Hans Schultz

Oberfeldwebel Hans Schultz is one of the main fictional characters who appeared in the 1960s American sitcom, Hogan's Heroes. He was played by John Banner.

History
Sergeant Hans Schultz was born in Imperial Germany. He apparently had a troubled relationship with his mother. She hit him as a child, "just because he was there." Basically a good-hearted man, Schultz is married and has five children and a nephew named Wolfie.

Schultz was in the German Army in World War I, during which time he saved the life of Leutnant, later Generaloberst Luther Kammler.

Post-Great War
After leaving the army, he finds employment as a toy maker. Although a possible Monarchist, his political affiliation in the 1920s is with the SPD (Social Democrat Party), a member of the Weimar Coalition of parties, which ran Germany before the Great Depression and the rise to power of the Nazis. He also received a German National Sports Badge, indicating that he cut a much slimmer figure than he would have during World War II.

At a New Year's party on December 31, 1919, he met, and later married, his wife, Gretchen. They wed on August 14, 1920, settled down in Heidelberg and had five children. In the year 1926, he became the head of Schatze Toy Company, the largest toy company in Germany. It is to be assumed that he had no pre-war dealings with the Nazis as owner of Schatze Toy, and he calls himself an anti-Nazi on several occasions. He also says, during The Prince from the Phone Company, "Things were so much happier here in Germany when we had an Emperor, oh boy! What am I saying? That's treason. I say nothing! Nothing!" It is also assumed that around this time he had some problems with his eyesight and began to gain weight, since he would weigh somewhere between 250-300 lbs. by the time he was working at Stalag 13.

When World War II begins on September 1, 1939 with the German Invasion of Poland, he is home with his wife, not in the army.

World War II
On March 16, 1940, he rejoined the army, but as a Supply Sergeant in the Luftwaffe. Schultz's rank was Oberfeldwebel, thus making him a platoon leader. He received this rank after World War I (when the Feldwebel grade was divided into several ranks), or at some point during World War II before he was transferred to Stalag 13. While he was in the Luftwaffe, the Nazis took control of his company and converted the toy factory into making materials for the war effort.

Schultz is a guard at Stalag 13 from the day that the camp is opened, soon becoming the Sergeant of the Guard. Within six months of his posting at the camp he is turning a blind eye to what the prisoners are actually doing inside the Stalag. It is not known whether it is his past as a member of the SPD, sympathy to the prisoners and their cause, or resentment at the Nazis' takeover of his company that is the reason for his turning a blind eye to the prisoners' secret activities at the camp. None of these potential reasons are ever explored during the series.

The prisoners occasionally resort to blackmail tactics to keep Schultz from telling what he has seen of the prisoners' operations, and his procurement of contraband material including cameras means being turned in would have dire consequences for fraternization and trading with the enemy. We do know for sure that his sympathy is partly because Schultz doesn't want to get into trouble because he is responsible for making sure that the prisoners don't escape or go against the German war effort.

Instead of reporting any suspicious activity to Kommandant Wilhelm Klink he would announce either - "I know nothing!", "I see nothing!" or "I hear nothing!", thereby he would never know what the prisoners are doing. At other times, especially if he is bribed with Corporal LeBeau's excellent cuisine or items from the prisoners' Red Cross packages, he would tell the prisoners what he knows, sees or hears.

It appears he loves good food and is especially fond of chocolate bars. He also serves Klink as official food taster at parties to make sure the food hasn't been poisoned. Although he is best known for his "I know nothing" phrase, Schultz is also fond of calling someone a "jolly joker" if they smart off too often.

As with Klink, Colonel Hogan and the other prisoners would do what they could to keep Schultz at the prison camp, since his removal would probably lead to a less corruptible Sergeant being sent to the Stalag. Despite this, he is given a 4th grade (a ficitious grade) to his Iron Cross because he stopped an escape. The prisoners wanted him to get the award so that they could rescue Gestapo prisoners, using the award ceremony as a diversion. He usually wears five decorations: The German National Sports badge in Silver; the Iron Cross 2nd Class ribbon, Hamburg Hanseaten Cross, and Four and Eight Year Long Service ribbons. The rifle he carries is a 1898 Krag Jorgensen US rifle -- in the episode "Two Nazis for the Price of One" Schultz deliberately loses his rifle, and in the epsioder "The Collector General" he fires his rifle twice in the air in panic.

On one occasion, when Klink is temporarily relieved of command due to a directive to give non-commissioned officers command experience, Schultz is put in charge of Stalag 13. He soon shows himself to be a reasonably competent leader. He's actually too competent, since he is soon disrupting the prisoners' operations. So the prisoners devise a plan which discredits Schultz, showing his superiors that he is nothing more than the incompetent he has always been, and they soon have Klink back in command of the Stalag. Another time, when an ego driven US Movie star POW (whose contract states that, if captured, he must be exchanged for three enemy generals!) makes a propaganda movie, Schultz is cast as the Camp Commandant and Klink as the Sergeant of the Guard.

Quotes
"I see nothing! NOTHING!"

"''I see nothing, I know nothing!" ''

"I see nothing, I wasn't here, I didn't even wake up this morning!"

"Sometimes I speak and I do not know what I am saying."

"Ach du lieber!"

"In war, I do not like to take sides!"

"Colonel Hogan, if you ever escape, be a good fellow and take me with you."

"All of a sudden the Russian Front sounds very good."

"Flat as a pancake!"

"What do you think? You think I'm a sucker? You think I just got off the bus from Düsseldorf?"

"Jolly joker!"

Links
Robert Hogan
 * Wilhelm Klink
 * General Albert Burkhalter
 * Oberfeldwebel Hans SchultzOberfeldwebel Hans Schultz(german) z