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Series Code: TIJ
Program Code: TIJ004103S
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00:27 On the 11th of December 1941 Adolph Hitler declared war on the 00:33 United States of America throwing the country into the 00:37 heated bloodshed of World War II As an act of aggression Hitler 00:42 deployed his dreaded U Boat wolf packs into the waters of the 00:46 Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico to patrol the American 00:51 coastline. The U Boats were part of what became known as 00:56 Operation Drumbeat, a covert Nazi plan to target and sink 01:02 merchant vessels carrying supplies to the Allied forces in 01:06 Europe. Amid the carnage that followed a single U Boat officer 01:12 stationed aboard the U 166 was plunged into the heart of an 01:18 amazing story. A story of love, loss and forgiveness that 01:24 bridged the gap between two continents and irrevocably 01:28 changed the lives of two people. Join us as we explore their 01:33 amazing story and take a look at the dramatic and providential 01:37 events that brought them together. 01:41 ♪ ♪ 01:57 This is Cape Hatteras, a small curve in a thin strip of islands 02:02 known as the Outer Banks. The islands are nestled in the 02:07 waters of the Atlantic Ocean along the coast of North 02:10 Carolina. During World War II this swathe of ocean was 02:16 frequented by merchant ships carrying supplied to Allied 02:19 nations in Europe. When Hitler declared war on the United 02:25 States these waters became a special arena for the Nazi war 02:31 machine. Beginning in 1942 Admiral Karl Donitz head of the 02:37 Nazi Kriegsmarine or Navy deployed dozens of U Boats to 02:42 target and sink all merchant ships carrying cargo and 02:47 supplies to the Allies. It's estimated that by the end of 02:51 World War II German U Boats had sunk more than 800 ships with 02:56 thousands of casualties and millions of tons of cargo on 03:01 board. Nearby is the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum located 03:07 in Hatteras, North Carolina where you can learn more about 03:10 some of these World War II vessels. Of special interest is 03:15 an Enigma machine used on board U Boats to send and receive 03:19 coded messages. This particular Enigma machine was recovered 03:25 from the U 85 the first Nazi U Boat loss of the war sunk by 03:30 gunfire from the U.S.S. Roper in March of 1942. But Hitler's 03:36 relentless U Boat wolf packs didn't limit themselves to the 03:41 waters of the Atlantic. In May 1942 a German U Boat surfaced in 03:48 broad daylight and in full view of sunbathers lounging on the 03:52 beach in Boca Raton, Florida. The U 456 proceeded to torpedo 03:59 the oil tanker Eclipse and a nearby freighter Galizel which 04:04 was carrying a cargo of camouflage paint. There were 04:08 even rumors that locals along the Gulf Coast had been 04:12 recruited by the Nazis to supply U Boat crews with food, fuel and 04:18 other supplies. As intriguing as all these stories are there is 04:23 one story that stands out among them all, a story that weaves 04:28 all these pieces together infusing them with a more 04:32 personal human element. It's a story of a man and a woman on 04:36 opposing sides of the war, a sailor washed ashore and a 04:41 grieving widow walking along the beach looking for answers. On a 04:49 cool night close to the end of World War II a young woman 04:52 slipped into a small boat from the shores of Orange Beach, 04:56 Alabama. Quietly she dropped a large vegetable tin at her feet, 05:00 took up the oars and began to pull toward the dim coast of Ono 05:05 Island. Around the close of the war Ono Island was nothing more 05:11 than a dumping ground for rubbish. It was this that drew 05:14 the young woman toward the island that night. The fact that 05:18 it was devoid of human activity not the sort of place that 05:22 anyone would be likely to be snooping around in. Reaching 05:26 the island she dragged the boat up onto the sandy beach and 05:31 picked her way along the shore cradling the precious vegetable 05:34 tin in her hands. Inside were the contents of a past life, a 05:40 dangerous life that could jeopardize her happiness and the 05:44 life of the man she loved. Dropping to her knees at the 05:49 base of a large wax myrtle tree