Mr. Duncan Sandys, sir.
Good afternoon, sir.
Come in, Duncan.
Sit down.
There's a vital job to be done.
The outcome of the war
may depend on how you handle it.
You've read these reports
that the Germans are developing long-range rockets
in order to bombard Britain.
Yes, I have, but they're extremely vague
and, in some respects, contradictory.
But they can't be ignored.
If London and the channel port
should come under heavy bombardment,
We would have to abandon our plan
to land in France next year.
I want you to find out quickly
whether this rocket threat is real
and, if so, to recommend how we should tackle it.
Do you want me to do this
as well as my job at the ministry of supply?
You think you could manage both?
Well, I'll just have to do with rather less sleep.
Your first task will be to collect all the evidence you can...
And then tell the war cabinet what you think about it.
Right, sir.
By the way...
How are your legs since the accident?
Bloody awful.
Huh.
Ach so. Der fuhrer.
Well, there we are.
Have they got a long-range rocket?
We've all seen the reports from intelligence.
Now perhaps you'd let me have your reactions.
Professor Lindemann.
Not very intelligent.
Would you elaborate on that?
I can.
Some of our agents could be wrong...
There you are!
And some would be right.
Well, these are wrong.
What makes you think that?
If you were a scientist, you'd know you cannot get reliable results
without solid propellants, such as cordite.
With a cordite- propelled rocket carrying a worthwhile warhead,
you'd need no less than 50 tons of it--50 tons.
Our biggest rocket has only 50 pounds.
Now, I ask you a question, gentlemen--
if we here admitted, which we do not,
the possibility of a rocket project in Germany,
what would you do?
Well, there are 3 avenues of approach, as I see it.
Firstly, I'd go over all the aerial photographs we've got,
and I'd try and get some new ones.
Next I'd interrogate all the available prisoners.
And then, of course, I'd send in more agents.
And then?
If, after that, I still believed they'd got rockets,
I'd recommend bombing their installations
to destroy them before they got off the ground.
That's precisely what the Germans want you to do,
to divert our bombing effort for more important targets.
Look, I'm a scientist.
In peacetime, there are no secrets in science.
And in 4 years of war, they couldn't have advanced that far.
Even a less spectacular advance--
it would have reduced their war effort immensely.
Look, Boyd, send back your agents.
Tell them to take a closer look.
Well, now, what about this report
that the Germans are recruiting technicians from the occupied countries?
I can vouch for that report.
But you can't vouch for the rocket report?
Agents are like scientists, Professor.
Some are good...
And some are not so good.
In my opinion,
The whole thing is a wild-goose chase.
Well, that remains to be seen.
As a scientist,
I was taught to be sure of my facts.
In war, decisions almost always have to be taken on incomplete knowledge.
If you wait until you're certain,
you're sure to be too late.
Mmm...
What's the matter with that man?
He may be a brilliant scientist,
but he can't always be right.
As far as I'm concerned,
he hasn't explained away our intelligence report.
Just because he can't build a rocket
doesn't mean to say the Germans can't.
Say, just for the sake of an argument,
let's assume they have got one in the experimental stage.
Now, where would they test it?
Obviously not in one of the occupied countries
because they couldn't trust anybody.
Well, they'd take it as far away from us as possible
to make it difficult to bomb.
Somewhere near the sea
so the duds wouldn't do any damage and wouldn't leave a trace.
So it's got to be the Baltic, hasn't it?
Sir?
Sir, would you come and look at this, please?
What am I supposed to be looking at?
There, sir. On the left.
I don't know, babs.
We know they're extending that airfield.
Could it be anything to do with that?
Dredging operations.
- Drains. - Hmm.
Hello, Kenny. What did they want in London?
Oh, they want us to probe every sortie for rocket installations.
James, would you take this, please?
Rocket installations?
What are they supposed to look like?
Nobody knows.
We have to look for something unusual.
They're new weapons, of course,
so we can't expect to see anything we've seen before.
So unusual we wouldn't even notice them?
Maybe.
Something you wouldn't even notice...
Sir, there is something...
I spotted it the other day.
Look.
There.
See?
Take a look at these.
Wait a minute.
Wait a minute!
The place is called Peenemünde.
Where is it?
It's on the Baltic coast.
You see, there's a new---a new power station
they just built here at Copen.
It's much too big for ordinary use.
There's power lines radiating about all over the place.
And up there among the trees, there's some new workshops.
Down here, there's some reclamation work.
I don't see what this has got to do with rockets.
All these installations seem to me to be perfectly consistent
with the idea of the place being
a rocket-firing establishment.
