simon?
You must telephone the ship.
There are difficulties.
Ask for the purser.
How do you telephone the ship?
I still haven't understood.
Proof of Aryan identity? That's why
they won't let you off the ship?
They've objected to my name, Simon.
Is Anton there?
Nice to talk to you.
Have you grown up?
You really don't know me?
We'll meet soon.
I remember you and Ernst
as little boys.
Paul, I've an idea.
I'll talk to Wilfried.
No, he's not little anymore.
He's in the SS.
And he'll help us?
I can ask Eduard, too.
He's the mayor now,
he can do anything.
You don't know
he's the mayor of Rhaunen.
A telegram.
The boat sails tomorrow at three.
You must read this.
"Please supply proof of Paul's
Aryan identity within three days".
Not here in the street!
Fancy writing that in a telegram.
As if we were Jews.
Jesus Maria!
Edu, keep out of this.
I have to get it at once,
I must, for Paul's sake.
What do I do now?
What if you start checking
and they find something? The name.
- What name?
- Simon.
But the Gauleiter's
called Simon, too.
Right.
It can't be so bad then, eh?
But so quickly,
within three days.
A race against time.
"Please supply proof of Paul's
Aryan identity within three days.
"Otherwise he's not allowed
to leave the ship."
Is that him?
It could be.
- Mother, he's waving.
- Do you think it's him?
Wilfried, there you are.
I was at the cemetery.
I've waited five minutes.
My great-grandfather
and his father...
...the cemetery's full of Simons.
Then let's just see.
Simon, Abraham, pedlar.
Died 1867.
Simon, Abraham.
But you needrt worry,
he was childless.
Simon, Daniel.
He's possible, he had a son.
Here he is. Alfons.
He was called Alfonso later.
They're in the Mato Grosso now.
Who comes after that?
- How far back must I go?
- 1815.
Then I must fetch the other volume.
Why did they pick Biblical names?
I'm scared every time.
Thank God
they're in the Mato Grosso.
Thank God my name
is a genuine German name.
Wiegand...
It means,
the weigher-up, the balancer.
People with that name were leaders.
And Simon means "the rock",
like Simon Peter.
Or Wieland.
Wiegand might also come from Wieland.
- Wieland, the smith.
- An L doesn't turn into a G.
I could say Simon comes from Samen.
Besides, my father's the smith.
That's immaterial.
Anyway, we're German.
That must be proved for your family.
Your name sounds
suspiciously French to me.
Europe's a melting pot
of Aryan races.
Look at our Führer.
We'll never do it in the time.
We must try.
Where there's a will, there's a way.
Have you written
everything correctly?
The Hunsrück is full of Simons,
we keep getting more.
I'm losing track.
It's suspicious, how they multiply.
The ship calls at Le Havre,
perhaps he'll get off there.
It's all too much for me.
It's simple. Le Havre, in France,
is as far from home as Hamburg.
Maybe he'll telephone home;
we must hurry back.
We can send him proof
of Aryan identity by express letter.
I think
I've done everything wrong.
I don't know my father at all.
Wort Uncle Otto
ever come back now?
I've done everything wrong.
You're mother's done
everything wrong.
Air cadets, stand easy!
Your Hitler Youth commander
has something to tell you.
Boys, girls, comrades.
The Führer is about to make
an historic announcement to us all.
You will now hear, together
with the entire German people...
...the Führer's statement
on the radio.
Air cadets, attention!
Poland, last night, for the
first time on our own territory...
... fired at us,
using regular soldiers.
Since 5.45 a.m.
We have been returning their fire.
From now on,
bombs will be met with bombs.
Poison gas
will be met with poison gas.
Whoever departs from the rules
of humane w*r fare...
... cannot expect anything
but the same from us.
I shall wage this struggle,
no matter against whom...
... until the safety of the Reich
and its rights are guaranteed.
I have now, for six years...
... laboured to re-establish
the German armed forces.
In this time,
more than 90 billion marks...
... have been utilized
for this purpose.
The armed forces are best-equipped...
... beyond comparison
with those of 1914.
My faith in victory is unassailable.
If I call on these forces...