growing on the crown of a sandy 05:53 dune she began to dig a hole around its big root. Once she 05:58 was satisfied with its depth and size she gently dropped the 06:03 vegetable tin with its precious contents into the damp sandy 06:08 earth and covered it. The young woman walked back to her boat 06:13 dragged it into the water and slipped into the waters of the 06:16 Gulf of Mexico as silent as a phantom on the dark waves. Her 06:22 secret remained buried for the next 60 years undisturbed on the 06:27 tiny island. About 60 years later Ono Island was 06:33 unrecognizable. The island was no longer a vast rubbish dump 06:37 but had become highly developed and was home to many families. 06:42 Writer Andy Andrews and his family were among these residents and 06:47 one day he found himself clearing a dead wax myrtle tree 06:51 that stood dangerously close to his home. As he wrestled with 06:56 the stump digging out the roots his spade struck metal. Pausing 07:02 Andrews went down on his knees and began to dig out handfuls of 07:07 sandy soil until he found a rusted vegetable tin sunk deep 07:11 in the sand. Prying open the rusted lid Andrews discovered a 07:18 swathe of leather hardened by age and thick with mold. A silver 07:23 button tumbled onto the sand as he gingerly peeled back a corner 07:27 Picking it up he examined it noticing the anchor that was 07:32 engraved on its face. Completely flipping open the leather he 07:37 found an odd assortment of objects inside. After examining 07:42 the contents and doing some research Andrews discovered that 07:47 they were objects belonging to a German Kriegsmarine officer. 07:50 The Kriegsmarine or German Navy together with the Heer or army 07:56 and the Luftwaffe or air force combined to make up the 08:00 Wehrmacht Hitler's Nazi armed forces. Fascinated by his 08:06 discovery Andrews began to talk to the senior citizens of Orange 08:10 Beach in an attempt to uncover as much as he could about Nazi 08:15 Kriegsmarine activity in the area. During his research he 08:20 spoke to an elderly couple who were members of his local church 08:24 identifying them under the pseudonyms of Helen and Joseph 08:29 Newman Andrews spent several afternoons with them asking them 08:34 questions. What he discovered was the that objects in the 08:38 vegetable tin belonged to Joseph and that they had been hidden on 08:43 Ono Island by Helen. The Newman's then proceeded to tell Andrews 08:48 their story, which he chronicled in his best-selling book The 08:52 Heart Mender. Their story is one of the most fascinating and 08:57 touching accounts of human experience during the horrors of 09:02 World War II. Yosef Lundemeier 09:06 was a young German under Lieutenant serving onboard the 09:10 Nazi U Boat U 166 under the command of Captain Hans Gupta 09:16 Krumbach. Yosef had studied world history at the University of 09:21 Oxford on a full scholarship. After returning to Germany he 09:26 found work as a high school history teacher and married his 09:29 high school sweetheart Tatianna. A year later Tatianna gave birth 09:35 to a little baby girl whom they named Rosa. When Rosa was still 09:41 a baby Yosef was conscripted to serve Hitler's armed forces that 09:47 were mustering for war. He was given three days to say goodbye 09:51 to his young family and report for duty where he was assigned 09:56 to the Kriegsmarine as a cadet. He was later assigned to the 10:01 U 166 shortly before it began war exercises in preparation for 10:07 active combat. Before the U Boat was deployed to the Gulf of 10:12 Mexico Yosef went home on a three-day leave pass to see his 10:17 wife and daughter in May 1942. While he was visiting them on 10:24 the 30th of May over 1000 RAF and American bombers raided 10:30 Cologne dropping bombs on the city. When Yosef heard the drone 10:34 of the airplanes, he ran out of his small apartment to see which 10:39 direction the strikes were coming from. As he stood on the 10:44 street staring at the darkened sky filled with the empty 10:48 silhouettes of enemy airplanes he heard the sharp whistling 10:52 over his shoulder. He turned. He watched in horror as the bomb 10:58 fell directly onto the apartment building he had just come out of 11:02 The bomb erupted in a huge explosion. Desperately Yosef 11:09 worked his way through the rubble calling