WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE
I expect you to do us proud.
This is about nothing less than the future of Germany.
Take cover.
It's your brother.
Fire at will.
We were five, five friends. - To us.
We'd known each other all our lives.
Charly would serve her country as a nurse.
We represent the German woman.
Charly. - Have you loved him for long?
Yes. - Does he know?
I don't think so. - She thought she should do her duty.
A nurse Charlotte has reported that a Jew is hiding here.
I'm sorry.
Viktor Goldstein. His father was a respected tailor.
Viktor was to take over the business, until it was destroyed.
A good German doesn't break the law.
We're no longer German.
Jews are being sent east.
Greta. The two of them are inseparable.
We all believe she'll be a star one day. The new Marlene Dietrich.
She wanted to save her friend Viktor.
I need papers. Can you help him?
I'll make you a star.
My little brother, Friedhelm.
The war will make a man of him. - It'll bring out the worst in us.
The bookworm, lover of Rimbaud and Jünger.
Here, I am not your brother.
In the war, he became a warrior.
And this is me, Wilhelm Winter, Lieutenant in 'Windhund' Company.
Where there are Jews, there are partisans.
This is a war. - This is not war.
Yes, it is, in the name of the 'Führer'.
The war will be over by Christmas.
We were five.
Friedhelm.
GENERATION WAR
PART II - A DIFFERENT WAR
May 1943.
We parted two years ago in Berlin.
Two years and still no end.
At first it was just a feeling, but now I know,
the German army is not invincible.
We moved into position at Orel.
They say that the final, decisive battle will be fought soon.
The battle that will end the war.
I don't know whether I can still muster what my men expect of me:
A firm belief in victory.
We'll go on.
Take cover.
Let's get out of here.
You gave us quite a fright.
Field hospital, Orel, Russia Moscow: 360 km
Nurse, please help me.
Nurse, pressure bandage. The Russian.
But we're only allowed to... - Just do it.
The head injury first. - What about the Russian?
We don't even have enough morphine for our own wounded.
Switch on the radio. Nurse Hildegard, will you assist her?
That was famous singer Greta Del Torres,
singing Mein kleines Herz.
High command has announced
that the 'Führer' has spoken from his headquarters...
I thought that the Lieutenant Colonel...
I'm sorry, Miss Greta.
To the best of my knowledge, he's at the opera with his wife.
His wife.
Take me home.
292nd Infantry Division Orel, Russia. Moscow: 350 km
3 days until the Battle of Kursk
Two years in Russia and I don't understand a thing.
Get yourselves something to eat. - Yes, sir.
Fresh from training, just kids.
The older the war, the younger the soldiers.
When can I take my leave?
The lieutenant says that all leave has been cancelled.
They need all the men they have for the offensive.
Shit, my fiancée... - You don't have a fiancée, Bartel.
How will I ever get one if I can't have any leave?
Hello. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is...
That ginger one, last week. What was his name, Schneider?
The one whose head got blown off?
If you're still alive in four weeks' time, you can tell me your name.
Until then, One, Two.
Your brother will make men out of them.
Yes, I'm sure he will.
Nurse, what's your name? - Charlotte.
Will you have a drink with me? - I don't drink when on duty.
Then give me a kiss. Today is my 21st birthday.
Congratulations.
I have shrapnel inside my head. An operation is impossible.
I must look like a ghost, which is ironic,
because I'm with 707 Company. We call ourselves the ghost legion.
Ghost legion, what does that mean?
We make Jews disappear.
Women, too?
What do you think happened to Lilija?
She was a good nurse.
Listen, she was a Jew,
and the Jews want our demise, remember?
Be sure that a comment like that doesn't fall upon the wrong ears.
Without knocking?
Do you think I'm some BDM-girl?
What if I hadn't been dressed?
Nothing I wouldn't already know.
Lout.
Does your wife have a headache again?
Perhaps she and I should meet for a coffee.
You should have phoned.
I have no time. I'm learning new lyrics.
You'll soon have to learn many more lyrics.
How would you like to go on tour?
On tour?
A few dancers, a juggler,
and star of the show, Greta Del Torres.
I could ask Marika Rökk.
I could learn a few French chansons.
I've always wanted to go to the 'Moulin Rouge'.
We'll do Paris afterwards.
Afterwards?
The tour is heading east.
