All language subtitles for The.Lost.Women.Spies.S01E05.Trials.720p.NOW.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-RAWR_track3_[eng]

- (dramatic music)

NARRATOR: World War Two is over.

NARRATOR: World War Two is over.

The Allies have occupied Germany.

The Allies have occupied Germany.

But British women agents
remain lost across Europe.

But British women agents
remain lost across Europe.

- Heil!

NARRATOR: Spymaster Vera Atkins

now has a permanent position
with the British Air Force

now has a permanent position
with the British Air Force

to find her lost women spies.

And she enlists the help of a
crack team of SAS Nazi hunters

And she enlists the help of a
crack team of SAS Nazi hunters

led by Major Bill Barkworth.

Barkworth reports about a hidden

concentration camp
in eastern France,

designed to make secret agents
disappear...without a trace.

designed to make secret agents
disappear...without a trace.

And the possibility that some of
Vera's lost women spies

And the possibility that some of
Vera's lost women spies

may have died there.

As Vera gathers evidence for
the trials of leading Nazis,

As Vera gathers evidence for
the trials of leading Nazis,

the horrors she is uncovering

are too much for the authorities
back in London.

are too much for the authorities
back in London.

Vera receives a clear order.

- I need you to keep this disgusting
business out of the newspapers.

NARRATOR: The true stories
of all her lost women spies

must be kept covered up.

At all costs.

At all costs.

Nearly nine months since
the end of the war in Europe.

Nearly nine months since
the end of the war in Europe.

Vera is based at the British War
Crimes office in Germany,

Vera is based at the British War
Crimes office in Germany,

where her promotion allows her
to travel the country

to hunt for her lost women spies.

to hunt for her lost women spies.

Two names stand out.

The first is Noor Inayat Khan,

code-name 'Nurse'.

code-name 'Nurse'.

Vera is sent by Major Barkworth

Vera is sent by Major Barkworth

an interrogation report of prison
crematorium worker Franz Berg.

Berg claims Noor was killed, along
with three other women spies,

Berg claims Noor was killed, along
with three other women spies,

at the Natzweiler camp in July 1944.

But a warder at Karlsruhe prison,
Fraulein Becker,

But a warder at Karlsruhe prison,
Fraulein Becker,

says she remembers Noor being
in Karlsruhe many months later.

- Yes.

- Yes.

- Vera already has
an eyewitness testimony

from Natzweiler
saying that Noor is dead.

And now she has another
eyewitness testimony

And now she has another
eyewitness testimony

saying, nope, that is not true.
- (door clangs)

NARRATOR: Noor could still be alive.

NARRATOR: Noor could still be alive.

The other name is Violette Szabo.

Violette left her one-year-old child
behind to take up arms.

Violette left her one-year-old child
behind to take up arms.

A child whose father had already
given his life in the war effort.

A child whose father had already
given his life in the war effort.

- The Nazis won't know
what hit them.

- Very good.

- Violette Szabo's situation

- Violette Szabo's situation

is particularly sad because
she lost her husband,

who never actually met their
daughter, gave birth to a child.

who never actually met their
daughter, gave birth to a child.

And she left her child
back with her family in the UK

and parachuted into France,

and parachuted into France,

so determined was she to keep
fighting against the Nazis.

NARRATOR: Violette was last heard of

at the women's concentration
camp at Ravensbruck.

at the women's concentration
camp at Ravensbruck.

A camp from where Vera's agents
Odette Sansom

A camp from where Vera's agents
Odette Sansom

and Yvonne Baseden
have both returned.

So is Violette also alive?

So is Violette also alive?

- Vera never gives up hope.

There's always this sliver of hope
that some of them would be alive.

There's always this sliver of hope
that some of them would be alive.

They may be in a terrible
condition, but they're alive,

or they would have escaped,
and they will show up.

So she keeps this hope
in her when she goes,

but she is prepared for the worst.

And as she's uncovering these
stories, Vera is getting hardened.

And as she's uncovering these
stories, Vera is getting hardened.

The torture she's hearing about,
it is hardening her.

- We have arrested an SS lieutenant
from a camp north of Berlin.

- Which camp?

- Ravensbruck.

- Thank you. That will be all.

- Thank you. That will be all.

NARRATOR: Ravensbruck
is Violette Szabo's camp.

Is this the stroke of luck
that Vera badly needs?

Is this the stroke of luck
that Vera badly needs?

- (dramatic music)

NARRATOR: SS Lieutenant
Johann Schwarzhuber

was second in command
at Ravensbruck.

was second in command
at Ravensbruck.