What about these circular earthworks in the woods here?
Mightn't they be test stands for launching rockets?
They're not going to put a firing point
in the middle of the island.
It'd be too risky.
If they have any, they'll put them right on the coast.
Well, whatever they are, it's quite certain
the Germans aren't making all this effort just for our benefit.
Well, I'm not going to believe your fairy tales
until you show me a photograph of a rocket.
Well, we'll just have to go on photographing until we find one.
Flight officer babington Smith, sir.
- Sir? - How do you do?
I hear you've got something new on Peenemünde.
- Yes, sir. - Yes, the NH-60 covers there.
It's all ready for you.
How many times have we photographed it altogether?
- 10 times now, sir. - I see.
Am I supposed to look at anything in particular?
Just here on the coast.
I think this'll interest you.
It's just in the middle of that elliptical earthwork.
Next to that sort of observation tower.
The torpedolike object on the transporter.
Oh, yes. Yes, I can see it.
We can estimate the size.
It's about 38 feet long, sir.
Could it be?
Well, we've never seen anything like it before, sir.
The shape's right--
the observation tower, the whole setup.
I'd take a heavy bet on it.
Yes, I think you're right.
It's a bloody great rocket.
It's a balloon.
You can't be serious.
It's a barrage balloon,
I'm interested to hear you say that--
it's a barrage balloon.
Partially deflated, of course.
On a downgrade transporter?
Why not?
The shape's convenient-- about 7 feet across
and 50 feet in length, I'd imagine.
Yes, but these vehicles are designed to carry up to 25 tons.
Putting a barrage balloon on it would be like--
like putting a lightweight jockey on an elephant?
It's a balloon.
Well, the photographic interpreters tell us it's a rocket,
And I'm quite satisfied it is.
Laughable.
It's a hoax.
It's a damned expensive one.
Factories, cranes, launching equipment,
living quarters--
it could be a naval base.
They might be testing some kind of torpedo.
Oh. So now your balloon's a torpedo?
One must explore all possibilities.
Every possibility except the possibility that it might be a rocket.
If it were a rocket, it could never get off the ground.
Well, if it were a torpedo,
what ship's going to be able to launch it?
Whatever it is, I think you're making a mountain out of a molehill.
You mean a torpedo out of a balloon.
I take it, then,
that you still don't think that Peenemünde should be bombed?
Certainly not.
Now, marshal, what have you got to say?
Well, to attack Peenemünde
would mean diverting the R.A.F. From their main task,
which is to destroy German industry.
Quite.
And apart from that, to reach Peenemünde,
We'd have to fly through the heart of their air defense system.
No fighter cover, I suppose?
I'm afraid not, at that distance.
And once we've attacked it,
the whole place'll bristle with guns.
So we'd have to make sure that we make a job of it first time.
How would you do that?
Well, we'd virtually have to send the whole bomber force.
How many planes?
Well, about 600.
And if the German fighters intercepted in strength,
we could lose the lot in one night... And with it, the war.
Are you prepared to take such a risk, Sandys?
We'll never win the war
unless we are prepared to take risks--
sometimes great risks.
So what are you going to do?
I shall recommend to the war cabinet
that Peenemünde be bombed as quickly as possible.
Hanna?
Hanna!
Danke, danke.
Hanna...
- Sieg... - Heil!
The first intelligence reports have come in, sir.
It seems we did the job.
All installations have been blown sky-high.
Peenemünde's been smashed to bits.
What about our losses? Any idea?
Well, so far,
40 aircraft out of 571.
Right.
We've gained time. That's the important thing.
Yes...precious time.
We can't afford to waste a minute of it.
First we discovered
that large numbers of engineers
were passing through Hamburg, Bremen, and Cologne.
The trail led us to this area around here.
It's a new factory, deep underground.
What makes you think it's a rocket factory?
Because all the men going there are top-grade specialists.
They're taking them from aircraft and radio factories,
chemical plants, research laboratories.
Just the sort of skills you'd need for making rockets.
Right.
Well, we never expected the Germans to give up after Peenemünde.
They must know we're planning to invade Europe this summer.
Supposing they've begun mass-producing these things...
If they could get them off the ground in time,
if they could launch a saturation attack against this country,
We could lose the war at the very last minute.
Can you find out any more about this place?
Tricky. The only way would be to get some of our own agents
right inside the factory.
Still, the Germans are crying out for engineers...
It's possible.
Men with technical knowledge, foreign languages,
But also make good agents...
They'll be pretty rare birds.
Yeah, especially in the shooting season.
