All language subtitles for The.Relief.of.Belsen.2007.DVDRip.DD2.0.x264-NEOLONE SDH

COUGHING

ARTILLERY FIRE IN DISTANCE

(Man) I don't like the look of this.

COUGHING

Lieutenant Colonel Mervyn Gonin,
11th Light Field Ambulance.

My papers.

Do any of you speak English?

- Nein!
- Colonel, sir!

It's all right.

Lieutenant Sington, sir.

British Second Army, Propaganda
and Psychological Warfare Unit.

- Does that mean you speak German?
- Yes, sir.

Good. Tell that little turd
to let us through.

Offnet sofort das verdammt Tur! Schnell!

Schnell! Schnell!

- Sington, is it?
- Yes, sir.

I was under the impression
this prison camp had been liberated.

- Correct.
- Why is Jerry still armed?

Terms of the local truce, sir.
Colonel Johnston will explain.

SHOUTING AND SCREAMING

GUNSHOTS

Some bloody truce!

Probably shooting
the prisoners again, sir.

Apparently they've been
getting a bit frisky.

Why are the crowds still here?

Colonel Johnston will explain, sir.

Just follow me in.

Oh, and sir...

...whatever you do,
don't turn off to the left.

(Sington) Come on, Warren!

COUGHING

ANNOUNCEMENT OVER LOUDSPEAKER

(Gonin) 'l knew no more than that someone
had found a concentration camp.'

(Over loudspeaker) I repeat -
you are free.

'Soon the whisper went round -
they thought there was typhus in it.'

(Over loudspeaker) You are free.
Medical help is on its way.

'One learns in war
to be surprised at nothing,

'but little did I realise

'that I was about to face
the greatest test of my career.'

(Over loudspeaker) I repeat -
you are free.

Medical help is on its way.

You are free.

Medical help is on its way.

Come on, move it. There's lots
over here to get moving.

It's for stealing potatoes.

Can you believe it,

that this is how the Germans
treat their prisoners?

That one's only a child.

Sir, can I have a word?

Sir, you can't imagine
what it's like down there.

I was the first one in and
I've never seen anything like it.

- Excuse me, Derrick...
- I'm sorry, Richard.

I'm afraid even the BBC
will have to wait on this one.

Why are the press here?

Well, we feel
it could be an important story.

You'll hang for this!
You'll fucking hang!

(Gonin) Come on, man.

I can't tell you, sir, the place
is like a fucking charnel house.

The dead are everywhere.
I mean, corpses just piled up.

God knows how many,

and they're moving.

Lice.

Their bodies are crawling with lice,
millions of them.

There was a...

There was a young woman.

Her whole head was moving...

with lice.

COUGHING
Sorry, sir...

It's all right, Sington.
Just tell me who's in there.

Erm... well, it's hard to tell, sir.

All the records have been destroyed
on the orders of Berlin,

but our initial intelligence suggests that
the inmates fall into three categories.

A minority are criminals.

Politicals, like Russian POWs
and Resistance workers -

French and Belgian.

An awful lot of your people, I'm afraid,
Rabbi Hardman.

- That woman I saw...
- That's the damnedest thing, sir.

Three-quarters of the prisoners
are women.

Jewesses, from Poland,

Czechoslovakia, Hungary,
Romania and also Germany,

and their children.

(Gonin) Christ. How many
of them are sick?

Um, Johnston has the figures, sir.
I think about 4,000.

- Where's he getting his information from?
- Jerry MO.

Word is, Colonel Johnston
is an expert in this sort of situation.

Well, he's going to need to be
if there's typhus.

Is it contained?

Sorry, sir, I'm not a medical man.

- What's all this about?
- I haven't the faintest bloody idea.

Entschuldigung.

Guten Tag.

PHONE RINGS

Ja... Ja...

LAUGHTER

I think they're just about
ready for us, sir.

Guten Abend.

Prost.

- Sington.
- Yes, sir.

How many inmates did you say
were in this camp?

I didn't, sir. Colonel Johnston
has all the figures.

- Ten, twenty thousand?
- I really wouldn't like to say, sir.

- Again, Colonel Johnston...
- Has all the figures, yes.

- Brew's up, sir.
- Thanks, Warren.

Sir, I think you'll find this is
gonna prove quite a challenge for us all.

Well, I wish you luck with it.

We've got an appointment with some
tarts in Berlin, haven't we, Warren?

Sir.

EXPLOSION NEARBY

Listen to that. That's where
we should be, not stuck in here.

Our lads are gonna need us.

Think they need ya?
You've got no idea, mate.

Gentlemen, if you'd like to make
your way through into there,

the briefing will start
in just a minute. Thank you.

This way, Colonel.

Huh? Oh, yeah.

Gentlemen.

Colonel Johnston will join us as soon
as he can, but I'd like to make a start.

He and I have just walked around
the horror camp

and, I can tell you, it was
a pretty sobering experience.

Now, as you can see,

Bergen-Belsen is divided into two sectors.

Camp Two, which is where we are,
is an academy for Hitler's tank corps,

a Panzer training school, no less.

Camp One is home to about
40,000 prisoners,

living in 200 huts
built for a hundred each.

In one hut, we found 1,346 people.

That wasn't counting the dead.

There's no sanitation and the camp
is scattered with rotting corpses.

We found inmates
drinking from a water butt

in which was found floating
the body of a dead child.

No food has been distributed
for the last two weeks.

We've brought in what rations we can

and distributed fresh drinking water,

but our main concern is the typhus.

And I don't need to tell you that
unless we get that under control,

there won't be anyone left
who needs feeding.

So our task is enormous,

and as you've probably already
noticed, the press are here,

eager to see how we get on
with solving this crisis,

and it's important they do.

Their presence will show the world

how the British Army deals
with a crisis of this kind.

(Man) Hear, hear.

(Man) That's it, piss off.

Now, ten years ago,
the Quetta earthquake

killed 30,000 people in 30 seconds.

All right, that was a natural disaster.

Nevertheless, the British Army's
success in pulling out survivors

was hailed as a miracle of rescue work.

And Colonel Johnston was there,

right in the thick of it.

Just like Quetta,

Belsen is a battle against the clock.

'I've seen some sights.

'I thought I could take anything.

'But this... it's unbelievable.

'There's no organisation,

'no food, nothing.

