Episode list

This sequence is a double flash-back. First Hesslbarth tells of Barbara Bibiena's visit (played by Elisabeth Müller) in August of 1939 to acquaintances (Zehdenitz family) of her tutor to read a diary. Barbara reading the story becomes a flashback to 1759 and the Battle of Kunersdorf, the Prussian defeat. Barbara and Hans are attracted that evening, and the next morning, visiting the Kunersdorf historic battlefield, they exchange expressions of love. But they are drawn apart.

Koslowski joins them late in the evening, and tells them of meeting with a mysterious young woman on his 1953 trip to his summer cottage in Markegrafpieske, in the GDR. The woman (played by Elisabeth Müller) identifies herself to Koslowski as "Bastienne," This woman is named Barbara "Babsybi" Bibiena, and she has come to Markegrafpieske to find out what happened to the man she loved before the war, Hans Wratislaw, who was killed nearby in the war.

This outline starts with the four friend still at the Jockey-Bar, telling stories. Here Bob Arnoldis (played by Günter Pfitzmann) will be the narrator of his tale, Capriccio Italien. Bob's choice of tale would have been impacted by the appearance of a former romantic interest (in Rome) with her husband at the Jockey-Bar. In his story, it is pre-war, with Bob in civvies traveling by train to Rome. From newspapers read by his compartment-mates, we see that Hitler and Mussolini have just signed an alliance pact. Bob develops three romantic interests in his trip, one on the train, one in Florence, and one in Rome. He canoodles and titillates with all three. At the end of his tale, all his companions have a good laugh. Then his former romantic interest and her husband depart. In the last few minutes of this sequence, our star, Elisabeth Müller (as Bastienne da Babiena) arrives at the Jockey-Bar for her only appearance in this sequence. She is warmly greeting by the four friends and Peter Koslowski (played by Peter Pasetti). At first pleased and seated at the bar, she becomes irritated at Peter and leaves, exiting with the five friends to get in her car, a 1959 Ford Sunliner convertible (this series is set in 1954). Oh well. Before she leaves, she invites Peter Koslowski to join her in the front seat. The car door is opened, and Peter gets in and they drive away together. In the end, one could say she gets the guy for a happy ending.