Looks like a recruiting drive right away, doesn't it,
among the armed forces and the government departments.
If we interview a thousand men,
we'll be lucky to find 12 suitable.
Well, the sooner you find them, the better.
2£ on the clock, gov.
Right. Wait for me.
- Here, work on that. - Thanks very much. Ta.
Be right back. And remember...
Concentrate on what I told you.
Next, please.
Oh. That's me.
An article there on Holland.
Ah. Thank you.
Take a chair, please, sir.
You been waiting long?
A few minutes.
Do you have any idea what this is all about?
Engineers who speak languages.
I only took it so I could get a day in London.
But I don't want to spend it here.
No.
Look, I was brought up in Germany.
Your German's very good.
So good, I think you'd be a loss
to the ministry of information.
And I studied applied mechanics in Dresden, I do assure you.
I may be a bit rusty, but I can easily brush it up.
I'm afraid your technical knowledge isn't up to standard.
I really am very sorry.
Mm-hmm. Well...
Next, please.
Excuse me.
What did they ask you?
Oh! A lot of damn fool questions, the usual chaos.
They don't know what they want.
I hope they don't want me.
I want to get back to my ship.
Well, I hope you do.
Next, please.
Uh, Bradley.
Oh, yes, sir.
Take a chair, sir, please, sir?
Uh, thank you, Sergeant.
Sir.
Excuse me.
Sure.
Oh, funny fellow.
I did 3 years special study of ballistics
at the royal institute in Den Helder,
and then supervisory work at an ordnance factory in Hamburg.
So you're familiar with the dynamics of projectiles?
Oh, yes, sir. Yes.
Mm-hmm. What about your family?
They still in Holland?
Yes. My mother and two sisters.
- What about you? - As a matter of fact,
I'm making a rather vain attempt to further my unmilitary career.
I thought there might be something in this lot.
I'm with a very tiresome lot of people at the moment,
on a canvass in the wilds of Essex.
Not enjoying it very much.
Don't blame you.
Next, Please.
Um...do you mind? I shan't keep you a moment.
I'm in a tearing hurry.
Next gentleman, please.
Excuse me.
Yes?
It's me. Curtis.
Curtis?
You remember me, don't you?
Eh...Oh, yes. Yes, of course.
Nice to see you.
Well, I must say, I can't fault your German.
It's...perfect.
Cambridge?
Fluid mechanics, sir.
I gave up pure mathematics after the first year,
and then, more recently, I've been messing about with antiaircraft rockets.
Oh?
These rather secret people I'm with.
The first rocket I built Rose 3 feet into the ground.
Second took off horizontally,
went straight through a henhouse, and killed 40 roosters.
How very discouraging for you.
What did you do after that?
Buried the roosters.
Mastered at the Massachusetts institute of technology
in physics and graduated magna cum laude.
Have you worked in any of your father's factories?
What for?
Have you had any practical experience?
Flying a p-38?
Thank you, lieutenant.
We'll let you know.
Thank you.
I say, Curtis, it was Birmingham, wasn't it?
No, no. Further south.
South?
Good morning, Captain Bradley.
- Finished? - Mm-hmm.
Next, please.
Well, how'd you get on?
Sent back to the base.
They said they'd let me know--
what, they didn't say.
Probably planning some new secret weapon.
Hmm...that reminds me--
can I give you a ride in my cab?
Oh, thank you very much,
if it's not out of your way. Boodles?
Boodles? What's that?
A club, old boy.
Sure.
Come on, jump!
Cut the conversation and jump!
Come on, you idle lot!
Jump!
He's getting excited again.
I think he wants you to jump, old boy.
You think that's it?
Afraid so.
Jump!
Yeah, I guess you're right.
Gates open!
Rip brake off!
Brake off!
There you are, Sergeant.
There you bloody well are not, sir!
If that was a parachute descent, you'd have broken both your legs!
You're behaving like an irresponsible nit!
Now get back up that tower again and do a parachute landing
as I've taught you!
Get back up the tower!
Sir!
Gates open!
Rip brake off!
Sir! Where's your hat?
Your jumping hat, sir.
The hat I drew from stores for you for parachute training!
Why aren't you wearing it on your head?
Oh, you mean this one, Serg--
I mean that one, sir!
Take it off there,
put it back on your head, and get back up the tower!
Up the tower, Sergeant?
Yes, sir. Up the tower.
Rip brake off!
Rip brake on!
Gates open!
Rip brake off!
Bloody good.
We want you to pass
as engineers from
a German-occupied country.
