All language subtitles for Lost Women Spies s01e04 The SAS

NARRATOR: April 1945.

NARRATOR: April 1945.

The war is entering
its brutal final stages.

The Nazis are surrounded

as the UK and US advance
into Germany from the West...

..and the Soviets lay
siege to Berlin from the East.

As the Allied forces sweep through
Europe liberating the citizens...

..they begin to uncover the horrors
of Nazi concentration camps.

In London the Allied advance
brings news for Vera Atkins...

..as one of her lost women spies,

Yvonne Basden, arrives back...

- I'm taking you home.

NARRATOR:
..at Euston Railway Station.

NARRATOR:
..at Euston Railway Station.

But many other of her agents
remain missing, presumed dead.

Like Violette Szabo,
who left her one year old child

to fight the Nazis.

Or headstrong Noor Inayat Khan

Or headstrong Noor Inayat Khan

who many said was unsuitable
to be an agent.

- Are you ready?
- Yes, Miss Atkins.

NARRATOR: Vera begins
the hunt to find her agents.

dead or alive.

- Answer me.

NARRATOR: But she can't do it alone.

So she turns to Britain's
elite fighting service...

So she turns to Britain's
elite fighting service...

..the SAS...

..and specialist
Nazi Hunter Major Bill Barkworth.

It's 28th April 1945...

It's 28th April 1945...

..The Ravensbruck concentration camp
for women

in Northern Germany,
90km north of Berlin.

in Northern Germany,
90km north of Berlin.

SOE agent Odette Sansom is
in solitary confinement

SOE agent Odette Sansom is
in solitary confinement

MAN: Where is she?

Come on! I need her now!

NARRATOR: But the camp is about to
be overrun by the Soviet Red Army.

NARRATOR: But the camp is about to
be overrun by the Soviet Red Army.

ISZI: At this point in the war

the Germans are completely
on the back foot.

They've got the Russians attacking
from one side, the Red Army,

They've got the Russians attacking
from one side, the Red Army,

and the Americans and the British
from the other side.

MAN: Out of my way!

NARRATOR:
Himmler has given the order

that all witnesses to the horrors

that all witnesses to the horrors

of the camp must be killed.

The man who has come for Odette
is Fritz Suhren.

- Get up!

Move!

Yes! Up, up, up!

Yes.

Out. Out.

- Fritz Suhren was the commandant
of Ravensbruck concentration camp.

It was a women's only camp,
and Seran had complete control

It was a women's only camp,
and Seran had complete control

of everything that went on
within it.

The forced labour programmes that
the women would be sent out into,

the roundups for the executions

and also the medical experiments

that were carried out
at Ravensbruck,

he would oversee those

and have an understanding
of what that meant.

SUHREN: Move! Come on!

SUHREN: Move! Come on!

NARRATOR: Odette is about to see
daylight for the first time

in six months.

But her life hangs in the balance.

But her life hangs in the balance.

SUHREN: Quick!

NARRATOR: Suhren flees
the Soviet liberation of his camp...

..driving south of Berlin...

..towards the US army line.

- As the Red Army and the Americans
get closer to Ravensbruck,

the Commandant Suhren panics.

Cos at this point, he knows
he is going to get captured

Cos at this point, he knows
he is going to get captured

by one army or the other.

And he's going to make that decision
himself. He's gonna pick a side.

And he's going to make that decision
himself. He's gonna pick a side.

And so he goes for
the Americans and the British,

this is who he aims for.

NARRATOR:
Suhren takes Odette with him

NARRATOR:
Suhren takes Odette with him

believing she is
the perfect bargaining chip

to win him freedom.

When Odette was captured, she gave
the surname of her network chief,

Churchill, as her own surname...

Churchill, as her own surname...

convincing Suhren
that she is related

to British Prime Minister
Winston Churchill.

- Hands up!

- Hands up!

NARRATOR: But Suhren is
about to get a nasty shock.

- Don't fire.

- Identify yourselves!

- This is Odette Churchill.
Don't shoot. Get out.

This is Odette Churchill.
The niece of Winston Churchill.

This is Odette Churchill.
The niece of Winston Churchill.

Don't fire.

- Who are you?

- My name is Odette Sansom.

I am a member of the British Special
Operations Executive.

I am a member of the British Special
Operations Executive.

This man is a war criminal.

ISZI: Can you imagine
what Suhren would've thought?

