Wild Geese II (1985) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Hess returns to Spandau because he cannot live with the weight of his past. In Vienna, he confesses he regrets the millions who died because of decisions he made during the war. He tells Haddad, Kathy, and Faulkner that he has no desire to join modern society and prefers to spend his remaining days in the prison where he has been held for decades. His choice represents a form of self-punishment and acceptance of his historical guilt.

• rudolf hess
• spandau prison
• return
• guilt
• world war 2

Faulkner doesn't choose to leave Janders behind - Janders is shot in the leg during the ambush and cannot reach the taxiing Dakota plane in time. As the mob closes in, Janders pleads with his closest ally to end his suffering. Faulkner reluctantly complies, shooting Janders to spare him a worse death. The moment haunts Faulkner throughout the rest of the film.

Foreshadowing: The opening operation establishes the high cost Faulkner pays for failed missions, setting up his emotional burden.

• faulkner
• janders
• dakota
• death
• mercy kill

Hess is the last surviving Nazi leader in captivity and possesses secrets that could topple powerful political figures. An international news network is willing to pay any price to obtain those secrets, which explains why both Western intelligence (Reed-Henry), Eastern bloc operatives (Stroebling), and media moguls are all competing to either free him or keep him imprisoned.

• rudolf hess
• secrets
• political figures
• news network
• spandau

Hourigan, an IRA associate of former prison warden Murphy, replaces Faulkner's medication with LSD during a fever spell. This act creates dangerous hallucinations for Faulkner and tests the loyalties within the team. The reason appears to be internal tension and possible sabotage attempts, though the full motivation remains ambiguous - it may reflect Hourigan's own shadowy past and questionable allegiances.

Foreshadowing: Earlier references to Murphy's era of shadowy choices hint at moral compromises among the team members.

• hourigan
• faulkner
• lsd
• hallucination
• betrayal

Stroebling is a Nazi working for the Soviet side who abducts Haddad to extract information about the mission. He offers Haddad a bargain: drop the threat on Haddad if Hess is handed over and Faulkner is killed. Stroebling represents the Eastern bloc's interest in keeping Hess imprisoned to protect compromising secrets. He is ultimately killed by Reed-Henry when Reed-Henry is manipulated into shooting him during the escape.

Foreshadowing: Haddad's abduction and torture early in the film establishes Stroebling as a major obstacle.

• stroebling
• soviet
• nazi
• abduction
• hess rescue

Reed-Henry, the British colonel who helps facilitate Hess's escape, confesses to his Russian superiors that Hess has escaped. This act of confession likely violates his cover and allegiances. His own men carry out his execution with his own pistol, suggesting he was betrayed by the very side he was working with or that his superiors considered his failure unforgivable.

Foreshadowing: Reed-Henry's involvement with both British intelligence and ambiguous allegiances creates dangerous contradictions.

• reed-henry
• execution
• russians
• confession
• betrayal

Pierre, a fairground wall-of-death rider, performs a staged traffic crash as a distraction to draw attention away from the prison operation. This creates the window the rescue team needs to infiltrate Spandau and execute the swap of Hess with a decoy corpse. Pierre dies in the crash, making his sacrifice a fatal component of the mission.

• pierre
• traffic accident
• distraction
• rescue
• spandau

The team poses as British Royal Military Police to gain access. Hess is sedated and swapped with a look-alike corpse to fool the guards. He is then loaded into a waiting ambulance (disguised as a vehicle) and smuggled out. The operation involves careful timing, disguises, and multiple team members creating diversions.

Foreshadowing: Murphy's training on posing as Royal Military Police earlier sets up this exact approach.

• hess
• corpse swap
• disguise
• spandau
• rescue

Three factions compete for Hess: the international news network seeking his secrets for profit; Western intelligence represented by Reed-Henry who sees Hess's fate as affecting Cold War calculations; and Eastern bloc forces led by Stroebling who want to keep Hess imprisoned to protect compromising information. Haddad, Kathy, and Faulkner must navigate all three while executing their rescue.

Foreshadowing: The parallel introduction of the news network and Hess's political value establishes the competing interests early.

• hess
• news network
• reed-henry
• stroebling
• three-way contest

Haddad is recruited by Michael and Kathy Lukas to free Hess from Spandau. Although Faulkner is asked to lead, he declines and recommends Haddad instead. Haddad has already been avoiding Palestinian hitmen in London, giving him experience in dangerous operations. He travels to Bavaria to plan with Kathy and her allies, and gradually develops a personal connection with Kathy that deepens his commitment to the mission.

Foreshadowing: Haddad's history of dodging hitmen establishes his capability for high-risk operations.

• haddad
• luke family
• recruit
• hess rescue
• motivation

Hess, as a top Nazi leader, acknowledges personal responsibility for the millions killed during World War II. His regret represents the weight of historical guilt he carries. This regret directly influences his decision to return to Spandau rather than enjoy freedom - he sees his continued imprisonment as a form of penance for his wartime actions.

• hess
• regret
• millions died
• world war 2
• guilt

The initial operation to rescue deposed President Julius Limbani appears to work at first but quickly unravels. The mercenary team is exposed, strafed, and napalmed by an enemy aircraft. Most of the fifty-strong unit is killed, forcing Faulkner to attempt escape in an old Dakota. This failed mission establishes the film's themes of high costs and moral compromise.

• limbani
• rescue failed
• napalm
• faulkner
• mercenaries