WW2 film needs help being historiccally accurate

Read the Diary of Anne Frank and Audrey Hepburn's biography for an accurate picture of Holland at that period of time. Dirk Bogard also lived around the same time.

Yes, I have been looking into The Diary of Anne Frank and I can't seem to find anything that would count against my story. However, I was coming here to see if anyone knew offhand if there were any obvious flaws in my setting.

Lots of links here: World War II and The Netherlands

And perhaps, you know where to find your history books from high school to read a bit about WWII again :wink:

Anne Frank and her family moved to Holland because of a perception that it was safer, at least that's how I remember it.

A film doesn't have to be really all that historically accurate, but it does have to have an engaging story that the audience wants to believe and care about.

How about leting the maiden and boy be Dutch, rather than Jewish. It would certainly be more historically accurate, and shouldn't lose much if any of the emotional edge you seem to be looking for. I really doubt that any Allied soldiers would have been parachuting into Holland until much later in the war. On the other hand, British agents did infiltrate to gather information, sabotage German efforts, and organize the local underground. The agent would be dressed in carefully vetted civilian clothing, have the appropriate false documents, and be able to pass as a local civilian. He/she might have a radio and certain other equipment/arms useful to his/her mission. Usually, agents were only dropped into prearranged zones with a welcoming committee on hand to help them bury the parachute(s) and hide whatever else was dropped in.

The Germans did their best to catch infiltrators, and did capture/execute many of them. Infiltrating German occupied Europe was always a dangerous thing.

In your scenario, the German soldiers might have been part of the "reception committee" the night before, and have already participated in a search for the agent. Local partisans may have been taken, and the soldiers now would probably be tired and quite happy to be free of their non-commissioned officer. If they were SS or other elite troops, they probably wouldn't be so relaxed as to play cards while on a mission/patrol within view of the populace. Decent troops, and most were this early in the war, were better disciplined than you appear to make them.

If you really need to introduce the Jewish factor, let the girl be a local who is hiding the Jewish boy. She goes on with her farm chores, but the child (not really understanding whats going on) slips his hiding place and goes to play soldier. That would introduce some nice tension to the story. The maiden knows the risk, the innocent child plays at soldiering, while the two real soldiers let down their guard for the cute kid. The soldiers would arrest both the kid and maiden if they found out that she was providing sanctuary to a Jew.

The soldiers might be a bit concerned when the child runs into the woods, because they know that there may be an enemy agent somewhere there and that other parts of their unit are about ready to shoot anything that moves. Why don't they follow the boy into the woods? What does the maid do, and why?

So the kid finds the parachutist, what is the relationship between the two of them? Will the child tell the Germans, or will he understand enough of the danger to go only to the maiden? Perhaps he does start toward the Germans, but is intercepted by the maiden and hidden again with stronger language about the dangers of being seen. So the maiden goes into the woods ... why don't the soldiers follow? If she's a comely lass, wouldn't at least one of the nasties go after her? How does she get the parachutist down from the trees? I sort of like the idea of the parachutist being a girl about the same age as the maiden. Perhaps they do encounter one of both of the soldiers and have to flirt their way out of the situation. Once the two are back at the barn what happens?

Perhaps the soldiers find the parachute and/or other evidence and come looking for the girls to at least question them. The agent takes a bicycle and flees toward the village where she can meet up with her contact(s). The maid tries to divert and delay the soldiers, but they end up killing her and burning the barn. From a distant hilltop the agent hears the shots, pauses and looks back at the rising pillar of smoke. End credit is "The beginning".

Oh well, innteresting situation that could be played out a number of different ways.

The Germans invaded Holland in 1940 so there were no Germans in Holland. So there would not be any Germans in 1939. They were in Czechoslovakia and Poland.



German Invasion

So the Germans aren't present until 1940. There isn't anything in the basic scenario to fix a certain date. We know not Autumn or Winter, but anytime in the Spring or Summer would probably work. The clothing, uniforms and basic props would be the same for the whole period 1939-41. Production costs should be pretty low with only five characters. Fields and woods are fields and woods, though it might be nice to have a Dutch style windmill somewhere off in the distance. Not many hills in Holland either.

