Colditz (1972–1974): Season 1, Episode 12 - Murder? - full transcript

What evidence is there
that it was murder?

You don't steal chocolate
and then kill yourself.

Where did all this come from?
- This parcel, sir.

Put it all back
and get rid of that piece of wood.

Double all the patrols.

Check every security device
in the castle.

Allow no one else in this room.

We know there are guards
who talk to the Gestapo. Hmm?

Do you understand me?
- Yes, sir.

I was first in the parcels queue, sir.

At 08:00, Korporal Erleiter
opens up the doors as usual



and about 15 of us go in.

Then he goes behind the desk,
opens the door to the inner room,

goes inside, has hysterics,
and comes out calling for the guards.

You were at the counter,
yet you managed to see into that office.

I jumped up on the counter, but then
the guards came in and chased us out.

But I went and had another look
from the outside window.

Hennenberg was lying on the floor.

He had obviously been
shot through the head,

but he had a bloody great bash
on the side of his face,

and there was a lump of wood
lying on the floor beside him.

And you think he'd been at the parcels?

Oh, yes. As I said, the French ones.

And you were the only prisoner
to see into that room?

I was the only one to see Hennenberg.



The Germans know I saw him.

Come in.

Colonel Preston, you will report
to the Kommandant immediately.

Colonel Preston, bitte.

Colonel Preston, you are possibly aware

that one of the guards,
Obergefreiter Hennenberg,

has been found dead
in the parcels office.

Yes, Kommandant.

I understand that one of your men,
Flight Lieutenant Carter,

was there when the body was discovered.

Has he talked to you about it?
- Merely that he was there.

I have just now found out

that Hennenberg had apparently been
stealing from prisoners' parcels.

Now, that is a grave breach
of military discipline.

And had he been discovered,
he would have been severely punished.

But more serious

is the fact that a guard
has been found dead here in Colditz.

Now, this poses many problems.
Not least, with the Gestapo.

No, Gestapo I don't quite see.

One of our men dies here, in this place.

Now this is a situation which should
never arise, for whatever reason.

It reflects on the ability
of the Wehrmacht.

But if the Gestapo
came to the conclusion

that Hennenberg was killed
by a prisoner,

they might take hostages.

Ten lives for one. But obviously...
- Kommandant, as prisoners of war,

we come under the jurisdiction
of the Wehrmacht, not the Gestapo.

The Geneva Convention clearly states...
- Colonel, let me finish, please.

But, obviously,
this does not apply in this case,

as it is only too clear

that Obergefreiter Hennenberg
committed suicide.

Do you understand me, Colonel?

Yes, Kommandant.

Thank you. That is all, Colonel.

John, good morning.
- Good morning.

Come in, sit down, won't you?

Cigarette?
- Thank you, no.

So, why do you want to see us all, John?

Well, I'd rather leave that

until General Reiss gets here,
if you don't mind.

General, good morning.
- Colonel Preston.

Come in, won't you?
- Gentlemen.

Cigarette, General?
- No, thank you.

I think that we ought to discuss
the death last night

of one of the German guards,
Corporal Hennenberg.

The Germans say it is suicide.

Let us hope it's a fashion
that catches on.

Well, that's the trouble.
It is not suicide, it's murder.

Murder?
- How?

One of my officers was there
when he was discovered.

Hennenberg was shot all right,

but he had also been hit around the face
with a lump of wood.

But it's impossible!

Why would the Germans say
he killed himself?

Because the Kommandant
and the Wehrmacht

have to make a suicide out of it.

If it gets out that one of their guards
was killed here,

that would give the Gestapo the one
excuse they need to take over Colditz.

And if the Wehrmacht
can't stop guards being killed,

the Gestapo certainly could.

You say this man was murdered.

He could have been murdered
by another German, yes?

Yes, but is it likely that it would
have happened here in Colditz?

You know, a death in here
doesn't just involve the police.

It's the Wehrmacht
and the Gestapo as well.

I would like more evidence
that guard was killed.

Oh, let me assure you, General,
that there is evidence.