Because immediately Odette announces
that not only is she not Churchill's

Because immediately Odette announces
that not only is she not Churchill's

niece or any relation to him,
but she's an SOE agent

and she just confesses everything.

and she just confesses everything.

This key information that he has
been after for ages,

it must have been incredibly
frustrating and humiliating for him.

NARRATOR: Odette's final act
of humiliation

is to steal Suhren's bag
containing his personalised pistol.

is to steal Suhren's bag
containing his personalised pistol.

- She hands him over
to the Americans,

watches while he's taken in,

takes his bag, which has a pistol,
and his other belongings,

and hands it over in London
to Vera Atkins.

and hands it over in London
to Vera Atkins.

It would've been a huge relief
to finally get to safety.

It would also be crucial because
she knew about other agents.

She could then give crucial
information to Vera Atkins.

NARRATOR: 8th May 1945.

The Nazis surrender.

The Nazis surrender.

Victory in Europe.

In London, thousands pour
into the streets to celebrate

as Churchill announces peace
across the continent.

as Churchill announces peace
across the continent.

For the SOE it appears
much of their work is done...

For the SOE it appears
much of their work is done...

..but for Vera, her
hunt is just beginning.

..but for Vera, her
hunt is just beginning.

Odette arrives back in London,
she meets with Vera to debrief her,

and to see if she can help
track down the lost women spies.

and to see if she can help
track down the lost women spies.

- It's so good to have you back.

- Thank you.

After they arrested me...

After they arrested me...

..I was kept in a prison.

In Paris.

But then the Gestapo came...

(screaming, grunting)

MAN: Just tell us.

- I didn't tell them anything.

They seemed to know so much.

About the circuits...

who was involved, where, when.

And then they took me
over the boarder...

into Germany...

..Karlsruhe

..Karlsruhe

..with other women.

- Karlsruhe.
- Mm.

And, finally, Ravensbruck.

- Karlsruhe...

You said there were other women.

You said there were other women.

NARRATOR: Odette describes
seven female agents

that she remembers from Karlsruhe.

- Thank you.

NARRATOR:
It's an important lead for Vera.

NARRATOR:
It's an important lead for Vera.

- Noor Inayat Khan was
one of Vera's favourite agents.

- Noor Inayat Khan was
one of Vera's favourite agents.

One of the people she seems
to really have cared about.

When she was in training,
there was some question mark

When she was in training,
there was some question mark

as to whether or not Nora was

good enough for the job,
because she seemed to be so kind.

She said she could never lie.

And yet Vera was really
the one who gave the final approval

And yet Vera was really
the one who gave the final approval

and sort of said, "No, you're going
to go"

and she'll be fine,
and it it'll work.

And Vera seems to have had
a very guilty conscience,

a very sort of deeply felt question

a very sort of deeply felt question

as to what had happened
to this delightful young woman

who she really had been responsible
for sending to France.

- Pretty. But no.

Don't take my word for it, though.

Ask the BLEEP at the prison.

Becker.

Becker.

Fraulein. Becker.

She ran the place.

If any knows, she will.

- I think Vera's reaction
to starting to uncover the stories

of these women
and to trace them to Karlsruhe

must have come
as a real shock to her.

must have come
as a real shock to her.

To understand
the dehumanising process

that they'd been put through
right from their arrest.

that they'd been put through
right from their arrest.

And now they're in
solitary confinement.

These women that she would've
last seen on an airfield in England

These women that she would've
last seen on an airfield in England

full of life and full of hope
and excitement for their missions,

suddenly in this horrible world,

having experienced
some brutal things already

having experienced
some brutal things already

and just starting to unravel
their stories

and wondering what became of them

after they left this prison
at Karlsruhe.

after they left this prison
at Karlsruhe.

NARRATOR: Thanks to Odette,

Vera has a major breakthrough
in intelligence.

Vera has a major breakthrough
in intelligence.

It's important for Vera
not only professionally

but also personally.

but also personally.

- In a way, although Vera never had
children herself,

she does kind of have maternal
qualities here in her investigation.

she does kind of have maternal
qualities here in her investigation.

NARRATOR: Vera has the prison
in Karlsruhe in Southern Germany

as the last location
for at least seven women.

as the last location
for at least seven women.

Vera also knows
about the Ravensbruck

women's concentration camp situated
in North Eastern Germany.

women's concentration camp situated
in North Eastern Germany.

ISZI: Ravensbruck was
a concentration camp

just north of Berlin.

just north of Berlin.

And unlike every other concentration
camp, it was for women.