The keys to success here are probably getting 5 quality performances out of amature actors, and some really good dialog to carry the story tensions along at a fast pace without losing depth of characterization. Film is a team effort so get the best you can within your resource constraints. Good locations/sets (probably only a barn interior), good camera/sound/lighting equipment and people, and an appropriate musical score will all help. Of course, a good script, imaginative insightful direction and really top notch editing are essential, essential. All most all film stock these days is color, but this project might do well in black and white with some of the meaning carried by values. Maybe not. I suppose that the project may be shot on video as cheaper than traditional film.

Mr. Asherman is right in many aspects.

The Netherlands were conquered in May 1940. At first the Germans tried to win over the "brother people" of the Netherlands and kept a low profile. But their treatment of the Jews led to resistance (with the landmark strike in february 1942 in protest of the crack down on Jews) that spread and their harsh treatment of the resistance led to more resistance.

So if you want to depict Jewish people working a plot of land it should be just after the occupation, but at that time there weren't any British (let alone US) agents parachuted into the Netherlands. There were only airmen, shot down over the country who were often sheltered by locals, but the bulk of those came down later in the war, as in 1940 the British were too busy defending Britain.

Incidentally, it would have been uncommon for Jews to work the land, since medieval laws had made it very difficult for Jews to own land (apart from special graveyards).

Everything speaks for Mr Ashermans suggestion of having a Dutch girl sheltering a Jewish child. This was not uncommon, but very dangerous since it carried the death penalty (one third of the people who sheltered Jews in the Netherlands were found out and executed). This also means that you are more flexible as to the year. If you wish to have a US airman involved, you can place the action in 1942 when the US bombing campaign took off and German repression really started in full earnest.

If you want, you can also include a scene that has always impressed me greatly, told on TV by a Jewish survivor who was, as a child, brough in the house of a Dutch farmer by the resistance. The farmer had said to his wife: "You say what to do wife" and the wife had answered after some reflection: "I think we should do this " and the farmer replied "So it shall be" and that was it. The boy at the time did not realise those people had in those few words made a life and death decision, for him as well as themselves. (I believe the boy later became a minister in a Dutch government, nice footnote in your film).

Such acts of mundane heroism occured in those days as well as acts of very mundane treachery and collaboration. In other words, if your film is to be realistic, it should highlight the everyday character of both resistance and oppression. And another element in the picture ought to be that the resistance fighters in those days fought on pure conviction of right and wrong (either religious or political; since at that time there was no prospect of Germany losing the war, yet).

So much for my 5 cents.

First I'd like to thank all of you for responded... In one night you guys have already helped me so much.. and told me things that would take me a day toresearch and not even be totally sure of myself... THANK YOU... You'll all get a nice credit in the film and a copy of it if you wish.... Okay... to the film now....

Okay... Hmmmmm.

SO! pretty much.... if I made the women a Dutch girl instead of a jewish girl would it work? because I can totally do that...

Also... I've been hearing that it is unlikely that an american or any allied soldier would parachute into holland in 1939-1941.... Well... My question then is.... Could a soldier parachute into Holland ANY other time? OR.... could we move the story to another location and still have the same setup (Dutch women takes in jewish boy)....

Honestly.... the women and the boy don't even have to be jewish... I assume (correct me if I'm wrong)... if they took in an injured soldier and tried to help him, they'd be shot by germans if they found oout... no?

Also... It is kind of important that the parachutist be injured and hurt and without his supplies, most importantly, without his gun... as though soemthign went horribly wrong..... why?..... I feel that if the parachutist had his gun, then there would be a shoot out with the german soldier upon his discovery... The soldier has to be kind of helpless.... also.... I can't get a firing gun.... I have two Nazi actors with their own guns and equipment and wardrobe ready to work for free.... so that helps....

Let me know what you think of the new adjustment... I'll just run through it again:

Okay, Now the women will be Dutch and the little boy may be dutch too or may stay jewish (The reason why he may be dutch is so that he can play carefree in front of german soldiers... a jewish boy would be in constant hiding, right?) Also... Since an American soldier would not be landing into Holland from 1939-1941... the time may have to change... and if an American soldier woould NEVER be landing in Holland, then maybe the location would have to change to some place very similiar where we can keep the same story bu just now have it believable that an allied soldier might have landed there by mistake or on ppurpose... Also... the soldier may not be a soldier anymore but rather an "infiltrator"


Tell me what you think of this.... thanks a lot...

