‘Just another Kraut’? The Wehrmacht Traitor as ‘Good German’ in Hollywood’s Decision before Dawn (1951)

Decision before Dawn (Twentieth Century-Fox, 1951) was based on the true story of a Wehrmacht prisoner-of-war, code-name ‘Happy’, who volunteered for the American Office of Strategic Services in 1945 to spy behind German lines for the Allies, exploring the issue of Landesverrat (national treason) amid the changing loyalties of the Cold War during West Germany’s post-war rearmament. Screenwriter Peter Viertel had himself been ‘Happy’s’ case-officer. The chapter uses archives from Twentieth Century-Fox studios and the US State Department to chart fruitless attempts to suppress a West German release for fear of inflaming nationalist and local Bavarian sentiment. Entscheidung vor Morgengrauen (1952) received mixed reviews, which are discussed alongside subtle changes made to the dubbed German version. The Hollywood release marked the international breakthrough for Austro-German actors Oskar Werner and Hildegard Knef.