It was particularly horrifying
for the sensibilities of people

It was particularly horrifying
for the sensibilities of people

in the 1940s, as well, where women
are meant to be kept out of combat,

out of war, and treated
with some level of humanity.

Ravens Brook was
a particular horrific site

Ravens Brook was
a particular horrific site

to end up in.

NARRATOR: It's from here
that three agents,

NARRATOR: It's from here
that three agents,

including Yvonne Baseden...

..and Odette Sansom
have come back alive.

..and Odette Sansom
have come back alive.

Ravensbruck is also the last known
location for young mother,

Ravensbruck is also the last known
location for young mother,

and widow, Violette Szabo

But there is one of Vera's agents
that has not been spotted

at either a prison or a camp.

at either a prison or a camp.

Noor Inayat Khan.

ALEXANDRA: There's a generally held
sense that Noor,

amongst the others, might be alive.

She realises, too, that there's a
tremendous amount of pressure on her

that if she's going
to find her missing agents,

she's going to have to do it fast.

she's going to have to do it fast.

NARRATOR:
Vera can't travel to Germany

and continue her investigations

due to her low rank.

So, she enlists the help
of an army unit

who are hunting Nazis
across post-war Germany.

who are hunting Nazis
across post-war Germany.

A unit that was founded
just a few years before.

The SAS.

The SAS.

The SAS, or Special Air Service,

The SAS, or Special Air Service,

are an elite commando unit

founded during
the height of the war.

MAN: The SAS were formed
in a North African desert.

MAN: The SAS were formed
in a North African desert.

And the concept behind
their kind of operations

were these fast
hit-and-run missions.

And they were deploying
in these Willys Jeeps,

which are very manoeuvrable
and nimble.

which are very manoeuvrable
and nimble.

And they were heavily armed
with mounted machine guns.

And the idea was to carry out
these hit and run raids,

largely targeting
Italian and German airfields.

largely targeting
Italian and German airfields.

And they were extremely successful
in the North Africa campaign.

And they were extremely successful
in the North Africa campaign.

So, in those 18 months or so that
they soldiered there,

the SAS had destroyed 387 proven
enemy warplane kills.

the SAS had destroyed 387 proven
enemy warplane kills.

That's a spectacular achievement.

NARRATOR: But in the winter of 1942,
Hitler fights back.

NARRATOR: But in the winter of 1942,
Hitler fights back.

His Nazi high command issues
the so called Commando Order.

- What the Commander Award said
was that any parachutist,

so any Allied Parachutist
that could be SAS,

it could be commandos, it could be
special operations executive agents,

it could be commandos, it could be
special operations executive agents,

any of those captured
behind the lines,

whether in uniform
or out of uniform,

whether fighting or not fighting,

whether fighting or not fighting,

whether trying to surrender or not,

would be kept alive only for as long
as it took the Gestapo

and the SS to interrogate them

and the SS to interrogate them

and find out what they knew, and
then they would be shot out of hand.

In other words, murdered.

And what that meant for the SAS,
if you were captured,

it was a death sentence.

it was a death sentence.

NARRATOR: Despite the order,
the SAS continue their raids

and are a key part
of the Allied success

and are a key part
of the Allied success

in Northern France
that sees the Nazis defeated.

With the end of the war,
SAS Major Bill Barkworth

and a team are sent to Germany

to hunt down Nazis
who carried out the commando order

to hunt down Nazis
who carried out the commando order

and bring them to justice.

- Major Eric Bill Barkworth is
an extraordinary figure

- Major Eric Bill Barkworth is
an extraordinary figure

in World War II and especially
within Special Forces history.

He's eccentric,
he's single minded,

He's eccentric,
he's single minded,

he's a maverick,
he's a rule breaker.

He's one of those very, very
archetypal individuals

who can think
the absolute unthinkable.

who can think
the absolute unthinkable.

But the other thing about Barker,
as well, which is key

to how he develops as a character
during the war,

is he's got this unshakable
moral compass.

is he's got this unshakable
moral compass.

His sense of right and wrong
is absolutely inflexible.

NARRATOR: Barkworth has commandeered
a private villa, the Villa Degler...

..in Gaggenau, near Karlsruhe

..in Gaggenau, near Karlsruhe

on the edge of the Black Forest.

And he is here on special mission
for the SAS.

And he is here on special mission
for the SAS.

On 12th August 1944,

On 12th August 1944,

an SAS team was dropped
behind enemy lines

in the Vosges mountains
of Eastern France

to hit the Nazis
before an allied advance.

