Hannie Schaft: The True WWII Story of the Girl with the Red Hair Who Defied Hitler
The True Story of Hannie Schaft - the Girl with the Red Hair
by Susan Goforth, producer of the upcoming feature film The Red Head WWII Action Thriller
There
are moments in history when one ordinary person rises and becomes an
unstoppable force against evil. Hannie Schaft was one of those people.
 |
| The Red Head (c) Pendragon Pictures |
She was not a trained soldier.
She was not born into power.
She was not seeking fame.
She was a teenage university student when Adolf Hitler invaded the Netherlands on May 10, 1940.
And she chose resistance.
This is the true World War II story of Hannie Schaft, the young woman who saved Jewish lives, outwitted the Nazi regime, humiliated Hitler, and became the only woman ever placed on Hitler’s Most Wanted List.
She is remembered today as "The Girl with the Red Hair.”
And she is the story we are bringing to the screen in the live-action war film action-thriller The Red Head.
 |
|
From University Student to Enemy of the Reich
%20Pendragon%20Pictures.png "Hannie Schaft as a teenage college student at University of Amsterdam") |
| The Red Head (c) Pendragon Pictures |
Hannie
Schaft was an ordinary Dutch teenager attending university when the Nazis
occupied her country. Almost instantly, her world shattered.
 |
| Actual photo of Hannie Schaft |
Her
two closest friends, Sonja Frenk and Philine Polak, were expelled from
school, stripped of their human rights, and marked for death for one reason: they
were Jewish.
When
the Nazis declared, “Jews are not Dutch,” Hannie made a
declaration of her own:
“If
they are not Dutch, then neither am I.”
As the Nazis destroyed decency all around, Hannie rose to retain it. With
no military training and no protection, Hannie began stealing government
identification cards, forging documents, and creating false identities to hide
her Jewish friends and move them to safety.
 |
| Actual photos of college students Philine Polak, Hannie Schaft and Sonja Frenk. |
Her friend Philine
Polak survived the Holocaust and credited Hannie with saving her life.
 |
| Philine Lachman-Polak after WWII |
Philine's testimony remains one of the most powerful survivor records of WWII. View her Oral History Interview at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Here:
 |
| Sonja Antoinette Frenk 1920-1943 |
Hannie's friend Sonja Frenk was not so fortunate. Sonya could not sustain life in hiding and contacted an organization that helped people escape in order to buy her way out of the country. Sonja was betrayed while trying to escape, captured by the Nazis, and murdered at Auschwitz on November 23, 1943.
 |
| Memorial Stone where Sonja Frenk is remembered. |
That
betrayal changed Hannie forever.
%20Pendragon%20Pictures.png "Hannie Scaft THE RED HEAD (c) Pendragon Pictures") |
| The Red Head (c) Pendragon Pictures |
The Birth of a Resistance Legend
 |
| Hannie Schaft learning to shoot. The Red Head (c) Pendragon Pictures |
As Nazi genocide spread across Europe, Hannie did not retreat into fear.
She advanced into war.
.png "Preparing to strike. Hannie Schaft in The Red Head (c) Pendragon Pictures") |
| The Red Head (c) Pendragon Pictures |
She
joined the Dutch Resistance and became one of its most daring and
effective operatives:
 |
| The Red Head (c) Pendragon Pictures |
- Smuggling Jewish
adults and children to safety
- Sabotaging Nazi
infrastructure
- Assassinating
collaborators responsible for hunting Jews
.png "The Red Head Copyright Pendragon Pictures")
The Red Head (c) Pendragon Pictures - Gathering
classified intelligence
- Mapping German
V2 rocket launch sites from within enemy territory
- Smuggling that
intelligence to Allied forces
.png "The Red Head Copyright Pendragon Pictures")
These
V2 rocket sites were a direct link to Hitler’s final weapons program, and the intelligence Hannie helped extract played a crucial role in the Allied
push toward victory.
.png "The Red Head (c) Pendragon Pictures") |
| V2 Rocket Site. The Red Head (c) Pendragon Pictures |
Hannie became an invisible force inside the Reich.
%20Pendragon%20Pictures.png) |
| The Red Head (c) Pendragon Pictures |
The
Nazis could not catch her.
They could not identify her.
They could not stop her.
 |
| Help bring The Red Head film to the world. |
Hitler’s Humiliation- The Girl He Could Not Catch
%20Pendragon%20Pictures.png "The RED HEAD (c) Pendragon Pictures") |
The Red Head © 2025 Pendragon Pictures |
Nazis Feared Her.