out for Tatianna 11:13 and Rosa. At noon the next day he finally found them, both dead 11:20 Rosa tucked in Tatianna's arms. Grief-stricken Yosef sat beside 11:26 the debris until he was found by the Gestapo who told him his 11:31 primary responsibility was to Hitler and his cause. They 11:36 didn't even let him bury his family but sent him straight 11:40 back to serve on board the U 166 Before the U 166 was deployed 11:47 Hitler along with Admiral Karl Doenitz inspected the U Boat and 11:52 its crew. Then crewmen were informed by Doenitz that there 11:57 would be an additional aspect of their mission and an extra crew 12:02 member. A Nazi party observer Ninouns Schneider was assigned 12:07 to the U Boat. Schneider would act as a point man for Nazi high 12:12 command sending and receiving coded messages regarding their 12:17 missions in the Gulf of Mexico. Schneider had known Lundemeier 12:23 when they were both students at Oxford. While at Oxford 12:28 Schneider and attacked a Jewish professor in the middle of a 12:31 lecture and Yosef along with another student had hauled him 12:35 away before he seriously injured the man. Ever since that day 12:40 Schneider had harbored a serious grudge against Yosef. When they 12:46 both ended up on board the U 166 Schneider plotted for a way to 12:52 get rid of Yosef without arousing suspicion. On the 19th 12:56 of July 1942 when the U Boat was surfaced for a routine 13:02 rendezvous with a supply ship Schneider shot Yosef in a 13:06 premeditated attack. Yosef tumbled into the waters of the 13:10 waters of the Gulf of Mexico bleeding and terrified in the 13:14 darkness. The submarine was bobbing alongside the anchored 13:19 supply boat and Yosef managed to hide in the shadows of the 13:23 boat grabbing onto one of the tires tied to its rail. When the 13:29 boat ran Yosef hitched a ride letting go 30 meters away from 13:34 the U Boat. He was hoping that the captain would turn on the 13:38 searchlight to look for him but the searchlight never came on. 13:43 Instead the submarine melted seamlessly beneath the dark 13:48 waters and disappeared. Alone in the water trailing blood from 13:54 two open wounds Yosef began to panic fearing an imminent shark 13:59 attack. But the tide was rushing back into Mobile Bay carrying 14:04 everything in the water towards land. Clinging to a piece of 14:08 timber Yosef allowed himself to be carried along by the tide 14:14 until he hit the Dixie Bar, a massive sand bar not far from 14:18 shore. When Yosef felt his feet hit the sand bar he stumbled 14:23 towards shore for three kilometers before falling face 14:27 down on the beach. That night Helen Mason, a young widow, was 14:35 out walking on the beach at 2:30 a.m. Helen lived in a little 14:40 cottage she'd inherited from her aunt located on the sand dunes 14:44 of Orange Beach, Alabama. Helen's husband had been an 14:49 American air force instructor. Helen and Tyler Mason had been 14:54 married four months when Tyler volunteered to teach a two-week 14:59 course to a detached wing of the RAF outside London in February 15:04 1941. Tyler finished the training in 12 days and was 15:10 getting ready to head back home when he was killed in a Nazi 15:13 Luftwaffe bombing raid. His death left Helen numb with grief 15:20 and bitterness. She hated America for allowing her husband 15:24 to go to England and she hated the British for not protecting 15:29 him while he was in their care. But her most bitter rage was 15:34 reserved for the Nazis who had killed him. In the early morning 15:40 hours of the 20th of July 1942 as Helen Mason walked on the 15:46 beach near her house she spotted a dark form slumped on the sand 15:51 near the surf. As she came closer she realized it was a man 15:57 washed up on the beach. The man was lying face down in the sand 16:02 blood oozing from his right arm and leg. Helen rolled him on his 16:07 back and looked him over realizing he was alive. She was 16:13 about to offer him help when she took a closer look at his 16:16 uniform and it occurred to her that he wasn't an American 16:21 sailor. She asked who he was and he gave his name in reply. When 16:28 she pointedly asked if he was German, Yosef had no choice but 16:33 to say yes. That single innocuous word let loose a storm 16:39 of emotion inside Helen. Screaming at the wounded man 16:43 lying helplessly before her she began to punch him in the face 16:48 and pummel his wounded shoulder. She accused him of killing her 16:53 husband as she directed her pent up anger to the wounded sailor. 