But I think the first thing we must do,
the most urgent,

is to discuss what
we're going to do about it.

I think the first thing
we should do

is to find the man,
and congratulate him.

Yes, perhaps.

But if you will let me
explain a little further,

I don't think it's going to be
as simple as that.

Oh? Why not?

Because, General, I think that
the Gestapo will investigate this.

And if they find out that
the Wehrmacht are wrong,

and that it is murder, not suicide,

they're quite likely to take hostages.

Take some of our officers out
and shoot them.

Now I put it to you that in order
to save life, we must be prepared,

if necessary,
to hand over whoever did it.

If we can find out who it was.

Gentlemen, we are responsible
for the lives of all our officers.

Jan?

General?

So what you suggest
is that we investigate.

Exactly.

I also propose that Flight Lieutenant
Carter be put in charge of the inquiry.

He was the officer
who actually saw the situation.

And that you instruct your officers
to give him their fullest cooperation.

Come in.

What did Ulmann want?

He says they're going to
give it out as suicide, sir.

Yes, I know.

He wanted to know how much I knew.
- And?

Well, I didn't tell him anything but...
well, he didn't believe me.

I've had a meeting
with the other senior officers

and it's been agreed,
for everybody's sake,

we better find out who did this.

It seems appropriate that you'd
better lead the enquiry, all right?

Well, yes, sir.

Okay, we're obviously going to need
someone to help you.

Who would you like?

Captain Downing was seconded
to Intelligence at one time, sir.

Hmm. Anybody else?

Phil Carrington speaks German

and he's good with the Poles
and the French.

All right, have Carrington and Downing
report to me, will you?

Yes, sir. Oh, one other thing, sir.

Captain Brent told me this morning, sir,

that no British officer
left our quarters

between 12 midnight
and 7:00 this morning.

How does he know that?
- He has insomnia, sir.

It kept him awake all night.

You'll have to check it anyway,
won't you?

That happened
when he fell downstairs yesterday.

He was drunk.

At what time did he fall downstairs?
- Mid-afternoon, I believe.

That is not possible.

How could a serving soldier in the
Führer's army be drunk in the afternoon?

He was a sick man.

No, he was not a sick man,

otherwise he would have been
relieved of his duties.

His wife died a couple of years ago.
He had bouts of depression about that.

He waited two years to kill himself?
- It seems so.

It seems so.

He has a son
serving on the Eastern front.

We wondered if it would be possible

to keep the news of exactly
how he died from the boy.

Yes, of course.

But first we must confirm your
conclusions, Hauptmann Ulmann.

A serving soldier cannot be drunk.
A sick man cannot be on duty.

Unless, of course, there are
certain laxities, irregularities

in the organisation of this camp.

We heard he fell downstairs yesterday.

We will look into it.

You will make your men available
for questioning.

Also, we will possibly
question the prisoners.

It is a tragedy
when a soldier dies this way.

It is also counterproductive.

No one's going to miss him.

I'll tell you what.

There's a lot of people
who would want to get Hennenberg.

All right,
now let's start with the Dutch.

There's no more than a dozen of them.

Yeah, I know most of them.
They're kind of quiet.

I don't think they're the type
that would premeditate

to try to create this kind of murder.

All right,
they go to the bottom of the list.

I agree.

How about the British?
- Brent was up all night.

No British officers left quarters.

So, now that leaves
the Poles and the French.

The French have got a key
to the parcels office.

Yeah, and it was a French parcel
that Hennenberg was stealing.

Yeah, but the Poles are the type
to carry out this killing.

I mean, they almost hanged
one of their guys just for informing.

I'm going to talk to the Poles.

Colonel Cybulski.
My name's Flight Lieutenant Carter, sir.

No doubt you've been told
by the Senior Polish Officer...

That it's murder.

Well, what do you think?

Fuss over nothing.

But a good boost for morale.

And if the Gestapo take over
the running of Colditz?

Then we'll kill some Gestapo.

That would be useful,
as well as entertaining.

What do you think?