But the team were tracked down...

..and 31 soldiers were captured.

After months of interrogation...

..the soldiers were taken
to the woods, stripped and shot.

..the soldiers were taken
to the woods, stripped and shot.

Such a loss of life would have
a profound effect

Such a loss of life would have
a profound effect

on everyone in the SAS.

- When you are serving in a unit
like the SAS in World War II,

- When you are serving in a unit
like the SAS in World War II,

you forge these bonds of brotherhood
with your fellow operators,

which are extremely, extremely
powerful and close.

If you read the accounts
from people at the time,

If you read the accounts
from people at the time,

or you interview veterans as I have,

and you speak
about those kind of relationships,

they are very, very, very special.

they are very, very, very special.

It's the kind of spirit that means
you will lay down your life

for your fellow brother in arms.

And that's what so often happens.

NARRATOR:
Barkworth is determined to find

NARRATOR:
Barkworth is determined to find

those responsible for the deaths

of the 31 SAS soldiers.

Chief among them...

is Hans Kieffer -

the head of the SD...

the head of the SD...

..the Nazi intelligence agency
in Paris...

..a man Vera also believes may know

what happened
to her lost women spies.

So, Vera shares the photos
of her agents with Barkworth

in the hopes he can help her.

ISZI: Both, Barkworth and Vera,

their investigations led them
to one name,

and that was Hans Kieffer.

He was in charge of the SD,
he was responsible

for all of the investigations
that the Gestapo

and the SD were doing in Paris.

So, he was responsible for the
interrogation

So, he was responsible for the
interrogation

of what the agents and what the
soldiers of the SAS went through.

He was a spider
at the centre of the web,

issuing all these orders
for interrogating

and this was the man
that they were desperate to find.

and this was the man
that they were desperate to find.

NARRATOR:
But as the atrocities of Kieffer

and other Nazis come to light...

people back in the UK begin
to ask some difficult questions.

people back in the UK begin
to ask some difficult questions.

Vera receives a letter

alerting her to the actions
of Violette Szabo's father,

alerting her to the actions
of Violette Szabo's father,

Charles Bushell.

Violette has a child, called Tania,

Violette has a child, called Tania,

and Bushell wants to know
when the baby's mother will return.

Bushell is talking to his MP,

and giving interviews
to the newspapers

and giving interviews
to the newspapers

about his missing daughter.

For Vera, and the SOE,

For Vera, and the SOE,

this could be a major problem.

- Vera is
in a very difficult situation

because suddenly the war's over

because suddenly the war's over

and these young women
who've gone off to serve somewhere,

and their families don't know
anything about what they really did

in the SOE, aren't coming home.

in the SOE, aren't coming home.

Violette Szabo's father, who's been
left with her infant daughter,

Violette Szabo's father, who's been
left with her infant daughter,

is starting to ask questions,
is starting to push for answers.

"What's happened to my daughter?
Why hasn't she come home?"

And there are others starting
to step forward and say, "Listen,

And there are others starting
to step forward and say, "Listen,

we've heard nothing. We don't
know where they were serving.

We don't know what part of the world

they've ended up in.
We don't know why they're not home."

they've ended up in.
We don't know why they're not home."

And so there starts to become
this pressure from family members

and friends and other acquaintances,
of these young women

who've just suddenly vanished.

who've just suddenly vanished.

NARRATOR:
And Vera has another problem.

She has a new boss.

She has a new boss.

Head of SOE F Section
Maurice Buckmaster

has returned to his civilian role

has returned to his civilian role

of public relations manager
at the Ford Motor Company.

He is replaced by new broom...

He is replaced by new broom...

..Captain Norman Mott...

- Please, have a seat.

NARRATOR: ..a man who comes
from the SOE security section.

NARRATOR: ..a man who comes
from the SOE security section.

And whose main interest is
in keeping things secret.

- Mott doesn't help Vera very much.

He doesn't see this
as the sort of passionate necessity

that Vera sees it as.

And she's now started to get
information about the camps.

And she's pushing to see
if she can get a chance

And she's pushing to see
if she can get a chance

to have some sort of contact
or interrogate

the heads of these camps where
her agents might have ended up.

the heads of these camps where
her agents might have ended up.

And yet she's given
the cold shoulder.

She's, really, effectively, told

that this isn't of interest
to the government.

that this isn't of interest
to the government.

This is not of interest
to her former colleagues.

And would she please
just leave it alone?