16:58 Josef Lundemeier lay impassively on the beach as Helen assaulted 17:04 him. Finally physically unable to punch him anymore Helen 17:10 crawled away from him and collapsed on the sand sobbing 17:14 hysterically. When she had finally calmed down Helen tried 17:20 to figure out what to do with Yosef. Should she kill him? She 17:25 didn't have any weapons on her. She seriously considered 17:30 dragging him back into the surf and holding his head beneath the 17:33 water but decided that she didn't have the energy to do it. 17:38 Finally Helen decided to turn him into the police the next 17:43 morning. Having formulated a plan Helen shakily got to her 17:49 feet and began to walk back towards her cottage when the 17:53 man's quiet voice drifted over the pounding surf to reach her. 17:58 Apologizing for the loss of her husband, he then began to cry 18:04 a horrible wail that filled the air and rose heaving against the 18:10 roar of the waves. Lying on the beach sobbing in anguish and 18:15 shame Yosef Lundemeier called out to God repeating the names 18:21 of his wife and daughter over and over again in the darkness. 18:25 Helen stood there watching him until he had calmed down. He 18:32 asked Helen for her husband's name and Helen gave it to him. 18:36 Then without much thought she walked over to him and grabbed 18:40 him by the collar jerking hard and commanding him to stand up. 18:45 Struggling Yosef managed to get to his feet. Helen steadied them 18:51 both and then commanded him to walk. But when Yosef asked where 18:57 they were going and Helen pointed her chin in the 19:00 direction of her house. Together they ambled along Yosef leaning 19:06 heavily on Helen for support. Why are you helping me, Yosef 19:12 asked, breaking the silence. Who said I was helping you Helen 19:17 shot back as she navigated the sandy path homeward. When they 19:23 reached the cottage Helen left him on the bottom step of her 19:27 home and told him to get up the stairs and into the house. She 19:31 then left for work. When Helen returned home from work she 19:36 found Yosef lying on the bathroom floor still in his wet 19:40 clothes and burning up with fever. Scheider's bullet had 19:46 sliced clean through his shoulder leaving a gaping exit 19:49 wound on his back but no broken bones. Helen tended to Yosef's 19:54 wounds as best she could and left him on her couch where he 19:59 remained deliriously calling out for his wife and daughter for 20:03 several days. Then one day Helen returned home to find Yosef 20:08 recovered and sitting on the couch in her tiny living room. 20:13 He was polite and courteous and something about his manner 20:17 prevented Helen from turning him over the authorities. Yosef 20:22 remained in Helen's cottage where they maintained an uneasy 20:26 truce until one evening about a month after she found him things 20:31 took a dramatic turn. They were out walking along the beach one 20:36 evening in August when Helen asked Yosef if he missed his 20:41 wife. Yes, I do. You miss your husband don't you, he asked. 20:47 Aghast Helen stared at him for a moment before saying, but it's 20:53 not the same. Why is it not the same Yosef asked quietly. 21:00 Because my husband is dead, Helen responded. Then it is the 21:04 same, Yosef said. It was only then that Helen realized that 21:11 Yosef's family was dead. With tears streaming down his face he 21:17 recounted the events surrounding their deaths to Helen and then 21:21 collapsed onto the sand weeping. Helen sat beside him a gentle 21:27 had on his heaving back in quiet solidarity. Finally regaining 21:33 his composure Yosef looked up at her and told her that he knew 21:37 that he must forgive her and those who had taken his family 21:41 from him. We are the products of our past he said, but we don't 21:48 have to be prisoners of it. Confused Helen asked him why he 21:54 needed to forgive her and he responded by telling her that as 21:58 surely as Germans had killed her husband Americans and their 22:03 Allies had killed his wife. Incredulous and incensed Helen 22:08 insisted that her husband had nothing