The Dutch resistance will help you join one of the parties
the Germans are taking to their underground factories.
Your job will be to get information back to us.
Now, you two'll go to Holland.
You'll have a much easier time sitting in Brussels.
All you have to do is to sift the information,
decide what's worth sending back and what isn't.
Will we be parachuted in, sir?
Yes.
Now, here are your identities.
Erik Van Ostamgen.
Jean Marcel.
Jacob Bijus.
On this mission, your face is your fortune, Henshaw.
You look very much like him, don't you?
Yes.
How do I get to look like him?
A bit PO-faced, isn't he?
Well, I'd hate to meet him in a dark alley.
You won't. These 3 men are dead.
Two of them were Dutch engineering specialists
working at the Škoda factory in Pilsen, Czechoslovakia.
The third came from Paris,
professor of applied mathematics.
Now, he can wait, but you two are urgent.
You've got to think in Dutch,
think in German, think in French.
Any idea how these men died?
We're not certain.
The papers only came in last week.
You're not certain?
No German's going to ask you how you died.
Bob and I have to take over the identity of these dead, pro-Nazi Dutchmen.
We don't know they were pro-Nazi.
- You don't know? - No.
What do you call this mission,
operation question mark?
Curtis, we want you for this job...
But you don't have to take it.
Well, would you like my answer right now?
Who's that?
Me again.
Erik Van Ostamgen.
Leyden University--
and?
And I studied for 5 years in the faculty of science.
My brother, Willem Bijus.
My father, Karl Van Ostamgen.
I really gave him a bad time.
Seen much of him lately?
Not much. He's dead, actually.
He died April 30, 1937.
Now, when am I going to see my wife?
Your ex-wife.
She divorced you, remember?
- Yes. Silly girl. - Right.
Thanks. That helps a lot.
She could be my mother.
What year were you married?
1936.
- Where? - Rome.
- Where'd you meet? - Capri.
Children's names?
Piet, he's 6. Erika, she's 4.
Birth dates?
Piet, March 22, 1937.
Erika, June 13, 1939.
I've got a court order giving me access to see them.
Hmm, not bad. Not bad at all.
Thanks.
I just wish I looked like him.
If the Germans kept a photographic record
of all their foreign workers,
they'd need a filing cabinet as big as Hitler's ego.
Who's that?
Me.
Jacob Bijus.
- Family? - One brother.
Your father?
He left home when I was 3.
What year was that?
We're over Holland.
It's almost time for our orders.
Ha! What'll you bet we get down on the ground,
we'll find General Boyd to show us slides on our prenatal experiences.
"Your agent will identify himself to you by offering you a cigarette
from a cigarette case that has no cigarettes."
Navigator?
Yes?
We're approaching drop zone.
Right.
Check the clip-ons!
Action stations!
Stand in the door!
If your chute doesn't open, change it for a harp!
Out!
I'm not musical!
Out!
There's a message to return, sir.
Who says so?
Base, sir. Message reads,
"operation canceled. Return to base."
Cancel it? Now?
Come in, Bradley. Glad you're here.
- Sit down. - Thank you, sir.
We're in a bit of a mess.
I've just got a signal from Holland.
Jacob Bijus is wanted by the police.
I thought he was dead, sir.
He is, but the Germans don't know it.
So if Henshaw's picked up,
he could be in a spot of trouble, couldn't he?
Can't your people over there warn him, sir?
Communication is unreliable.
It isn't exactly like sending a birthday telegram, you know.
I'm sorry, Bradley. I haven't got anybody else.
I was almost looking forward to going to Brussels, sir.
Thought I might even find a really decent bottle of claret.
Best my wine merchants can rustle up these days
is a rather timorous little chateau la 432.
Well, it'll taste better when you get it. Now...
Henshaw's new identity papers are sewn into the spine of this book.
Afraid I have the most awful habit of losing books, sir.
Well, for god's sake, don't lose that one.
Now, here are your new papers.
Your name is Engel,
Dr. Engel, traveling from Pilsen.
Your background's a bit sketchy, I'm afraid.
We haven't had a great deal of time.
Supposing I'm questioned, sir?
You'll just have to use your imagination.
You'll have to lose the handlebars, too.
Now, don't worry.
You'll only be in Germany a couple of days.
Greatly relieved to hear it, sir.
Let's have a look over the ground, shall we?
Your dropping zone is here.
Now, our chaps will be there to take care of you.
Code word "Lorelei."
Lorelei, sir.
You'll take Henshaw and Curtis' route up the Rhine.
Up the Rhine, sir.
This is your baggage.
