What happens
Escape presents Diary of a Madman, first broadcast on January 25, 1953. In November 1942, four German deserters led by Hans Brunner cross the Sahara in a half-track, dreaming of founding an empire in the south. The desert quickly proves deadly as their party is attacked from the air and their water supply dwindles. Karl and Manny begin to question Hans's leadership, and the group's dream of kingship grows increasingly fragile as hardship mounts. The story is written by Les Crutchfield and stars Ben Wright, with Harry Bartell, Lawrence Dobkin, Paul Richards, Edgar Barrier and Barney Phillips in the cast.
The Sahara Desert in North Africa, November to December 1942, and a French fort near the Niger River.
Characters: Hans, Karl, Manny, Gepo, Colonel Boucher
Listen for: Hans's diary entries and the growing tension between him and his companions as their water runs low.
Written from the episode itself; it never gives away the ending. Every recording is remastered for the stream: cleaned of rumble, hiss and mains hum (and the old TV whine where we found it), then levelled in two passes to steady broadcast loudness, so one show is never quieter than the next.