'Half-starved,
spiritless and demented.

'These people roaming the camp
have been reduced to animal level.

'The task allotted seems
totally impossible.'

Aha, the hero of Quetta himself.
How are things looking?

Eminently solvable, sir.

(Johnston) Our task is to save
as many lives as possible,

as quickly as we can.

We can only achieve that through
the evacuation of Camp One.

Now, military government will move
any healthy inmates out first

while we establish a receiving
hospital here in Camp Two.

Colonel Gonin's ambulance men
will liaise with Field Hygiene

to get to grips with the typhus
and evacuate the sick.

Sound simple enough?

(Gonin) 'l can give no adequate
description of the horror camp

'in which my men and myself were
to spend the next month of our lives.

'Corpses lay everywhere,

'some in huge piles, where they
had been dumped by other inmates.

'Those who died of disease
lay in the huts.

'Victims seemed compelled to go on
wandering till they fall down and die.

COUGHING

Bastards!

4,000 sick! They were lying
through their Teutonic teeth.

- It's five times that.
- We're re-appraising the numbers.

Good, because it's knee deep in bodies

and people are crawling around
in their own shit. The stench!

I appreciate the German figures
might have been less than exact...

Good morning, Mr. Dimbleby.

How was your tour of the camp?

Incredible. I mean... incredible.

- Any response from Broadcasting House?
- Not yet.

But I've filed my report
and they'd better broadcast it.

You mean there's a chance they won't?

They just may not believe that
a place like this can exist.

They must. I need London
to know what we're up against.

Your broadcast might get things moving.

I'll resign if they don't put this out.

You're willing to do that?

Well, let's hope I don't have to.

You realise we've got a full-blown
typhus epidemic on our hands?

Where do we start?

20,000 people suffering from one of
the most virulent diseases on earth.

Have you seen the medical store?

A couple of rolls of bandages
and bloody vitamin pills.

I have, Colonel Gonin.

It's why I've sent urgent requests
for more supplies and reinforcements.

Which will take weeks to get here!

Look, this place was never designed
to look after the sick

and we're only here because Jerry
threatened to let them out

and contaminate the whole countryside,

and they created the problem
in the first place!

Why don't we give it back to them?

Let the Krauts clear it up.

(Richard Dimbleby) I have just returned
from the Belsen concentration camp,

where for two hours, I drove
slowly about the place in a Jeep

with the chief doctor of Second Army.

I find it hard to describe
adequately the horrible things

that I have seen and heard,

but here, unadorned, are the facts.

There are 40,000 men, women
and children in the camp.

25,600, three-quarters of them women,

are either ill from lack of food
or are actually dying of starvation.

In the last few months alone,
30,000 prisoners

have been killed off or allowed to die.

TYPEWRITER KEYS CLACK

- Major Stadler.
- Colonel Johnston, good.

I have been meaning to talk to you.

Ein bisschen Ruhe. Danke.

TYPING STOPS

I wanted to ask you
if it was your decision

to allow the newsmen
and their cameras into the camp?

It was not, but you can hardly
be surprised they're here.

- This will look very bad for us.
- I imagine it will.

Inge, bitte...

Frau Stadler is making tea
for everybody...

English tea.
Would you care for some?

We were told by your senior MO
that this camp had medical supplies

and that the numbers of sick
were limited.

We were misinformed.

In fact, every word of your
meticulous statement is a lie.

Would you have agreed to the truce
if you had known the real situation?

Yes, and you damn well know it.

The fact is, you allowed
the typhus to get out of hand.

It is a real problem, this... Judenfieber.

It's quite evident that before our arrival,

the inmates went without food,
drinking water

or sanitation for considerably longer
than we were told... What was it?

One month? Two?

Colonel Johnston,

the war is lost.

Germany has lost.

This I admit, even if Berlin will not.

It was always our intention
to preserve these Jews at Belsen...

in exchange for our own lives.

So why let them die?

If your aircraft had not bombed
our depots and supply lines,

we would have continued
to care for them.

Oh, really?

TYPING RESUMES

I don't know how you can eat this stuff.

Gentlemen,

I solemnly swear that
when this war is over,

I shall never touch bully beef again.

LAUGHTER

You don't like your food?

You don't want to eat?

You should try being in Camp One.
There's no fancy china in there.

- May I?
- Yes.

I'm afraid you can't
give that to the inmates.

I'm sorry, I don't understand, sir.

It may be doing them
more harm than good.

We'll have to find an alternative.

Colonel, all I see around me

are people begging for food...

for a few crumbs, even.

I give what I can.

Now you tell me I must refuse them.

I understand your frustration,

but these rations
are for an army on the march.

They're over 3,000 calories.
The inmates can't take it.

I have to do something.

Oh, well...

if it kills the rest of them,

we can bugger off to Berlin
where we should be.

I've spoken to Hughes.
There are no reinforcements.

None of us are going to Berlin.

We're here and we're it.

We're on our own.

Oh, bloody hell!

Good God!

When was that decided?

Sir?

Could you drop me at
the gates of Camp One?

OK.

Please, Rabbi, take these,

and thank you
for everything you're doing.

Thank you.

(Richard Dimbleby)
I passed through the barrier

and found myself
in the world of a nightmare.

Dead bodies, some of them in decay,
lay strewn about the road

and along the rutted tracks.

On each side of the road
were brown wooden huts.

There were faces at the windows -

the bony, emaciated
faces of starving women

too weak to come outside...

...propping themselves against the glass

to see the daylight before they died.

And they were dying...

every hour and every minute.

- This way?
- Yes.

- You tryin' to shove this up my arse?
- Stop your bellyaching, you love it!

Hold up, Cecil. Ladies first.

Danke.

- Don't mention it.
- Bitte.

Pleasure's all mine.

Oil What you do that for,
you dozy sod?

You know the rules -
no fraternising with the enemy.

Typhus is our priority.

Some American from 21 Army Group

has been doing good stuff
with typhus in Italy. He's...

KNOCKING ON WINDOW AND SHOUTING

He's on his way,
bringing tons of DDT.

(Gonin) How long before he gets here?

We were expecting him yesterday.

Rather depends if Adolf
has left him any bridges. Now...

The evacuation of Camp One,

we need an efficient process of
identification and selection.

That'll be down to you chaps.

That's easier said than done.
What are we supposed to do?

