Original subtitles

December, 1 944.

British and American armies were on the threshold of victory.

Stretched across half of Purope, the Allies gathered themselves...

...for the final assault on Germany.

To the north stood Montgomery's Pighth Army...

...to the south, Patton 's Third.

In the center, along an 88-mile front...

...a few battle-weary American divisions rested in a quiet sector.

To them, the war seemed already won.

This is their story.

We've been flyi ng over these woods al l week.

There's noth i ng but trees . Let's tu rn back.

-Getti ng h u ng ry, J oe? -The war is over.

I hear G H Q is cutti ng orders to sh i p us home for C h ristmas .

The German army sti l l has 6 m i l l ion men carryi ng arms .

I haven 't heard they' re goi ng home for C h ristmas .

H ey, there it is ...

... the German army.

Let's go down and have a look.

- B uzz h i m agai n . I wan na get a pictu re . -O kay.

Th is ti me , g u n you r eng i ne . Make h i m look u p .

It worked .

Swi ng arou nd . I wan na get another one .

Con rad .

I am ashamed of you .

Get u p .

They cou ld have ki l led us , si r.

If you 'd taken the pai ns to have looked carefu l ly...

... you wou ld have observed it was an u narmed recon naissance plane .

You wou ld stay i n the car if it were a fig hter plane shooti ng at us .

I d id not lose a war to d ie i n the back seat of a car.

Does the colonel th i n k any of us has a choice where we wi l l d ie?

I know where you ' l l d ie , Con rad , at home , i n you r own bed .

I s the colonel tryi ng to get rid of me?

I th i n k that the world is goi ng to get rid of both of us .

P ick u p you r cap ! P ut it on .

Try to look l i ke a sold ier!

What good is a sold ier anyhow?

H e wi ns , he loses .

What's he good for anyhow?

Con rad , I 've told you before ...

... never leave the motor ru n n i ng . Petrol is blood .

I ' m sorry, si r.

It won 't happen agai n .

Looks l i ke someth i ng on the g rou nd at 1 0 o'clock. Let's take a look.

N oth i ng .

Let's go home .

Herr Oberst H essler is here .

-Colonel H essler, si r. -Yes .

Wel l , H essler.

It has been a long ti me .

H ow good it is to see you agai n .

You look the same .

Little ...

Little leaner perhaps .

The Russian front does not put meat on a man 's bones , general .

Ah , yes . War is hard on al l of us .

-Central heati ng . -Yeah .

C rystal chandel iers .

You have a n ice cel lar.

F ield Marshal Göri ng gave me that pai nti ng .

Lovely, isn 't it?

I i mag i ne he fou nd a bargai n i n Paris last year.

My corporal 's waiti ng . H e's had a hard d rive .

Do you su ppose there's somewhere i n these ru i ns he can fi nd a bed ?

S it down , H essler.

You have too l ittle faith i n the gen i us of the German people .

A few stones have been knocked down ...

... but ou r cou ntry's strong , u n ited , determ i ned ...

... and more prod uctive than ever.

The Al l ies th i n k that thei r constant ai r raids have u nderm i ned ou r morale .

-Th is they' l l never do . -Why have you sent for me , general ?

You are ou r fi nest panzer com mander, H essler.

You wi l l lead us to victory.

O u r Germany is now l i ke an iceberg .

O n ly a fraction of it can be seen on the su rface .

Let me show you some of the resu lts ...

... of what Germany has prod uced u nderg rou nd .

You wi l l d iscover a new Germany...

... and wi l l take a new pride i n bei ng a German .

O u r latest ai rplane .

A jet.

It fl ies at more than 900 ki lometers per hou r.

With i n six months , we wi l l have enoug h jet fig hters ...

... to shoot down every Al l ied plane i n the ai r.

O u r V- 1 rocket destroyed 20 percent of London .

The V-2 wi l l utterly smash the city.

The new 70-ton Ki ng Tiger tan k.

