The Hansa Way
OUTLINE
Spring of 1945: The German army, Scorched earth Northern Finland during their retreat to Norway, leaving a desolated land behind. Agnes, pregnant from German Navy sailor, is now an outcast in her home country. In hopes of finding her lost lover, she sets sail on a journey with her new born daughter, hopping from fishing trawlers to reallocated U-Boats and cargo ships along the Hansa route leading her from Helsinki to Danzig. She is finally evacuated to Lübeck along with thousands of ethic Germans expelled from Soviet controlled Poland.
Agnes is delivering her baby daughter as the radio announces that the German Army has retreated to Norway. Amidst the celebration that follows, she is being pressured by her family not to divulge the identity of the baby's father. Not wanting to bear such a burden on her daughter and yearning to find her lover upon hearing about Hitler's death a few days later, she talks to Red Cross personnel stationed at the hospital who assist her in tracking the father's family in Danzig. In the disarray that follows the German capitulation and with no way to communicate via mail or telegraph, she embarks on a fishing boat hoping to reach Soviet controlled Estonia.
Agnes heard about the massive evacuation of German troops and civilians from the Baltic countries. Only experiences fishermen can navigate the dangerous waters along the "mine net" laid between Helsinki and Tallinn. Agnes boards an Estonian fishing trawler at night.
HOSPITAL ROOM, HELSINKI, 25 APRIL 1945
An assistant nurse gently pulls a baby girl from of her mother's womb. As no one else is around to cut the umbilical cord, she asks Agnes to hold her dripping newborn while she gets the scissors. Agnes weeps a mixture of joy and sadness as the assistant nurse cuts the cord then wipes the baby before exiting the the room.
HOSPITAL WAITING ROOM, HELSINKI, 25 APRIL 1945
A crowd of doctor's and nurses are gathered around the radio as the newsman announces that the last German soldier has just crossed the Norwegian border. The short war with Germany has left desolation throughout Northern Finland and the Finnish Army will now concentrate its resources on the Eastern front to block any Soviet invasion attempt.
The assistant nurse sees a middle aged couple quietly sitting behind the cheering crowd.
-Mr. and Mrs. Ahlström? asks the nurse.
-Yes, anxiously replies Agnes' mother.
-It's a girl!
-Is she healthy? asks the father.
-Yes, both the baby and the mother are fine. You can come in now, replies the assistant nurse with a smile.
The mother looks at the father who holds her back.
-No, thank you, we have to go now. Please give her this, replies the father as he hands an envelope to the assistant nurse.
HOSPITAL ROOM, HELSINKI, 25 APRIL 1945
The assistant nurse walks back into the room holding the envelope and a notepad.
-So? asks Agnes.
-They left...
Agnes holds her baby tight and stares out the window.
-Hypocrites!
The assistant nurse places the envelope on the night table. Agnes grabs it and peeks inside finding a stack of Markka.
-You are sure that you don't want to think about it some more?
-Yes, I'm sure, replies Agnes as she puts the envelope back on the table. Anna, Anna Grass. That's her name.
-You can stay here until tomorrow if you want... You should rest now, says the nurse as she writes down the baby's name on the birth certificate.
PUB, PORT OF SOMPASAARI, A WEEK LATER
-With the baby? asks the seamen.
-Yes, replies Agnes holding Anna tightly wrapped in a white cloth.
-I don't know. I was told one passenger. Didn't know you were a woman... And a baby.
-I'll pay double.
-Ok I guess... So meet us a the end of the dock at midnight. Be discreet. One luggage only... and the baby...
-Thank you... thank you so much.
ESTONIAN FISHING TRAWLER, BALTIC SEA, 20 NAUTICAL MILES FROM TALLINN, MAY 2, 1945, DAWN
The Baltic Sea is eerily quiet on this day following the announcement of Hitler's death. A fisherman, alone on deck, scouts the foggy horizon. Hearing voices mixed to the sound of the diesel engine and of the water hitting the hull, he looks towards the cabin to make sure he isn't being called but the trawler's captain is sleeping at the helm and there are no other souls on deck. Hearing more calls, he is befuddled when a surfaced submarine appears through the fog, meters away from his slowly sailing trawler. On deck, several sailors call him in German, and in various Baltic languages.
Confused, the fisherman takes a few seconds to realize that the U-boat is not in a firing position, then replies to the German sailors telling them to hold on as he calls his captain twice before he could wake him up. Hearing the commotion, Agnes climbs on deck holding baby Anna in her arms. Two other fishermen are now on decks trowing ropes at the U-boat as more German seamen pop out through the submarine's fin.
The captain of the Estonian trawler is baffled when the very young captain of the U-boat jumps on his rusty fishing trawler.
-Are you the captain? asks the German to the Estonian.
-Euh... Yes, replies the fisherman in German with a thick Estonian accent.
-We need Diesel. We can pay you.
-Diesel? The Estonian fisherman looks at his Finnish crew which have gathered around him.
-Do you understand what they want, he asks his 3 men crew in Finnish.
They all reply that they don't as Agnes walks up to them still holding Anna.