- Schwarzhuber is a
very important person

for Vera to be able to interview

for Vera to be able to interview

because he holds
absolutely crucial information

about three of the women
that she's looking for.

That she has since found out

were taken to Ravensbruck
concentration camp.

- (suspenseful music)

- This one.

She had the name Violette.

- And?

What happened to her?

What happened to her?

- All three were taken to the
crematorium building

of the camp.

And one by one...

..they were shot.

- How do you know?

- I watched.

- (sombre music)

NARRATOR: Vera now
has testimony that,

NARRATOR: Vera now
has testimony that,

along with Violette,
Lilian Rolfe and Denise Bloch

were executed at the Ravensbruck
concentration camp, north of Berlin.

were executed at the Ravensbruck
concentration camp, north of Berlin.

VIGURS: Vera must have been
absolutely shocked

to hear this information.
She would have clung onto

to hear this information.
She would have clung onto

any last thread of hope that the
women had survived the camp

as she heard of these women who
she'd been so affectionate for,

as she heard of these women who
she'd been so affectionate for,

who she had really travelled across
Europe, and in dreadful conditions,

trying to find out
what had happened to them.

And finally, she has the evidence

And finally, she has the evidence

that these three women
were murdered.

- (sombre music)

NARRATOR: Vera personally
writes letters

for the bereaved families.
Each one detailing her search

for the bereaved families.
Each one detailing her search

for these spies
'missing presumed dead'.

VIGURS: Vera would have
felt shocked and upset.

VIGURS: Vera would have
felt shocked and upset.

But to some extent, I think
she might have also felt relief.

She had closure on this story.

She had closure on this story.

And although it wasn't the end she
would have wanted or hoped for,

she was finally able to tell the
families of these three women

what had happened to them. And
they were able to finally understand

what had happened to them. And
they were able to finally understand

what their daughters, wives,
children, had gone through

and what they had sacrificed
for their country.

NARRATOR: Each letter has to be
assessed by her superiors

to make sure Vera doesn't give away
any incriminating evidence.

to make sure Vera doesn't give away
any incriminating evidence.

RICHIE: Vera is in
a very difficult position because

the fact that there
were women agents

the fact that there
were women agents

is not yet common knowledge.

They want to keep it
out of the public eye

because it's a very difficult thing
to try and explain to families

because it's a very difficult thing
to try and explain to families

and acquaintances and loved ones

that actually your daughter was sent
into harm's way without protection.

Without the protection of the Geneva
Convention or the Hague Convention.

Without the protection of the Geneva
Convention or the Hague Convention.

Without the protection of the
British government, effectively,

they were meant to be
completely deniable

if they were captured or caught
or indeed killed.

NARRATOR: But there remain other
spies who are unaccounted for.

NARRATOR: But there remain other
spies who are unaccounted for.

Like Noor Inayat Khan who,
with two others agents,

Like Noor Inayat Khan who,
with two others agents,

was last seen at the Natzweiler camp
in the mountains of eastern France.

In a few months, the Natzweiler
war crimes trial will start.

In a few months, the Natzweiler
war crimes trial will start.

And Vera has been instructed to
gather as much evidence as she can.

And Vera has been instructed to
gather as much evidence as she can.

But she can't do it alone.

NARRATOR: In the spring of 1946,

NARRATOR: In the spring of 1946,

Vera travels to Gaggenau,
a small town near Karlsruhe.

It's here she visits
Major Bill Barkworth

at a property his SAS unit
have commandeered

called the Villa Degler.

- Vera Atkins.
Good to finally meet you.

- And you, sir.
- Please.

- And you, sir.
- Please.

NARRATOR: Barkworth has
offered Vera the chance

to get a witness statement from
a former Natzweiler prisoner.

to get a witness statement from
a former Natzweiler prisoner.

A man who worked as
a crematorium stoker

and is currently held captive
in the cellars of the villa,

and is currently held captive
in the cellars of the villa,

along with other prisoners rounded
up by Barkworth's Nazi hunter unit.

His name is Franz Berg.

His name is Franz Berg.

Berg's testimony is key

to whether Vera can get a conviction
against those who ran the camp

to whether Vera can get a conviction
against those who ran the camp

and may have murdered
her women agents.

- The women to be killed
by injection...

..rather than gassing, were two
English and two French women.

..rather than gassing, were two
English and two French women.

- They were brought to the cells
in the crematorium building

one afternoon in...July 1944.

one afternoon in...July 1944.

- (unnerving music)

- We... Me and
the other prisoners,

see through the fanlight
without standing up.

see through the fanlight
without standing up.