It has two-and-a-half ti mes the fi repower...

... and dou ble the armor of the American tan ks .

O u r Germany is far from fi n ished , H essler.

It's a very beautifu l model , general .

It proves that the Germans are sti l l the world 's best toy makers .

The toys we are maki ng these days are not for ch i ld ren .

Let me show them to you .

H ands u p ! Get on over.

H old it ! P ut them u p ! Stand agai nst the wal l . P ut them u p , general .

Wel l , boys ...

... looks l i ke we've caug ht ou rselves a cou ple of big fish .

-O ne n ice , fat Kraut trout. -That's enoug h , now.

Sorry, general . We are j ust rehearsi ng a com mando raid .

Very good .

N ot bad , H essler, h u h ?

H ad you fooled , d id n 't they?

Com pletely.

U nfortu nately, I am beyond playi ng games .

O h , th is is no game .

These are German sold iers , al l of them .

Trai ned German sold iers .

D iepel com mands the panzer g renad iers attached to the 1 st Tan k B rigade .

These men wi l l work with h i m .

Major D iepel , ki nd ly explai n O peration Transit to the colonel .

The sold iers wi l l be parach uted beh i nd the American l i nes .

Thei r m ission : To d isru pt enemy com m u n ications .

We have organ ized many such teams .

Each wi l l be led by a man who has actual ly l ived i n America .

Sch u macher here l ived i n Texas for 1 2 years ...

... before retu rn i ng to the fatherland .

Tel l me , l ieutenant, who is you r favorite basebal l player?

- Lou Geh rig . - Because he's h it the most home ru ns?

N o , si r. Babe Ruth h it the most home ru ns , 60 i n 1 927 .

And what's you r opi n ion of Adolf H itler?

As an American , my opi n ion wou ld be offensive to these gentlemen .

Come , l ieutenant. As an American officer, you care noth i ng for German opi n ion .

Adolf H itler is a crazy, Austrian housepai nter.

H e's a mad man who th i n ks he knows more than the whole general 's staff.

And he's lead i ng Germany to com plete , total destruction .

Perhaps you are goi ng too far.

To carry off th is g reat deception , even thei r reflexes m ust be American .

You r reflexes are to be cong ratu lated , l ieutenant.

I nsolent man .

Let h i m have h is fu n now.

If he is captu red , he wi l l be shot as a spy.

And if he su rvives , he can be shot as a traitor.

You m ust ad m it, we are very thoroug h .

Even a pass won 't get you th roug h here .

We wi l l attack th roug h the Loshei m Gap .

It's defended on ly by a si ng le battal ion .

The American d ivision on the Sch nee E ifel wi l l be cut off.

Then the O u r River B ridge wi l l be i n ou r hands .

F rom there , on to Am bléve , with its road network.

I n fou r days , we wi l l be across the River Meuse .

The strateg ic objective?

Antwerp .

By taki ng Antwerp , we spl it the enemy forces i n two .

It wi l l take them 1 8 months to recover.

By then , we wi l l have ai r su periority with ou r jet eng i nes .

And we wi l l have even more sig n ificant weapons .

Weapons wh ich can destroy an enti re city with a si ng le blast.

You have forgotten one i m portant detai l , general .

With thei r present control of the ai r, the Al l ies wi l l smash ou r tan ks ...

... mach i ne-g u n ou r troops , bom b the bridges ...

... and cut ou r com m u n ications .

S u ppose I tel l you there wi l l be no Al l ied planes .

Another secret weapon ?

F rom S pitzbergen , N orway...

... the northern most weather station i n the world .

We have been waiti ng two months for th is report.

"A low-pressu re area over northern E u rope , starti ng Decem ber 1 6th .

Low clouds and fog wh ich wi l l g rou nd al l ai rcraft. "

- H ow long ? - Long enoug h ...

... if we keep strictly to ou r ti metable .

U n usual clock, isn 't it?

