MovieChat Forums > Hogan's Heroes (1965) Discussion > the identity of Nimrod

the identity of Nimrod

posted 9 years ago by lou-114
21 replies | jump to latest

So in the episode "The Missing Klink", we learn that the Allies have a superspy who has been bedeviling the Nazis for some time, a mystery figure named Nimrod. We never learn Nimrod's identity, and he's never mentioned ever again as far as I know.

Now I don't imagine the showrunners gave this any thought beyond this episode, but if there was a Nimrod running around, my money's on General Burkhalter. From all appearances he was a perfectly loyal Nazi, yet he kept Klink in charge of Stalag 13 despite all his screwups (ostensibly because Klink was good at keeping prisoners from escaping), and as the guy who was in charge of Klink he could control how much anyone else knew about Klink's incompetence / the odd shenanigans at Stalag 13. Also, as a general, Burkhalter would be in a position to manage any number of operations or provide cover for them.

In the episode in question, General Burkhalter was one of the very few people who would have had access to the model dirigibles, if you saw the episode you know what I mean.

[–] woodpusher 9 years ago

There are too many times that Burkhalter almost sent Klink to the Russian Front. Now maybe he was just covering his butt but even getting the paperwork moving is bound to attract some unwanted attention.

It was Hilda. She put the note in the plans as a joke to the prisoners.

[–] woodpusher 9 years ago

Either that, or she was the real Nimrod.
One episode, Kinch gives Hogan a message from Hilda/Helga so even without the pilot she's on the side of the Allies.

[–] srubin5190 9 years ago

I agree. I think he is the most plausible. There have been numerous Nimrod stories written on the HH fanfiction.net fandom.

my fanfiction page: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/1695456/

[–] DontBogartMe 9 years ago

Hogan's Heroes couldn't have completed a fraction of their sabotage missions had Sgt. Schultz not been on "duty," so to speak. In fact, any other Nazi guard would have exposed them early on. He became a more likely candidate for Nimrod after it was revealed he owned a large toy factory before the war. So, he couldn't have been as as stupid as he appeared.

[–] lou-114 9 years ago

Not that the show is exactly consistent about character motivations, but there is one episode where some Gestapo agents (really Hogan and friends in disguise) have guns pointed at Schultz and a couple more Germans, and are asking about traitorous activity; Schultz volunteers that he has seen a number of unexplainable things. Also, a point that's made in a few early episodes (including the pilot -- wherein Carter escapes from another Stalag and arrives at Stalag 13) is that the actual prisoners at Stalag 13 keep changing mysteriously (arrivals and escapes) but the number of prisoners always remains the same, and Schultz can either report it and get sent to Stalingrad, or tell nobody and stay out of trouble.

In early episodes too, Klink tells Hogan that a number of very strange things have started happening ever since Hogan's arrival, and Klink even brings in Colonel Crittendon to take over as chief POW to stop whatever the hell is going on. Of course, things just get unexplainabler that episode, and Klink is happy to get rid of Crittendon and let things get back to normal (the new normal anyway).

It could be that Schultz and Klink are actively in on it, but my take is, they both know they're in the middle of a game whose rules they can't even begin to understand, but so long as they don't ask too many questions, they seem to keep landing on their feet. As Schultz once says to Hogan after some impossibly audacious scheme: "if you ever do escape, be a good fellow and take me with you".

In the pilot episode, Helga moonlights as a manicurist in the tunnels. I think it was meant to be played for laughs and to also show Helga as someone who is just working for a paycheck, but there's that.

[–] DontBogartMe 9 years ago

"Nimrod" wasn't part of the canon of the series like say the "one-armed man" in The Fugitive. So, I don't think the writers gave a second thought about whether the actions of a Klink or any other character was consistent with how Nimrod would have acted.

[–] lou-114 9 years ago

Agreed. This whole thread has to do with obsessive fannishness that is all the rage in the 21st century.

[–] DontBogartMe 9 years ago

"Fannishness" (your word) started much earlier than that and was even worse. I remember the obsessiveness with the Beatles that went from their music to the "hidden meanings" of their album covers! Because he went barefoot on Abbey Road, McCartney's fans concluded "Paul is Dead." That's logical, eh??

[–] dreamcurse 8 years ago

The problem is if Klink, Schultz, Burkhalter, or Hochstetter were Nimrod it would negate the premise of the series, Hogan outwitting the Germans.

