The One That Got Away

171 00:20:39,571 --> 00:20:42,699 - Your old friend Sannemann, perhaps? - How... 172 00:20:42,941 --> 00:20:47,002 You've come a long way since you joined the Luftwaffe in 1936, haven't you? 173 00:20:47,446 --> 00:20:51,280 From obscure private, to Oberleutnant Franz von Werra, 174 00:20:51,350 --> 00:20:53,250 cover boy of the magazines. 175 00:20:55,487 --> 00:20:59,116 With competition for promotion so keen in the Luftwaffe, 176 00:20:59,658 --> 00:21:02,388 your flair for publicity has served you well. 177 00:21:02,828 --> 00:21:07,390 While other pilots keep dogs, falcons, pigs as pets, 178 00:21:08,033 --> 00:21:10,024 you have a pet lion cub. 179 00:21:11,670 --> 00:21:14,662 A German radio magazine, hor mit mir, 180 00:21:14,740 --> 00:21:17,971 dated 24th of August, 1940. 181 00:21:18,310 --> 00:21:21,507 With German bombers overhead, it's a pity you are so concerned 182 00:21:21,580 --> 00:21:24,413 with the lion cub of a captured pilot. 183 00:21:26,118 --> 00:21:30,521 What about this one? You're leaning on the wing of a Messerschmitt. 184 00:21:30,589 --> 00:21:34,355 This could be anybody. Any of a thousand German pilots. 185 00:21:35,427 --> 00:21:38,419 It lets you down, doesn't it? That signet ring. 186 00:21:39,464 --> 00:21:41,489 And the rigid forefinger. 187 00:21:46,305 --> 00:21:48,296 I tell you nothing. 188 00:21:48,373 --> 00:21:50,273 Don't you? 189 00:21:50,709 --> 00:21:53,405 It's not my fault if magazines admit my unit. 190 00:21:53,645 --> 00:21:56,136 They don't. You do. 191 00:22:00,285 --> 00:22:01,411 This lieutenant is... 192 00:22:01,486 --> 00:22:04,546 Care to tell me the date of your promotion, or shall I tell you? 193 00:22:04,623 --> 00:22:07,751 It followed your celebrated broadcast of August 30th, surely. 194 00:22:07,826 --> 00:22:10,693 You surpassed yourself then, Oberleutnant. 195 00:22:13,532 --> 00:22:15,932 The German radio described your action 196 00:22:16,001 --> 00:22:18,799 as the greatest fighter exploit of the war. 197 00:22:20,105 --> 00:22:21,572 Remember? 198 00:22:22,774 --> 00:22:24,935 I do not know what you speak about. 199 00:22:27,479 --> 00:22:30,471 Deutschlandsender 1,571 meters, 200 00:22:30,549 --> 00:22:32,881 1800 hours, British summer time. 201 00:22:33,585 --> 00:22:36,179 In German for Germany. 202 00:22:38,690 --> 00:22:40,817 Listen to yourself, Oberleutnant. 203 00:22:40,926 --> 00:22:43,360 (VON WERRA SPEAKING GERMAN ON STEREO) 204 00:22:53,638 --> 00:22:56,607 "Six Hurricanes circling over a field. 205 00:22:57,609 --> 00:23:01,739 "I hit on the idea of pretending to be part of the English squadron." 206 00:23:04,015 --> 00:23:07,348 As I understand it, you claim that while you were over a British airfield, 207 00:23:07,419 --> 00:23:09,011 you shot down three Hurricanes, 208 00:23:09,087 --> 00:23:11,055 possibly four, as they were going in to land, 209 00:23:11,123 --> 00:23:14,217 and destroyed five more on the ground. 210 00:23:16,661 --> 00:23:18,754 Prefer to read it? 211 00:23:20,699 --> 00:23:22,826 Tell me something, Oberleutnant, 212 00:23:22,901 --> 00:23:25,426 where exactly was this airfield? 213 00:23:26,671 --> 00:23:30,038 I should like to know where so distinguished an action took place. 214 00:23:30,108 --> 00:23:32,133 We have no record of it. 215 00:23:32,210 --> 00:23:35,043 - It has nothing to do with me. - Come, are you so modest? 216 00:23:35,113 --> 00:23:38,446 - I know nothing about it. - Or so ashamed? Now, 217 00:23:39,718 --> 00:23:42,016 you could persuade the German public to swallow such rubbish, 218 00:23:42,087 --> 00:23:45,545 but you never dreamed of being faced with it by the British, did you? 219 00:23:45,624 --> 00:23:48,957 But even your own people, do they really believe you could tag along 220 00:23:49,027 --> 00:23:51,495 behind six Hurricanes and not be noticed? 221 00:23:52,397 --> 00:23:54,365 Have they never heard of the Tail-end Charlie, 222 00:23:54,433 --> 00:23:56,628 whose job it is to protect the rear? 223 00:23:57,536 --> 00:24:00,937 Do they think we can't tell a Hurricane from a Messerschmitt? 224 00:24:01,006 --> 00:24:04,203 Difference in size, the black cross, the swastika. 225 00:24:04,843 --> 00:24:07,573 And what about the airfield control tower? 226 00:24:07,679 --> 00:24:09,909 It has nothing to do with me. 227 00:24:09,981 --> 00:24:12,506 This man's name is von Werrer, E-R. 228 00:24:12,751 --> 00:24:15,720 My name ends with "A". And he is a lieutenant. 229 00:24:15,787 --> 00:24:18,517 - Look. - Is that the best you can do? 230 00:24:20,926 --> 00:24:22,223 Tell me, 231 00:24:23,428 --> 00:24:26,989 supposing your comrades were to hear the truth about this 232 00:24:27,399 --> 00:24:29,731 notable exploit of yours? 233 00:24:30,101 --> 00:24:32,0