SHRABANI:
So, it's really tense for Vera.

She doesn't know how much power she
has to carry on this investigation.

She doesn't know how much power she
has to carry on this investigation.

She needs to find out if there are
agents surviving in these camps.

She has to find them before
they're dead, or gone,

or any evidence of them
is wiped out.

or any evidence of them
is wiped out.

So, the timing is crucial.

And she is basically
racing against the clock.

NARRATOR:
Vera has to fight to convince Mott

and the War Office to allow her
to go to Germany

and speed up the hunt
for her missing spies.

and speed up the hunt
for her missing spies.

Letters from agents' relatives
asking difficult questions

Letters from agents' relatives
asking difficult questions

puts pressure on the War Office...

..and after months of lobbying,

Vera gets her answer.

Vera gets her answer.

Vera will be given the rank
of Flight Officer

in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force,

in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force,

allowing her to travel to Germany.

But she is told
that she has just four days

But she is told
that she has just four days

to demonstrate she can get results.

NARRATOR: December 1945.

Vera's destination is Berlin.

Vera's destination is Berlin.

A capital city in ruins.

A city conquered
by the Soviet Union.

A city conquered
by the Soviet Union.

In among the destruction of Germany,

Vera has just a few days

Vera has just a few days

to prove her worth
to the War Office.

Vera's first mission is
to identify the grave

of F Section's male agent
Clement-Marc Jumeau,

of F Section's male agent
Clement-Marc Jumeau,

who is believed to have died
of tuberculosis

at a hospital north of Berlin.

- Many women were sent
to Germany post-war,

- Many women were sent
to Germany post-war,

but mostly in secretarial roles

or in a way to assist with the men
of the armed forces

who were trying
to reconcile Germany,

who were trying
to reconcile Germany,

but Vera was there
in a totally different capacity.

She had a mission
that she wanted to fulfil.

And although
she was probably very nervous

and had a sense of trepidation,

she really had to mask that
and to go forward

she really had to mask that
and to go forward

with an air of confidence

and to prove
that she was the right person

to uncover the stories
of the missing agents.

to uncover the stories
of the missing agents.

NARRATOR: But Vera has a problem.

Jumeau's grave is most likely
in Soviet controlled Germany,

Jumeau's grave is most likely
in Soviet controlled Germany,

north of Berlin.

After the fall of Germany,
the country is split into zones

under control of the US, the UK,
France and the Soviet Union.

under control of the US, the UK,
France and the Soviet Union.

At a checkpoint in Buch,

At a checkpoint in Buch,

Vera is stopped by a Soviet sentry,

and her progress is halted.

Vera is blocked
from entering the Soviet Zone.

Vera is blocked
from entering the Soviet Zone.

If Vera fails here,

she knows there is no chance
that Mott and the War Office

she knows there is no chance
that Mott and the War Office

will allow her to continue
her investigations.

But then Vera address
the sentry in Russian.

(no audio)

Something the sentry
would not have been expecting.

Something the sentry
would not have been expecting.

KATIE: They come
to a Russian checkpoint

and she speaks in Russian.

And it must have been a real shock
because, for him,

And it must have been a real shock
because, for him,

she was a member of the WAAF.

You know,
she was a lady in a blue uniform

and suddenly she's speaking Russian,
which would've been something

and suddenly she's speaking Russian,
which would've been something

he would've been completely
unprepared for.

NARRATOR: Vera, somehow,
not only speaks Russian...

NARRATOR: Vera, somehow,
not only speaks Russian...

..but she does so
with a level of fluency

that the sentry lets them through.

Vera is able to continue her journey
into the Soviet zone

thanks to her unexpected ability
to speak Russian.

thanks to her unexpected ability
to speak Russian.

At the hospital Vera questions
the hospital staff...

..and they direct her
to the location of Jumeau's grave.

Within the first day of her time
in Germany,

Vera proves to the War Office,
and to Mott,

Vera proves to the War Office,
and to Mott,

that her investigations get results.

Now she can move on
to main reason for her journey...

Now she can move on
to main reason for her journey...

Ravensbruck.

Ravensbruck.

- (camera clicking)

NARRATOR: The women's camp.

NARRATOR: The women's camp.

90km north of Berlin.

- (camera clicks)

- (camera clicks)

- Ravensbruck is hideous camp,

which was set up specifically
to hold women.

which was set up specifically
to hold women.

And tens of thousands
of women died there.

I think over 50,000 women
were imprisoned there.

