When Reinhardt is condemned by the court martial, largely at Kessler's instigation, why doesn't he denounce Kessler as a Gestapo officer to the allied authorities? Not only that but why, given his vulnerable position, does
Kessler press for the court martial in the first place? Surely he would have been wary of Reinhardt denouncing him.
the reasons are comprehensive
1)Kessler knew that Reinhardt was involved with some of the plots to murder Hitler- but could not prove it and Reinhardt had powerful connections with his Knighst cros with oak leaves - and wanted to act but he needed to be patient
2) the failure , on lifeline, was a minor issue as Kessler seemed more concerned with taking documents out of Brussels and getting too his mistress
3) the fact that Reinhardt could identify Kessler and his crimes was the crucial issue and the oberst wished to prove the lie that German officers were not NAZI's so Reinhardt had to die .
he also thought they were mad and would not act and by the time it was clear they would -it was too late
There are irritating cuts on the UKTVHistory broadcasts. When Reinhardt is executed there is a scene where his medal is ripped from his neck before he is put into the coffin..It might seem petty but I hate it when serials are edited in this way!!!
shareStill doesn't make sense - he could easily have saved himself by giving Kessler up. Even if he'd lost the will to live, he could have got revenge on a Nazi who had messed up his country.
shareFinally got to see this again! I saw this series as a young teenager, about 1980, and never forgot it. It was nice to see that it still looked fresh.
About Reinhardt and Kessler: It was not necessary to kill Reinhardt to keep Kessler's identity a secret; his face was already well known in whole Belgium. Kessler wanted this court martial to show that he still has his pride and ideals, and expects it from others, too. Other officers have to accept this court martial, since it is according to German law, and Reich still exists. Reinhardt does not give Kessler to guards, because that would make him a coward and collaborator in front of his fellow officers. By submitting to death penalty, he shows the others that he is morally above them. Sort of Christlike martyrdom, to give his judges something to think about.
1) Rheinhart could reveal the new identity and was seen as rogue element by the Junker officer class
2) the oberst wanted the execution to preserve the lies
- no stab in the back
- no Nazi's in the wermacht( a senior SS man - involved in illegal orders- would have compromised the wermacht )
3) instructive is the conversation Reinhardt had with a Kriegsmarine officer on the night prior to the execution
- he did not to run to the Canadian guards
- he saw no point in further existence ( if the SS still had influence and the officer class colluded with them)
- he wanted to die a soldier
Do you think, had there been a war crimes trial, that Reinhardt woudl then have "given Kessler up". I think he would. But to have gone to the Canadians and told them who Kesller was, just to save his life, would have been in his view cowardly....
shareI wondered that-others give plausible answers.But the Canadian CO should have isolated Reinhardt to protect him.
shareReinhardt was war weary and had basically just given up towards the end.His appointment in Brussels and the search for lifeline gave him a goal and purpose but once he accomplished this he couldn`t see much point in anything else.Maybe his ill-health ,no family,murder of most of his friends by the Nazis contributed to his indifference.I think he states in one of the later episodes that he "just doesn`t care anymore" or words to that effect.Great character and superbly played by Terrence Hardiman.
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yes I think that he is perhaps the most complex character in the show, and the best acted. (not that the others aren't good). I particularly love the scenes in the episode set after the July Plot where Kessler tries to prove his involvement, but Reinhardt manages to elude him. But it seems to me clear that he was involved in the Plot and that he may have been involved in other anti Nazi activity.....
He protects his own life up to a point, but he has nothing much to live for, the more he realises that people like KEssler will survive the war and not be brought to justice....
I think you're getting the two Luftwaffe guys confused.
http://bringinghimback.blogspot.com/2009/12/merry-bloopy.html
My fave Christmas Song
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I recently watched the whole series again (after watching it originally back in the late 1970's). Still very good after all this time. Even with all the bad things that happened on there, I found what happened to Major Rheinhardt about the most horrifying thing to happen. To be condemned by that kangaroo court (the one where the presiding judge was not a Nazi, but did everything that Kessler told him) was bad enough. Then to have that pathetic governor of the POW camp collude in his execution (or murder as I would call it) made it even worse.
shareThis trial was based on a real event: 13 May 1945 German deserter execution, where Bruno Dorfer and Rainer Beck were executed by Germans in a Canadian prisoner of War camp, about a week after the end of the war.
shareI think that on a more simple note , Reinhardt's death was planed on purpose to upset the viewers . I mean , by the time you reach season 3 ( actually well before that ) you have a certain feeling that the producers meant to make Secret Army one of the saddest and most depressing ( hence one of the best ) drama show possible by giving you hopes only to better crush them afterwards . You can't NOT sympathise with Reinhardt , at least just because he keeps opposing Kessler in every possible way within limits , and it's very enjoyable . So of course if someone had to die at the end of the show , it HAD to be him .
I find it even more irritating that Kessler manages to escape the POW camp " thanks " to his girlfriend , and in the very last ( and sort of worst ) episode of the show you learn that he lived a plain happy life , while he managed to get directly and indirectly killed two very brilliant and likeable Luftwaffe Officers .
( I'm sorry but with all the connexion Kessler had which he kept bragging about he could've at least tried to help Brandt , knowing he had not actively participated in any plot against Hitler and was merely aware that something was going on ) .
Both Brandt and Reinhardt's deaths have so far been the two most upsetting deaths of fictional characters i've ever seen on TV , Game of Thrones is just cute compared to Secret Army ...