Crawl over the bodies in the dark and
write T for typhus on their foreheads?

Sounds good.

SCOFFS

I think Colonel Gonin was joking, sir.

Well, I think it's a good idea.
Anyone with T gets evacuated first

and you have the
inmate doctors to help.

Seen the size of some of them?

It looks like they've been
helping themselves.

You know, I don't think
it's for us to judge

how these people have
managed their own survival.

(Man) I can't understand
what you're saying!

WOMAN LAUGHS

- What are they doing here?
- Been a bit of a cock-up, sir.

I'm afraid our transport for
the Germans has been delayed.

It will delay the evacuation,
for Christ's sake! Why wasn't I told?

- I've been looking for the right moment.
- So when are they going?

First thing tomorrow. Military
Government has issued a directive.

Military Government
couldn't direct piss into a bucket.

So, Colonel, what's the plan?

We'll turn this place into our
contamination reception area.

Isn't that right, Fisher?

Yes, sir.

- It's a stable.
- It's what's available. Follow me inside.

Right, typhus is caused by lice
and louse shit is airborne.

We can't risk it
contaminating the hospital,

so welcome to the human laundry.

Now, the sappers tell me
we've good drainage.

With a mobile bath unit out the back,

we can pump
the hot water straight inside.

We'll run hoses into each stall,

where the patients
can be scrubbed and dusted.

I want to process about
40 patients every hour.

I don't have the vehicles
to move that many.

Then improvise.

SWEARING IN GERMAN

What's his problem?

Wants us to keep our voices down,
seems we're unsettling the horses.

The what?

CHEERING

(Man) About bloody time!

Hope you're feeling strong, Jerry.
You got a lot of work to do.

Move it!
Come on, fucking move it!

What have they been up to?

Burying the dead.

Was that your idea?

Well, as I said, it's what's available.

Come on, you're not getting out of it...

SS burying the dead
is terrific propaganda for us, sir.

London will be very, very pleased.

Remind me again, Derrick,

what was Colonel Johnston's
precise involvement at Quetta?

I'm not entirely sure, sir,

but I believe he was essential
to the relief operation.

And what's his unit been
up to these last few months?

Well, as far as I know,
he's been in reserve, sir,

running a small military hospital
on the Dutch-German border.

- In reserve?
- Yes, sir.

(Woman) This human laundry
of yours, Johnny,

you'll staff it with female personnel.

I'm sure many of the women
are too apathetic to care, but you know...

for modesty's sake.

Of course, I'll... I'l do my best.

Johnny.

Doctor.

Sorry, how are you, Dr. Bimko?

Good.

I hope the food's to your liking.

So Dr. Bimko,

how long have you been here?

Not so long.
Before this, I was in Auschwitz.

Auschwitz? Is it, um...

It's another camp?

Not like here.

It can't be as bad as this.

Auschwitz is a facility built expressly

for the systematic extermination of
the enemies of the Third Reich.

Belsen... Belsen is just
an overcrowded prison camp.

Auschwitz is a Vernichtungslager.
It was designed for death.

How did...

- Did you...?
- Avoid the gaskammer?

I am dentist.

I was useful.

My parents...

my sister, my husband -
and my little boy - were not.

CLEARS THROAT

Will London see this, Derrick?

I hope so, sir.

For all the good it will do us.
We're losing a steady 600 a day.

I spoke to Hardman today.

He absolutely believes
it's the thought of evacuation

that keeps the rest of them going.

All we seem to be good at
is collecting the dead.

I can't imagine anyone
wanting to see this.

I think you're wrong, sir.

I think the whole world
will want to see this.

For years to come,
I shouldn't wonder.

And I think it's important that they do

and it rather justifies why
we've been fighting this damn war.

COUGHING

AEROPLANE ENGINES DRONE OVERHEAD

Die Zeit ist gekommen.

Unsere Pflicht fur den Fuhrer
und fur das Vaterland...

What's he saying?

Something about
defending the Fatherland.

Not much chance of that
from a POW camp.

We're not sending them
to a prison camp, sir.

They're going back to the front line.

Good.

Ta-ta, Fritz!

Say hello to Uncle Stalin for us!

Go on, sling your hook.

Right, now we're getting somewhere.

Goodbye, Colonel Johnston.

Major.

Are you returning us to the front line

because it is more expedient?

Goodbye, Major Stadler.
Come on!

Let's get these moving!

Move your arse!

Come on, Jerry, get on!

Here we go!

No mirrors, no shiny surfaces,
you understand?

Yes, Colonel, we understand,
and perhaps we shouldn't cut their hair.

No, unless it's absolutely necessary.

Thank you.

SPEAKS GERMAN

Everything ready?

GENERATOR CUTS OFF

(Johnston) No!

(Man) Do me a favour!

BUCKET CLATTERS

- Get the sappers down here on the double.
- What the hell's happening?

Power failure of the generator, sir.
Cables been tampered with.

Everything's shut down,
including the main boiler.

- So there's no hot water?
- No, sir.

Looks like Jerry
gave us a leaving present.

(Over radio) 'ETA Camp One,
five minutes...

'ETA Camp One, five minutes.'

Johnston to Gonin,
Johnston to Gonin, over.

Gonin, acknowledge, over.

'This is Gonin, go ahead, over.'

Abort the evacuation.

Repeat, abort the evacuation.

'Abort?!'

Gonin, acknowledge, over.

'What the hell's happening?'

Just do as I say, Mervyn.
Bring the ambulances back.

Out.

Damn!

'The admission of patients
to the new hospital

'could have started on the 20th of April,

'but on the previous night,

'the Wehrmacht battalion
which had remained behind

'was permitted to return
to its own lines

'and we presume it was they who,
as a final gesture on the way out,

'cut the water supply to the barracks.

NO SOUNDTRACK ON FILM

I can't. I need another battery, mate.

Where's Johnston?

Colonel's in his office, sir.

Colonel Johnston, why did you
cancel the evacuation?

Do you know how difficult it was
to get these people ready?

To move the most urgent cases
closer to the doors of the hut

and then when we are ready
and waiting, no-one came.

No-one was evacuated.

These are the last Jews in Europe
and we are letting them die.

- Leslie, that is out of order.
- That's what they're saying.

Captain Hardman!

You're an officer in the British Army
and I'm your superior.