... if I demand sacrifices
from the German people...
... then I have the rights to...
... for I am ready today
as I was before...
... to offer every personal sacrifice.
Just as I am ready
to pledge my life at any time...
... so each one of you...
Why is it so quiet in the village?
Havert you heard?
Now we'll show the French.
Since 5.45 a.m.
We have been firing back.
Bombs will be met with bombs.
It was different in 1914.
Käthe's had her baby.
It was born
the very moment w*r broke out.
Do you know what its name is?
Sieghild.
Because we want to win.
You're to be called Sieghild.
Tick, living on tick.
Do you know what now?
Now we must pay the bill.
Kath, how do you mean that?
Robert, I'm afraid.
I think I'll be back this evening.
The document didn't mention that.
I suppose
they just want to check the car.
Don't believe it, Robert.
They want you.
You're no soldier,
with your sensitive fingers.
Say you've got a weak heart.
You must understand,
the Führer needs every car now.
But I'm so alone in the shop.
Remember to wind the clocks
in the window, and adjust them.
When Frau Gerlach comes,
her clock's ready.
That'll be 6.50 marks.
My husband's gone
to surrender his car;
the Führer needs them all.
It'll be over in no time.
You'll have your car in a fortnight.
If it's not wrecked.
Maybe a touch of camouflage paint.
But you can wash that off.
Can I have 5,000 marks?
Of course.
Is that too much?
- Worried about your money?
- No, I just felt I should.
Ernst was up in the glider
when the w*r broke out.
That's four years later.
Her boys have become men.
On the left, Ernst.
On the right, Anton in uniform.
That's Anton in Russia.
In Schabbach there were days
you forgot there was a w*r on.
THE HOME FRONT
Nice mess.
All from last night?
What an air battle.
Our fighters brought down 16 bombers.
They're scattered
between Kirchberg and Kastellaun.
Near Sohren
we found six charred English bodies.
This size,
they all fitted into one coffin.
Our fighter pilots are first-class.
Another Gypsy-Major propeller.
Why another?
Wilfried, stand still.
The Führer's H.Q. Broadcast
a special radio message...
...for the Hunsrück.
Yes, of course, Karl.
Isn't Ernst a pilot?
Yes, but he's still training.
Now get ready.
Some of you,
look out of the c*ck.
Our fighters need only lie in wait.
Enemy bombers have to cross here.
Sometimes they try to fool us
by seeming to head for Frankfurt...
...but only some go there.
The rest head for Kassel,
the main target.
Our fighters aren't fooled.
When will the line be working?
In about two hours.
It's vital for Schabbach.
We can't remain cut off.
Airmen are the true heroes.
They don't suffer.
Stop the engine.
I'll go and check.
Stay in the car.
And don't start the engine.
You saw him?
Yes, an English airman.
Here he comes.
- He's not holding his p*stol now.
- But there was a shot.
- The Englishman didn't sh**t.
- Then Herr Wiegand shot.
You were right, boys.
An English terror pilot.
He can be taken away.
- Is he dead now?
- Yes, unfortunately.
I had to sh**t him
when he tried to escape.
To what do we owe the honour?
I have a report to make.
Four kilometres North West,
on path W16...
...about 200 metres to the right
near some basalt rocks...
...there is a dead Englishman.
- Dead?
- He tried to escape, so I shot him.
Wonderful!
We must report it
to Kirchberg at once.
Specht!
Bring us a mug of coffee.
You'll know the place
by the parachute caught in a tree.
You lot at Kirchberg
are said to be great...
...at retrieving parachutes.
You must be Martha,
from Hamburg.
I'm your mother-in-law.
I've been with the Post Office
for four months.
Didrt Anton tell you?
I'll take you on my round.
Let's look at you.
You're really lovely.
Antors picked himself
someone very nice.
What month are you in?
The sixth.
Things could start soon.
Whoever sits by the fire
Wasting his time
He'll save his energy
But get nothing done
But whoever asks no questions
And sets off undaunted
For him there's no question mark
until his job is done
Yes, gentlemen!
That's how we like it.
From today,
the world belongs to us.
Yes, gentlemen.
