Soldiers of the Damned

- World War

II was in its fifth,

vicious year of conflict.

The German war

machine controlled

by Adolf Hitler

and the Nazi party

had a stranglehold

over much of Europe

from the Atlantic coast of

France to the Russian Urals.

Reichsfuhrer Heinrich

Himmler was head of an

armed division

called the Waffen-SS

who were responsible for

brutal crimes against humanity.

The Waffen SS were ruthless

and indoctrinated Nazis

who fought in the front lines

alongside the regular army

many of whom were not Nazis and

despised the inhuman treatment

inflicted on

civilians by the SS.

As a result the

relationship between

the two was often hostile.

Himmler also controlled a pseudo

scientific institute of the SS

known as the Ahnenerbe which was

dedicated to researching the

archaeological and cultural

history of the Aryan race, a

special division of which was

responsible for investigating

the use of occult forces

for the Third Reich.

By 1944 the tide in

Europe had turned,

the German army was in full

retreat through Romania

ahead of the massed ranks of

the pursuing Russian Red Army.

- Russian execution squad.

Three SS.

- Let's hope they

kill the SS bastards.

- They're still German soldiers.

- Pray...

- F***ing rapist.

- Pray...

Pray, f***er!

- Bastard.

- Nadel!

- Trommler!

- Stay still, stay still.

- Apply pressure,

we need pressure.

- We need pressure here.

- Morphine!

- No, no, no.

- Did anyone see

that NKVD bastard?

- I like to see a man

happy at his work.

- Those SS scum deserved it.

- No one should be killed

like that, not even an animal.

- Don't worry,

Dieter, no Russian

cartridge could ever

penetrate your skull.

It's too damn thick.

- And if it did,

it wouldn't reach

his brains, they're

too damn small!

You'd have to use an 88mm shell!

- Engines.

- Enemy aircraft!

It's coming round again!

- Have you seen Major Fleischer?

Major.

Colonel Schwab would

like to see you, sir.

Urgently, sir.

- You look terrible, Colonel.

- To all intents

and purposes, Kurt,

I'm already dead.

My body, however, has yet

to appreciate the fact.

- They're not replacing you?

- There's no

one to replace me with.

- HQ is withdrawing?

- The offensive is coming.

If we're lucky,

it'll be in days.

It's only a

precaution of course,

as I have every confidence

our front line will hold.

You know Major Metzger?

Gentlemen, please be seated.

You lost a man today.

Trommler.

Pity.

- We all have to

make sacrifices, for

the greater good.

- Whose greater good?

- I want you to lead a mission,

one that is, er...

slightly out of the ordinary.

Are you familiar with

the forest of Hoia-Baciu?

- A little.

- What do you know?

That it's behind enemy lines,

as a result of yet another

well-planned

strategic withdrawal.

And the stories of course.

- Stories?

You're not afraid of ghosts

are you, Major?

- The living scare me more.

- You're going into

the forest, Major.

And you will be

escorting a civilian.

A scientist, actually.

- For what purpose?

- You will take

this civilian to a

specific location in the forest,

then make your way

back to our lines.

This civilian must

be returned unharmed.

Is that clear?

- Nothing is clear.

You said yourself

the offensive is

starting within days.

- The Colonel asked you a

specific question, Major.

- And what does that

lunatic have to do

with this suicide mission?

- May I remind you he

is a Major in the SS

and must be treated

with respect!

- Professor Kappel from

the Ahnenerbe, sir.

- The Ahnenerbe?

- Yes, yes, alright,

show him in.

- It's a lady, sir.

Professor Kappel.

Forgive me, I was

expecting a man.

- Naturally, Colonel.

Sorry to disappoint you.

- May I introduce Major Metzger.

- There's certainly

no disappointment

on my part, Professor.

Your presence on

this little escapade

will make it that

much less dull.

- And Major Fleischer.

- This is the civilian?

You want me to escort this woman

20 miles behind enemy lines?

Do you know what the Russians

will do to her if

she's captured?

- You have your orders, Major.

- This is madness.

- Colonel...

I do not presume to

tell you your duty, but

I have had men hanged for less.

- I thought you only

hanged children, Major.

- You were lucky enough to

get away with treason once.

- Stopping you butchers doing

your work is not treason.

- Are you questioning

your orders?

- Gentlemen, please.

We shouldn't reprimand

the Major for

being overprotective

of his charge.

- With respect, Professor, it

is not your decision to make.

- Major...

read this please.

You saw the signature.

Reichsfuhrer Heinrich

Himmler, Major Metzger...

which means it is my decision

and yes we will be

successful in our endeavors.

Isn't that so, Major Metzger?

- Naturally, Professor.

- Major Metzger will

be accompanying us

in order to ensure

everything runs smoothly.

- Colonel, who's in

command of this mission?

- As long as you

follow your orders,

you are, Major.

- And your orders are to get

me to where I want to

go and get me back.

Otherwise I'm sure

Major Metzger will

be content to assume

responsibility.

And bearing in

mind the signature

on this piece of paper,

I'm sure we're all aware of

the implications of failure.

- Get some sleep, Professor.

We'll be rising early.

- Hoia-Baciu forest.

- This whole mission's crazy.

We should not be taking

women behind enemy lines.

- It's not the Russians we

should be worried about.

Not on this trip.

- What's he talking about?

- Nothing.

- Is a whole company

of paratroopers

vanishing into

thin air "nothing?"

- That's ridiculous,

it didn't happen.

- What didn't happen?

- It was in '42.

- Come on Nic.

- A company parachuted into the

Hoia-Baciu forest at night.

- Forest, at night?

No wonder they disappeared.

- See, the pilot f***ed up.

He got lost.

Kicked them out before

their intended position.

Only one of them was ever

seen again, a Sergeant.

- What happened to the rest?

- The Sergeant could

no longer speak.

He was too old.

Still wearing the

same uniform but

he'd aged 80 years

in three days.

- Feel like I've aged 80 years

just listening to

this stupid story.

- The forest is possessed.

- Now that is crazy.

- Maybe not so much.

North American Indians

believe in forest spirits.

- Forest spirits, good

and bad, right, Rolf?

- Exactly, they take the

form of little hairy men.

Generally they are good natured,

but sometimes they

throw stones at you.

Maybe sticks.

- I suppose you

think that's funny.

- If the forest

is possessed we're

going with the right person.

- What do you know, Carl?

- The woman, she's a scientist,

a professor of

something or other.

- Tell us.

- She's from the Ahnenerbe.

- You sure?

- What's Ahne... Ahnenerbe?

- The Ahnenerbe is a myth.

It doesn't exist.

Nothing so ridiculous

could exist.

- Oh, Jesus.

- What?

What is it?

- Himmler's occult department.

- What's occult?

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