42% of the prisoners
in this camp are non-Jews

and may I remind you of your duty
to the men in this command.

All the time you play good shepherd
down the road,

- you're neglecting their pastoral needs.
- Colonel, if I might...

Shut up, Derrick.
Now is not the time for debate.

I suggest you take Captain Hardman
outside and get him to calm down.

Yes, sir.
Come on, Leslie, for Christ's sake.

I have no authority over
Military Government

or the decisions they take.

Fucking delay in transport
that gave Jerry the time to discover

they'd been sent back to the front -
that's why they sabotaged the water.

Sappers will sort it out.

While another 600 die over night.

We've replaced the bully beef
with skimmed milk.

It's four months past it's use-by date.

It's not staying down.

Ah, come on, Mervyn,

let's check the sappers.

Having a sense of deja vu, Derrick?

I have to say, sir, I do not understand
why you're using

the German nurses when
we have our own Red Cross girls.

Who wouldn't know a bed pan
from a flower pot.

No, but at least they're not short
on compassion.

And they speak English.

Without inoculation,

this is a virtual death sentence
for these Brunhildes.

An offer was made and their superiors
turned it down.

Looks like the Germans have
something against women

as well as everyone else.

Colonel Gonin's on his way with
the first batch, sir. ETA ten minutes.

About bloody time.

I'm fairly confident the spread of typhus
can be brought under control.

300 patients are now deloused

and sleeping in clean sheets.
Well done.

But we seriously underestimated
the level of starvation.

We'll soon reach 5,000 dead.

Our criterion of selection
clearly isn't working.

Why not?

Because, Johnny, the inmate doctors
only look out for their own -

sick and healthy.

Poles help Poles,
Czechs help Czechs.

Suddenly, everyone claims
to have typhus.

Of course. What the hell did you expect?
It was always a crazy idea,

this letter T on the head.

It's their passport out of there.

If you'd let us treat individuals
on a case-by-case basis,

we'd have had hundreds
of them out of there.

I'm not interested
in saving hundreds, Colonel.

I've thousands of lives to consider.
Without a system, there'll be chaos.

Now, I want to institute
a criterion of fitness -

a Belsen standard of fitness.

Still based on typhus?

No.

So that was a bloody
waste of time, then.

Look, I'm sorry, but it's my men

going into those God-forsaken huts
day after day.

(Johnston) If you can walk,
you can get food.

If you can get food, you remain
another day in the camp.

So the strong ones stay behind
until they get sick.

If they can feed themselves,
they're not a medical responsibility.

Now, that's enough!
Let's pull together on this. Dismissed.

My service record, sir.
You asked to see it.

- It was in my suitcase. Sorry.
- Appears to be in order.

Keep your papers with you
at all times, Nurse McFarlane.

It tells us who you are.

So how much nursing
have you and the others done?

Not much, sir. Molly's done a bit
at the Royal Free,

but we're all ready to pitch in
and we can learn.

That's a great comfort to me because
I don't have time to set up a classroom.

Sir, I've driven a truck
halfway across Europe to get here.

I'm surprised you made it at all.

I can smell the alcohol
on your breath from here.

How very bourgeois of you
to mention it, Colonel Johnston.

I acquired a taste for fine wine
and whiskey some time ago

and I still possess a very tidy mind.

Now, if you'll excuse me,
I'll report to Sister.

COUGHING

(Man) Come on, mate.
Get your tray over here.

Hot tea over here. Come on.

Get your hot tea. Hot fresh tea.

Thank you, Gertrude. Dziekuje.

Dziekuje.

Are you warm enough?

Yeah. Thank you.

Hello, Cecil.

Man, even for a Goy,
you look miserable.

What's up?

Nothing.

Don't give me that.
What's the matter?

Can't sleep?

Me neither, mate.

I drove down into the camp
this morning.

These women come at me.
They was everywhere.

On the running board,
grabbing at me through the window.

Apples in an orchard, mate.

One of them gets in beside me.

She says... She put her hand
on my leg and she says,

"You take me now."

She would have been lovely
if she was a...

Well, did you? You wouldn't be the first.
Should have had me with you.

How can you say that?
You're Jewish, int'ya?

- So?
- You're sick.

Just irresistible to women.

So go on, what happened?

Well, I told her... no.

She just ran off.

She left a bundle of rags
on the seat next to me.

It was a baby.

A couple of months old.

Been dead for a couple of days.

WOMAN LAUGHS

(Man) What are you laughing at now?

You're off your head, you!

'We began to receive hundreds
of patients - all women.

'Most of them appeared to be
just nondescript bundles.

'I helped carry some of them in.

'They weighted three to five stone.

'Less than my little brother, aged nine.

Bring 'em down, will you, there, Trev?
Can't hang around all day, mate.

FOOTSTEPS

- Hello, I'm Mac.
- Morgen.

- Oh. Sind Sie Rotes Kreuz?
- Nein, ich bin Krankenschwester.

Haben Sie gearbeitet hier?

Ja, fur ein paar Tage.

- Wie heissen Sie?
- Ich bin Lotti.

SCREAMING

- Oh, my God! Jesus!
- What's going on?

Stupid German cow!
It's a syringe! Idiot!

The SS injected us...
Untermenschen... with benzene.

- What?
- To make us burn faster in the ovens.

Hada.

No. I just can't work with
those people, not any more.

They're from a civilian hospital
ten miles away.

They knew nothing of this.

How can they know nothing?

Can they not hear?

The patients in that ward, Johnny,

they have been beaten, starved,

tortured and stripped of
their humanity.

They are the last survivors.

They are all we have
to stand witness to the horror.

They are all we have left.

I know.

Every day, we discover more.

Benzene!

For the love of Christ.

I will do what I can to help, Johnny.

We will do this together.

Jeremy, Jeremy.

Heute, den 24 April, 1945,

spricht die Chefarztin vom Frauenlager
Konzentrationslager Bergen-Belsen.

Oi, oil Careful.

Over here, mate.

- Rabbi?
- Oh, God, you made me jump!

What are you up to?

Doing a little bit of street trading.

I heard you'd taken up residence
in a latrine.

Well, that's what comes of sharing
a Sabbath meal with the inmates.

They offered me their version
of gefilte fish.

I could hardly refuse.

- Oh, carefull
- Ahl Sorry. What is that?