Over two hours, shall we come by the frontier.
From then, I cannot help you no more.
But I thought you were supposed
to tell us where we are going.
This is your way to the hotel.
You will show your papers and get rooms like other engineers.
The gestapo will not suspect nothing.
I don't like that double negative.
Sorry.
I do not understand the English too well.
Glad to hear it.
111 und 112.
Danke.
Bitte.
Cigarette?
Danke.
Van Ostamgen.
Bijus.
Jacob Bijus...
Ja.
Zigarette?
Danke.
Something's gone wrong.
The police have taken your papers.
You better go to room 119.
If one of you gets into trouble,
The other must be safe.
What does the gestapo want with Bob?
It's not the gestapo. It's the police.
That's what I can't understand.
What's the reason?
I wish I knew.
You better pack as fast as you can and go to room 119.
I'll get it ready for you.
I'll see you in a minute.
Right.
Make sure that that door's locked after he goes.
Maybe they move all the engineers out before anything can happen to him.
I'll--I'll try and find out something.
Oh--
Stay in your room.
Don't worry.
Oh, oh, bitte--
Danke schoen.
Don't worry.
At least it's not the gestapo.
Who's worried?
We can always meet during the air raids.
Ja?
The man downstairs told me room 111.
Bitte?
I heard you speaking English just now.
Oh, uh...
It's none of my business.
I guess I am the one who should explain.
No, no. That--that's perfectly all right.
I work for the propaganda ministry,
broadcasting on the radio.
Oh, they must have given me the wrong room number.
I'm very sorry.
Oh...not at all.
This is my husband's room.
Oh, of course.
I should have noticed. I'm sorry.
Are you a friend of Erik?
Yes.
I'm waiting for him.
Where is he?
I don't know. He went out.
Oh, thank god. I found him at last.
If only you knew what it means to me.
Well, this is quite a surprise for him, too.
He has to...
Sign an important paper for me.
We arranged to meet in Hamburg weeks ago.
I get to Hamburg,
And they tell me he's been transferred to Prague.
Well, I go to Prague.
Oh, it's nothing. He wasn't there.
God, the traveling I've done--
hotels, offices, hospitals.
I even had him reported missing.
You did?
Yes.
Then the police told me he was here....
Perhaps.
Will he be long?
No idea.
If I knew where he was, I could go and find him.
Yes.
Maybe I'll call--
oh, I'm sorry.
That's out of order.
Won't you sit down?
Oh, sure.
Frieda!
Um...oh...
I'm going back to Italy, to my parents,
but I can't take the children without his consent.
It's the law in Holland, you know.
Hmm...
Is that why you have to have him sign the paper?
Um...
How long have you known Erik, hmm?
I met him a couple of months ago in a railroad station.
Oh, where--
Here he is!
This is Frau Van Ostamgen.
This is our housekeeper.
- Guten morgen. - Hello.
Oh, she speaks excellent English.
She's waiting for her husband.
- Ach so... - Yes.
I told her I didn't know when Erik would be back.
Do you have any idea?
Well, I am sorry, but...
I've come up for the very purpose of packing Herr Van Ostamgen's luggage
and putting it in storage.
But why?
A message from the labor office.
They had to send your husband away...
All of a sudden.
Oh, no. But...
Where have they sent him?
They didn't say.
Would you give me a hand?
I'd be glad to.
I'm sorry.
But--
but who could I ask who can tell me?
Oh, I don't think it's any use inquiring.
From here on, his destination is a military secret.
You take my advice, you go home and wait for your husband
to send you his code address.
It's the best thing, really.
Look, I've been traveling for two days.
I'm tired out. Could--could I stay here?
I must get some sleep.
Oh, that's impossible.
This room's already been taken.
I could wait in the lounge, then.
The lounge has been closed ever since the air raids started.
The Porter will help you with the luggage.
I'm so sorry.
Please?
Achtung. Polizei.
Aren't you going to open the door? It's the police.
Ja, bitte?
Jawohl.
Erik Van Ostamgen.
Gut.
Danke schoen...
Ja.
It's all right. Let her go.
Who are you? Who are you?
Didn't you hear?
He's Erik Van Ostamgen.
He's not. Where is my husband?
Where is Erik?
I'll find out for myself.
Get out of my way! I'm going to the p--
shut up.
If you don't shut up, I'll have to gag you.
We'll have to tell her.
Your husband is dead.
It can't be true.
I'm afraid it is.
But how did he die?
When?
As far as we know,
4 months ago, in an air raid.
I see...
You told the police you were Erik Van Ostamgen.
