The Captain 2018

Escape and uniform discovery

In April 1945, Willi Herold escapes a roving German MP commando tasked with executing deserters. He finds an abandoned car containing the uniform of a decorated Luftwaffe captain and steals it. Wearing the captain's insignia, he begins to move freely and project authority as if following a high-priority mission.

Impersonation begins

Using the captain's uniform, Herold adopts the air of an officer and issues directives to a growing band of stragglers. He presents himself as on a Hitler-ordered morale mission behind the front and promises to curb looting for locals. His authority grows as more men join him.

Formation of Kampfgruppe Herold

A small unit coalesces around Herold, including Freytag, a kindly veteran who becomes his driver, and Kipinski, a brutal drunk. The group is named Kampfgruppe Herold as more stragglers join the unofficial 'captain'. The line between deception and power deepens as they travel together.

Deserters camp: orders to execute

The column discovers a camp of deserters awaiting execution. Herold orders the killings to be carried out, with Kipinski acting as the principal executioner. The men are summarily executed, and fear and awe bind the group together.

Freytag suspects the impostor

Freytag becomes suspicious of Herold after noticing inconsistencies, notably when a tailor shortens the pant legs of the captain's uniform. The pant-leg alteration is a tell that the uniform does not truly belong to Herold. He begins to realize the truth behind the commander.

Air raid destroys camp

An Allied air raid annihilates the deserter camp, forcing Kampfgruppe Herold to relocate. The attack shatters their make-believe command post and disperses the prisoners. The group moves on to a nearby town to continue their operation.

Looting and new command post

In the town, the group robs the locals of supplies and wealth. They establish a makeshift command post in a local hotel, calling it Sonderkommando und Schnellgericht Herold. The new headquarters consolidate Herold's control over the troops.

Kipinski is executed

From the hotel, Herold orders the execution of Kipinski, a brutal member of the group. The act demonstrates his ruthless consolidation of power and willingness to dispose of trusted subordinates. The others watch as fear becomes compliance.

Night of debauchery and arrest

After a night of excess, military police storm the hotel and arrest Herold. The collapse of his fragile domain comes quickly as discipline frays under the weight of his power. The group is torn apart by the MP intervention.

Court and escape

In court, Herold claims he acted to defend the German people, attempting to justify his actions. He escapes by climbing out a window to avoid being sent back to the front. The escape marks the end of his captured authority and the rise of a new reckoning.

Final forest scene and fate

The film closes with Herold walking through a forest filled with skeletal remains, an image of the consequences of his power. The narrative notes that after the war he and several accomplices were sentenced to death and executed by Allied forces. The eerie ending underscores the tragedy of his impersonation.