Warsaw...
Well, I could... - Russia.
What?
You don't expect... - You'll sing for hundreds of men.
You lousy...
Officers who haven't seen a woman for months.
You'll celebrate victories,
and when the final victory is won, Paris, Milan...
Rome, Vienna, Budapest.
All of Europe will be yours.
Now you should pack. Your plane leaves tomorrow.
What are our chances?
The German Africa Corps has surrendered.
It's 300 km from Tunis to Sicily.
The Allies will attack Italy next.
We must push the Russians back.
Excuse me, Lieutenant.
When will we finally fight? - Will the Russians attack?
We'll attack first, obviously. Germany always attacks first.
The 'Führer' said the war will be over by winter.
Did he mention which year?
That's negative thinking, defeatism.
OK, guys, it's late. Time for lights out.
Good night, Lieutenant. - Good night, Lieutenant.
Come inside, children.
Get away from the well.
Schneider, get away from the well.
Stop the car.
Your plane leaves in half an hour. - I know.
What is it?
Sorry, I must have the wrong floor. - Are you looking for the Jews?
Yes. - They've gone.
Gone? - Berlin is Jew-free now, remember?
They didn't even clean the house, filthy scum. Unbelievable.
Now be quiet, or else the Russians will come.
Well, at least the furniture came in handy.
Tell me, what do you have to do with them?
Kopice, Poland Concentration Camp Auschwitz: 170 km
What are you doing?
Look, you mustn't do that. Stop it.
They'll shoot us all. Stop. Stop.
Hey, you dead. Maybe tomorrow, in a month, or in a year.
Keep shouting, you dead right now.
That goes for you all.
Nobody join me has to, but nobody me stop.
I was in Sachsenhausen.
They said they needed workers for a company close to Lublin.
Then you are lucky. Have a good trip.
Isn't it strange that trains full depart, empty return?
Come.
Gentlemen, the time has come. Our weeks of preparation are over.
Tomorrow we will launch our summer offensive on the Russian front
and head towards Kursk.
Code name: Citadel.
We will attack from both Orel and Bjelgorod at the same time.
East of Kursk we'll meet up with 4th Division and close the trap.
This battle will be a major breakthrough
and give us back the initiative. Kursk must fall within six days.
The 'Führer' expects each and every man to give it his all.
Tonight, a famous singer is going to perform for the troops.
The men need a little relaxation before the fight.
Thank you.
Lieutenant Winter?
I regret the attack on your men.
The culprits are to be executed today.
What's the matter, Wilhelm?
We were at the gates of Moscow...
and now it's more than 500 km again.
I know, Stalingrad was a disaster. But we can still win this war.
We retook Kharkov and Bjelgorod. - After we lost them.
Pull yourself together.
We have to win this battle.
It's our last chance to defeat the Russians before the Americans arrive.
Be sure to make it through. - Yes, sir.
How do you lead your men into a battle you know so few will survive?
The only winners of the war are the flies.
We fatten them with our flesh.
Attention.
Aim.
Fire.
You wimp, you aimed to miss.
You're such a dumb coward.
Friedhelm.
Come here.
What do you see? - No station, no town.
Hang on.
Tanks. A train carrying tanks. Listen...
Military trains take priority. If we're lucky,
the Germans plan something in east and we win time.
We need to rest. - Minutes, then we work on.
My little heart
Beats just for you
Knows the answer when you ask me
Yes, I belong to you
Thank you.
Hello? Listen, boys, if you think...
Friedhelm.
Hello.
What a surprise. - It's lovely to see you.
Charly.
You were sensational.
Who'd have thought it? This calls for celebration.
Wait, I have it with me.
How young we were.
What happened to Viktor? - For his passport.
He left, he's fine. I visited his parents.
Champagne.
The 'Führer' says the war will be won by Germany by the end of the year.
And then the four of us will travel to Milan and Paris together.
To you, Greta.
To you. - To us.
Come in.
Oh, damn it. The regiment commander is holding a private dinner party.
I'm coming. Well...
Take whatever you like and don't wait up for me.
I think it's going to be late, but I'll be staying for a few more days.
Well, then we'll celebrate the great Greta Del Torres in her absence.
Exactly.
I have to go, too.
Captain Feigl is expecting me.
Yes, I have to get back, too.
Oh, come on, let's celebrate.