It's paprika.

You think that's
going to feed the 5,000?

It improves the taste.

Ah. In exchange for what?

My friend here was kind enough
to give up some of his cigarettes.

Thank you.

You're a resourceful man, Rabbi.

As medicine heals the body,

so faith must heal the soul.

I have plans for a little clinic as well.

Have you indeed?

And what does Colonel Johnston
say about that?

Between you and me...

...I think the colonel
spreads himself too thin.

He's always so busy in his office.

I've seen you, Leslie,

breaking the rules,

trying to squeeze another patient
onto the back of one of my trucks.

That's right, and the Colonel came -
he gave me hell, oh, he did.

Well, I don't think you'll hear
any more about that.

Padre!

Keep a stiff upper lip.

'God help me.

'I'm small and alone,
but I must help them

'and I mustn't waste a moment
because every moment,

'another soul dies.

'It was from no morbid desire that I wanted
to see the worst that Belsen had to show,

'but to appreciate fully
what these people had gone through.

'Contrary to expectations, I was not sick,
nor did I burst into tears.

'But what I saw is quite beyond
my powers of description.'

Are you all right?

Yes.

Really.

Thank you.

I think perhaps
you've earned yourself a drink.

It's a bit early.

I don't drink before four,
and never on a match day.

Match day?

I used to play lacrosse.

You weren't a captain, were you?

Well, actually...

Of course you were.

I should have guessed you liked
blood sports, Nurse McFarlane.

Don't worry.

There are very relaxed
licensing hours in Bergen-Belsen.

- Would you like a...?
- Sir.

Sir, Colonel Lipscomb is here.

Excuse me.

- Colonel Lipscomb.
- Ah...

- How glad I am to see you.
- I'd have been here sooner if I could.

The feeding's become a nightmare.
It's something we never anticipated.

Who's he?

He's an expert in nutrition.
He's come from India.

Right, Nurse McFarlane,

you're going to help me shift
Lipscomb's gear. Come on.

(Lipscomb) What have you given them?

Well, our compo rations
were a complete disaster.

It's made them more sick
and killed some of them.

Since then, mostly milk, potato soup.

What were the inmates eating
before you got here?

God. Anything they
could lay their hands on.

Potato peelings, dirt, grass.

It's ironic, but one of the symptoms
of typhus is hunger

and yet victims of starvation
are incapable of assimilating fats.

But they do need protein,

so skimmed milk is good
and something called hydrolysates.

Now, this special compound
is called Bengal Famine Mixture.

It was developed by our nutritionist
back in '43 and it contains

the right balance of nutrients
for victims of severe starvation.

I've ordered several tonnes of it.

You mix it up with water
and feed it to them twice a day.

And it will stop them dying?

I hope so.

- You look terrible, Johnny. Are you ill?
- Oh, dear.

1,700 dead.

In the last 24 hours.

What? That's three times more
than were dying before you arrived.

So we're doing more harm than good?

That's not what I'm saying.

They're not eating, they're riddled
with disease and still living in filth.

If I was one of them,
I'd give up the ghost as well.

Right, Colonel,

what do we want?

Hm?

I'll show you what we want.

Come with me.

Now, this...

is gonna stop people dying
and it's just sitting there

because I don't have the personnel
to prepare or distribute it.

My people can do this.

My people can do this!

(Fisher) I told him that this is war.

Desperate times lead
to desperate measures.

Now, I'm a radiologist.
We've all got to muck in.

She's gorgeous, sir,
and her name's Fisher.

I might be able
to use her on my ward, sir.

You're not related, are you?

I hope not, sir.
If you get my drift?

Yes, unfortunately, Fisher, I do.

What?!

What the hell are you doing?

SPEAKS POLISH

- Damn you!
- Johnny?

Tell these selfish bastards
to do their job!

SPEAKS POLISH

Johnny, I'm sorry.

'I'd hoped that the internee staff
would be capable of taking over.

'It was now obvious, however,
that such an arrangement

'would lead to utter chaos
within a few days.'

SPEAKS POLISH

'It was doomed from the start.

'As time goes on, my slender
resources of reliable staff

'become more and more stretched.

'We're now close to disaster.'

Get rid of this stuff!

Hit me.

Sir, I think the doctor
would like you to hit her again.

Again? You're drinking us
all under the table, Doctor.

Chin-chin.

How's your clinic, Leslie?
Up and running yet?

We've made a start. We have a hut,
a dozen beds, two patients to a bed.

It's quite small, really.

The doctors and nurses
are all former inmates.

- It's more of a first aid clinic, really.
- Splendid.

- Johnston will be pleased to hear that.
- Perhaps.

(Dr. Bimko) Hit me.

You're getting the hang of this.

Where is the colonel?
I haven't seen him.

Oh.

Doctor.

Have you seen the colonel?

Oh, not since we discussed
the distribution of his special formula.

- He's gone AWOL.
- So, sir...

He's feeling the pressure, Derek.

He's floundering.

I think Colonel Johnston has underestimated
the complexities of Belsen.

I think we all did.

We can't save everybody
in that camp. It's not possible.

Johnston's...
Johnston's naive to even think it.

We should be lowering our sights,

getting as many of them
out of there as we can.

Sir, Colonel Johnston has done
this before. He's the expert.

Is he? That was ten years ago.

And where's his unit been
whilst we've been at the front?

In reserve.

I think...

he's a pen-pusher.

KNOCK ON DOOR

What is it, Fisher?

- Nothing, sir, I was looking for the colonel.
- Well, he's not here.

No, sir. Thank you, sir.

With respect, sir,
you really shouldn't worry.

Remember what they said
about Quetta.

The Colonel was straight out of Sandhurst.
He was younger than what I am now.

LAUGHING

So now we know!

He didn't plan. He didn't organise.

He brought bodies out
from under the rubble.

My men have brought bodies
out of those stinking huts,

eight hours a day for two weeks.

It doesn't make them
bloody miracle-workers.

ENGINE RUMBLES

SHOUTING

GUNFIRE

- Are they ours?
- No, Luftwaffe.

Red Cross! Red Cross!

RAPID GUNFIRE

Down! Everybody down!

EXPLOSION

WAILING AND CRYING

GROANING

PLANE ENGINE ROARS

You!

RAPID GUNFIRE

You fucking Kraut bastard,
who did you call?

