The Story

Hans Wolpe, a young German Jewish scholar, boxer, and opera singer, is born in Berlin in 1918, and spends his childhood running from Nazis. WWII finds him alone in Germany, France and Belgium, disguising himself in a series of false identities, until he seizes a chance to join the Royal Winnipeg Rifles and fight the Nazis in a Canadian uniform.  

Hans seeks to revenge the deaths of his beloved family, all murdered at Auschwitz, and he forges an international brotherhood in the fires of the war. He is nationalized as a Canadian citizen, and celebrated in Canada as a hero of WWII.

Hans walks tall, with an unquestionable sense of authority. He speaks five languages fluently. He begins to work with the French Underground Resistance, sabotaging trains and construction sites, and gathering secrets for the Allies in the guise of a Nazi officer. He tricks a Nazi officer in order to obtain travel papers, and bravely walks across "No Man's Land" carrying a notebook filled with Nazi military secrets, waving a white flag, hoping to offer the information to a Canadian regiment. 

The “Royal Winnipeg Rifles” distrust Wolpe at first, hazing him and putting him to the test, but Hans proves himself their ally, and performs extraordinary feats of courage and daring. Hans is allowed to join the “Devils” as an unofficial soldier, and fights the Nazis in a Canadian uniform. He fights alongside the Canadian regiment through France and Belgium, without pay, and is elevated to Corporal in the field for his leadership. Together, this international, idealistic “band of brothers” help to turn the tide of WWII, and liberate Calais and other cities. Hitler commits suicide, the Nazis are defeated, and the Allies achieve victory.

When Wolpe’s leg is shattered by machine gun bullets at Deventer, he is still a “stateless Jew” - ineligible for hospital care.  The Canadian regiment starts a letter-writing campaign to help the wounded soldier, and the story hits newspapers and magazines in Canada and the US with a plea for empathy and support. On hearing about his case, Prime Minister Mackenzie King said: “If he’s not a Canadian, we’ll make him one.” A comrade who fought with him said Wolpe was “The Bravest Man He Ever Met”.

Read more about about Hans Wolpe in the The Canadian Jewish News.