- Ravensbruck is of particular
interest to Vera

because she interviewed Odette
who'd come out of Ravensbruck,

because she interviewed Odette
who'd come out of Ravensbruck,

who had told her
about her agents who were there.

So, Ravensbruck seems to be
the place, the concentration camp,

So, Ravensbruck seems to be
the place, the concentration camp,

where a lot of her agents
disappeared.

NARRATOR:
Vera is here to interrogate

the Commandant Fritz Suhren.

the Commandant Fritz Suhren.

Ravensbruck camp is the camp
which Odette left alive.

It is also the last known location
of Vera�s missing agent

It is also the last known location
of Vera�s missing agent

Violette Szabo
along with two others:

Lilian Rolfe and Denise Bloch.

Lilian Rolfe and Denise Bloch.

Suhren holds the key
to not just one,

but possibly the lives
of three of her agents.

but possibly the lives
of three of her agents.

The pressure is on.

- Vera's not particularly
experienced yet at interrogations

- Vera's not particularly
experienced yet at interrogations

and she knows he has information.

He knows everything
that went on in the camp

He knows everything
that went on in the camp

and if there were special prisoners
considered to be agents,

he would have known.

- How many English women
were at the camp?

- There were no English women
at the camp.

- Odette is English.

- Odette is English.

- She was a special prisoner...

for whom I had
special responsibilities...

because we thought
she was related to Churchill.

because we thought
she was related to Churchill.

- So, the other English women...

..how many were there?

- I already told you.

There were no others.

There were no others.

- I have testimony that there were.

Answer me!

- I have nothing else to say.

- I have nothing else to say.

NARRATOR:
Suhren offers Vera nothing.

NARRATOR:
Suhren offers Vera nothing.

Without any new evidence
Vera leaves Ravensbruck,

and returns to London empty handed.

Back in London, Vera gets some news

that could prevent her
from ever finding her agents.

that could prevent her
from ever finding her agents.

- Have a read, please.

NARRATOR: She is informed that
F-section is to be closed down...

NARRATOR: She is informed that
F-section is to be closed down...

permanently.

- Norman Mott tells Vera
that she is to wind down,

- Norman Mott tells Vera
that she is to wind down,

she is to close the office and
really nobody is very interested in

what is happening
to these agents of hers.

what is happening
to these agents of hers.

- There is no sense
that there should be accounts

- There is no sense
that there should be accounts

from surviving agents
which is what we see

from other military
intelligence departments.

So, there's no accountability,

So, there's no accountability,

there's no learning
from the mistakes of the past.

SOE was so embarrassed
by some of its mistakes

SOE was so embarrassed
by some of its mistakes

that it was just gonna
hush everything up

and close it down
as quickly as possible.

NARRATOR: If F-section is shut down,

NARRATOR: If F-section is shut down,

it would see Vera
without the mandate

to find her lost women spies.

They would remain missing,
presumed dead.

They would remain missing,
presumed dead.

- But for Vera, this wasn't
acceptable, it wasn't fair.

It wasn't fair on them,
it wasn't fair on their families

It wasn't fair on them,
it wasn't fair on their families

and so she was determined
to find out what had happened,

particularly to the young women
agents

particularly to the young women
agents

that she had personally sent
to France.

NARRATOR: What Vera needs is new
evidence that will shock her bosses

into letting her continue.

NARRATOR: Vera receives word
from SAS Major Barkworth

NARRATOR: Vera receives word
from SAS Major Barkworth

about evidence
from a secret concentration camp.

A camp that had been liberated,
and filmed, by US forces.

A camp that had been liberated,
and filmed, by US forces.

Known as Natzweiler-Struthof,

the camp is hidden in the Vosges
Mountains of Eastern France,

the camp is hidden in the Vosges
Mountains of Eastern France,

close to the German border.

It is the only camp
the Nazis build in France.

A camp built to destroy
the French Resistance.

On 7th December 1941,

Hitler passes an order
code-named Night And Fog.

This secret order means
anyone believed

to be endangering German security

can be abducted at night,
and, without trial,

can be abducted at night,
and, without trial,

taken to Natzweiler.

People would be,
according to the Nazi order,

People would be,
according to the Nazi order,

'turned into mist'.

- It's a way of punishing people
that was more feared than any other.

- It's a way of punishing people
that was more feared than any other.

NARRATOR: But it's what Barkworth
includes next in his report

NARRATOR: But it's what Barkworth
includes next in his report

that has the most shocking impact
on Vera's hunt

for her lost women spies.