It has on ly one cycle .

F ifty hou rs .

We have the resou rces for 50 hou rs , fu l l-scale attack.

Maps , clocks , toys .

B ut with what wi l l I fig ht?

Colonel H essler...

... I ' m putti ng you i n com mand of ou r armored spearhead .

It can be done .

Th is came i n from S HAE F .

I got a C h ristmas cake from home today.

-Th i n k I ' l l sti l l be here to eat it? -Send th is rig ht th roug h .

Develop th is . B ri ng me the pri nts as soon as they come out.

-Yes , si r. - H el lo , Ki ley.

F i nd any Germans u nder you r bed th is morn i ng ?

March i ng arou nd u nder there al l n ig ht. Cou ld n 't sleep a wi n k.

That's an order.

I want every item on that men u del ivered to every sold ier i n the d ivision ...

... especial ly those i n the forward positions .

And I want them del ivered i n ti me for C h ristmas d i n ner.

Cou nteri ntel l igence picked th is u p from an enemy agent.

Dated N ovem ber 29th .

" F rom F ield Marshal Keitel . Most secret.

Officers and men who speak E ng l ish are wanted for special m ission .

Vol u nteers wi l l report to General Koh ler's headq uarters . "

-What do you make of it? -You know my opi n ion .

Th is is one more confi rmation . They' re goi ng to attack.

O h , come on , Ki ley, not that agai n .

They' re probably prepari ng a fifth col u m n to d rop beh i nd ou r l i nes .

Were you i n the State Department too , Ki ley?

I thoug ht you r experience was l i m ited to pol ice work.

H avi ng been an i nspector of pol ice doesn 't d isq ual ify me from th i n ki ng .

Al l cops aren 't flatfoots .

You r l i m ited m i l itary experience ...

... doesn 't i nspi re confidence i n you r concl usions . If you th i n k--

Why do you keep sayi ng they' re mou nti ng an offensive?

I spent 20 years before the war aski ng q uestions .

Ever si nce D-day, you 've had me doi ng the same th i ng ...

... i nterrogati ng prisoners .

I can on ly report what I 've learned .

The German sold ier faci ng us is sti l l an u ndefeated enemy.

H e can sti l l fig ht. H is leaders know that.

As long as he can fig ht, they' l l attack.

I have 1 0 other officers i n my section .

We see the same i nformation , get the same facts as you , Ki ley.

Al l of us come u p with one answer, you come u p with the com plete opposite .

When 1 0 men tel l you you ' re d ru n k, you 'd better l ie down .

Colonel P ritchard , you may be my su perior officer--

H e is .

Excuse me . H ere are the pri nts you wanted .

Than k you .

Look what showed u p on th is one .

I took it over the Arden nes .

I s th is a Tiger tan k, or isn 't it?

So it appears .

O ne tiger doesn 't make a j u ng le , si r.

I expect tigers i n j u ng les . When I d iscover one i n a peacefu l neig h borhood ...

... I recom mend al l of us take a good look u nder ou r beds .

Excuse me , si r.

Step outside .

With you r perm ission , si r.

Th is is from headq uarters , Ki ley. Top-secret.

The Th i rd Army has been ordered to attack the Germans i n the Saar.

General Patton is lau nch i ng the offensive i n two days .

Does it seem possi ble ...

... headq uarters wou ld com m it an enti re army to an offensive i n the south ...

... if there were any possi bi l ity of the Germans attacki ng i n the Arden nes?

With al l d ue respect to headq uarters , they cou ld be wrong .

Send th is to headq uarters anyway.

There seem to be new featu res on that tan k.

-Yes , si r. -Anyth i ng else?

Yes , si r. I 'd l i ke a ru ndown on th is German officer.

-Al l rig ht, send th is along . -Yes , si r.

Get u p to the l i ne and tel l them to g rab some new prisoners .

- I ' m i nterested i n any fresh i nformation . -Yes , si r.

