7.696 minSeason 1 • Episode 3
LatestThe Soviet army is pushing toward Berlin. Not just the war is doomed but Nazism's existence. Wilhelm's death sentence is lowered to probation. The probation officer abuses Wilhelm, who ultimately reacts by killing him and running. Viktor is expelled from the partisans for being a Jew. He crosses paths with Friedhelm, who kills his commanding officer, so Viktor can escape. After the German army falls apart, Friedhelm dies while leading a group of German militia, sacrificing himself to make his troops surrender. Charlotte is captured by the Soviets and becomes a nurse for them. Greta is executed by the Nazi authorities for her speech crimes. Finally, the war ends in 1945, and the three survivors, Wilhelm, Viktor, and Charlotte, meet in the same pub as before and grieve together.
Five young German friends promise to meet again after WW2 ends, but soon their naive wishes of peace and happiness will become a long and tragic nightmare.
Acting
Tom Schilling's Friedhelm transformation will wreck you.
Direction
Kadelbach makes 1940s chaos feel uncomfortably contemporary.
Writing
Five protagonists, zero heroes — just humans failing upward.
Creator
Philipp Kadelbach
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The series sparked fierce debate in Germany for suggesting 'ordinary' Wehrmacht soldiers weren't all villainous monsters — critics called it whitewashing, defenders called it uncomfortable truth.
Viktor's partisan arc was originally longer; cuts left his Jewish survival story feeling rushed compared to the German friends' arcs, which some viewers found telling about whose stories get prioritized.
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