We heard low voices.

- (woman groaning)

- (woman groaning)

BERG: We heard noises of heavy
breathing and low groaning.

The next two women,
we heard the same noises

and regular groans.
But the fourth...

She resisted in the corridor.

I heard her say 'Why?'

I heard her say 'Why?'

NARRATOR: Vera now has
a witness statement

that she can use at the upcoming
Natzweiler war crimes trial.

that she can use at the upcoming
Natzweiler war crimes trial.

A testimony identifying that some of
Vera's agents, including Noor,

were killed at the camp.

were killed at the camp.

But even with Berg's testimony,
this is only one man's recollection.

Vera needs more evidence.

Vera needs more evidence.

Vera continues her preparation for
the Natzweiler war crimes trial.

Vera continues her preparation for
the Natzweiler war crimes trial.

Thanks to Barkworth, she
now has Berg's testimony

and other witness statements.

and other witness statements.

But Vera lacks
a critical piece of evidence

if she wants to convict
those who ran Natzweiler.

if she wants to convict
those who ran Natzweiler.

- Vera needs hard evidence.

If she wants to bring those
perpetrators to justice,

If she wants to bring those
perpetrators to justice,

she needs to gather enough
of the hard evidence

that will stand up in a court of law
to actually bring them to justice.

that will stand up in a court of law
to actually bring them to justice.

NARRATOR: Vera needs
documentary evidence.

Something that ties those who ran
the camp with her missing agents.

Something that ties those who ran
the camp with her missing agents.

So Vera tries to find
documents that show

So Vera tries to find
documents that show

which of her agents were
murdered at Natzweiler.

Four of her agents were sent
there from Karlsruhe prison.

Four of her agents were sent
there from Karlsruhe prison.

Surely Fraulein Becker at Karlsruhe
would have kept records.

- I need to see your records.
Now, please.

- We don't have any.

- I can't imagine that.

- I can't imagine that.

- The French. When they came,
they destroyed everything.

Smashed it all up.

Smashed it all up.

All gone.

- Fraulein Becker tells Vera

- Fraulein Becker tells Vera

that all the prison documents
were destroyed by the French.

Now that reeks of a lie. Vera must
have known she was lying.

Why would the French
go to a German prison

Why would the French
go to a German prison

and just randomly destroy
all the records?

But she's no way of finding out

But she's no way of finding out

unless Fraulein Becker
tells her the truth.

And how is she
going to get her to do that?

NARRATOR: Vera chooses
to visit Becker again.

This time with the SAS.

At Karlsruhe prison, Barkworth
and Vera confront Fraulein Becker.

- Where are they?

- Where are they?

- Where are what?
- The records!

- I don't know.

- I know you know.
Where are they?

- I don't know!

- I don't know!

- Search everything! All of it!

You said the French
destroyed everything.

You said the French
destroyed everything.

- They did.
- Why would they do that?

- I don't know!
- You lie!

- Ma'am!

- Ma'am!

- What do we have here, hm?
- I don't know.

- The records.

You lie. Liar!

NARRATOR: Vera and Barkworth
go through the prison records.

NARRATOR: Vera and Barkworth
go through the prison records.

Every entry and exit
from the prison is marked.

Every entry and exit
from the prison is marked.

Vera finds entries that
on the 6th of July 1944,

four women agents
are transferred

four women agents
are transferred

from the prison at Karlsruhe

to the concentration camp
at Natzweiler.

This corroborates
what Berg told Vera

about four agents who
were killed at Natzweiler.

Vera now has clear evidence that
four women agents were murdered.

Vera now has clear evidence that
four women agents were murdered.

The names are Andree Borrel,

Vera Leigh,

Vera Leigh,

Diana Rowden,

and Sonya Olschanesky.

and Sonya Olschanesky.

The fourth name, Sonia Olschanesky,
is unknown to Vera.

Vera expected to see
Noor's name or alias.

Witnesses had identified Noor

Witnesses had identified Noor

as travelling with this group
to Natzweiler.

Noor was born in Moscow,

so a Russian-sounding alias
could make sense.

so a Russian-sounding alias
could make sense.

For Vera, Sonia
Olschanesky's entry,

taken with other evidence, is
actually for Noor Inayat Khan.

taken with other evidence, is
actually for Noor Inayat Khan.

Vera has written evidence
that four SOE women,

Vera has written evidence
that four SOE women,

including Noor Inayat Khan,

are transported from Karlsruhe
to Natzweiler.

And most likely, killed there.

She can now
take the evidence to trial.