O ne th i ng more . What are you doi ng i n a recon naissance plane?

We' re not payi ng you to be a com bat sold ier.

-Tryi ng to shorten the war by you rself? - N o , si r.

J ust wan na make su re I can enjoy that n ice C h ristmas d i n ner you ordered .

I see the colonel 's i n fi ne appetite agai n .

I am .

J oi n me i n a g lass of wi ne .

Than k you , si r.

-S it down . -Than ks .

Con rad .

S peak.

What does the colonel wish me to say?

S peak you r m i nd , the truth .

Don 't be afraid , Con rad . I m ust have someone to tel l me the truth .

I 've always been fortu nate to serve u nder bri l l iant men ...

...who know everyth i ng .

F rom them , I 've learned one th i ng :

When al l was lost, these bri l l iant men never lost hope .

I ad m i re that.

What else do you ad m i re about these men ?

The i l l usion .

Maybe I ' m not usi ng the rig ht word , colonel .

I ' m not an ed ucated man .

The hope that there is always one more chance .

That is the i l l usion .

Go on , Con rad . Yes , that's very good .

It's not my place to speak of such th i ngs .

Go on .

I order you to .

Colonel ...

... th is new com mand is an i l l usion .

G ive it u p .

I am Marti n H essler.

Fou r years ago , my panzers overran Poland i n one week.

That was no i l l usion .

I n 39 days , my tan ks smashed al l the way to Paris . That was no i l l usion .

I conq uered the C ri mea . That was no i l l usion .

Today...

... I was g iven a brigade of Tiger tan ks .

When I have a brigade of tan ks ...

... that is real ity.

And who wi l l d rive you r tan ks?

The men you led were sold iers . Veteran sold iers .

Are there any left?

What wi l l they g ive you now?

I was by you r side i n Poland , F rance , C ri mea .

Look at me , colonel , I ' m not the same man .

I j u m ped i n a d itch today at the sig ht of an u narmed recon naissance plane .

My two boys remem ber me as a good sold ier.

They wou ld n 't bel ieve it.

B ut, colonel , I am not the on ly one .

H ow su re can you be of the men who wi l l d rive you r tan ks?

Major D iepel ?

- D iepel . - Yep.

I want to see my tan k com manders . H ave them assem bled at once .

Con rad , my boots .

You r com manders , si r.

Boys . Too many boys .

The fi rst battle wi l l tu rn them i nto men .

I n the old days , I l ived six months with my men ...

... before goi ng i nto action . I knew them , they knew me . These are strangers .

Too many boys .

They have never tasted defeat.

Do they know what is expected of them ?

They are ready to d ie for you .

Can you ask more?

S i ng .

Louder.

H old it. H old it.

H old it. H old it.

P u l l u p . We got brass on ou r tai l . Take it--

P u l l it forward , you id iot !

D rop dead . P u l l it forward , you id iot !

J ust a l ittle bit. H old it.

H old it ! H old it !

You ' re d roppi ng my merchand ise !

Barrel and Edd ie , come on out of there .

Come on , Cortland .

D isaster.

Sol id . Some d river, h u h ? Lucky th i ng for you noth i ng 's busted .

-Com plai n to my u n ion . -Yeah , go ahead , tie it u p .

-We near enemy territory yet? -Too near.

-G ive me a cigarette . - I don 't smoke .

Sarge , when wi l l we see some Germans?

- Barrel ? -S moke you r own .

Got a cigarette , Edd ie?

-You kidd i ng ? -You cheapskates .

Reach i nto my bag , get me a carton of cigarettes .

What's with you and the Germans?

N oth i ng . I j ust ai n 't never seen one .

You know, I 've never even seen a German plane .

Sarge , when are we gon na get i n the action ?

What are you , some ki nd of a n ut?

What ki nd of replacements they send i ng us , h u h ?

" I wan na see action . "

-What's th is? - P ut that back. That's merchand ise .