Hannie Schaft did something no other woman in WWII did:
She embarrassed Adolf Hitler.
So
deeply, in fact, that she was placed on Hitler’s Most Wanted List as “The
Red Head.” She was the only woman ever on that list.
%20Pendragon%20Pictures.png) |
| The Red Head (c) Pendragon Pictures |
To
evade capture, Hannie dyed her hair dark and wore glasses to disappear among
crowds.
.png) |
| Actual photo of Hannie Schaft in disguise. |
But
by then, her legend had already spread across the Netherlands and Europe.
Wherever
Hannie struck, people whispered:
“Hitler
will lose.”
She
became a symbol of hope in the heart of terror.
.png) |
| The Red Head (c) Pendragon Pictures |
Captured, Tortured — And She Never
Spoke
.png "The Red Head Copyright Pendragon Pictures") |
| The Red Head (c) Pendragon Pictures |
In the final months of World War II, Hannie was captured at a routine checkpoint with:
- An illegal
resistance newspaper
- A pistol hidden
in her handbag
She
was imprisoned.
.png "The Red Head feature film copyright Pendragon Pictures") |
| The Red Head (c) Pendragon Pictures |
For
four weeks, she was:
- Starved
- Raped
- Beaten
- Tortured
- Interrogated in
isolation
When
her dyed hair grew out and the red roots appeared, the Nazis realized they had
captured The Red Head.
They
arrested her parents and sent them to a concentration camp in hopes of breaking
her.
She
still remained silent.
Even after the Nazis executed 15 other prisoners in front of her and threatened more will be killed because of her unless she confesses, to stop further killings, Hannie offered only one statement:
“I
am part of the resistance.”
She never gave a single name.
.png) |
| Hannie Schaft in prison days before the Nazis killed her. |
Her Final Defiance
.png "The death of Hannie Schaft. The Red Head feature film. Copyright Pendragon Pictures") |
| The Red Head (c) Pendragon Pictures |
Hitler
personally ordered Hannie Schaft’s execution.
On
April 17, 1945, she was taken to the sand dunes of Overveen to be
murdered.
She
did not go quietly.
When
the first bullets struck and she remained standing, she turned to her
executioners and said:
“You
idiots. I shoot better than you.”
She
was then shot to death.
She
was 24 years old.
The Face of the Dutch Resistance
 |
| Jannetje Johanna (Jo) Schaft AKA "Hannie Schaft" (16 September 1920 – 17 April 1945) |
Today,
Hannie Schaft stands as:
- The face of the Dutch
Resistance
- A symbol of youthful
defiance
- A martyr of anti-fascism
- A heroine of Jewish
resistance
- A reminder that one
person can bend the direction of history
She
is not just a WWII figure.
She
is a warning.
And she is a call to courage.
Why We Are Telling Her Story Now
 |
The Red Head © 2025 Pendragon Pictures |
The
Red Head
is not just a movie.
It
is a declaration that:
- Truth matters
- Courage matters
- Freedom is
fragile
- Silence empowers
tyranny
- One person still
makes a difference
Film
is the single most powerful storytelling force on Earth. It shapes hearts
faster than books. It spreads truth faster than classrooms. It reaches millions
who may never open a history textbook.
This
is why The Red Head must be made now.
Watch the Concept Trailer
🎬 View the official concept trailer for Hannie Schaft's story THE RED HEAD here:👉 https://youtu.be/Nk-bhxlFoD8
This
film will be 100% live-action. No AI characters. No shortcuts. No historical
compromise.
How You Can Become Part of History
If
Hannie’s story moved you — you are already part of this mission.
By
joining our Patreon, you can:
✅ Become part of the filmmaking journey
✅ Receive your name in the film credits
✅ Receive a digital copy of the
completed movie
✅ Directly help bring this true story to
the world
🎟 Support levels:
- $5
- $25
- $100
(or any amount you choose)
You
only need one month of membership to receive all rewards — and you may
switch to Free afterward and stay with us on the journey.
Join here:
👉
For Those Who Want to Go Further
If
you feel called to support this film on a deeper level as a full investor,
I would love to speak with you directly.
📩 Message me anytime at susan_goforth (at) pendragonpictures.com
The Question Hannie Leaves Us With
When
evil rose, she rose higher.
When fear spread, she moved forward.
When silence could save her, she chose truth.
The
only question left is:
What will we do with her example?
 |
| THE RED HEAD An Ordinary Girl Who Became Legend. (c) Pendragon Pictures |
Comments