NARRATOR: The Natzweiler
war crimes trial

NARRATOR: The Natzweiler
war crimes trial

begins in Wuppertal,
in the west of Germany.

- The Natzweiler trial would have
been so important to Vera.

- The Natzweiler trial would have
been so important to Vera.

It was her other chance to get
information about the women

so she could provide that to the
families and their close ones,

so she could provide that to the
families and their close ones,

but also to bring
these men to justice.

This was the most brutal
execution,

This was the most brutal
execution,

murder in fact, of these women.

It didn't need to be done in
such a horrific manner, if at all.

NARRATOR: This will be
a British-led trial

NARRATOR: This will be
a British-led trial

with Nazis tried on German soil,
but under international law.

A trial about one of the Nazis'
specially hidden concentration camps

in the mountains of France.

RICHIE: Natzweiler isn't
particularly well known.

But it was in microcosm

the system of the concentration
camp set-up in Germany.

the system of the concentration
camp set-up in Germany.

And in this case, in France.

It was a camp of 22,000 deaths.

Around 55,000 people held
went through Natzweiler.

Around 55,000 people held
went through Natzweiler.

So, relatively small compared to

some of the other concentration
camps in the Reich.

But nevertheless, a system of
tremendous brutality, slave labour,

But nevertheless, a system of
tremendous brutality, slave labour,

medical experimentation, oppression,
violence, the kapo system.

A terrible, terrible place.

A terrible, terrible place.

NARRATOR: But before
the trial starts,

Vera receives a blunt instruction
from her new boss, Norman Mott.

Vera receives a blunt instruction
from her new boss, Norman Mott.

- Vera, everything,
and I mean everything,

- Vera, everything,
and I mean everything,

has been done in London

to keep this disgusting business
out of the newspapers.

I need you to ensure that the
press's interest is discouraged.

I need you to ensure that the
press's interest is discouraged.

Wouldn't do our reputations
any good.

- I understand.

- I suggest you start

by getting the names of the dead
withheld from the trial.

by getting the names of the dead
withheld from the trial.

- Their families won't like it,
Norman.

- Their families won't like it,
Norman.

They want to know
what happened.

- Too bad.

- Too bad.

It's a disgusting business
which is best buried.

Have you got a match?

- No.

- Oh.

- Oh.

Shame.
- (taps pipe on desk)

VIGURS: The Natzweiler trial

VIGURS: The Natzweiler trial

would have been
a troubling time for Vera.

Not only because of hearing
the dreadful incidences

and details of
what had happened,

and details of
what had happened,

but also the SOE was
still a secretive organisation.

People were not aware that women
had been sent into the field

in violation of
the Geneva Convention.

in violation of
the Geneva Convention.

And she probably worried not only if
their names got out into the press

And she probably worried not only if
their names got out into the press

what had happened to them, but there
were questions be start to raise

about who had sent them,
why had they sent them,

why had this been allowed to happen.

why had this been allowed to happen.

NARRATOR: After four days
of hearings,

the verdicts are delivered
to the accused.

the verdicts are delivered
to the accused.

Werner Rhode, the medical officer
who injected the women,

is given a death sentence.

is given a death sentence.

Peter Straub, SS officer
in charge of the executions,

is given 13 years in prison.

Later that year, he is given
a death sentence.

Later that year, he is given
a death sentence.

Fritz Hartjenstein, the
Kommandant of Natzweiler,

is imprisoned for life.

is imprisoned for life.

VIGURS: The verdict
of the Natzweiler trial

was that the three men
who were on trial

was that the three men
who were on trial

for the murder of these SOE women
were all found guilty.

So in some respects,
that's a very positive outcome.

She had proved that
this murder was unlawful,

She had proved that
this murder was unlawful,

this execution, as they called it.

But then the sentences may have
been a bittersweet moment.

Did Vera want an eye for an eye
at this point?

Did she want to see these men
suffer and pay the ultimate price?

Or was she just happy to have
received the guilty verdict?

Or was she just happy to have
received the guilty verdict?

She was a very straightforward
woman,

and I think she would have
been just pleased

to have seen these men
go down for what they'd done.

to have seen these men
go down for what they'd done.

NARRATOR: Vera secures
the agreement of the court

that the names of the dead
be withheld from publication.

that the names of the dead
be withheld from publication.

Thanks to Vera's work,
the trial fails to create

Mott's much feared
newspaper sensation.

Mott's much feared
newspaper sensation.

Vera's role in the affair
remains out of the public eye.

For now.

For now.