Wilhelm, what's the matter with you? We haven't seen each other for ages.
Look, a 1934 Bordeaux. Charly...
Why can't we simply... - My patients are waiting.
You're an asshole, do you know that?
I don't want her to get her hopes up.
Your soldier with the head wound... - What about him?
Are you feeling all right?
I'm fine. What about him? - He died.
Good. - Come on.
If you have any courage, join us.
I can't do that.
Lieutenant?
Those farmers we shot, who bombed the well...
do you believe they were all partisans?
No.
Have you killed many?
You kill before they kill you, that's all.
I wanted to go to university in Freiburg for the winter semester.
Professor Heidegger, philosophy and history.
Do you think I'll be able to?
Perhaps you should wait for the summer semester.
Yes. My mother said that if... - Would you please shut up?
Yes, of course. I'm sorry.
An hour and 20 minutes to go.
What do you think?
Eventually, they'll get us all.
They got Schneider behind the lines, even.
That time he beat you up... - He was right.
No, he wasn't.
I left you in the lurch.
It's...
It's not always easy to know what's right.
Father always expected me to...
They're attacking.
Grab your weapons.
Move it. March, march, march.
Take cover.
Shit, they're falling short. - They're not ours, you idiot.
I can't fight.
Get everything ready.
Hey, wake up. Get up.
Gliwice, Poland Concentration Camp Auschwitz: 50 km
Miss Müller, we have to leave. - First I have to...
The counter attack is about to begin. The pilot has to leave.
Do you think I'm leaving all this behind?
As you wish, Miss Müller.
Tell them to wait. I'm Greta Del Torres.
They're ours. Give it to them, guys. Make them eat steel.
Don't worry about it. It happens to a lot of us at first.
We're moving out. - Yes, sir.
Come on, get up, we're moving out. - Come on, it's time to move out.
Men, we're moving out.
The Russians know we're going to attack.
We won't surprise them. - I know.
Press it on tight. Can you manage that? I need a drip.
Greta?
Go on, you can do it.
Those fools left without me. - What's your name?
Werner. - Werner, look at me.
I wanted to call the commander, but he wasn't available.
We'll operate soon. - Maybe you can help me. I...
What?
Nurse.
Werner? Werner?
I need a nurse.
You can help me. - What?
Pick up the stretcher.
Come on, get on with it.
On three. One... two... three.
What are you doing here? - Quick.
Lousy thieves.
Faster.
What are you going to do?
I have no idea.
Go back to Germany. What about you? - Warsaw.
Alina.
Viktor.
I never thought I'd say to a German, may you live long.
Don't move. Don't move.
Run.
July 7th, 1943.
The greatest tank battle of the war has raged for three days.
It is supposed to be the decisive battle.
More than 7,000 tanks face each other.
Friedhelm was right, the Red Army was ready for us.
The number of casualties is huge.
We've been hoping for reinforcements for days.
Kurchatow, Russia Moscow: 300 km, Kursk: 46 km
There's a telegraph station 2 km up the road.
Your orders are to take it and to hold it.
Are we getting tank cover?
The Russians are stronger than anticipated.
We've lost half our tanks and 40% of our men.
There's no cover because all reserves are in the field.
You are to take and hold that telegraph station, whatever it takes.
There's no enemy movement.
We're here,
and the telegraph station is 300 metres north of us. Over there.
Group One... Group Two will lead.
Group One will follow close behind and Group Three will provide cover.
Have you got that? - Yes, Lieutenant.
All right, girls, let's go. Load and release the safety catch.
Move it, move it, move it. - You go ahead.
To the passageway. Group One first. Let's go.
Take cover.
Grenades.
Bartel, advance on my command.
Give us cover.
Right, let's go.
Move forward.
Seibold, Winter, secure it.
Fight, boy.
Get up...
A tank.
Get out of here.
Retreat.
How can you cope with all this?
You've changed.
You're so...
I killed a woman.
Lilija. She was Jewish.
She helped me and I betrayed her.
Nothing is how we thought it would be, Greta.
I had hoped that Viktor would write.
I have no idea how he is.
Nor where he is.
The wound isn't healing itself and that's dangerous.
It needs to be stitched.
So, how did you end up aboard the train?
After our capitulation
your people arrested me in the street
and sent me to Germany to work.
A farm in Franken.