Vera reads Barkworth's
interrogation report

of a former prisoner
at Natzweiler...

Franz Berg.

Franz Berg.

Berg tells Barkworth he worked
in the crematorium as a stoker.

One day, in July 1944,
he and the other stokers

are told to expect
some English women.

are told to expect
some English women.

From his crematorium cell,
he witnesses their arrival.

From his crematorium cell,
he witnesses their arrival.

SHRABANI:
Franz gives a detailed deposition.

SHRABANI:
Franz gives a detailed deposition.

He describes these English women
who come.

And on the night, he says that
the head of the of the crematorium

And on the night, he says that
the head of the of the crematorium

has told him to light the fires

and take it to the hottest point
by 9:30pm.

They're hearing that
these girls are going to be killed

They're hearing that
these girls are going to be killed

by lethal injection.

They see three women being dragged -

They see three women being dragged -

these are the English women -
two are unconscious.

One of them seems to be moving.
There's groans and grunts.

And one even speaks
and says, "Pourquoi."

And one even speaks
and says, "Pourquoi."

They are then dragged into the
crematorium. They can't see anymore.

And they say later
that one of the women was alive

And they say later
that one of the women was alive

and had scratched one of the men
who had come.

Then they heard the crematorium
doors being shut,

and they knew it was
all being fired up.

and they knew it was
all being fired up.

After that, there's silence.

It's horror at what these girls
would've gone through.

There is no way when they prepared
them for their training,

There is no way when they prepared
them for their training,

for the torture
that might lie ahead,

they would've envisaged
something like this.

NARRATOR: After being shown Vera's
photographs of her missing spies,

Berg says that he believes

one of the women brought
to the crematorium...

one of the women brought
to the crematorium...

..is Noor Inyat Khan.

SHRABANI: Vera would've been
absolutely horrified.

SHRABANI: Vera would've been
absolutely horrified.

And the thought that
this could have been Noor...

I mean, horrified for all the girls,

And the fact that maybe
this is what happened to Noor

is something that
really haunted her.

NARRATOR: Armed with Berg's
testimony from Natzweiler,

Vera heads to her superiors.

Vera heads to her superiors.

She will not give up on her women.

Berg's testimony makes
disturbing reading

Berg's testimony makes
disturbing reading

for the British security services.

HELEN: Whitehall will be deeply
troubled by the evidence

that Vera is actually gaining

of the sheer horror
of the concentration camps.

of the sheer horror
of the concentration camps.

Because let's not forget
that the public don't know

that women were sent
behind enemy lines.

that women were sent
behind enemy lines.

Whitehall would not want
this highly secret organisation,

the SOE,
knowledge of it to come out,

the SOE,
knowledge of it to come out,

but even more sensitive
and potentially a public outcry

to hear that women have been dropped
into these dangerous areas

to hear that women have been dropped
into these dangerous areas

and that some of them
hadn't come back

and have been horrifically tortured.

NARRATOR:
After seeing Berg's testimony,

NARRATOR:
After seeing Berg's testimony,

MI6 agree to fund Vera for another
three months of investigations.

In the hope that Vera can keep
the story of the lost woman spies

In the hope that Vera can keep
the story of the lost woman spies

out of the public eye.

Vera heads back to Germany.

Vera heads back to Germany.

Vera is assigned
to the War Crimes Unit

at the British Army headquarters
in Germany.

KATIE: The War crimes unit was based
at Bad Oeynhausen,

KATIE: The War crimes unit was based
at Bad Oeynhausen,

which was the headquarters
of the British Army on the Rhine.

So, it was a very important place.

So, it was a very important place.

And the war crimes unit was really
trying to find high ranking Nazis,

people who would've been involved
in what we would call war crimes.

people who would've been involved
in what we would call war crimes.

So, with executions,
with maltreatment of prisoners,

with the concentration camp system
in general.

And the idea would not only be
to find these officers,

And the idea would not only be
to find these officers,

but also to find evidence
about crimes against humanity

that they had committed.

So, various murders or procedures

So, various murders or procedures

that they had followed that were
against the Geneva Convention.

NARRATOR: Vera will support
the British judges

in their evidence gathering.

KATIE: Vera's main role
within the war crimes unit

was to trace the missing SOE agents.

And her job would be
to trace them as best she could.

And her job would be
to trace them as best she could.

This was going to be exceptionally
difficult for her

as the prisoners were classified
as Nacht und Nebel - Night and Fog.

as the prisoners were classified
as Nacht und Nebel - Night and Fog.

