The true story behind Netflix WW2 drama Transatlantic

Arriving on Friday, 7 April, Transatlantic is the latest drama to hit Netflix that has its roots in real-life events.

Created by author and screenwriter Anna Winger, the show tells the story of Varian Fry, an American journalist who put his life on the line to travel to Nazi-occupied France to secure the safe escape of writers, artists, creators, refugees and anti-Nazis to America during World War II.

With an ensemble cast that includes Gotham’s Cory Michael Smith and Community’s Gillian Jacobs, Transatlantic is the latest production from Winger — a screenwriter who produced and developed the popular German series Deutschland 83, Deutschland 86, Deutschland 89 and Unorthodox in addition to penning the novel This Must Be the Place.

Read more: Everything new on Netflix in April

Told in German, French and English, it looks set to be your new European drama obsession — but who is the brave individual at its core? Read on to learn the remarkable true story of Varian Fry.

Who was Varian Fry in Transatlantic?

In Netflix’s new mini-series Transatlantic, Cory Michael Smith plays Varian Fry, an American journalist who facilitated a rescue route between Nazi-occupied France and America that ultimately helped around 2000 to 4000 refugees avoid persecution.

Among these refugees were Jewish people and those who were against the war in Germany — but who was the man at the centre of this highly fraught rescue operation?

Varian Fry was born in New York City in 1907 and it wasn’t long before his dedication to helping others materialised. By the age of nine, he was reported to have set up a fundraising operation for the American Red Cross during World War I that involved hosting his own ice cream stand and vaudeville show.

His dedication to doing his part continued into his educational years. Skilled in speaking multiple languages, he developed a keen interest in journalism whilst studying at Harvard University where he eventually founded his own student newspaper, Hound & Horn.

Upon graduating, Fry began working for The Living Age, an American journal that ultimately sent him to Berlin in 1935. It was during his time where he witnessed first-hand the persecution of the Jewish people under Nazi rule.

The experience had a profound impact, with Fry later explaining that he “could not remain idle as long as I had any chances at all of saving even a few of its intended victims."

With a new focus, Fry began writing about the issue in The New York Times and by 1940 he had begun formulating a plan to actively help as many of these persecuted people as he could.

Did Varian Fry save refugees during World War II?

With the support of First Lady Elenor Roosevelt and some friends, Fry formed the Emergency Rescue Committee and travelled to Marseille in France to help those looking to escape the Nazis and ensure that the various issues relating to exit visas were overcome.

Initially, he had just a short list of names that he was hoping to help but word about the ERC soon got out, attracting the attention of hundreds of artists, musicians and anti-Nazi authors in addition to those who were also facing arrest by the Gestapo.

Later, Fry was able to hide a number of people in the Villa Air-Bel before they could be smuggled to Spain, then Portugal before finally arriving in America as refugees.

Along the way, he secured the help of an heiress and art-lover known as Mary Jayne Gold who is brought to life in Transatlantic by Jacobs and helped secure financing for this risky operation.

Throughout this time, thousands of visas were issued in order to ensure the safety of refugees some legally, and some by other means. However, Fry’s clandestine work was soon discovered by French authorities and the United States State Department, forcing him to leave the country in 1941.

Despite this, just a year later the ERC transitioned into the International Relief and Rescue Committee alongside the European International Relief Association. The organisation still exists to this day and offers help to those who need it.

When will Transatlantic be released?

Viewers won’t have to wait long to see Fry's story brought to life on Netflix. Transatlantic debuts on Friday, 7 April and will feature seven episodes.

Transatlantic is released on Friday, 7 April.