Is Blood & Gold a true story?

Robert Maaser firing a pistol in Blood & Gold
Heinrich, the protagonist of Blood & Gold. (Image credit: R. Bajo/Netflix)

Is Blood & Gold a true story? 

Netflix's latest war movie is a far cry from All Quiet on the Western Front. In this war movie, we're transported to 1940s Germany, in the final days of World War Two. There, we're introduced to Heinrich, a soldier who flees his post in the hopes of being reunited with his daughter. 

Nazi forces soon capture and hang him for deserting his post, though a courageous farmer intervenes in the nick of time. After saving his life, Heinrich and the stranger are drawn into a hyper-violent battle between a squad of Nazi soldiers who are ransacking a local town in search of a hidden treasure trove of gold, and the villagers who already unearthed the stash.

Read on to find out more about the Netflix war movie, including whether it's based on a true story or not. 

Is Blood & Gold a true story? 

Blood & Gold is not a true story. Instead, this particular bloody battle between German villagers and the Nazi forces is entirely made up. 

However, the story does have some connection to reality in that Nazi forces seized all kinds of precious valuables and gold from the territories they invaded during the war to continue to finance Hitler's regime. (You can read more about the history of Nazi gold on LiveScience.com)

So, it's easy to see why the particular squad in Blood & Gold is so desperate to get their hands on the hidden stash of gold bars in the movie, and why the villagers are keen to keep it for themselves.  

What is Blood & Gold about? 

Elsa trying to stab a Nazi soldier in Blood & Gold

Heinrich's rescuer, Elsa, takes on one of the soldiers.  (Image credit: R. Bajo/Netflix)

Netflix has helpfully given a full summary of what you can expect to see in Blood & Gold on Tudum. Their summary reads: 

"Germany, spring 1945. After six years of war, German soldier Heinrich has had enough and abandons his post. Eventually, the Nazis catch him and hang him, but as soon as they depart, a woman named Elsa comes along and saves him just in time. As she and her brother, Paule, nurse Heinrich back to health, the Nazis set up in a nearby town, searching for gold that was hidden by a Jewish family. Unbeknownst to the troop, the gold has been unearthed and taken by a group of villagers. Who’ll end up with the gold — and who’ll end up dead — is anyone’s guess."

Who wrote Blood & Gold?

Blood & Gold's script was penned by Stefan Barth. Barth has worked on a variety of other projects, and has writing credits on a range of German shows and movies including Cologne P.D., Motown (which he also directed), Der Clown and Spook Inn.

Blood & Gold is now available to stream exclusively on Netflix. If you're looking for more shows to enjoy, check out our guide to the best Netflix shows you should be streaming right now.

Martin Shore
Staff Writer at WhatToWatch.com

Martin was a Staff Writer with WhatToWatch.com, where he produced a variety of articles focused on the latest and greatest films and TV shows. Now he works for our sister site Tom's Guide in the same role.

Some of his favorite shows are What We Do In The Shadows, Bridgerton, Gangs of London, The Witcher, Doctor Who, and Ghosts. When he’s not watching TV or at the movies, Martin’s probably still in front of a screen playing the latest video games, reading, or watching the NFL.