You're using his papers. You have my photograph.
Now I believe Erik is dead.
And you've taken his place.
Don't let her leave the room or talk to anyone.
Mm-hmm.
I'll be back as soon as I can.
Where is she going?
What is she going to do?
Open the door.
I won't betray you. I swear it.
I won't say a word to anyone.
Open the door.
I can't.
But I must get back to my children.
I can't let you go.
I'll never see them again, will I?
I brought you something to eat.
You must be famished.
Guten appetit.
You might as well eat something.
Well, then have something to drink.
Tell me...
What was your husband like?
Erik is dead.
I know Erik is dead.
I need to know what he was like.
You want to know about Erik?
Well, I want to know about you,
About the kind of man who would keep a woman
locked in a room, away from her children.
When all the time, there are people downstairs
who are trying--
you don't know for sure
what they're doing downstairs.
I do.
She--she has made up her mind to kill me.
All right. Let's say she has.
You walked into this. It's not my fault.
You asked me before if you'd ever see your children again.
All right, I'll tell you the truth.
You won't...
Unless you can convince me that I can trust you.
And you'd stand by and let it happen.
You're thinking of nothing but your own life.
Mine and others'.
What about mine and my children's?
We don't matter as long as you and that woman are safe.
Look, I want to trust you,
but I'm leaving.
I've got to convince her.
It's as simple as that.
Your husband worked for the Germans, right?
Yes.
Willingly?
Did he work willingly, or was he forced?
Erik believed he could get through life without ever being hurt.
When the Germans came...
The way not to get hurt was to work for them.
And you agreed?
Did you agree or didn't you?
No.
Is that why you got a divorce?
Or other reasons?
I don't think the gestapo would question you
about things which concern my feelings, my thoughts.
It's just talk, isn't it?
To keep me quiet.
Didn't they tell you in England that Erik was a collaborator?
No.
That the Germans treated him like one of themselves?
Perhaps I think the same way as he did.
How can you really know?
Perhaps, after all, I have German friends.
And you talk about that woman trusting me.
Listen--
I am trying to help you.
That's wonderful! That's really wonderful.
You're always trying to help...
Well, maybe I could if you'd let me.
I think there's a way out of this.
Yeah, through the door.
You have the key-- the key in your pocket.
Do you have children?
No.
Are you married?
No.
Then it's easy to play the hero.
How's Piet?
Of course you know my children's names.
Yeah.
I know as much as that.
Now what's so funny?
You. You are funny.
This awful room, with the little waiter
and that dreadful woman downstairs,
and you're asking me about my children.
You'd better come to your senses.
I'm being perfectly sensible.
I want you to let me out of this room.
How can I convince you?
How can I persuade you?
Can you be bribed?
With money?
I haven't got any.
You've had enough to drink.
Come on.
Come on...
I'll try to find a way.
I promise you, I'll try.
Erik was always making me promises.
I remember he promised
to take me to Paris once,
But he never did.
He did take you to Capri on your honeymoon, didn't he?
Yes.
Where do you live in Italy?
Civitavecchia.
Via Mazzini 19, Civitavecchia.
Near Rome.
By the sea.
You really don't have any choice.
You may as well trust me.
I trust you.
Nein...
Nein.
Ja.
Und, uh...
Gut.
Moment, bitte.
Dr. Engel?
Guten morgen.
You're Dr. Engel?
Uh...yes, yes.
In spite of every appearance to the contrary.
I'm sorry I'm rather scruffy.
I'm afraid I didn't have a very good journey.
I landed in a hawthorn tree
and spent the rest of the night in a field of turnips.
It's a bit uncomfortable.
However, I've got the documents.
They've arrested Bijus.
There's a chance they'll let him go.
They need engineers too badly.
I hope you're right.
Or I might just as well have stayed at home.
Nothing we can do.
I'll show you to your room.
Oh, uh...
Will there be a police check?
No. They've checked all the passes.
They never come twice.
And if they do, you're Engel.
I'm not very well acquainted with Dr. Engel.
In fact we're scarcely on nodding terms.
If they ask any questions--
invent.
London. Room 426, wasn't it?
They turned me down. Evidently you were accepted.
My congratulations.
Ich bin Jacob Bijus.
You're not Bijus! You're a petty officer
in the so-called free Dutch Navy.
We've known for a long time
that allied agents were being planted
in our underground factories.
I was sent into England to try and join one of these groups.
And English.
Bitte?
Now tell me--
who are your contacts here?
Who helped you get into Germany?
How did you plan to send your information
back to England?