So, most records would technically
have disappeared

if they'd ever been kept
in the first place.

But her job was to trace them
through the various prison systems

But her job was to trace them
through the various prison systems

that they'd been through,
had they gone into camps.

And not only to trace them,
but to trace the people responsible

And not only to trace them,
but to trace the people responsible

for their imprisonment and murders,

if that was going to be the case.

NARRATOR: Vera begins by tracing
back her agents' whereabouts

NARRATOR: Vera begins by tracing
back her agents' whereabouts

before they get to the camp
at Natzwieler...

..and her attention turns
to a witness who could hold the key.

..and her attention turns
to a witness who could hold the key.

It's a name given to Vera
by Odette Sansom.

It's a name given to Vera
by Odette Sansom.

It is the chief warder
of Karlsruhe prison...

Fraulein Becker.

Vera leaves the war crimes office

headed for Karlsruhe prison

in the hope that finding Becker

in the hope that finding Becker

might give her
the information she needs.

KATIE: Fraulein Becker would've been
really important for Vera

KATIE: Fraulein Becker would've been
really important for Vera

to get her hands on.

She'd been identified
in one of the affidavits

of the surviving agents anyway.

And Vera needed to go out
and find her

And Vera needed to go out
and find her

because as the chief wardress, she
would've received all new prisoners

coming into Karlsruhe.

She would've met them personally,
taken away their personal effects,

She would've met them personally,
taken away their personal effects,

made a record of what they were,

but she would've also
recorded their names.

So, be they real names
or their aliases,

So, be they real names
or their aliases,

she would've recorded the names
of the SOE women

going into that prison.

NARRATOR: On arrival at the prison,

Vera discovers that Fraulein Becker

Vera discovers that Fraulein Becker

hasn't even left her post...

..as chief warder.

Vera can now begin her questioning.

- Karlsruhe was technically
a civilian prison.

- Karlsruhe was technically
a civilian prison.

So, it wasn't really used
for political prisoners,

which arguably
the SOE agents were.

When they arrived at Karlsruhe,

they were put
into solitary confinement.

Food would've been pretty grim
and very scarce.

They would've only had the clothes
they were standing up in.

And we know that the cells
were quite sparse.

And we know that the cells
were quite sparse.

A single bed,
maybe a bucket for a toilet.

So, it was a very grim place.

- I didn't want them here.

This is a regular prison.
Not for politicals like them.

They should never have been here.

They should never have been here.

- Them?

- (keys and doors rattling)

(door closes)

- Yes.

- All of them?

- All of them?

And they all left in July 1944?

- No.

The one you mentioned, Odette,

she left then.

The others,
it was later in the year.

The others,
it was later in the year.

- So, these seven
in the photographs...

They didn't leave in July?

- That is what I said.
They left later.

- That is what I said.
They left later.

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

Don't have any.

Don't have any.

- I can't imagine that.

- The French.

When they came they destroyed
everything. Smashed it all up.

When they came they destroyed
everything. Smashed it all up.

All gone.

- Thank you, Fraulein Becker.

- Thank you, Fraulein Becker.

I'm sure I'll see you again soon.

NARRATOR: Vera doesn't have
the written records

she needs as evidence,

but she does have
something more important.

Becker's testimony
directly contradicts

the evidence of the crematorium
stoker at Natzweiler, Franz Berg.

the evidence of the crematorium
stoker at Natzweiler, Franz Berg.

Berg stated that four women are
killed at the Natzweiler camp

in July 1944...

..but Becker claims that,
including Noor,

seven of Vera's lost women spies
are still in Karlsruhe prison

seven of Vera's lost women spies
are still in Karlsruhe prison

later than July 1944.

So, those women could not have been
the ones killed at Natzweiler.

- Vera already has
an eyewitness testimony

from Natzweiler
saying that Noor is dead.

And now she has another eyewitness
testimony saying,

And now she has another eyewitness
testimony saying,

"Nope, that is not true.
She is here."

She needs some sort of
corroborating evidence

to prove where Noor is,
one way or the other.

to prove where Noor is,
one way or the other.

NARRATOR: Vera leaves Becker,
and Karlsruhe,

with the chance that some
of her lost women spies

with the chance that some
of her lost women spies

could still be alive.

Subtitles by Sky Access Services

Subtitles by Sky Access Services

Repair and Synchronization by
Easy Subtitles Synchronizer 1.0.0.0