Ne tirez pas !

During World War II, as is the case whenever wars are fought, we were witness to the worst atrocities imaginable. The aim of this documentary, however, is not to show the cruelty that man can sometimes be guilty of, but rather, to focus on the great acts of brotherhood that also define us as humans. For while it may be true that war tears men apart, it also sometimes happens that war brings men together.

Our story, whose real hero is human compassion, begins in the icy waters of the Atlantic Ocean on December 27, 1944. It took place between Canadian sailor Stanislas Déry and his German counterpart Peter-Josef Heisig. At the time, the former was at the helm of the corvette, HMCS Saint Thomas, while the latter was the commander of the German submarine U-877.

As it happened, in the midst of fierce fighting pitting enemy against enemy, one of these enemies reached out a hand of brotherhood to the other, saving him from certain death and gaining a lifelong friend. This is what Stanislas Déry did for Peter-Josef Heisig. It was the beginning of an extraordinary friendship that would stay with them for the rest of their lives.