The Little English Boy

Danish engineer and pilot Hans Gundelach travels to Aachen in Germany to help a Jewish arms manufacturer, Herr Haflinger, escape The Third Reich. When Gundelach reaches the factory, he learns that Germany has invaded Denmark and he and Haflinger are stranded. Instead of trying to return home, Gundelach convinces Haflinger to give him the plans to a top-secret U-boat gun sight. The new sight will allow the submarines to sink more Allied ships and the war in the West might be lost. The SS have Gundelach under surveillance, however, and the evil Colonel Weber tries to capture him before he can escape across the border. Gundelach evades Weber’s clutches but he is shot as he slips into France. A farming family nurse him back to health and Gundelach begins to fall in love with their daughter, Louise. Their relationship doesn’t have time to blossom, however, as Gundelach knows his secret is vital to the war effort and he must move on. He is also driven by his guilt for not helping Jewish families escaping across the border into Denmark at the beginning of the war. He eventually leaves the farm and stumbles across a British airfield that is about to be overrun by the Germans. All the aircraft have been destroyed but one Hurricane is serviceable. Gundelach repairs the fighter and flies across the Channel to England. Having crash-landed, he’s arrested as a spy. During his interrogation, he learns that German master-spy Wilhelm Mörz has established a network of agents in England who will pave the way for German forces to invade during Operation Sea Lion. Gundelach finds it impossible to convince his captors that he isn’t one of the spies until he suggests the British try to contact his neighbours in Denmark, an English family with a holiday home in his village. The family’s seven-year-old son, Ned Potter, eventually identifies Gundelach and he’s released into the custody of British SIS operative Colonel Robin Stephens. To prove Gundelach’s allegiance to the Allies, Stephens instructs him to infiltrate the German spy ring so he can bring Mörz to justice. Gundelach arranges a meeting with the German agent and overpowers him during a tense encounter at a hotel in Brighton. Gundelach remains in England to fly Hurricanes during the Battle of Britain, and it’s not until the end of the war that he finally returns to France to marry Louise. In Denmark, the Gundelach family finally open their doors to shelter Jewish refugees fleeing the Reich. This incredible true story is based on Gundelach and Potter’s diaries – which have never been publicised – as well as files recently declassified by the British government. The novel on which the script is based has now been preserved by the National Archives in the UK as a record of Gundelach’s exploits. Audience: This is a tense drama about a little-known espionage operation from World War Two. It has broad audience appeal, especially with adults interested in European history.