Well, I don't like the idea of somebody
knocking somebody unconscious

and then putting a bullet in their head.

You sound very positive.

Tam.

You don't really have
enough experience of Germans,

Flight Lieutenant,
to realise that one German less

is a little gift from our
part-time benevolent God.

Murder is murder.

You'll learn that it isn't.

One day, London might be
occupied by the Germans.

I wonder what you will say when

your families are being broken up,
destroyed,

transported like cattle
to a slaughterhouse.

Your buildings levelled to the ground.
Your culture ridiculed.

Today you play cricket in England.

I used to play polo
outside the city, Warsaw.

It's gone now.

Replaced by certain
new kinds of blood sports.

I read the papers.

You have to experience occupation,
not read about it.

I have to find out who did this.
- I would like to shake his hand.

Not if the Gestapo take over here
and start shooting hostages.

War is like that.

Death is an inevitable part of it.

Could it have been one of your lot, sir?

That's not really dramatic enough.

A shot fired in the dark,
an unimportant German dies.

Not very Polish.

Who do you think could have done it?

Your British Red Cross parcels
when they arrive,

the contents and the number of them
can be checked.

The French get their parcels
by ordinary mail.

Impossible to check what was stolen
from them, when and where.

And you think that's sufficient motive
for killing a man?

Now this is the first thing we did,
before Captain Chambercy made the key.

If you open the parcel door now,
an alarm will ring.

Because opening the door
breaks the circuit.

Before the guards open it,
they switch it off in the guardhouse.

We traced the wires of the circuit.

They run along the wall and down here.

This little bridge...

This little bridge slips into the wall

and completes the circuit,
whether the door is open or not.

Voila!

You were...

♪ Run rabbit, run rabbit
Run, run, run

♪ Don't give the farmer
His fun, fun, fun

You were down for
Chambercy's escape plan, right?

Oh, yes.

Well, then that lets you out.

♪ Don't give the farmer
His fun, fun, fun

You think one of us executed the pig.

What do you think?
- He stole our parcels.

They're very important to us.

Not just the soap and the razor blades.

No, it is a chance to keep our identity,
our civilisation, in this slum.

And it's also, of course,
the link with outside.

And you're pleased
that Hennenberg was killed?

We're all pleased.

One of us perhaps
more pleased than the others.

So far he's got away with it.

Look, Paul, what do you think?
Do you think one of your men killed him?

Talk to Chambercy.

He made the key which was
probably used by the assassin.

♪ He'll get by without his rabbit pie ♪

You don't think Hennenberg fell
to an Englishman?

No, I don't think so.

Well, what do you think?

I think that one of you
could've killed him.

What do you think?

We planned to escape
through the parcels office.

You know that.

I made the key.
My comrades fixed the security alarm.

If it wasn't for this affair,
we would be out to freedom by that route

in two weeks from now.

We wouldn't compromise our escape
for a fat little German.

Chambercy, can I ask you?

Where is the key?

You can ask.

When was the last time you had the key?

The first time that I looked at it
for a week was this morning at 9:00.

Why did you make it for the inner door
and not the outer door?

That's a simpler lock.
- I was planning to make one.

I had plenty of time to make it.

Listen, Phil, I'm telling you it wasn't
a Frenchman who killed Hennenberg.

De Laubenque thinks it was.
- De Laubenque is wrong.

All my fellow officers
knew of the big escape.

A French officer would have waited
two weeks, until we were out,

and then killed him.

You'll have to look elsewhere.

The Poles, or the Dutch,

or the British.

So you don't think
it was a Dutchman?

No.

I know them all well.

They're all solid.

They could no more do that
than kill each other.

How well did you know Hennenberg?

How well can you know a guard?

It's like

living on some remote hillside and
making a relationship with a wild cat.

Dangerous. But on occasion,
companionable.

Was there anything likable about him?

No.

Then how come you got so close to him?

Six months ago, he came around
with those German Bibles. I took one.

He was some kind of confused Lutheran.

I'm Reform.

He made some attempt to convince me
that his God was better than mine.