Hi Dreww22,

If the parachuted man has to be an American it has to be in 1942 (there were a few US volunteers flying for the RAF but the change that one of them happened to be shot down over Holland would be negligible). The Americans started daylight bombing (tentatively) in 1942 and from that time onwards there could be US airmen coming down in Holland (which is on an almost direct line fron England to Germany).

Also in 1942 was the start of the infamous Englandspiel, in which the British secet servie Special Operations Executive (SOE), sent operatives to the Netherlands, that were all arerested by the German Abwehr since they had apprehended one of the first operatives sent over and forced him to send fake messages to Brittain. The operative in question Lauwers did everything he could to convince his superiors in ondond that he had neen caught, only to find out fter the war that SOE had continued the game to keep the Germans believing that an invasion in the Netherlands was an option. Thus nearly 60 Dutch agents were sacrificed.

Moving the timeline to 41-42, would certainly help. The parachutist could be British bomber crew who bailed out over Holland before the aircraft crashed. The British bombers flew night raids over occupied Europe, and many were lost to German night-fighters. Not a soldier, an airman. The situation would also justify wounds and lack of offensive arms.

The boy could still be Jewish, but too young to fully understand the danger that he and his hosts are in. How would the German's know he was Jewish? The soldiers are there as part of a group hunting the parachutist, so the lad is seen out of context. To the soldiers he is just "little brother". The audience and the maid recognize the danger, but the soldiers and lad are oblivious and focused elsewhere. I think the boy would be fascinated by the soldiers and their weapons. The line between playing soldier, and the real soldiers adds complexity to the storyline.

The German soldiers are young, hardly older than the maid. One might be a dedicated Nazi, but the other might just be a country boy off "playing soldier" himself. They are like enlisted soldiers everywhere/when. They complain a lot, especially about their superiors, food, and being far from home. They appreciate the beauty of the maid and speculate intimate relations with her. They are probably disciplined enough not to completely let their guard down, but neither do they really expect to be involved in any sort of violent conflict. If you talked with them you might forget that they are a part of a larger pattern that was truely evil. They are the kids next door sent to actualize a madmans dreams. To paint them otherwise would be a cliche ... try getting beyond that.

This incident given by Paaskynen, "... told on TV by a Jewish survivor who was, as a child, brough in the house of a Dutch farmer by the resistance. The farmer had said to his wife: "You say what to do wife" and the wife had answered after some reflection: "I think we should do this " and the farmer replied "So it shall be" and that was it. The boy at the time did not realise those people had in those few words made a life and death decision, for him as well as themselves. (I believe the boy later became a minister in a Dutch government, nice footnote in your film)", would be a great to include. The quiet courage exhibited provides the setting for the rest of the story. It also could introduce to the audience that the boy is Jewish refugee that has to be hidden.

Your storyline, so far as we know it, had very good dramatic tension. The sense of danger can be slowly notched up to finding the parachutist, but then something has to occur. The tension has to be relieved somehow, a payoff for the background setting you've setup. What happens next has to move the story forward and lead to how the story will resolve the basic problems for each of the characters. You've indicated earlier that the attempt to hid and aid the parachutist ends in failure. What causes the failure? Once the Germans discover the parachutist, what do they do and how does the maid, the boy and the parachutist react. People are going to die, but which people? Audiences tend to like the good guys to win, so one expects that the German soldiers have to be killed even though that will result in personal disaster for the farm family, and probably the nearest village as well. It would be pretty poetic for the well-armed German soldiers to be taken out by a couple of young women (I sorta like the infiltrating agent idea, especially as a young woman). The parachutist, if they live, have to escape somehow; would the refugee boy be taken along to save him from the revenge sure to follow?

What is the climax of the story, and how will it be resolved and ended?

Allied agents were trained to kill quickly and quietly using a knife, so there doesn't have to be a lot of shooting. A handgrenade taken from a fallen soldier could easily dispatch the remaining soldier. Shots and explosions off screen are pretty easy to simulate, and may even be more effective than a whole lot of blood and gore.

