ZenLily Films hired a film crew in Düsseldorf, Germany to capture moving footage of one story directly from Guenther Degen, the son of a German U-Boat commander whose life was saved by an American Army Air Corps pilot. We got some vital background on the story of compassion between the two enemies and a touching account of the incident itself, with Guenther telling us his exact feelings about the pilot’s act of mercy.
Photo from our interview with Guenther Deegan.
The Story of Our Interview
Horst Degen was a German U-Boat commander who had his U-Boat off the coast of North Carolina on July 7th, 1942. Harry Kane was an American Army Air Corps pilot. Kane shot down Degen’s U-Boat, and it plunged to the bottom of the ocean floor — down nearly 120 feet.
Kane saw the German soldiers resurface from the water, and he ordered his men in the airplane to throw out their life vests and their life raft, saving the lives of Horst Degen and six other men. Many other men died on the water, because they weren’t found until 50 hours later. But these seven men were saved, due to Kane’s orders to drop the survival gear.
Later, an American commanding officer called Kane to the hospital where Degen was staying. When Kane walked into the hospital room, he saw Degen, a man who was sunburnt, exhausted, and bedraggled. Still, Degen stood up, and said, “Congratulations, good attack!”, and saluted him.
Years later, in the late 1970s, Harry Kane tracked Horst Degen again, and they became good friends. This friendship lasted until they both passed away many years ago.
Photo of Guenther and his wife, Caroline.
Horst Degen’s son, Guenther Degen, married a woman named Caroline, whose father was a Czech Jewish man who lost most of his family in the Holocaust. Guenther explains in this interview how they met. To think that Harry Kane saved the life of a German man in WWII, who would later become the father-in-law of a woman from a Jewish background!
The Process of Filming in Düsseldorf
Our producer, Stephanie Manesis, was on Zoom the whole time for this interview. It’s important for you to know that you don’t often hear or see the interviewer whenever you watch a documentary. So, the Zoom call will not impact the quality of our film whatsoever. If you hadn’t read this blogpost, you wouldn’t even know! (But now you’re even more informed on our operation. Good on you!)
We felt it was absolutely necessary to get this footage in Düsseldorf, because Horst Degen is no longer with us. We got footage last February from Reetie Jameson, who is the daughter of Harry Kane, outside of Atlanta, Georgia. We were also able to interview author Ed Offley, who wrote a detailed account about this incident.
Now, we are one step further into our filming process and one step closer to getting this documentary to you!