Hans von Falken

Major Hans von Falken is the principal German antagonist in the 1995 remake of the film Sahara.

Biography
Major von Falken was the leader of several Afrika Korps troops searching for water. An extremely ruthless man even to his own men, and Sergeant Kraus and Private Bergman returned from their scouting mission to tell the Major of the well at Bir Acroma, von Falken, upon learning that Bergman had accepted water from Sergeant Gunn in return for telling him and Captain Halliday the strength of his forces, shot him on the spot. He later bragged about having killed Bergman to a visibly disgusted Gunn during their parley.

He refused Gunn's offer of German guns in exchange for water from the well, and the bloodshed continued. Lieutenant Mueller begged his commanding officer to accept the American's terms, since their men were all dying of thirst, but von Falken refused to bend. When Leroux went for a second parley with the Germans against the wishes of Gunn and Halliday, he stabbed von Falken in the stomach and killed him before being shot and killed by the Major's men.

Von Falken's death signalled the beginning of the end for the Germans. Although the fight over the well continued for some time even after the Major's death, eventually, his leaderless and desperate men surrendered to their enemies in return for water.