[–] DontBogartMe 8 years ago

If Nimrod were a recurring presence during the series, one could speculate on his or her identity. But Nimrod was in an outlier episode never to be mentioned again, I don't think the writers even thought about Nimrod when scripting the actions of the German characters all through the series.

[–] Abner_Kadabner 8 years ago

...remember the obsessiveness with the Beatles that went from their music to the "hidden meanings" of their album covers! Because he went barefoot on Abbey Road, McCartney's fans concluded "Paul is Dead." -- DontBogartMe

What about Revolution #9 (where it all started)? Remember sitting around with your friends playing the record backwards on your turntable while trying to detect the backward messages? Remember records? Remember turntables?

--------
Keeping people straight since 1958. No need to thank me - I already know you are grateful.

[–] woodpusher 8 years ago

In another episode, Hilda/Helga goes along with Hogan's lie about what time it is.

[–] Zebra 3 8 years ago

It was Hilda.

'Huuutch!' - Starsky

[–] Woody739 8 years ago

I totally agree with you: Schultz was Nimrod. He was on duty at various times to help facilitate activities. Being a Sgt. he could, and did basically, come and go as he pleased without anyone paying attention to him. He was in town very often, thus, he could have contacts. He is the 'invisible' person that no one suspected. And since he owned the toy factory before the war, he also probably had international contacts.

[–] DontBogartMe 8 years ago

Schultz was near the bottom of the totem pole in rank. He lacked the access to classified material that a superspy needed to have. The same with Klink as well. Had to be a general or a general's aide on the chief of staff.

[–] Woody739 8 years ago

Precisely why he would have been the perfect Nimrod. He has others do his work while he stays safely isolated and insolated. Someone on Burkhalter’ staff has access to the info and passes it on to Schultz. If the person gets caught, they reveal that they give it to Schultz. Hochstetter brings in Schultz and can’t believe he is involved, so lets him go. Schultz/Nimrod is safe. The perfect cover. In one episode, Hochstetter even looked at Schultz when trying to accuse everyone at S13 that they were traitors and said, “Bahh”.

[–] DontBogartMe 8 years ago

Nimnrod was a superspy who passed on secrets directly to London, not a conduit as would be the case if Schultz were Nimrod.

[–] tedrutkowski 9 years ago

I like to think nimrod was two people.nim and rod.nim was burkhalter and rod was Schultz

[–] ridgerunner72160-609-362419 8 years ago

I remember in that episode Hogan was thinking that Klink could be Nimrod.

[–] Tjanssen411 8 years ago

the Episode's Plot was that Klink had been accidentally abducted by a rogue Underground group... (looking for Burkhalter, but he changed up his method of arrival) so they could exchange him for one of theirs

Hogan had to convince the Germans that Klink was Nimrod, so that they would do the prisoner exchange...

Nimrod wasn't even mentioned until the halfway point in the episode...

it ended with Carter trying to build a Model Kit using Nimrod acquired Plans for a German weapon, hidden inside the Model Box

This would imply that Nimrod was one of the Germans present for the scene in Klink's Office when they tried to arrest him...

there were 7? guards (None of whom were Schultz) Hilda, Burkhalter, Hochstetter and Klink.

- Burkhalter and Hochstetter never appeared to leave each other's side for the duration of the episode, dialog after time skips imply they never wandered far in the skipped time.

- Klink Arrived under guard freshly released; he didn't have time to acquire the plans or hide them in the kits

- we could also assume that Schultz as Nimrod would not have obeyed the kidnapper's orders to the letter

this leaves Hilda, or one of the Generic Guards

when you also consider that the fake plans Hogan hid to sell the idea that Klink was Nimrod, were Hidden in Hilda's desk, by Hogan's Team, and they belonged to the Model Kits... that would indicate that Nimrod's note was placed between Newkirk 'solving' the coded message, and Klink arriving; while Burkhalter was still confused over Hindenburg Model instructions

Gotta be Hilda... as a secretary she has access to a Lot of info, as a beautiful woman she is underestimated, and both mean she'd be ignored as a threat

the best evidence for 'anyone but Klink' assuming any thought was given, is in Klemperer's rule that "Klink Never Wins."... Secret Allied Spy kind sounds like winning

[–] facebook-92550 8 years ago

Nimrod wasn't a character. He was a real person in WWII. You can find several books about him, most notably "Code Name Nimrod" by James Leasor.