So you talked to him quite a bit.
- A certain amount.

What about?
- Religion. Anything.

Hennenberg came from Hamburg.

You know Hamburg?
- No.

Big port.

Half the city is bars, girls, bordellos.

The other, rich merchants,

very religious, nose in the air,
making their money from the port

and from the vice.

All Hamburgers are the same.

They say prayers
while they steal your eyes.

I saw you having rows with him.

A couple.

When I found out he was a thief
as well as a religious zealot,

I was interested in the paradox
and how he reconciled it.

How did he?

He was a sick man.

There is no problem with paradox
when a person is mad.

It's the cause and the definition
of madness.

Did he ever steal anything from you?

I didn't kill him.

He was not intrinsically a person
one could get worked up enough about.

Yeah, well, somebody killed him.
- Yes.

But not because he was a stupid,
ill-tempered German guard.

But because he was a thief.

You know, maybe,
just because he was German.

Simon.

Peter, you take over.

It's his move.

Thank you.

His God was a lousy God,
as a matter of fact.

Quite a turn up for the books.

One of the Poles has confessed.
A Major Zibnek.

Zibnek?

Anyway, Colonel Cybulski wants
to have a word with you.

Where's Phil?

We have a confession.

Be seated.

Major Zibnek. Be patient with him.

He was blown up by a mine, you know.

Then did a fantastically brave escape
from Pilsen.

I'll get him.

Varasolovitch.

How is your knitting coming on?

Well.

And how are you, yourself?

Very good.
- Sit down.

Be seated.

I am to understand that you
disposed the guard, Hennenberg.

Correct.
- Why did you do it?

There was some sun.

I was in the courtyard two weeks ago
and there was some sun by the wall

and I was sitting in the sun,
knitting my caps.

The German pig came up to me
and told me to move on.

I said, "No."

He calls me names and takes my needles,
and breaks them.

These are new. I made them.

And you killed the man
because he called you names

and broke your needles?

Also he stole our parcels.
Everyone knows.

That is why I shot him.

How did you get into the office?

I took the French key
and I waited and I hit him.

And I took his gun and shot him once.

Are you pleased with yourself?

I know I am not well now,

but I still have some use.

Are you going to kill any others,
Varasolovitch?

I think one is enough,
for the moment.

Major Zibnek,

can I ask a question?

What time did you go down
to the parcels office?

I take the French key at about 7:00.

I open the door and return the key.

1 go into the parcels office at 9:00.

And you went straight from the
Polish quarters to the parcels office?

Yes.

Major, what about the circuit?

Did you connect the circuit?

Yes, Major, the circuit.
Did you bridge it?

I don't know what you mean.

You can't get
into the parcels office

without setting off the alarm,

unless you connect the circuit.

Oh, yes. Yes, I did that.
I connected the circuit.

Whereabouts in the camp

did you find the circuit
to bridge it, Major?

I know where the wires are,
but I cannot tell you.

Why not?

Because two French officers are planning
to escape through the parcels office.

They have organised everything.

They have keys, they are able to
neutralise the alarm system and...

And I found out everything.

But I will tell no one.

You will tell me if 1 command you...
- No!

No, Colonel.

What I have learnt from
the French in confidence,

I must keep in confidence.

I have killed a German.

Small token to repay them
for what they did to my family.

He is dead.

It is finished.

I will not kill again.

And I will discuss this no further.

What do you think?

Major definitely is not the killer.

He obviously knows the routine
for getting into the parcels office.

No, I still don't buy it.

What do you think?

Hey, Phil.

Phil, wake up.

What is it?
- Listen.

I think we have been
approaching this all wrong,

just asking questions.

I'll go back to the beginning
in the parcels office.

I've been trying
to reconstruct the killing,

taking each nationality in turn.

French, Dutch, Polish.

For instance, the French
would have been more elaborate.

And they wouldn't have left
that bit of wood lying on the floor.

Yeah?

Look, each time I go over it,

I find something wrong.

Well, I think I've got it.

What is it?