Look, we can easily find out who you really are.
You're obviously a qualified engineer.
Holland's a very small country.
With a photograph, we can identify you in a matter of days.
Perhaps you've family in Holland, hmm?
You wouldn't like to have them sent
to a concentration camp, would you?
Vas? Deutsch, bitte.
I'm not asking you to betray your country.
You're a Dutchman, good.
There are millions of people in Holland and occupied Europe
working for the Reich.
Do you think they're all wrong?
You take my case, for example.
I'm half-English, half-German.
When the war came, I had to make up my mind what I really believed,
where I stood.
Has it ever occurred to you that you might be wrong
and the Germans just might be right?
Look what we've achieved in the past 10 years.
Before Hitler came to power, we were nothing.
Now we're the greatest nation in the world,
the most feared and the most respected.
You understand, don't you?
I've only got to give the order,
and things would become extremely unpleasant for you.
On the other hand, if you cooperate,
I promise you that you will end this war alive
and on the winning side,
Because we are going to win the war, I assure you.
So what's the trouble?
What's holding you back? Come on, tell me.
I'd like to understand.
You're a very silly young man.
Here, you have this.
Danke.
Sordid, isn't it?
Not one of history's immortal moments.
And unnecessary. You proved your point.
You're a very brave man.
I've the greatest admiration for you.
But it's all wasted.
The war will go on, the outcome will be just the same.
Only you'll be dead.
And no one will even know how you died.
For god's sake, man,
don't throw your life away for nothing.
Ich--
ich bin--
ich bin Jacob Bijus.
Could I have a word with you, please?
Of course.
I just got a message. The trucks will be here any moment.
Here are your papers.
But we have to be careful.
It may be some time before anybody gets in touch with you.
Here they are. Don't worry about the girl.
I'll take care of her.
You don't have to.
We can trust her. We can let her go.
Trust her? But how can you be sure?
I know what I'm doing.
Give me that document about your children.
This document gives Frau Van Ostamgen permission
to take her children to Italy.
That's why you came here, isn't it?
It's all I care about.
To get safely home with my children.
I can forge his signature perfectly.
Date it today.
Now once she's on her way home
she can't tell the police her husband died 4 months ago
and betray us, can she?
Would you like to witness it?
With pleasure.
Doktor Engel.
Herr Doktor--
Traut, Herr Doktor.
Jawohl, Herr Doktor.
Danke, Herr Doktor.
Danke schoen.
You must tell everyone that you've seen Erik,
And he's well.
Erik Van Ostamgen?
Ja.
Nora Van Ostamgen.
Schnell.
Name?
Van Ostamgen.
I won't be long.
Halt!
Doktor Engel. Engel...
Van Ostamgen.
Komm zie mit.
Profil.
Komm zie mit.
Herr Hauptmann.
Hmm?
Van Ostamgen, Herr Hauptmann.
Herr Professor?
Ja?
Van Ostamgen.
Ja, ja, ja.
Professor.
Bitte.
Danke.
Vibration?
Jawohl, Herr Professor.
Hier.
Herr Professor, bitte.
Danke.
- Sims? - Hmm?
Remember this?
Yes, I remember. Drains.
I wonder if it could be something else.
What makes you say that?
This is the new cover.
Look, there's the same construction,
but this time there's something on it.
Where?
To the left. It looks like a midget aircraft.
It could be a very small plane, but--
better see what Kendall thinks.
It's the P.M. they're just putting him through.
I thought I should tell you at once
that we've found out what the ski sites are.
They're not for rockets.
We think they're for a kind of flying bomb.
Altogether we've destroyed
100 of these ski sites up to now.
We're bombing them continuously--
the Americans by day, and we by night.
Trouble is as soon as we knock them down,
they're putting up new ones.
They're prefabricated.
They can stick them together in no time at all.
What are you worried about?
Nothing happened when the invasion buildup was going on,
And I can think of no more tempting target.
Now we've landed in France,
And we still haven't had any sign
of your mythical secret weapon.
I believe that the reason we haven't seen them up till now
is because our efforts succeeded in delaying them.
They could still do tremendous damage
if they manage to get them off the ground in any numbers.
Is Hitler waiting to produce them at the peace conference?
Despite your opposition,
which I'm sure is quite Sincere,
I'm certain we've done the right thing.
Hold on. It's fighter command.
Sims?
I see.
Channel observation posts report that flying objects
with a tail of fire are passing over Dover
and heading towards London.
Speed over 400 miles an hour.
- Hose over here! - Get the first aid over there!
Watch the pressure!