You and your friends set us up.

Give me one good reason not to put
a bullet in your fucking head.

- Put the gun down.
- Keep out of it, Johnny.

That's an order! Get over here.

We're all giving orders, Johnny,

but nothing's happening.

Nothing's getting done.

We're going backwards!

Excuse me, please.

SPEAKS GERMAN

On the left.

SPEAKS GERMAN

- Kraut, out.
- I just wanna help.

- Get out!
- We can help.

All right, but I'm watching you.

- Can't stop it, sir, we're losing him.
- Come on, lad!

You've been with me since Normandy.
Crossed the Rhine together.

He's dead, sir.

He's dead, sir.

WOMAN SOBS

CLATTERING

Ah, padre...

last rites, if you please,
any denomination.

Right, Fisher, get those other lads
shipped up to the wards.

- I can't do that, sir.
- Why not?

I can't. How can I?
We've got no...

Where's Johnston?!

He's not here, is he?

Have you noticed, Fisher,
that whenever there's a chance

for him to get his hands dirty,
the hero of Quetta goes walkabout?

Now you find me some beds for my men.
Do you understand me?

Yes, sir!

And we can try Bovril in hot water,

Ovaltine if we've got it.

Forget about the Bovril, Martin.
Let's just concentrate on the famine mixture.

Now, you're suggesting I draw up
three different scales of diet?

Yes, one of 800 calories,

one of 1,700 and one of 3,000.

Right, so we're all agreed on that?

- Yes?
- Yes.

Yes.

You'll have tremendous problems
distributing it, of course, I can see that.

Don't you worry abut that.
That's my responsibility.

I know, but some of your colleagues...

If you get any flak from any of my team,

you tell Derrick
or you bring it straight to me.

Colonel, this isn't India,
there's no guarantee it will work here.

Listen...

I'm putting my faith
in this magic potion of yours.

- Christ on a bike.
- They're so young.

Quickly, mind now.

Name?

- Paton, sir. Alex Paton.
- How old are you?

21, sir.

How did you come to be here?

First to by train to Cirencester, then
plane to Hanover... Dakotas, actually.

I'm not interested in what bloody
aircraft you flew in, Paton!

You know, to be honest,
when I asked for additional help,

a bunch of medical students
halfway through their training

wasn't exactly what I had in mind.

What I need is experts
in hospital administration,

famine relief,
psychological rehabilitation.

We've all had basic clinical training...

I'm sure I expect you're all
bursting with bright ideas.

Well, you and your Oxbridge pals
better listen up,

because there's a world of difference

between the theory and practice of medicine.

Up until now, we're been more like
undertakers than doctors.

Only finished burying the backlog
of dead three days ago.

Right, now, you were shown
a film before you left?

(All) Yes, sir.

- So you know what to expect?
- (All) Yes, sir.

No, you bloody don't,
because what that film couldn't do

was prepare you for the smell.

We've 27,000 people in an area
the size of Green Park.

The stench in the huts is so bad

that our troops can only bear it
for ten minutes at a time,

but I'll ask you to be in there for hours.

You have to work your way through
the huts bunk by bunk, body by body.

- Can you do that, Paton?
- I'll try, sir.

- Can you do it?
- Yes, sir, I'll do it.

Good.

And this...

is what you'll be feeding them.

It's going to put new life into them.

So...

I look forward to hearing
one of you say,

"Good morning, sir,

"no-one died today."

Right, Colonel Gonin
will sort out your transport.

I'm sure we can be of help too,
Colonel Johnston.

Training is of the essence here,
Nurse McFarlane.

At least these gentleman have
some of it. That's enough chat.

07:00 tomorrow,
you meet your patients.

Right, then, my lovelies,
follow me on the double!

What the hell he playing at,
for Christ's Sake?

I didn't come here
to wet nurse students,

- or provide him with a bloody taxi service.
- Well, quite.

I'm no medical man,
but these fellows are trainee doctors.

I'm sure they can be put to better use
than feeding the sick.

I don't know what's got into him.

And what he said to you
was downright rude, it was uncalled for.

Doesn't matter, he didn't mean it.
He's exhausted.

We're all bloody exhausted.

Quite, so come on, have a drink.

That's what I like to see -

a woman who smokes
and can hold her drink.

Don't suppose you play poker as well?

Like a pro.

I did mean straight poker,
not the other kind.

Oh, that's a pity.

I only play the other kind,
so if you like it straight, Mervyn,

you'll have to find
someone else to play with.

Cigarette?

Thanks.

Move yourself, Paton,
there's a bloody war on.

- What you got there?
- Diary, sir.

Thought I'd keep a record for posterity.

That so? Well, make sure
you spell the name right - Gonin,

G-O-N-I-N, Gonin, first name, Mervyn.

Warren, leave that nurse alone.

(Man) Load her up, load her up.

Fun's over. Let's start moving, people!

Come on, get a move on!

Get on!

'We were assigned to various huts.

'I decided it was advisable
to light a pipe.

'The smell is disgusting.

'The hut was about 30 yards long
and about ten yards across.

'There are about 250 women, mostly
in rags. About 20 of them can walk.

'At one end, there was a small place
which must have been the lavatory,

'but is now a mass of dirt
and water and faeces.

'Those who cannot move
just empty their bowels where they are

'and add to the confusion.'

Well?

It's completely blocked, sir.

We'll have to flush the whole system
all the way back to the sewage farm.

We've also discovered that the
system overflow runs into the river,

which supplies all the drinking water
to Camp One.

Shit.

Exactly, sir.

Paton.
Got to the back of the hut yet?

- Not quite, sir, but we'll get there.
- Feeling any effects?

No, sir.

We've been double inoculated
and try and keep our mouths covered.

Good.

Sir, we've started case histories
for each of the inmates,

pinned them to their bunks.

Case history or the inmate?

Sorry, sir?

CLEARS THROAT

Anyway... more important, how's
the famine mixture going down?

Good, sir. We managed to persuade
some of them to take it.

Some of them?

Yes, sir.

It's not working, is it?

No, sir.

A lot of them refuse to even try it, sir.

I'm so sorry.

Not your fault.

It will be better tomorrow, sir.

Now we know what we're dealing with.

Where you going now?

To get cleaned up, sir.

Wrong. Come with me.