Vera turns her attention to her
final three women spies

from Karlsruhe
who are unaccounted for.

from Karlsruhe
who are unaccounted for.

Yolande Beekman, Elaine Plewman,

and Madeleine Damerment.

and Madeleine Damerment.

Vera comes across
an interrogation statement,

taken by American investigators,

taken by American investigators,

of Gestapo soldiers stationed
in the town of Karlsruhe.

One soldier, Max Wassmer, recalls
transporting women prisoners

One soldier, Max Wassmer, recalls
transporting women prisoners

from Karlsruhe to Dachau
concentration camp.

The ranks of three of the women

match those of Vera's
unaccounted agents.

And Wassmer's detailed
description of one woman

matches Madeleine Damerment.

- (sombre music)

- (sombre music)

NARRATOR: At Dachau, Wassmer
reportedly tells his colleagues

that he pronounced the death
sentence on the women.

that he pronounced the death
sentence on the women.

And that they were then killed.

But can Vera be sure?

But can Vera be sure?

Other Gestapo soldiers claim
there were four women,

not three, like Wassmer says.

not three, like Wassmer says.

They also claim that
one of the women

came from a completely
different prison called Pforzheim,

not Karlsruhe, as Wassmer states.

- One of the problems that Vera has,
and indeed all of the people

involved in the war crimes
trials have,

involved in the war crimes
trials have,

is the veracity of the witnesses.

Because when she got testimony
or drawings

or verification from her own side,
her own agents,

or verification from her own side,
her own agents,

or people who were also
in the camps,

and said they saw three women
or four women

and said they saw three women
or four women

who came into the camp,
she can believe them.

They may not remember
everything,

but at least she knows
that they're being honest.

But when you're relying on the
testimony of an SS officer

or a kapo who's worked
in the camp,

they're also self-interested, they
also want to exonerate themselves.

they're also self-interested, they
also want to exonerate themselves.

And so it's very difficult often to
know if they're telling the truth.

And so, even though
she gets the Wassmer testimony

and she thinks she's got
some solid information

and she thinks she's got
some solid information

about what's happened to
her final three agents,

she can't really be sure.
Particularly when then she gets

contradictory evidence.

contradictory evidence.

NARRATOR: Can Vera trust
Wassmer's testimony in the report?

Vera has to find Wassmer
and interrogate him herself.

Vera has to find Wassmer
and interrogate him herself.

After months of searching,
Vera tracks Wassmer down

After months of searching,
Vera tracks Wassmer down

to internment camp number 74

in Ludwigsburg, Germany.

- Vera is the only one who knows
all three SOE agents.

She knows them intimately.

And Max Wassmer says that he
thinks he's identified them.

And Max Wassmer says that he
thinks he's identified them.

Now, this is a huge big deal because
Vera can actually get the man

in front of her and determine
whether these women

in front of her and determine
whether these women

were different women
or were her agents.

And, you know, being there and able
to speak to somebody about it,

where you know if you show
somebody a photograph,

where you know if you show
somebody a photograph,

you know when they go
'That's definitely the person'

or 'I think that's the person.'
And it's all to do with intonation.

It's all to do with being in
the same room as someone.

It's all to do with being in
the same room as someone.

So for Vera, being in the same
room as Max Wassmer

is really important so that
she can interrogate him.

- Your name is Max Wassmer.
Correct?

- Yes.

- You transported women from
Karlsruhe prison to Dachau. Correct?

- (dramatic music)

- (door clunks)

- Yes.

- Yes.

- And then you watched
as they were shot. Correct?

- No.

I handed them over to the guards.

- This report clearly states

that witnesses saw you
take the women to be shot.

- Well, I was there, yes.

I wasn't...present at the end.

The guards took the women in,
not me.

The guards took the women in,
not me.

(sighs) We just...
We just did transport.

- Then how did others know
that four women were killed?

- Then how did others know
that four women were killed?

- Three.
- The report says four women.

- Three.
- The report says four women.

- It was three.

- How can you be so sure?

- Because they gave me a receipt.

- Because they gave me a receipt.

- A what?

- The next day, guards
gave me a receipt

- The next day, guards
gave me a receipt

for three women spies
shot dead.

We needed it for book-keeping
back at Karlsruhe.

We needed it for book-keeping
back at Karlsruhe.

Shall I describe them for you?

Shall I describe them for you?

Three women.

Three women.

NARRATOR: Wassmer provides
descriptions of three women

transferred from Karlsruhe
to Dachau

that match Vera's records
of three SOE women.

that match Vera's records
of three SOE women.