Braking now. You have a go.
Aw, missed the bastard.
Why not move the guns down here?
Stick them in line from Beachy Head to Dover?
Then your fighters would be free to operate
behind them over Kent and Sussex,
Right up to the barrage balloons in the suburbs.
That's a good idea, I agree.
But it means moving nearly 1,000 guns,
20,000 personnel, and miles and miles of electric cable.
I must point out it'll leave London defenseless
for several days.
In any case, what about the chiefs of staff?
They'll never agree.
Well, we'll ask them afterwards, shall we?
There aren't quite as many over tonight.
It's just as well.
With 1,000 guns on their way to the seaside--
Mind you,
it's tomorrow I'm worried about.
If German intelligence is up to the mark,
they'll send everything they've got.
Yes, well, with luck,
they'll only think about it tomorrow.
And the day after tomorrow
we'll be ready for them, hmm?
I hope so.
That's more like it.
Heil Hitler.
Somebody's contacted me at last.
Good.
V-2 gyroscope controls. Speed, 3,000.
And they're testing a new one...Long-range.
How long?
They call it the New York rocket.
Aah!
All right, give me the kid. I'll take her.
It's all right. It's all going to be all right.
Come on.
Bring him this way. This way.
Come on, then. Got him now.
Get another stretcher up here!
Bring him this way!
This morning we have proof
that the v-2 rockets have no launching sites.
They've learned by their mistakes.
For the flying bombs, they had to have elaborate ramps.
They built them fast, and we destroyed them... Almost as fast.
For the firing of the v-2,
they've invented a huge trailer.
They can transport their rocket
and launch it from the same vehicle.
In fact, the only hope of spotting them
is if a plane happens to pass overhead when the rocket's erected...
Just before firing, and that's a million-to-one chance.
Yes. And even then, it would hardly provide a target for attack...
If the sites are mobile.
Quite. So we've got to destroy them where they're made.
Very difficult. Their factory's been moved underground--
perfectly camouflaged.
There's more to it than that.
I've got some men inside, apparently.
The Germans are about to start testing a new rocket
with a much longer range.
So even after we've liberated the occupied countries,
they can still fire at us from the heart of Germany.
We'll have to lay on a full-scale raid.
Let your men on the inside know when it's going to be
so that they can try sabotage at the same time.
We've got to try everything--
bombing and sabotage.
There's an air raid tomorrow night. 11:30.
They're after the long-range rocket.
Don't they know it's 80 feet down in solid rock?
No. And they want us to pinpoint it for them.
Can you open the launching bay doors?
No.
We always phone the power house. They pull the switch.
Have we got anybody in there?
No.
We'll have to get in and pull the switch ourselves.
You know the switch?
No. Can you find out?
I think so.
We'll still have to get in there.
My pass'll get us past most guards.
As soon as he opens the door, we'll jump him and grab his gun.
Just like that?
A bit thin, isn't it?
Yeah.
Can you think of anything else?
No.
What time shall we meet?
11:25, assembly plant, passage "C."
Morning.
Van Ostamgen.
Jawohl, Herr Professor.
Herr Professor.
Right! I've got the switch number.
Good. Let's go.
Unh!
Hello? Hello!
Hello.
Ja.
Right, door!
Curtis!
- How long to target? - Two minutes, skipper.
Van Ostamgen...Or whatever your real name is...
Listen to me.
We've got your friend here.
I'm going to give you one minute to come out,
or he'll be shot.
You understand?
Killed.
Now, I'm giving you exactly one minute from...
Now.
Can you see anything?
They're supposed to show us the lights.
Can't see a bloody thing!
30 seconds...
15...
10 seconds...
Switch r 9!
R 9!
Still can't see anything. How about you?
No. Nothing, skipper.
What's that?
Where?
A bit to starboard.
That's it! That's the target.
Stand by.
Right...
Steady!
I've been reading your final report on operation crossbow.
It was a vital task and a job well done.
Thank you.
But we owe so much to the bravery of our agents,
Many of whose names will never be known.
Yes, and to the R.A.F.
If Hitler's rocket plans
hadn't been totally upset by our raid on Peenemünde,
London would have been devastated.
But it's time we began to think about reconstruction,
And I want you to be minister of works.
With thousands of buildings destroyed by bombs and rockets,
it's an enormous task.
Let us start at once.
Let us clear the rubble and lay the bricks,
and let us do so in the firm conviction
that we are building for the future...
That never again shall we have to embark upon
such a conflict as we recently endured.
I solemnly believe that the price of such a folly
would be far more than mankind could afford to pay.