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Hans: "Tomorrow the French Army will meet two lovely German girls..."
Hans & Oetzmann : "...named Big Bertha."
―Hans Lehmann & Oetzmann[src]

Hans Lehmann was a captain in the German army, serving in the area of Verdun during World War I. In September 1916, he and his fellow officer, Oetzmann served in the German command bunker in the trenches in the Battle of Verdun. While enjoying a cup of tea, Lehmann expressed his desire to have a chance with Oetzmann's lover, Heidi. Oetzmann shrugged his friend off with a laugh. As they continued to joke, Lehmann heard a noise outside, and Oetzmann summoned a German Corporal to investigate it.[1]

With the soldier dismissed, Oetzmann leaned in to confirm a rumor that Lehmann had heard. Lehmann recounted that his brother-in-law had reported overhearing two generals in the canteen. The generals mentioning that they were bringing in two Big Bertha guns that night. Not aware that a French spy was listening to their conversation, Lehmann joked about having the French army meeting the two lovely "German girls." It is not known whether Lehmann survived after a grenade thrown by the spy ignited several boxes of explosives near the bunker.[1]

Behind the scenes[]

Hans Meyer is credited with the role of the German Officer #2 in "Verdun, September 1916", even though in the episode, the other officer refers to him as "Hans" in the subtitles.[2] It may be that the actor Oscar Freitag used the actor's name as the character's name, and this was translated for the subtitles.

However, Hans is but one of many names attributed to the character across various sources. He is "Gustav" in the Verdun, September 1916 comic,[3] "Werner" in The Mata Hari Affair,[4] and "Klaus" in Field of Death.[5] His surname come from identification as "Captain Lehmann" in The Day of Destiny.[6]

In the comic adaptation, Gustav has a short haircut, and does not wear a helmet. He also summons the corporal after hearing the noise, instead of Klausi calling for the soldier as in the episode.[3]

Appearances[]

Notes and references[]

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