Vera has sufficient proof
that her SOE agents,

Yolande Beekman, Eliane Plewman,
and Madeleine Damerment,

Yolande Beekman, Eliane Plewman,
and Madeleine Damerment,

are killed at Dachau.

Vera, after interviewing
Max Wassmer,

now has everybody accounted for.

She knows exactly where
all of her agents ended up.

She knows exactly where
all of her agents ended up.

And there must have been a sort of
wonderful sense of completion,

but also this sort of tragic pang

of knowing that there's
nobody left to be saved.

of knowing that there's
nobody left to be saved.

And just the horrific nature
of their deaths.

It must have been absolutely awful.

NARRATOR: Vera now believes
she has sufficient evidence

NARRATOR: Vera now believes
she has sufficient evidence

to account for every one of her lost
women spies, alive or dead.

She writes up a report for London,
closing the case.

Of the 39 women Vera sent to war,

Of the 39 women Vera sent to war,

27 returned alive.

Many after sustained torture.

Many after sustained torture.

Twelve lose their lives
at the hands of the Nazis.

Twelve lose their lives
at the hands of the Nazis.

She encloses draft letters to be
sent to the women's next of kin.

Details of their names to be
completed in London.

Details of their names to be
completed in London.

VERA: "It is with deepest regret
that I have to inform you

that your daughter was killed

that your daughter was killed

in the early hours of
the 13th of September 1944

in the camp of Dachau.

According to what is believed
to be a reliable report,

she was shot through the back of the
head, and death was immediate.

The body was cremated
in the camp crematorium."

The body was cremated
in the camp crematorium."

FRY: Vera does succeed
in discovering the fate

FRY: Vera does succeed
in discovering the fate

of the 12 missing women agents.

And in that sense,
there is closure for her.

She has succeeded in discovering
what's happened to all of them.

She has succeeded in discovering
what's happened to all of them.

But also, it means that she can
write to the families

and personally tell them
what's happened.

and personally tell them
what's happened.

And she carries that
for the rest of her life.

What you find later in life

is some of the children of the
agents who died in action

is some of the children of the
agents who died in action

actually seek her out. They travel
from across the world

because she's the one tangible
physical link with those agents.

because she's the one tangible
physical link with those agents.

And so she assumes
a really important role,

not only immediately after
investigations,

not only immediately after
investigations,

but for the rest of her life.

She's the one
that carries their memory.

She's the one
that carries their memory.

NARRATOR: Vera has finally uncovered
the fate of her missing women

NARRATOR: Vera has finally uncovered
the fate of her missing women

and prepares to leave Germany.

With this part of her mission over,
Vera will return to England.

With this part of her mission over,
Vera will return to England.

Now she must answer
the hardest question.

How did it all go so wrong?

NARRATOR: Vera must now uncover why
so many of her agents were captured.

And how the Nazi
intelligence service

And how the Nazi
intelligence service

seemed to infiltrate SOE's
agent networks so successfully.

RICHIE: When Vera returns
to England,

there's a niggling doubt
in her mind

that perhaps
they have been betrayed.

She has been betrayed.

Perhaps there was a spy
within the SOE.

Perhaps there was a spy
within the SOE.

Perhaps there was somebody
betraying them all, all along.

And the most terrifying fear
starts to take hold of her.

That somebody very close to her,

somebody who she has to have
worked with at SOE itself,

somebody who she has to have
worked with at SOE itself,

might have actually betrayed her.

And she has to start thinking,

did I send these agents
out to their deaths?

did I send these agents
out to their deaths?

Were they being
parachuted to or flown to

the waiting arms of treachery?

the waiting arms of treachery?

NARRATOR: The man who is key to this

is the head of Nazi security
in France, Hans Kieffer,

is the head of Nazi security
in France, Hans Kieffer,

who is hiding somewhere in Germany.

Find Kieffer and you
find the traitor.

Find Kieffer and you
find the traitor.

Vera passes a tip to her friend,
SAS Major Bill Barkworth,

Vera passes a tip to her friend,
SAS Major Bill Barkworth,

that Kieffer might be hiding in his
hometown of Garmisch in Bavaria.

With Kieffer on the run, Vera
turns to another leading Nazi

With Kieffer on the run, Vera
turns to another leading Nazi

to try and uncover how the Germans
captured her women agents.

He is the man who masterminded

He is the man who masterminded

the Nazi radio operation
in northern France.

Dr Josef Goetz.

Dr Josef Goetz.

Goetz worked as one of Kieffer's
lead counter intelligence officers.

Goetz worked as one of Kieffer's
lead counter intelligence officers.