Well, the most valuable thing
to possess in this camp

was left in the parcels office.

The gun?
- Yeah, Hennenberg's Luger.

I was convinced that none of us

could have been stupid enough
to kill Hennenberg.

But supposing it was done in hate.

Yeah?

If they could hate him, so could we.
- Right.

I think...

I think it could have been
one of us in the parcels office.

Yeah, but Brent said that
there was no officer

who left the British quarters
that night.

Yeah, well, I want to talk to Brent.

He is not in his bunk.

What are you doing?

Eating.

One of the problems with
being awake all night is you get

screaming hungry around dawn.

I cure this by splitting my rations.

Eating half during the day
and half now, at night.

What are you doing here?

Well, there is some doubt now
that it was

a Pole or a Frenchman
who killed Hennenberg.

Killed?
- Yes.

Brent, you said that no British officer
could have left the quarters that night.

Right?
- Right.

Shh.

Did you know Hennenberg?

You mean, do I have
any vague recollections of killing him?

No.

Not really my kind of thing.
- George,

Colonel Preston has asked me
to make enquiries.

Has he?
- Yes.

Did you know Hennenberg?

If I'd killed him,
would I have drawn attention to myself

by telling you that
no one left the quarters that night.

No one said you killed him.

Did you know him?

I used to buy some things
from him.

Like what?

Candle wax, pencils,

refrigerators, bicycles, aeroplanes...
- Used to buy?

Yes.
- Why did you stop?

Well, I thought he got
his supplies from town.

And then I found out that he was

taking orders from me
and some of the other blokes,

nipping into the parcels office and
stealing the stuff from French parcels.

What did you think about that?

I was annoyed.

Not really enough to blow his brains out
with his own gun.

How did you spend the night before last?

What part of the night?

All night.

I got into bed just before lights out.

I usually lie and rest for about an hour
before I light my candle.

Didn't sleep?
- I don't sleep.

All right, you got into bed,
you rested for about an hour,

then you lit your candle.

Then nipped down here
for five or ten minutes.

During the time you were resting,

is it possible that any British officer
could have left the quarters,

could have sneaked out?

He'd still have to get back in again
without me seeing me him.

I was awake all night.
- George,

I want you
to think about this carefully.

Is it at all possible
that you could have dozed off

just for two or three minutes?
- No!

George, we have to find out
who killed Hennenberg.

Is there a chance
you could have dozed off?

Just enough time for him
to nip back in and into bed.

I suppose it's possible.

I could have dozed
for two or three minutes.

I've checked.
There are eight British officers

who knew of Brent's
nocturnal eating habits.

But I'd have to sort them out one by one

or else think of something
to trick him out in the open.

That is easier said than done.

Well, put yourself in his place.
I mean, he panicked.

What we got to do
is to think of something

that will rattle him a bit more.

Rattle him so much he'll panic again?
- Yeah.

For instance, supposing
the Germans are giving out

that Hennenberg didn't die immediately,
but managed to live long enough

to write something on the floor
in pencil.

But it is indecipherable,
and the Germans think

it is one of three names. No.

All right, the parcels office.
Something about the parcels office.

Well, what did you see in there?

You were the only one who was there.
- It is not what I saw.

It is something that we pretend
the Germans have found in the office.

Something that, whoever did it, drops.

Something that, whoever did, dropped

and the Germans
have only just discovered it.

Yeah, go on.

Well, what would he have been wearing?

Well, it was cold.

Greatcoat, sweater, shirt...
Germans have found a shirt button.

Everybody's got shirt buttons.

Sneakers.

Sneakers?
- Tennis shoes.

Plimsolls.
- Plimsolls.

He wouldn't have been
crawling around on rooftops

with boots on.
- Everybody's got plimsolls.

If he was wearing plimsolls, he wouldn't
have lost one without noticing it.

How about laces?

Laces?

Yes.

We collect all the British plimsolls.

And then we tell everyone that
the Jerries are commandeering them

because they found, say,

10 centimetres of broken plimsoll lace
at the scene of the crime.