-They want to buy Diesel... They're willing to pay, claims Agnes.
All men turn towards the mother and baby.
The Estonian then looks at the 75 meters Type XXI Elektroboote.
-Diesel! I don't know... How much do they need?
Agnes translate in German then Finnish from now on.
-Enough to reach passed the Soviet lines. Maybe 10 tons.
-10 tons! Our tank only holds two ton and we're probably half empty.
-You can buy some from the Soviets in Tallinn, not us.
The Estonian fisherman hesitates...
-From the Soviets... It's risky.
-We can pay you...
The German captain pulls a 1kg gold bar bearing an engraved swastika.
-This one now, for your reserve... and one more per ton you bring back.
DOCKS, TALLINN, NIGHT
The docks are bearably lit by a single lamp post on this chilly spring night. With its down, a Soviet Army truck slowly drives by the docked Estonian trawler. The captain and two of his Finnish crewmen apprehensively across the truck's path. The driver flashes his head beams twice and stops. The three fishermen walk up to the truck.
-Let's move, says the driver in Estonian.
-How many you got? asks the captain.
-20 barrels.
-Ok, that will do, replies the captain, figuring out the maths as he answers. Can you pull back directly by my boat.
-No, replies the driver nervously. Let's do it here right now. You have the money?
-Better, the captain pulls the gold bar and hands hit to the driver. That's three times the value.
The driver inspects the Swastika bullion as the two other fishermen roll up the tarp and start rolling down the drums.
NAVIGATION TABLE, INTERIOR U-3955, EARLY MORNING
The U-boat Captain, his Chief Engineer and Navigation Officer, all in their early 20s, are drawing radius with compasses on a map of the Baltic sea as the Estonian captain accompanied by Agnes and Anna stand by. Anna starts crying as heavy metallic noise emanate from the pressurized hull. Agnes sings a traditional Finnish ballad to soothe the baby.
-20 times 0.1341 ton, that's 2682 kg... With what's left in the tank, it's barely 3 tons, says the Chief Engineer.
-We won't make it passed Gotland, replies the Navigation Officer looking at the map.
The U-boat Captain looks at the Estonian, then at Agnes still singing to Anna ear.
-You're sure he can't get more, asks the Captain?
Anna translates.
-No, he will already have to account for the missing 20. That's all we can do... Can you ask him to bring us back up now, says the Estonian to Agnes.
Before Agnes could even translate a message pops from the Enigma machine. All head turns towards the Communication Officer.
-From Flensburg Command Center: ALL SHIPS ARE TO CEASE FIRE EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY AND MAKE THEIR WAY TO THE NEAREST ALLIED FORCES PORT FLYING A BLACK FLAG.
-That means we can't even surrender to the Swedes. We got to make our way to Fehmarn, says the Captain to his Officers.
-But we're fisherman!
The U-Boat captain smiles at Agnes petting Anna's head.
-You speak German right?
-Yes, my daughter's father is a German sailor. He was stationed in Helsinki last summer but I've lost trace of him. Can you please help us find him. h The U-Boat captain is surprised by the unexpected turn of events and tries to re-organize the situation.
-Yes, we could try... But could you please help me translate my plea to the captain of this ship.
-Yes, of course.
-Tell him that we would rather surrender our ship to Finland than be captured by the Russians.
Agnes translates and the Finnish captain replies that from what he knows, Finland hasn't signed peace with the Russians and that he doesn't see how he could repossess the German ship, let alone tow it back to Helsinki without being sank by the Soviet Navy. The U-Boat captain looks at Agnes still trying find a way to handle the situation while German sailors who boarded the trawler eye the nets filled with hundred of fresh herrings. Agnes pulls a photo from a wallet hidden in her jacket's inner pocket and shows it to the German's captain.
-His name is Günter, Günter Rasen. He was seventeen last summer. Maybe eighteen now...
The U-boat captain looks at the photo as daylight slowly clears the fog over the Baltic Sea.
-No sorry...
Then he passes it to another officer besides him.
-Can you pass this photo around, ask if a crewman knows him...
He looks at Anna and asks Agnes.
-What's her name?
-Anna, replies Agnes... Anna.
As the day rises, the German U-Boat officers are anxious to submerge their ship to avoid Soviet Navy and Air Force detection. Agnes manages to remain on board as the Finnish trawler accepts to transport two German officers to Tallinn to find battery fluids, necessary to cruise submerged.
TALLINN
U-boat seized and reallocated to Baltic Fleet to Danzig.
U-3955 is seized by the Soviet Navy and sailed back to Danzig by its captured German crew under Soviet command and escort to be refitted and reallocated to the Baltic Fleet. Agnes and Anna remain clandestine passengers.
DANZIG
Following its liberation by the Red Army, the city is in disarray and prone to "ethnic cleansing". Agnes finds her lover's family home repossessed by displaced Poles. Claiming the German citizenship of her daughter, she takes part in a massive exodus of Ethnic Germans towards the west.
Agnes talks to a rat...
LUBECK
Agnes and Anna take shelter in a house bordering the British and Soviet zones where Anna was raised.
Anna is raised on the Inner German Border by her single mom mother.