What happened?
Didn't you like it with 'Eisbein' and 'Sauerkraut'?
And you? You are a Jew?
Maybe you get undressed for the Germans.
Bite on this.
Where is Lieutenant Winter?
Where are the damn reinforcements? - What's keeping them?
Lieutenant, a message from Captain Feigl.
The Russians have launched an attack at Orel,
and the Allies have landed in Sicily.
That means a two-front war.
The 'Führer' is sending the 2nd Tank Division to fight in the West.
The Luftwaffe has no fuel left for aerial support.
We need urgent reinforcements.
I'm sorry. - Then we'll never reach Kursk.
Rest until tomorrow, but your orders remain the same.
Take and hold the telegraph station.
All of Sicily has been given up,
and my men are being sacrificed for a stretch of road.
You're relieved.
You were right.
It brings out only the worst in us. - Yes, I know.
But it doesn't change the fact that we'll be out fighting again tomorrow.
Until nobody is left. - That's right, until nobody is left.
How many we know have died these past two years?
Schneider, Dogerlow, Verdindsky, Bertok...
Stop it.
It won't stop until it's over. Don't you understand that?
We're human livestock for the slaughterhouse.
Today we're heroes, tomorrow pigs. - What's the point?
There is no point!
God has abandoned us. There's just us.
No general, no 'Führer', just us. Those men out there.
And if we die tomorrow, then so be it.
But I expect you to lead us.
Two, ammunition.
Lieutenant!
Wilhelm. Wilhelm.
For this?
God.
For this?
We'll wait until it gets dark.
If ours aren't here by then, we'll go back. Maybe we have a chance.
How did you become like this?
You resist the temptation to be human.
Some become so, others so.
You never know beforehand.
All that's certain is that nobody stays the same.
How have you survived so long?
You hope the man beside you gets it.
A good soldier is usually a coward and occasionally brave.
Then you're not a good soldier.
Keep your head down.
They have Siberian hunters who can hit a coin from 300 metres.
Tarnow, Poland Berlin: 650 km
The German came to me almost every night.
His wife pretended not to know.
Then I realised I was pregnant.
A girl.
They took her away from me.
The farmer's wife was unable to have children.
But he wanted to have a son and it all started again.
I put a knife to his throat and said I wouldn't mother a German soldier.
And that next time, I'd cut off his little thingy.
They picked me up and put me on the train.
It's a long way, but if we make it to Lodz, we have a chance.
Friends of mine live there.
Where is everybody else?
Dead. All of them.
Get your things. The offensive has been called off. We're retreating.
Water.
Your girlfriend?
My mother.
I'm writing to tell her that I can't make the summer semester either.
I can't die. - Good for you.
No, I mean...
My mother, she didn't have me until she was 48 years old.
It was a miracle.
She brought me up all by herself.
She's a simple woman.
She went to the recruitment board and told them that I was her only son,
that I had to study and therefore couldn't be drafted.
A courageous woman.
They held her for a whole night, for neglect of duty.
A 68-year-old woman.
Do you understand?
Come on, let's get out of here.
I'm sorry, Martin, but I can't take you with me.
Where are you going? - Shut up.
Idiot.
Want to bet? No way, it went straight through his heart.
Shit, it's Friedhelm.
Shit. - I thought he was a Russian.
Why is he wearing... - Shut up, will you?
Can you hear me?
This one can wait.
Hit right next to the left heart chamber. Heavy blood loss. No chance.
Friedhelm. Friedhelm.
Friedhelm. Dr Jahn!
What's wrong with him? - No hope.
We'll operate this one. - That can't be.
I know him.
Please.
Get him up on the table. Quickly.
No, not you. Not you. Nurse Hildegard.
Don't you die on me.
Friedhelm.
Wilhelm... - I'll write to tell him you're alive.
No.
Wilhelm is dead.
September, 1943.
To start with, on the battlefield, you fight for your country.
Later, when doubt sets in, you fight for your comrades
whom you can't leave in the lurch.
But what when nobody else is left?
When you're alone,
and the only one you can deceive is yourself?
What do you fight for then?
Take care of yourself.
I hope from my heart that you'll soon find happiness.
Yes.
Charlotte.
There you are.
Does it hurt? Oh, God, you're back. - It's not too bad.
You see, I was right. I prayed that He would bring him back.