Worries are gone
We do what we like
And whoever bothers us
Before he knows what's happening
He'll have been dealt with by us
Yes, gentlemen,
you can bet on that
Why are you crying?
I was thinking of Anton...
...out there somewhere in Russia.
It's so horribly far away.
In that vast, terrible country.
Our boy.
My Anton and your Anton.
You know...
...he doesn't fit at all
into the w*r.
He was always a sensitive boy...
...really gentle.
If you'd known him as a child...
Two missing.
Where are Roger and Marcel?
Gone to eat.
Oh, have they?
And where, may I ask?
Today we've done a lot.
Good travail.
Now we'll have a decent meal.
A bit more viande?
And a bit more for camerade, yes?
What's up with Wiegand now?
He's overseeing the French prisoners.
This is incredible.
Really, Aunt Kath,
you stab me in the back.
Corporal,
you'll make good this food...
...that belongs
to the German people.
Half rations for a week
for those two.
What's happened to you?
Do you know what you've become,
Wilfried Wiegand?
A really dirty dog,
that's what you are.
It's disgraceful...
...what's happened to the children
in the w*r.
He's the one I mean.
Watch your tongue!
You've no pity for people.
I saw that from the start.
When you lot took things over,
with those boots of yours.
You dont know what you're saying.
I hope you're
a prisoner abroad one day...
...with nothing to eat...
...and you meet someone like you.
Else, know what he did?
He forbade Marcel and Roger
to eat after work.
You all know they're enemies,
not people.
And that personal contact
with prisoners...
...is strictly forbidden.
You, Kath...
...you could be charged
with malicious gossip, watch out.
There's no peace and quiet!
Wilfried,
you're a shirker and a coward.
All you can do
is order women about.
There's a w*r...
...and this is the home front.
Look around, Aunt Kath.
Marga's husband
was k*lled at Leningrad.
Hermine's husband's plane
crashed at Kharkov.
Else's lost her brother
and her husband.
And I want you now to keep quiet.
You're not being shot at here.
You act like the lord of the manor...
...and if your father
werert so old and doddery...
...he ought to tan your arse!
I've been digging up potatoes all day
with Marcel and Roger.
Two quiet, hard-working chaps.
One has a wife and four children
in France.
Now you'll meet us all.
This is our mother.
This is Martha from Hamburg.
What's the matter?
Nothing. I just lost my temper.
What month is she in, then?
This is our parlour.
- Father!
- What is it?
Martha's here from Hamburg.
Look, grandad!
To think you can still see all that.
I can imagine it.
Our grandad has bad eyes.
What a sweet boy.
- Is that Antors little brother?
- Yes, my Hermann.
My child from Otto.
Then he's my brother-in-law.
If he only knew
he's a brother-in-law.
Father, greet Martha.
All in due course.
Go up close, Martha,
so that grandad can see you.
I'm not shortsighted.
I saw you, I'm farsighted.
It's just the one eye
that won't work proprerly.
My grandfather had a cataract too.
When I look outside,
I see everything.
But so foggy.
That's how it is when you get old.
Sit down, Martha.
See my damaged thumb?
I hit it in the forge.
I can't see well.
After forty years,
I hit my thumb.
Yes, after forty years.
Anton, a good lad.
Always so interested
in the forge and the work.
Just like his father.
Has he told you about Paul,
his father?
My daughter-in-law.
It's as though Anton
has sent me a greeting...
...with you and the child to come.
Paul is American now.
But he's not fighting against us.
Where's mother?
Didrt she come in with you?
Look, grandad and mama.
A lovely,
mysterious stretch of water.
Deep, too. 1,000 metres.
A b*mb crater, too.
A volcanic crater.
A crater like that...
...has a narrow funnel down below.
And inside is a cork,
a very small cork.
And below that, all flaming hell.
10,000 landmines
are a warm fart by comparison.
The cork is a wobbly thing.
If anyone touches it carelessly...
If I throw this stone into it now...
...it could be
just the one gram too much.
What they've waited for below
for 500,000 years.
Better not, Herr Wohlleben.
We may be lucky.
Nothing again.
It might have been.
