Franz Von Waldheim

"Where are the explosives? Tell me, or I will personally rearrange this officer's splints."

- Franz von Waldheim

Colonel Franz von Waldheim was the main villain of the movie The Train.

Biography
Franz von Waldheim was an art-loving Heer officer in occupied France. When the Germans were retreating from Paris, von Waldheim arranged for a number of paintings to be taken from a French museum and put onto a train bound for Germany. He faced some initial difficulties from his superior General von Lubitz, who initially refused to let him have a train. However, he was able to convince von Lubitz of the paintings' value, and von Lubitz agreed.

Just as the train was loaded and about to depart from Paris, however, von Lubitz rescinded the order, needing the train for troops. Von Waldheim disobeyed, and sent the train ahead anyway with his second in command Captain Schmidt aboard to oversee its safe journey out of France.

The French Resistance made numerous efforts to stop the train and recover the paintings. First, elderly engineer Papa Boule sabotaged the locomotive, and for this he was executed despite train switchman Paul Labiche's pleas to von Waldheim to spare him. Von Waldheim then made Labiche the engineer to replace Boule, placing him and fireman Didont under the supervision of Sergeant Schwartz. Instead of going to Germany, they instead doubled back to the station at Rive-Reine. They threw Schwartz off of the train and then crashed both the detached locomotive and the train itself into the station. As a result, Schmidt was killed and Schwartz wounded, while Labiche and Didont escaped.

A vengeful von Waldheim had the station master executed. He ordered his men to find and kill Labiche, then with Major Herren's assistance he cleared the wreckage. Eventually the French Resistance succeeded in stopping the train despite the Germans taking several French prisoners. Von Waldheim attempted to commandeer a passing retreating German convoy to transport the paintings, but the major in charge refused. Herren opted to accompany him, and Sergeant Schwartz ordered gunner Mueller to kill the French hostages.

They then joined the other German troops in escaping, leaving von Waldheim alone at the train since he refused to join them despite Herren's urging. Labiche soon arrived and confronted von Waldheim who accused him of not actually appreciating the paintings. On seeing the dead hostages, Labiche angrily shot and killed von Waldheim.