Yes.
Him.
Wilhelm will return, too. I know it. I know he's alive.
I have flour and a couple of eggs. I'll bake a cake.
I'm sorry that it was one centimetre off.
Gentlemen, say hello to the wonderful and one and only Greta Del Torres.
To the beauty of German women. - Cheers.
Back already? - They no longer need me at the front.
Yes, you ought to check out the front sometime, too.
Would you do us the honour of singing with us?
Oh, come on, young lady. - Go on.
Go on, sing with us. - Thank you, but...
Come on, young lady. - Don't touch me!
Spoilt, were you, at the front. We're not good enough for the lady.
Well-satisfied at the front, were you?
I bet she was.
I have a surprise for you, Gentlemen.
The final victory has been cancelled.
Are you insane?
So if you want to be heroes, you should hurry.
What's her name? - Greta.
She tried to save me.
What does she do?
I wish I knew.
There wasn't even time to say goodbye.
Come out of there.
Come out. - We just slept here. We're leaving.
Get in there, go on.
You can stay here for a few days. - Thank you.
Your friend doesn't speak very much. - No.
I'm off to the market.
You could help my son in the field.
See you later.
You need to get out of here. - But your father said...
He's going into town. People who help partisans are shot.
He's gone to fetch the Germans.
What's he saying? - His father is fetching your people.
If you want to live, come with me.
Come on.
Russia '41, right? Were you there? - Sure he was.
Wounded and infantry insignia, frozen meat medal, close combat clasp...
And look, tank insignia. How many did you get then, eh, NCO?
In the weekly news, they said the enemy is on its last legs.
That's enough, boys. Leave the man alone. Out you go.
Because you're such a hero, you won't talk to us?
I'll be 17 next year, and I'm going to get more of them than you.
People like him are ruining our chances in the war.
Yes, I understand that Lt Colonel Dorn is busy.
You've been telling me that for a Mon...
Have you told him my name?
Rome is too close to the front. - But you promised.
Let your father eat in peace. - Florence then. I've always wanted...
Please, I've always wanted to see the 'Birth of Venus'.
And Michelangelo's 'David'. - We'll talk another time.
Who is it?
Good luck.
Who are you?
I'm Alina Bigaj. This is Viktor. We're on the run from the Germans.
I don't understand.
You said... No, no, no, no...
Mum, please. - No.
Nothing's going to happen to me. Do you hear? I'll be fine.
No...
Hey, you, come here.
We're lost.
Do you speak German?
Look.
Someone here thinks the war is over for him.
Get up.
Lieutenant Winter. 3rd Company, 60th Infantry Regiment.
Open up.
Put on some clothes.
What? - Right now.
Sit down. - I demand an expla...
Sit.
I'd like an explanation.
This is a sergeant's report that states that you doubt the final victory.
Did you say these things?
Are you Polish?
Yes.
Where are you from? - Warsaw.
Warsaw?
I have a friend in Warsaw.
On the corner of Leszno and Ogrodowa. Franek Madajczyk. Do you know him?
No.
Everyone in Warsaw knows Franek Madajczyk.
Maybe.
But no Franek Madajczyk lives on the corner of Leszno and Ogrodowa.
Why not?
Because Leszno and Ogrodowa don't intersect.
He's German? - Yes.
Why are you with a German? Are you fucking him?
Are you a Jew? - No.
What makes you so sure? - Like you said, I fuck him.
There are many spies.
The Germans pay a reward for us. Why should we let you live?
What a lout.
Why didn't you answer my calls? - Sit down.
What's the meaning of this? - Sit down.
Defeatism, incitement of the people, belittling the 'Führer'.
You sent me there. On tour, far away from your frigid wife.
Shut up.
You can't arrest me.
You'd be arresting your child, too.
I'm pregnant.
I'm sorry. I tried all I could in court.
Amnesia after a grenade explosion that we served together since 1940...
What's the sentence?
You'll be stripped of your German civil rights...
and executed by a firing squad at 6 am tomorrow.
I...
I can submit a clemency... - The war is lost anyway.
The only choice now...
is to die, or to lie.
Wilhelm, I... - It's all right.
I AM A GERMAN COLLABORATOR
Most people think that above all, war is about fighting.
That's not true.
It's the waiting...
for the next attack, the next meal...
the next morning.