I mean,
the whole Reich might have exploded.
Then the Allies
would suddenly have won.
Just like that.
This morning...
...when I defused
that unexploded b*mb...
...I sat on it,
unscrewing the fuse...
...bumping it a bit...
...and I noticed a text
beneath the church clock.
"One of these days
will be your last."
I don't get it.
One of these hours, it meant.
But I thought about my b*mb
all the time.
A b*mb,
the last thing I could ever wish for.
Or my last b*mb.
Then I unscrewed a bit
and thought...
...give it a try.
And? Nothing.
- My name wasrt on it.
- What a sense of humour.
If I thought about all that,
I'd get the shits.
Then squat down...
...and press your arse
hard against your b*mb.
Then nothing can happen to you.
You'll be absolutely watertight.
Thank God, you're here.
The b*mb's right in front
of the hangar.
The whole training programme
has been stopped.
Pieritz, a perilous situation.
It must have come from back there...
...silently, not a sound.
Scared you last night, eh?
Pieritz, the compass.
Why a compass?
Lance-Corporal Pieritz
will trace magnetic currents.
Extremely magnetic.
You must remove it at once,
Lieutenant.
Magnetic pistols, damn dangerous.
The theory, later.
Your p*stol is magnetizing our tools.
Are you trying to k*ll us all?
I need a No 17 left-handed spanner.
Mine's broken,
and Luftwaffe supplies are erratic.
Get a No 17 left-handed spanner!
And take away my magnetic p*stol!
Lieutenant, get the hangar cleared.
Probably a triple-five.
We've had them before.
Or a British triple-six.
We had one in Kaiserslautern.
Dented, remember?
Gurgling away, not nice at all.
"Quiet", I told her.
"You'll soon be relieved."
She kept gurgling...
...so I gave her a kick
that shut her up.
Then she quietly
let herself be defused.
We'd better take a look at the lady.
Very kind of you, Lieutenant.
With such gloves, he defuses bombs.
You can hardly believe it.
Pieritz,
take the left-handed spanner...
...or we'll lose it.
Otto Wohlleben.
b*mb disposal squad 241...
...stationed in Nürnberg.
Unusual name, isn't it?
Uncle Otto, don't you recognise me?
Ernst!
You taught me flying
with the Viking glider.
It's still in our attic.
How tall you've grown.
You remember Pieritz.
That's Ernst Simon.
Are you two still together?
Time to take cover.
Does he do it alone?
Yes, but afterwards
we'll talk it over.
How long has he been doing that?
When I joined the squad in 1941
he'd been there a year.
Do you defuse bombs every day?
It depends.
We usually explode them,
but not here...
...because of your aircraft.
Did she officially report
whose child it is?
No, not to anyone in the village...
...not even the mayor.
If anyone asked, she said...
..."It's a child."
And that was sufficient.
Of course, we know you're the father.
I always wanted a child.
Only not in times like these.
What does he look like?
When I look at you,
he looks like you.
Those English are real mechanics.
Look at these components.
Precision work.
They can be proud of that.
But they didn't consider
that the better the work...
...the easier it's dismantled.
If I stick to the same technique...
...then I can rely
on their precision.
Let me hear his name again.
Hermann, and he's four.
If their mechanic's sloppy,
or grumpy...
...l'll be blown
into the stratosphere.
We've often talked about you.
Get in touch with mother.
She'll be so happy.
And you're a pilot
as you've always wanted.
My training's almost over.
We're on terrestrial navigation now.
We fly over Bitburg, Delmenorst
and back over Kassel.
You land drenched in sweat.
Is that the marriage certificate?
Yes, Antors signed it at the front.
What's the book?
It's Hitler's Mein Kampf.
Are you reading it, too?
I don't know yet.
Now the wedding photograph,
with the bride.
Get into the middle.
Eduard, a permanent souvenir.
Herr Specht and Herr Huch...
...come into the picture too.
Can I come in too?
A marriage without God's blessing.
I can't get it into my head.
Fancy not going to church, Martha.
You can't do that.
Glasisch, help me.
Stand still.
Don't exert yourself, you're ill.
I tell you, Martha.
