Werner confronts von Rumpel at the LeBlanc house

Werner confronts Reinhold von Rumpel at the LeBlanc House at 4 rue Vauborel while trying to reach Marie-Laure LeBlanc. He enters the ruined building carrying a rifle and a canvas bag, with five rounds left, and climbs toward the transmitter, believing Marie-Laure is high in the house. On the sixth floor he encounters a German officer who recognizes him from the bakery and mistakes their arrival for a shared pursuit. As fire spreads across the landing, von Rumpel points a pistol at Werner; a distraction gives Werner a chance to lunge for Frank Volkheimer’s rifle, and a gunshot follows. The scene’s decisive turn rests on a mistaken assumption of comradeship, a narrowing choice, and an outcome heard before it is fully seen.