The Empty Parachute

Prisoners

 * Colonel Hogan - Bob Crane
 * Corporal Louis LeBeau - Robert Clary
 * Corporal Peter Newkirk - Richard Dawson
 * Sergeant James Kinchloe - Ivan Dixon
 * Sergeant Andrew Carter - Larry Hovis

Camp Personnel

 * Kommandant Wilhelm Klink - Werner Klemperer
 * Sergeant Hans Schultz - John Banner

Semi-Regulars

 * Major Wolfgang Hochstetter - Howard Caine

Guest Stars

 * Major Blair - Ronald Long
 * Julius Schlager - Parley Baer

Synopsis
Hogan gets the Germans to look for an allied agent by planting an opened parachute in camp. This will give him an opportunity to get at the briefcase that was handcuffed to a courier.

The episode starts with Schultz bringing Hogan to see Colonel Klink. Klink proceeds to berate Hogan for the actions of his men, who during a work detail, went to a tourist agency and asked for travel folders. He complains about how Hogan's men are hurting his reputation and says that he will be far stricter. Hogan replies in his usual manner ("Gosh all the fun and good times are out."). After a bit more yelling, Hogan goes to leave, but is interrupted by the arrival of Schultz, Major Hochstetter, and Julius Schlager. After introductions, Hochstetter immediately asks why Hogan is there. After Schlager shows his distaste of Hogan (more specifically, Americans) Klink dismisses him. Hogan ignores him and claims that Klink is vicious, and cruel. As Hogan goes to leave he notices that there is a briefcase chained to Schlager's wrist.

Hogan and his men use the coffee pot microphone to listen in to the conversation in Klink's office. Klink offers protection to Schlager. before being shot down by Hochstetter. Schlager explains that he was on a very important mission, and that it was successful and he is bringing the results (which are in the briefcase) to Berlin. He then uses Klink's phone to call Berlin and demands to talk to Hitler. As he starts talking to Hitler, both Klink and Hochstetter jump to attention. Schlager thanks Hitler, and after hanging up says that a Luftwaffe plane is coming to pick him up.

Later Hogan and his men are discussing ways to get the briefcase. Hogan has Newkirk stand next to LeBeau, and asks LeBeau what he would do if he knew that Newkirk was trying to steal his wallet. LeBeau says (and shows) that he would take out his wallet, taunt Newkirk with it, before putting it in his other pocket. Hogan says that that is how they're going to get the briefcase off Schlager's wrist.

Hogan has his men go and plant flowers outside of Klink's quarters while he oversees. Schultz comes over and asks what they are doing. Hogan says its to make them more proud of the camp. Newkirk and Carter come over with a wheelbarrow, and say that Klink wants to see Schultz. Schultz replies that Klink knows where he is if Klink wants him. After Schultz leaves, they dump out the wheelbarrow to reveal a parachute which they place on the ground to make it look like someone had parachuted into the camp. Schultz comes back, and the men 'accidentally' reveal the parachute to him.

Schultz bring the parachute to Klink's office, where Hochstetter and Schlager are with Klink. Hochstetter believes that someone has parachuted in to steal the briefcase and Schlager agrees. Hochstetter yells at Klink for not knowing about it, and Schlager threatens him with a court martial. Hochstetter decides to put the briefcase in a safe place and search the camp for the enemy agent. They put the briefcase in Klink's safe and post a guard.

Klink's men search the camp as Hogan and his men discuss the best way to get into the safe. At a roll call Klink demands that Hogan tell him what he knows and Hogan denies any involvement. After Klink leaves Hogan calls it a hopeless situation, saying that there is no way they can get to the briefcase. Newkirk then asks what the plan is and they huddle as Hogan tells them.

Hochstetter demands to know why Klink has not found the parachutist yet to which Klink replies that he's not in the camp. Hogan comes in and pretends to have just figured out that someone wants what Schlager has. Newkirk comes in and Hogan bamboozles Klink into letting Newkirk clean. Newkirk turn on the radio and the Unsung Heroes broadcast a clip from one of Hitler's speeches. While all the Germans are distracted, Newkirk opens the safe and steals the briefcase. Newkirk leaves with the briefcase, and Hogan leaves as Klink and Hochstetter start fighting over who needs to find the parachutist.

Hogan and his men are trying to open the briefcase when Hogan notices that part of the lock is fake. He realizes the briefcase is booby trapped, and will go off if they try to force it open. He tells Kinch to have London get a demolition expert on the radio to tell them how to open it. The expert suggests ignoring the briefcase, but Hogan says that's not an option. The expert then guides Hogan through opening it. Upon opening the briefcase it is revealed to contain American money. They realize it is fake money, and they must tamper with it. They adjust the plates to have an image of Hitler instead of Alexander Hamilton and add a swastika.

They then go to put the briefcase back in the safe. However as they go to put it back, Schultz comes over and forces Newkirk to go bring food to the tower guards. The men must then improvise. They convince Schultz that they spotted the parachutists and Schultz brings Hogan to see the Kommandant (after Kinch steals one of Schultz's grenades.) In Klink's office Hogan makes them think the parachutists might have stolen the briefcase and Schlager has Klink open the safe to check. As he opens it, Kinch throws the grenade into the room to make them panic. While the Germans are distracted, Hogan puts the briefcase back in the safe. He then calms them down and Klink calls the parachutists an idiot for not even pulling the pin on the grenade.

After Schlager leaves, Klink yells at Hogan for being annoying, and Hogan shows him that the parachute was made in Berlin. Klink doesn't what to be humiliated and so opts to pretend it never happened.

Story Notes

 * This is the one hundred and thirty-second episode of the series, but is the one hundred and twenty-ninth episode shown on television and the eleventh episode shown for the Fifth Season.
 * We get to hear part of an actual speech by Hitler in this episode (any German speakers out there know which one it is?)

Timeline Notes and Speculations

 * This appears to take place in late 1944. The date is keyed to the real-life later stages of Operation Bernhard but skewed somewhat, to account for differences between the real world and the world of the series.
 * The Nazis actually planned to counterfeit American paper money as part of Operation Bernhard. Prototype $100 US dollar notes were actually printed on January 25, 1945, but the full-scale operation was ordered stopped by the RSHA the next day. It was never restarted.
 * When Hogan was a kid, he used to vandalize posters and billboards.

Bloopers

 * At 5:50 the prisoners are unloading a truck. Carter hands down a wooden crate marked "Wein Z." The wine-crate marked with a "Z" is a prop from season 4, episode 22, "The Purchasing Plan." There the "Z" indicates that the crate really contains explosives, not wine.
 * SPECULATION: This is not a blooper and takes place after the Purchasing Plan (which takes place in 1942). The prisoners are still enacting the Klink Plan and distributing either more ammunition or leaving the Z's on boxes to indicate such or to maintain consistency with the original distribution.