- Colonel.
- Ah, Johnny, glad you're here.

I've got something I think
you really ought to see.

Hold on. Paton's being
trying out our famine mixture.

- Oh?
- Get on with it, Paton.

Yes, sir.

Well... those that took it in the morning
seemed all right at first,

but now they're either throwing up
or running with diarrhoea again.

- Ah.
- Damn it, Martin, this is serious.

Well, of course.

And the worst of it is that...

most of the inmates
wouldn't even touch it.

Say they can't eat it.

Why not? It's your bloody panacea.
What the hell's it made of?

Essentially, sugar, dried milk,
flour, salt and water.

- Is that all?
- Yes.

Looks like someone's taken
a butcher's knife to it.

Well, it wasn't me, but someone
knew what they were after.

Oh, Jesus Christ.

Yes, it's, er...
it's an acquired taste.

The kidneys have been removed.

So has the liver.

I don't understand, sir.

Nor do I.

Then I can only imagine
neither of you is hungry enough.

GASPS

And I'll tell you something - if you can't
persuade people to take the mixture,

there may be a lot more of this.

Well, they've got to get
their nutrients from somewhere.

Excuse me.

GROANING

They took more than the liver, you know?

Ears, cheeks... heart.

I'm not judging them, Leslie.
How could I?

If I'd been through what they have...

It's not just food they crave.

They're like children -

they hunger for every kind of thing.

It's just terrible.

They won't eat our famine mixture.

Well, it's not familiar,
they don't recognise it.

It will give them
exactly what they need,

it's been scientifically formulated.

Formulated for who?

Bengalis. These people are Czech.

They're Russian, Hungarian.

They're used to rich, meaty food
with a particular flavour.

The mixture's just too sweet.

I find a little bit of paprika
makes all the difference.

Oh, yeah, some of them
even ask for more.

It's... as simple as that?

Well, none of us can eat
if we don't like the taste, Colonel.

Look, maybe the way
to save people's lives

is to remind them who they were.

Jesus, what do they think
I'm gonna do with that?

What is it you're looking for?

I don't know. Peppers, spices.
Anything that will make

the famine mixture taste more like home.

What I don't understand is why Colonel
Lipscomb didn't know about all this.

He's supposed to be
the bloody expert.

Colonel Lipscomb told me
that his speciality is geriatrics.

I'm losing this war, Mac.

I've lost more lives than I've saved.

It's not just you, you know?

There's progress
in every little thing we do.

The fit ones, the ones
you made stay behind,

they're getting stronger.
Paton told me.

And I saw a small miracle today -

a mother and her children
walking in the sunshine.

It was... It was normal.

Doesn't that make you feel better?

No.

Well, you should have more faith
in yourself, Johnny.

You look lovely.

Not sure it's my colour, actually.

Oh, look, there's Paton.

THEY LAUGH

(Let's not wake him.)

GENTLE SNORING

You all right? No!

Help! help!

CHILD CRIES

- Fisher, I want a postmortem.
- Yes, sir. Stretcher.

Where's your miracle now, Mac,

when even the fit begin to die?

CHILD WEEPS

'2,500 of the fit now seriously sick.

'Unless they're accepted
at once into hospital,

'they will undoubtedly die.

'The effect on morale
would be disastrous.'

I'm afraid, Brigadier,
she is not the only one.

Military Government report
there are many other similar cases.

All right. What do we know?

Initial blood tests show no sign
of typhus or any other disease.

Did this woman ever receive
a blood transfusion?

I'm not sure, sir.
I'll have to check the records.

Well, do it!

The last thing we want to find out is that
she was given contaminated blood.

With respect, Brigadier,
I don't think that's possible.

We're very strict about the way
blood is administered.

What about this Bengal Famine Mixture?
What's in it?

It's all fairly innocuous, sir -

sugar, milk, salt.

No hidden potions that might
cause the blood to fail?

Certainly not!

Well, I want it analysed
all the same, just to be sure.

Yes, sir.

Christ! Her heart just weighs
over 100 grams!

(Lipscomb) A fraction of what it should be.

How long has she been here?

I think she's a transfer, sir.

She could have been
in and out of camps for years.

Well, there's your answer, Johnny -

a long and sustained period
of starvation

has irrevocably damaged the heart
so that it's no longer viable.

That's correct, sir.
The stomach, liver, kidneys

all show similar deterioration.

This woman didn't die
through lack of our care,

she died because the Germans
killed her years ago.

REMONSTRATES IN GERMAN

ALL TALKING AT ONCE

It's very simple. You take this,
put it in water and you clean with it.

They won't show up for their shift,
they won't clear up their mess,

these "Gott in weiss"
refuse to follow your orders.

Get up! Get up!

(Mac) Someone stop him,
what's he doing?!

Stop him!

He can't do that!

- Somebody! Will somebody stop him?
- He's gonna kill him.

- What.
- Colonel Johnston's gonna kill him.

- He's not capable.
- Yes, he can, sir.

You never got Colonel Johnston.

You called him a pen-pusher.

He's just as much a soldier
as the rest of us

- and he's got the Military Cross to prove it.
- What?

Afghanistan, sir, he was only 26.
He went out under enemy fire,

pulled a wounded man
off the battlefield single-handed.

(Man) For Christ's sake...

For God's sake, Mervyn,
get out there and stop him!

(Gonin) Johnny.

Johnny!

Johnny!

Get him down. Get him down!

Johnny...

ENGINE RUMBLES

'Ey up. Want a lift?

Go on, hang on.

- Yep.
- Cheers.

(Man) Who are we looking for?

(Mac) He's not in the mess.

(Gonin) Has anybody seen him?

Where the hell is he?

The only buildings left to check are...

the store rooms and block B
on the far side.

Right, Paton, Mac, you come with me,
we'll check the store rooms.

The rest of you check block B.

No, no idea.

In here, sir.

Johnny.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry about this morning.

Oh, don't apologise.
Bastard had it coming.

Paton's got some news for you.

Yes, sir.

In my hut, no-one died today, sir.

(Gonin) Don't think he heard you, Paton.

Colonel,

in my hut, no-one died today.

All still present and correct.

They're eating the famine mixture
and keeping it down.

Giving it a flavour they recognise
made a real difference.

Then it's working.

Well, maybe.

You know as well as I do
there are no big victories here.