to do with the RAF and 22:13 the Allies bombing the city of Cologne. Yosef listened to her 22:18 quietly before standing up and glaring down at her. 22:22 He acknowledged that the RAF had bombed Cologne and then pointed 22:27 out to her husband had trained the RAF. Over the month that 22:34 followed Yosef moved out of Helen's cottage into a smaller 22:39 squatters cottage along the beach. Their friendship 22:43 developed and both of them learned to forgive not only each 22:47 other but also those who had taken so much from them. 22:52 In order to hide his German origins Yosef Lundemeier changed 22:58 name to Joseph Newman and adopted a cover story and an 23:04 English accent. He and Helen fell in love and were married in 23:09 1947 well after the end of the war. Joseph and Helen's story is 23:16 remarkable not only because of the unusual circumstances 23:21 surrounding how they met and developed their relationship but 23:25 also because of the very essence of their story. At the very 23:29 heart of their journey as individuals and as a couple is 23:34 the story of restoration and forgiveness. In the book he 23:39 wrote about their story author Andy Andrews says this: 23:59 Helen was consumed by bitterness after the death of her husband. 24:03 Yosef was filled with grief after the senseless deaths of 24:08 his wife and child. Each of them had to choose to forgive those 24:13 who had taken so much from them. It was not a case of managing 24:18 their anger. This simply cannot be done. The key to their 24:22 restoration lay in their willingness to forgive. But 24:28 forgiveness is not something that we can do on our own. The 24:33 much used proverb tells us that: 24:40 And indeed it takes a supernatural act of divine grace 24:44 to empower us to forgive and not only forgive but to surrender 24:50 the past and experience healing. 24:53 The Bible gives us some incredible exhortations and 24:57 assurances about forgiveness. Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 32 25:03 says this: 25:13 We're also given the secret to accomplishing this. 25:17 In Philippians chapter four and verse 13: 25:25 You see God is the greatest forgiver of all time. His 25:30 ability and willingness to forgive those who have hurt him, 25:34 betrayed him and taken so much from him far surpasses anything 25:39 we can ever imagine and that is why we should turn to Him with 25:44 the pain and bitterness of our past asking Him to help us do 25:49 what we can never accomplish on our own. If you'd like to let go 25:54 of the past and face the future with hope, if you'd like to 25:58 experience inner peace and happiness, if you'd like to cast 26:02 all your burdens on God today and find true peace and healing 26:07 for your heart, then I'd like to recommend a free gift we have 26:11 for all our Incredible Journey viewers today. It's the booklet 26:17 Forgiving the Unforgivable. This booklet is our gift to you and 26:23 is absolutely free. I guarantee there are no costs or 26:27 obligations whatsoever. So make the most of this wonderful 26:31 opportunity to receive the gift we have for you today. 26:36 Phone or text us at 0436-333-555 in Australia or 020-422-2042 in 26:47 New Zealand or visit our website TiJ.tv to request today's free 26:54 offer and we'll send it to you totally free of charge and with 26:57 no obligation. Write to us at: 27:12 Don't delay. Call or text us now 27:16 If you've enjoyed our journey to Cape Hatteras on the Outer Banks 27:20 and Orange Beach on the Gulf of Mexico along with our 27:24 reflections on the priceless gift of true forgiveness then be 27:28 sure to join us again next week when we'll share another of 27:32 life's journeys together. Until then let's ask God to lead us 27:37 to find real meaning and purpose in our lives and inner peace and 27:42 lasting happiness. Let's pray. 27:45 Dear heavenly Father, we all face challenges in life and we 27:51 often struggle to forgive those who have hurt us, but Lord may 27:56 we remember that we can only find real peace when we turn our 28:00 pain, bitterness and our past over to you. Please grant us 28:06 this inner peace and happiness that comes from knowing that 28:09 you're in charge of our lives and that you will care for us. 28:13 Please bless us now we pray in Jesus' name, Amen. 28:20 ♪ ♪ |
Revised 2021-07-06