Then our killer
will automatically assume

that it's 10 centimetres missing
from his lace.

British contingent, dismiss.

Hey, Simon, what are you doing?
- What you doing, Simon?

Collecting plimsolls.

Colonel Preston's asked me to collect
all British plimsolls

and put them in his room.
- What for?

The Germans have found some
plimsoll lace in the parcels office.

Colonel's going to give them
all our plimsolls

first thing tomorrow morning.

That will show them
that none of us is involved.

He's becoming a foot fetishist?

What do you want me to do?

We'd like to leave these
in here with you, sir.

Carter had the idea
that it might be one of the British.

Which only works if Brent was wrong.

And someone did get out
of the quarters that night.

We think it might smoke out
whoever did it.

Hey, Phil.

Get him.
- You okay?

Get him!

Quiet! Quiet!
For God's sake, keep him quiet.

Right, Marshall,

did you kill Hennenberg?

How did you get into the parcels office?

You've got to give me back
those plimsolls.

There was no lace found
in the parcels office.

That was just a trick to get you here.

How did you get into the parcels office?

Stole the French key,

made an impression, made my own key.

What about the alarm circuit?

Traced the wiring.

Found two tiny holes in the wall
on the right hand side of the office.

De Laubenque was always
hanging around there.

I realised I could slip a wire bridge in
through the holes.

All right, now tell us about Hennenberg.

Oh, yes.

I'll tell you about him.

You remember, he used to go around
distributing German Bibles to prisoners?

Well, that was just
one of his activities.

He was also a thief.

He stole my wallet, sold it
two days later to a French Captain.

There were photographs of my wife
and four-year-old daughter.

He must have thrown those away.

I had a letter from England.

My little girl was with her aunt
in Canterbury,

and a bomb hit the house

and killed them.

Why didn't you tell me about that?
- 'Cause it's my business.

It is my child dead.

And there was Hennenberg,
foul, obscene, spouting religion,

whilst stealing and thieving.

My photographs thrown away.

So I began to see him for real,
as an enemy, all our enemy.

So I waited, and thought, and planned,

and the time arrived and I killed him.

And do you know how I felt about it?

How I feel about it? Good.

I feel very good.

Do you?

But you wouldn't know anything
about that because you are trapped.

They have total success,
the complete prisoner.

Your mind and your body, sir.

I'm insolent and I admit
that I killed the enemy.

So, let's talk about
a little disciplinary action.

What are you going to do about it, sir?

What are you going
to do about it, Marshall?

I have done it.

For one moment,
I got the war inside this lousy building

and I have paid off a debt.

When was your child killed?

I don't want sympathy.

You are not getting it.

The basis for existence in this place

is quite simple.

I am in command.

I have direct responsibility
for the lives of 50 officers.

And I am not going to let you
or any lunatic deprive me

of one particle of that responsibility.
Do you understand?

If your idea of attacking the enemy
is a personal vendetta, you are wrong.

It's finished.
It will never happen again, sir.

You bet your life
it will never happen again.

You've done something
that even our captors

wouldn't have the stupidity to do.

By your actions, you could well have
given Colditz over to the Gestapo.

You'll never get the chance to do
anything like that again.

'Cause for every hour
that you remain in this place,

we are going to be
watching you like hawks.

Now, get out.

Do you think the Gestapo
will find out I did it, sir?

Just get out, Marshall.

You think they will find out, sir?

Can the body now be sent
to his relatives?

Dispose of it as you wish.

The Gestapo are satisfied.

That Obergefreiter Hennenberg
died by his own hand.

That he suffered from a depression
which led to suicide.

I am asking all senior officers that
there should be no further discussion

about these events
by officers under their command.

A careless word to the wrong ears
and the Gestapo could easily return.

Thank you, Colonel. That is all.

Kommandant, did the Gestapo discover

the reason for
the Korporal's depression.

Yes, only this morning.

They were checking military records.

It appears that the unfortunate man's
son was killed in action

two weeks ago, on the Russian Front.

I see.

You will understand that
the death of a child

is most upsetting to a person.