Keeping the story in Holland has the advantage of similarity of languages. Your characters will all speak English in place of the languages actually spoken. If you placed story in France, there might be a problem of Germans and French characters understanding one another, but in Holland its concievable that occupiers and the local population might be able to carry on basic conversations.

I would very much like to see what you do with the film.

If I remember in Audrey Hepburn's biography that the Dutch did not expect the Germans to invade theNetherlands as they were of German stock and after all Kaiser Wilhelm settled there. The 1040 invasion was a total surprise.

I know of no Allied soldiers parachuting into Holland before the Market-Garden operation in September, 1944--definitely no Americans. When the American, English and Polish paratroops did jump into Holland, they came in rational organizational units--the probability of any one of them having landed behind German lines alone is extremely low, and i'd say something which did not occur.

The Germans did do a jump into Belgium in 1940--but the Low Countries were overrun so quickly, and France knocked out of the war so quickly, that your entire scenario is very unrealistic. Jews had been rounded up for so long by the time Germany invaded Holland in 1940, that the probability of a Jewish family digging a garden anywhere in the presence of German soldiers is so remote as to be an absurdity.

I'd say, rethink the entire thing and start over . . .

More because on August 26th, 1939, Hitler guaranteed the Dutch neutrality, I think.

Adding to Mr Asherman's useful comments, your story reminds of more than one dramatised story I have seen in my young days in the Netherlands.

One (fictional) story related of a British airman in the latter days of the war being saved by the resistance, who killed a German soldier upon rescuing him, but buried the soldier in the British parachute so as to protect the local populace from German reprisal, However, other people, oblivious of what had happened dug up the body and took the parachute (silk was a valuable commodity in those days) causing the burgomaster and aldermen of the nearby village to be arrested as hostages by the Germans (common practice) and executed when no one came forward to confess the killing of the German soldier. This story was written by an author who also became a minister in a Dutch government much like the boy mentioned before (This goes to show how much the war influenced Dutch politics later on). The war in Holland was much less black-and-white than it was in my own country. Can you reflect that in your film?

What is most important to understand, if you would know the experience of my mother's family, is that quite common people, like your next door neighbours were faced with life-changing decisions during this war and occupation, where the price of saving the life of an unknown might be dying a terrible death in a German concentration camp. Just TRY to imagine (I can and I can't).

There was a movie "A Bridge Too Far" by Sir Richard Attenburrough where Allied Forces attempted to capture a Bridge not too far from Arnhem where Audrey lived. Unfortunately a Panzer division was nearby and the parachutists were slaughtered. This operation is Market-Garden operation in September 17, 1944.

Drew,
You should check this site out. http://www.armyairforces.com/forum/

Lots of good info, stories and such, told by folks who were there.

This is one of my faves, and might give you a twist:
http://www.armyairforces.com/forum/m_64973/mpage_1/key_/tm.htm#65427

I still think, it's might be a good idea to get a look at Dutch sites since it's their history.

With regard to the other three reactions:

Yes, the Dutch were pretty confident that the war would pass them by. They had bough heavily into the pacifist movement following the first World War (especially since it saved money that was needed for social security).

Actually, (I hate to contradict Setanta) There were quite a few airmen brought down over the Netherlands during the war and a number of them made it through the illegal channels to Spain and from there back to England, some survived the war in the Netherlands pretending to be farm hands or such. I have heard of one in particular who crashed near to where I used to live and how the local doctor (The medical profession were foremost among those who resisted the German "gleichschaltung") treated the airman and sent him on his way to the south (and I personally knew the family who had housed the guy, the daughter of the farmer was a colleague of my mother on the local ambulance many years after the war). This happened in autumn 1943, unless I am much mistaken, but I cannot remember if the plane shot down was a Lancaster or a B 17.

I do remeber meeting the doctor, Dr. Rietveld (a street was named after him later) and being mightily impressed by him as a child. And I knew well Annie Veth, my mother's colleague, and I know where their farm used to be (it was destroyed in the Flood of 1953), but I do not know the name of the resuced airman, nor the exact site where his plane crashed except that it was several miles south-east of my hometown.