- Dr Goetz worked in Avenue Foch

- Dr Goetz worked in Avenue Foch

in the Sicherheitsdienst
headquarters in Paris.

And he's an underling of
SS-Sturmbannfuhrer Kieffer

from the Sicherheitsdienst.

from the Sicherheitsdienst.

And his job is effectively to
engage in counter espionage.

To collect the evidence, letters,
documents from enemy agents,

To collect the evidence, letters,
documents from enemy agents,

and keep them, analyse them.

And then give that information
back to Kieffer

And then give that information
back to Kieffer

and inform him about
what the agents are up to.

NARRATOR: There is one thing
Goetz is especially good at,

which is fooling the British
with fake radio transmissions.

which is fooling the British
with fake radio transmissions.

London was oblivious that
agents had been captured.

London was oblivious that
agents had been captured.

And that Goetz was using
information tortured out of them

to trick SOE into revealing
intelligence

about the agents' circuits.

- It's basically a game that they
were playing with the British

- It's basically a game that they
were playing with the British

by sending them false messages

through their own wireless
transmitters.

So when you'd capture an agent,
it'd be taken back to Avenue Foch

So when you'd capture an agent,
it'd be taken back to Avenue Foch

and they'd be interrogated and
their actual transmitter was kept.

So that that meant that when they
gave them the right codes,

So that that meant that when they
gave them the right codes,

they could then give false messages
back to London

and get them to do all sorts of
things that they wanted to.

and get them to do all sorts of
things that they wanted to.

Make them think that agents are
still OK and hadn't been detained,

or indeed give them false messages
about what was happening in the war

that would get passed up the chain
to Winston Churchill

that would get passed up the chain
to Winston Churchill

and affect the war.

NARRATOR: Goetz is one of thousands

of suspected war criminals
arrested after the war.

of suspected war criminals
arrested after the war.

But when it is discovered that he is
the radio mastermind at Avenue Foch,

he is sent to England
for further interrogation.

he is sent to England
for further interrogation.

- Funkspiel.

That's what we called it.
The radio game.

That's what we called it.
The radio game.

(scoffs) London was
very bad at it.

We would impersonate
one of your agents.

We would impersonate
one of your agents.

Ask questions. And London
would give us the answer.

With a...
little slap on the wrist.

With a...
little slap on the wrist.

"Please use your security code
next time."

London was a joke.

London was a joke.

When the agents we captured
knew how much we knew already...

Well, they simply gave up.

Well, they simply gave up.

- What did you do once
the agents were caught?

- We...interrogated them.

For more personal information.

- More?

- Kieffer told your agents that we
knew all their secrets already.

- Kieffer told your agents that we
knew all their secrets already.

And if they wanted to live...

Well, they'd have to...
collaborate with him.

Well, they'd have to...
collaborate with him.

- How did Kieffer know so much?

Personal information
was never shared by radio.

Personal information
was never shared by radio.

- No, not by radio.

- The only personal information
was sent by -

- The only personal information
was sent by -

- By...mail.

NARRATOR: Goetz reveals that
Kieffer somehow gets access

NARRATOR: Goetz reveals that
Kieffer somehow gets access

to personal letters that Vera's
agents send from France

back home to England.

Uncoded letters
full of private information.

Uncoded letters
full of private information.

FRY: Vera discovers that Kieffer
has actually had access

to all of the mail from the agents.

to all of the mail from the agents.

So they didn't have a chance.

When the agents
are dropped into France,

the Germans know exactly
who's coming and when.

the Germans know exactly
who's coming and when.

And that realisation

that the Germans were reading
all the agents' mail

must have been such a
shocking revelation to Vera.

must have been such a
shocking revelation to Vera.

And then it leads to
the next question.

Who had betrayed them?

Who had betrayed them?

- How did Kieffer get the mail?

- Kieffer told me that
he got it from Gilbert.

Yes.

I believe that's him.

NARRATOR: Gilbert
is the codename for

French agent Henri Dericourt.

- (laughs) How lovely to see you.
- Likewise.

- (laughs) How lovely to see you.
- Likewise.

NARRATOR: The man SOE had trusted
with the safety of their agents

appears to be a traitor.

Dericourt had already been
recalled to London

by Buckmaster and Bodington

after allegations of collaborating
with the Nazis.

after allegations of collaborating
with the Nazis.

Dericourt pleaded his innocence,
and after an investigation...

- Don't worry, Dericourt. We'll
clear this whole sorry business up.

- Don't worry, Dericourt. We'll
clear this whole sorry business up.

- Thanks.

NARRATOR: ..he is cleared.