Marriage is directly connected
with God.
Well done, Glasisch.
Ursel, don't dirty your coat.
Martha, the church is over there.
It wouldn't take five minutes
to go in and say a prayer.
Let me be in the picture too.
Martha, I implore you.
Don't do it without God.
It could bring a curse on you.
Good God!
How much longer, Eduard?
That was a lovely one.
They're only bothered
that nobody should miss lunch.
Don't keep kicking my shoes,
Robertchen.
Pauline, tell him to behave.
It's a proxy marriage,
not a childrers party.
Take your scabby hands off.
Nobody here thinks about our Anton.
He's the bridegroom, at the front...
...starving and freezing.
You've never had
to go through that yet.
Don't start that again.
I can't help being ill as a child...
...and having had
lots of operations.
Our boys at the front
aren't starving.
Or freezing. You've no idea.
And not dying, either?
You mean that?
They're not dying either.
It's a pleasure to be at the front.
I'll ring later.
Don't tell me stories,
Wilfried Wiegand.
That's atrocity propaganda.
Do you listen to enemy broadcasts?
If I catch you,
there'll be no pardon...
...never mind being related.
You were a fool as a child...
...and you've remained one.
I've got a telephone call
laid on his unit in Krimskaya.
I shouldn't tell you Antors there.
But it may ease your mind.
Then I'll ask him
if he's starving and freezing.
You won't touch the telephone
if you're going to ask that.
Look at the cake!
It's Anton to the life.
My call to Propaganda Company 421...
...Sector Sebastopol-Krimskaya.
I am ready to take the call.
Yes, it's the proxy marriage.
Please ring us back.
Fine, we are waiting.
I'm going to church
to pray Our Lord to bless you.
You and your Anton.
I don't understand
why you won't come, Martha.
Edu, you're coming with me.
Horst, you stay here.
Dear bride...
...dear mothers...
...dear friends...
...soldiers, comrades...
...dear children...
It is my duty
as the only man still at home...
The only man!
Somebody has to be, Aunt Kath.
What if no one kept order here?
My duty to say a few words to you...
...so that we appreciate
the significance of this hour.
At this moment...
...countless telephone girls
in the whole Reich...
...are feverishly occupied
at the telephone exchanges...
...consummating a minor miracle
of our technology.
Consummate!
These are not empty words, Aunt Kath.
As so often happens,
w*r is the mother of invention.
Our indefatigable
German diligence and inventiveness...
...have made it possible
for every soldier...
...between Bordeaux and Kharkov...
And Schabbach.
Aunt Kath,
someone must be here...
...to look after food supplies
for comrades at the front.
Agriculture's
an important w*r effort.
Shirker!
Between Narvik and Salonika...
...whether in the air
or underwater...
...whether in trenches
or staff bunker...
...every fighting German soldier...
...can be reached from home
by telephone at any time.
And thus...
...we can unite our bride here...
...with her bridegroom,
our dear Anton...
...fighting far away.
Who would think...
...crossing the fields
from Schabbach...
...that these telephone wires...
...are part of a network
covering the whole of Europe.
"We regret
that our dearly beloved son...
"...nephew and grandson...
"...Grenadier Hans Betz...
"...has lost his young life
on the Eastern front.
"Schabbach, 15th January, 1944.
"We ask for your prayers."
The basket-maker's boy, Hans.
Yes, this is Schabbach.
Is that you, Anton?
This is your grandad Wiegand.
We're here in the parlour
all together...
...because that's where
the telephone is.
I'll tell you who's here
so you can picture it.
Besides me sits your grandmother.
Over there is your mother,
both very excited.
But you must speak to your wife.
If you could see how she looks...
...you'd look too.
We've kept a place here for you...
...and your mother-in-law has come.
You don't know her?
She's come specially from Hamburg.
Oh, after the w*r.
Soon, then.
The room is full of people.
And an enormous spread on the table.
Anton, here's your wife.
Anton, are you all right?
Yes, it's really nice
here in your home.
I've got my blue outfit on.
You know,
the one I had on when we first met.
Yes, it still fits...
...just about.
Yes, I said "Yes"...
...and they read out
your "Yes" to me.
