Little Dieter Needs to Fly 26 years old

In 1966, Dieter Dengler was shot down over Laos, captured, and, down to 85 pounds, escaped.

In 1966, Dieter Dengler was shot down over Laos, captured, and, down to 85 pounds, escaped. Barefoot, surviving monsoons, leeches, and machete-wielding villagers, he was rescued. Now, near 60, living on Mt. Tamalpais, Dengler tells his story: a German lad surviving Allied bombings in World War II, postwar poverty, apprenticed to a smith, beaten regularly. At 18, he emigrates and peels potatoes in the U.S. Air Force. He leaves for California and college, then enlistment in the Navy to learn to fly. A quiet man of sorrows tells his story: war, capture, harrowing conditions, escape, and miraculous rescue. Where did he find the strength; how does he now live with his memories?

Credits

Little Dieter Needs to Fly Cast

Name	Character
Werner Herzog He was 56, now 82 years old	as Himself / Narrator

Little Dieter Needs to Fly Crew

Name	Department
Glen Scantlebury as Editor. He was 43 (now 69) years old	Editing
Joe Bini as Editor. He was 35 (now 61) years old	Editing
Lucki Stipetić as Producer.	Production
Rainer Standke as Editor.	Editing
Andre Singer as Executive Producer. He was 53 (now 79) years old	Production