- Vera is put in a position where
she either believes a Nazi

- Vera is put in a position where
she either believes a Nazi

or a possible double agent.

Henri Dericourt is in
the heart of the SOE.

Henri Dericourt is in
the heart of the SOE.

He is one of their own.

This is a man that
she hands over her agents to.

How could she possibly believe that
he could be a double agent?

How could she possibly believe that
he could be a double agent?

He was cleared. I mean,
surely everybody knows him.

But how did the Nazis know so much?
How is it possible?

But how did the Nazis know so much?
How is it possible?

And here is Goetz saying,

'Well, you know this.
I'm telling you the truth.'

And it must have been
such a worm in her mind.

And it must have been
such a worm in her mind.

Was Dericourt a spy, a double agent?

NARRATOR: So who
is telling the truth?

NARRATOR: So who
is telling the truth?

Dericourt?

Or Goetz?

RICHIE: One of the problems
with trying to tease out a spy

RICHIE: One of the problems
with trying to tease out a spy

is that you have to trust people
that you don't trust.

And in this case, she's
talking to people like Dr Goetz

And in this case, she's
talking to people like Dr Goetz

from the SD, and it's in his vested
interest, and has been for years,

to play cat and mouse games with the
SOE and with people like Vera.

to play cat and mouse games with the
SOE and with people like Vera.

And so she has to decide 'Well, can
I trust somebody like Dr Goetz?'

So these doubts
are also in her mind.

So these doubts
are also in her mind.

What does she really know?

NARRATOR: The only way
for Vera to be sure

is to find the mastermind

for all Nazi intelligence
in northern France.

for all Nazi intelligence
in northern France.

Hans Kieffer.

A man who is on the run,
hiding somewhere in Germany.

A man who is on the run,
hiding somewhere in Germany.

But all of Vera's work
comes into question

when she receives a letter forwarded
by her superior, Norman Mott.

when she receives a letter forwarded
by her superior, Norman Mott.

The letter is written by
Yolande Lagrave,

The letter is written by
Yolande Lagrave,

a member of
the French Resistance.

Lagrave writes that in June 1943,

Lagrave writes that in June 1943,

she was arrested by the Gestapo and
transferred to Pforzheim prison.

LAGRAVE: "I was able to correspond
with an English parachutist

who was locked up there also.

She was very unhappy.
- (tapping)

Her hands and feet were chained.

And she was never allowed out.

And she was never allowed out.

I heard the blows which she
received from the prison guards.

She was taken away from Pforzheim

She was taken away from Pforzheim

in September 1944.

Before she left, she had been able
to send me

not her name, because it was
too dangerous, but her alias.

not her name, because it was
too dangerous, but her alias.

And she also wrote down
her address for me.

It was this.

Nora Baker. Radio Centre
Officers Service, RAF.

Nora Baker. Radio Centre
Officers Service, RAF.

4 Taviston Street, London.

I kept the address on a piece
of paper sewn into my hem."

I kept the address on a piece
of paper sewn into my hem."

NARRATOR: Noor Inayat Khan had been
recruited as a wireless operator

from the WAAF, the women's
division of the RAF.

from the WAAF, the women's
division of the RAF.

4 Taviston Street, London, had
once been her family's home

4 Taviston Street, London, had
once been her family's home

and Nora Baker had
once been her alias.

Vera believes the prisoner
Lagrave writes about is Noor.

And if Noor had been held at
Pforzheim until September 1944,

And if Noor had been held at
Pforzheim until September 1944,

then there is no way
she could have been

one of the four women killed
at Natzweiler in July 1944.

one of the four women killed
at Natzweiler in July 1944.

- When Vera learns about
Noor's fate,

and the fact that she's gone
to Pforzheim,

and the fact that she's gone
to Pforzheim,

it's such a mix of emotions.

She's written to the family that
Noor has been killed in Natzweiler.

She has internalised that now,
dealt with that.

She has internalised that now,
dealt with that.

There's been some closure.

And now this has opened up
something else.

Could Noor be alive? Did she manage
to get out? What happened to her?

Could Noor be alive? Did she manage
to get out? What happened to her?

So she's in a space where now she
has to find out the final journey.

She has to find out if she escaped.
There is a sliver of hope.

She has to find out if she escaped.
There is a sliver of hope.

But also, what could have
happened to Noor?

NARRATOR: So what did
happen to Noor?

NARRATOR: So what did
happen to Noor?

If she wasn't killed at Natzweiler,
could Noor still be alive?

Vera has to uncover the truth.

Vera has to uncover the truth.

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