What's that?
I didn't understand.
Anton says he's being filmed...
...by the newsreel unit at the front.
Just a moment.
Don't all sit there like dummies.
Anton, your whole family's here,
looking...
...and nobody's saying a word.
You must wait a moment.
My comrades are lighting me.
They've got spotlights here.
I'll explain later.
You must wait a moment.
Your mother's so nice to me.
Tell our comrade Simon...
...he looks so stiff.
His face is too stiff.
Understand?
As you say, Captain.
Please smile for our film expert.
Now, completely natural.
Speak up.
You mustrt be sad, Martha.
Make sure nothing happens to you.
Adolf Hitler's standard
is right beside us...
...so nothing can happen to us.
I'm so relieved.
Want close-ups, Captain?
We ought to film the bride at home.
That would suit an old hand like you.
Pity.
It's Ernst!
He's crazy.
He could have hit the church tower.
He's set up a long-distance record.
Training for three months
and he's flying a 190.
How lovely, Gabi.
We'll send them to papa at the front.
I hope he doesn't crash.
He's firmly in the saddle.
Martha, all good things
come from above.
That's how our Ernst is.
Now you've met him too.
You're all so nice to me.
Cadet, to the C.O. At once!
Trouble, he's fuming.
Stand to attention.
What do you think...
...our meagre
fuel supplies are for, Simon?
My brother's proxy marriage...
Rubbish! Proxy marriage!
Did you at least hit them
with your bouquet?
It wasrt that easy, was it?
1,000 metres off, throttle back...
...flaps out, slide in at 50 metres.
100 metres from our roof
toss out flowers.
Bang on target, Major.
A training manoeuvre.
By the way,
report to Captain von der Heiden.
Tomorrow you fly your first sortie.
This music!
This divinely gifted artist!
What culture!
We were in Munich station...
...and this man in uniform
comes up.
Says, "Girls, have you ever seen
our Führer?"
- He did, didn't he, Erika?
- Yes, Erika. Of course we said no.
So he laughs,
goes and telephones...
...comes back and says...
..."In five minutes,
a car will be here.
"If you like,
the Führer will receive you."
You went with a complete stranger?
He wasrt strange.
He showed us his identity card.
- He was a "Gauleiter".
- Gauleiter?
We thought he was having us on.
Then we found out he was a Gauleiter.
We drove to Rudolf Hess's house
in the Luitpoldstrasse.
And the Führer came to the door
and shook our hands.
And gave us each five marks.
- Didrt he, Erika?
- Yes, Erika.
- When was it?
- I'll never forget the date.
It was 26th January, 1938
and I was 17.
And he gave us each
a signed photograph, didn't he?
Yes, Erika. And we didn't care
that we'd missed our train.
That I believe.
So where did you sleep?
I normally
only invite officers to the house.
But this common soldier,
Herr Zacharias...
...he's got a sort of nobility,
I saw it.
While others at the field kitchen
wolfed their food down...
...he, the artist...
...he ate slowly...
...just morsels with his spoon.
As a man eats, so he is.
You have taste, dear lady.
Bravo, Helmut!
Once again, you were divine.
I can't find words. Divine!
w*r has its good sides.
It brought you into my house.
Isn't that right, Edu?
Please be kind and play some more.
The final solution
is being ex*cuted mercilessly.
Between ourselves,
we all know anyway.
Up the chimney...
What does "Up the chimney" mean,
Wilfried?
I mean the Jews.
I can't explain in detail
with children here.
My comrades suffer greatly
over this matter...
...as one can imagine.
A very, very unpleasant task.
Mama, who goes up the chimney?
Be quiet, Robertchen.
Why do you keep blinking one eye?
What are you blinking for?
I keep thinking
of the basket-maker's boy, Hans.
He might still be alive
if I hadrt taught him that.
What did you teach him?
THE HOME FRONT
Put that light out!
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01x05 & 01x06 - Auf und davon und zurück - 1938/1939
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The village of Schabbach experiences the shifting fortunes of Germany from 1919 to 1982.
The village of Schabbach experiences the shifting fortunes of Germany from 1919 to 1982.