Brother's War

A new film featuring Freemasonry has begun its publicity cycle: Brother's War. Set, at least in part, in Poland in 1945, the film's promotional material describes the plot as follows:

Based on real events, the setting for Brother's War is the Eastern Front during the final days of World War II. In the midst of fierce fighting, as the Western Allies and the Russian Red Army make their advance toward Berlin, a British Army Officer attached to the Red Army discovers a secret that can shatter the unity of the Allies.

Seized by Stalin's dreaded Intelligence Service, he finds unexpected help from an enemy and fellow prisoner, a German Captain. A common bond through Freemasonry binds the two Officers by honor, oath and secrets. Joined by Anna, a beautiful Polish nurse cast adrift in the tides of war, the three are pursued by a ruthless Russian Intelligence Officer intent on preventing them from reaching Allied Command with their secret which could change the course of the war and the fate of millions.

The promo page for the film speaks favorably about the Craft in general, which is not surprising as, according to Charles Martin's blog, the star and co-author of the screenplay, Tino Struckmann, is a brother and member of Sunset Lodge No. 369, in Santa Monica, California.

I don't wish to criticize a brother's work, but I feel I must, however, speak out about a statement by the film's publicity people and their comments on Nazi connections to the Order: "[i]t is believed that many of the top leaders in Germany during the war had been Freemasons... and it was said that Göring was a Mason as well."

Although members of the NSDAP hierarchy may have had affiliations with the Craft, it is demonstrably false that Göring was a Mason. While incarcerated and awaiting trail at Nuremberg in November 1945, he made the following statement to his American warders:

You can't fathom your fate. It depends on such little things. For instance the little thing that prevented me from becoming a Freemason. I had a date to meet some friends to join the Freemasons in 1919. While waiting for them, I saw a pretty blonde pass by and picked her up. Well, I just never did get around to joining the Freemasons. If I hadn't picked up that blonde that day it would have been impossible for me to get into the Party, and I wouldn't be here today. (Gilbert, G.M., Nuremberg Diary, Da Capo Press, 1995, pp. 15-6.)

From an historian's standpoint, although one occasionally encounters Masonic references in WWII-era diaries from Allied soldiers, very little information is available from the Deutscher soldat's perspective.

This should be interesting, and I wish Bro. Struckmann every success.