It's the little things that count,

like Paton here holding their hands
through the night,

or Hada taking their temperature,

or Mac writing down their names,

which villages they come from.

No.

People will be working in Belsen
for years after we've gone,

but the point is...
we've turned a corner

and even I'm prepared to admit it -

your bloody system's working.

There's something else
we want to show you.

SOBBING

(Woman) Oh, God!

(Johnston) Hardman was right.

The way to save people's lives
is to remember they're human.

GROWLS AND ROARS

- You look like one of me old girlfriends.
- Oh, thanks!

- Nice jam rags, mate.
- What's a jam rag?

Sanitary napkin, Cecil. Well done.
I'm looking for those.

The women are going to need them
before very long.

(Fisher) You got to be joking, ain't ya?
They're just skeletons.

Meaning?

Well, they can't. How can they
have the painters and decorators in?

We women are tougher
than you think, Emmanuel.

It's all part of coming back to life.

Does that mean
they're ready to, er, you know...?

- You know - ready for a bit of, er...?
- What?

You know, ma'am,
a bit of how's-your-father.

Oh...

Cecil, you bring a four-stone woman
out of one of those huts

and Emmanuel puts her in a hospital bed,
he gives her some basic sustenance.

What do you think her body
is desperate for now?

Well...

Well, let me tell you,

there's something magical
about women's bodies.

And I don't mean in
the way you're thinking.

I've seen it in our patients
and it amazes even me,

that when a woman comes back
from the brink of death, nature kicks in.

It's life longing for itself.

Or whatever term you'd like to give it.

All right, Fisher? Coping?

Never been so busy, sir. We're going
to need to open up another ward.

Get some of Colonel Gonin's men

to help you move the furniture
out of the officers' mess.

- You sure, sir?
- Absolutely.

That's the spirit. And I hear Harrods
has been a great success.

Yes, sir, although some of our
customers can be very fussy!

You can usually tell a Russian
by the sort of drawers she chooses.

They like them Victorian, sir.

Victorian, eh?

Big, sir.

Mm. I see. Well...

Carry on, Nurse McFarlane.

Oh, I almost forgot.
Thought you'd all like to know.

Apparently, the war is over.

'Today sees completion of
the major task of hospitalisation.

'The general improvement
in the patients since admission

'is marked and satisfying.

'I never cease to be amazed
by the remarkable versatility

'displayed by all my officers
and nurses at this time.'

(Cecil Warren) Oh, look out!
Here comes Mrs. Fisher.

Oh...

- Morgen.
- Good morning, Mr. Fisher.

Ah... You know what one woman
said to me this morning?

- What?
- "Today is the beginning of my life."

- Did you kiss her?
- Yes, I bloody did.

(Johnston) Fisher.

I want the store room looking like
the Coconut Bar at the Ritz.

You can use this furniture here,
we're having a party.

Yes, sir.

Put some coloured shades on the light bulbs,
anything to make it look more inviting.

Fancy a bit of a cabaret, sir?

You're in charge, Fisher.

Oh, and, er, tell Lieutenant Sington
that I want all the press

assembled in Camp One
first thing in the morning.

Yes, sir.

And one other thing -
find me a flame-thrower.

'On our recommendation, the horror camp
was completely destroyed by fire.

'This was the only possible end to a place

'that had seen so much human misery,
degradation and terror.

'I had the satisfaction of directing
the flame and pressing the button.'

MUSIC: In The Mood

Blimey, Cecil, how big are your feet?

Never you mind about my feet, mate.
Watch where you're putting yours.

Lotti! Where are ya?

Mrs. Fisher!

Oh, come on, lovel

MUMBLES IN GERMAN

COUGHING

(Hardman) What's he saying, Lotti?

He wants to know if there's
any redemption for us.

What do you think?

We have lost the war...

...and our country.

But the worst of all
is the concentration camps.

There we lost our honour.

'A good German cannot bear
his life without honour,

'It doesn't matter
that we didn't know.

'We have to bear the blame.'

Johnny.

Brigadier. Mac.
How the devil are you?

Having the most wonderful time,
aren't we, Brigadier?

Absolutely splendid,
thanks to you, Johnny.

Are you hearing what
the press are saying, Johnny?

You've created
the largest hospital in Europe.

- Would you like to dance?
- Love to.

I'm so drunk, Mac... so drunk.

...Da da-da-daa oi!
Da da-da-daa oi!

'For the greatest part of
the liberated Jews of Bergen-Belsen

'there was no ecstasy,
no joy at our liberation.

'We had lost our families,

'our homes.

'We had no place to go,

'nobody to hug.

'Nobody was waiting for us anywhere.

'We had been liberated from death
and the fear of death,

'but not from the fear of life.

In 1946,

Hadassah Bimko married Joseph Rosensaft,
the leader of the Belsen survivors.

Their son was born at Belsen hospital
two years later.

Dr. Bimko-Rosensaft would later become

one of the founders
of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Glyn Hughes became godfather
to dozens of Belsen babies

and considered the survivors
part of his extended family.

In 1945, his improvised medical unit
was renamed the Glyn Hughes Hospital.

It still stands today.

Alex Paton qualified in 1948

and became an eminent
clinical physician.

He remained good friends with his fellow
Belsen students and now lives in Didcot.

Emmanuel Fisher became
a famous musician,

conducting the London Jewish
Male Choir for 20 years,

leading tours around the world
and composing for Hollywood.

But the trauma of his time
at Belsen never left him.

Leslie Hardman performed
many weddings at Belsen

and remained in touch with
his congregation to this day.

He's still a rabbi,
now living in north London.

Derrick Sington prepared indictments
for the Nuremberg Trials

with the help of his secretary, Gertrude,
who he'd met on his first day at Belsen.

They married in 1948
and settled in Neasden.

Mervyn Gonin received
the Distinguished Service Order

and returned
to general practice in Ipswich.

He died in 1954.

Jean McFarlane followed Johnston's
unit from Belsen to his next posting

and then took up the presidency
of the English Lacrosse Association.

She adopted a refugee orphan from
central Europe, but never married.

James "Johnny" Johnston stayed
in the Army for another 30 years.

Promoted Major General, he took
command of all Army medical training.

Those who had shared his experience
at Belsen, he remained in touch with

for the rest of his life.

OCR: neolone @ KG.