Don 't tel l me there's women where we' re goi ng .

-Who are you gon na g ive these to? -G uffy don 't g ive noth i ng .

- H e's pedd l i ng them . -You keep tyi ng it u p .

- Pedd l i ng them ? To who? -The boys i n the front.

They' re gon na need that i n Germany. There's lots of broads there .

- F rench perfu me . -C ham pag ne .

That's gon na bri ng me 30 bi l ls a bottle where we' re goi ng .

Because there's noth i ng , noth i ng too good for ou r boys .

-Yeah . What's i n here? -That's the mai l .

Are you gon na charge them someth i ng for that too?

- N o , they wou ld n 't sit sti l l for that. -J ust kidd i ng , sarge . J ust kidd i ng .

N o . When you get these thoug hts , tel l me anyway...

... because one th i ng I ' m not goi ng back home agai n is poor.

Keep th i n ki ng , kid . Very n ice .

Germans?

Th is is the u p-front front.

Wide awake bu nch of boys .

- Don 't you people ever post a sentry? - I ' m sorry, si r. I came i n for a second .

What's the matter? C lose the pneu mon ia hole .

-What were you born i n , a barn ? -O h , sorry, si r.

We d id n 't know it was you .

-Major Wolenski ? - H e's over there , si r.

H el lo , colonel . I wasn 't expecti ng a visit or I 'd have had my men smarten u p .

H ow are you ? H ot coffee for the colonel .

Come over and get warm .

You ru n a pretty loose outfit here .

That rad io's been yakki ng between C h ristmas carols we' re al l goi ng home .

H ere , sit down .

It's toug h keepi ng d isci pl i ne when the on ly action ...

... is sitti ng on you r butt to keep warm .

What are the Germans doi ng ?

Same dam n th i ng , except they don 't have any heat.

They gotta exercise to keep from freezi ng .

Wel l , I got a l ittle exercise for you r boys .

I wan na patrol ton ig ht, try to pick u p some prisoners .

Wel l , there they are .

- H ey, sarge , put those blan kets back. -Come on , sh ut the wi ndow.

What do you wan na do that for, sarge?

They' re out of range . They' l l shoot back with someth i ng heavier.

It's you or them , dogface . I need practice .

That's enoug h , sergeant.

If you wan na play with that popg u n , you can go outside .

What do you say I take the men out for a field d ri l l , l ieutenant?

I n th is weather? What for?

Because they' re d ri l l i ng , that's why.

I ' l l let you know when I want a d ri l l , sergeant.

Yes , si r, l ieutenant.

I ' l l take that sergeant.

Al l rig ht. That's al l rig ht. B ut I ' l l pick the rest of you r vol u nteers .

H ere you are , colonel .

We got about th ree hou rs before dark. H ow about some half-and-half?

J ust sweeten it.

You are Colonel H essler?

Who are you ?

H ow d id you get i n here?

General Koh ler's sig natu re is mag ic.

You wi l l excuse us , major.

Before you g ive orders , may I ask you r ran k?

Cou rtesan , fi rst class .

Com pl i ments of General Koh ler.

I th i n k we have covered everyth i ng , colonel .

General Koh ler d id not tel l me you were so handsome .

What d id General Koh ler tel l you about me?

N oth i ng .

Whatever I want to know...

... I ' l l fi nd out for myself.

I ' m very good at that.

Aren 't you goi ng to offer me a d ri n k?

O r have you been at the front so long you have forgotten you r man ners?

What shal l we tal k about?

You r wife perhaps .

Won 't you joi n me?

I am told I ' m an attractive woman .

You are not payi ng m uch attention to me .

Very l ittle has escaped my attention .

General Koh ler d id tel l me one th i ng .

What he ad m i res most about you is you r reputation with the lad ies .

I reg ret that is the opi n ion of my com mand i ng officer.

I have worked very hard to ach ieve a reputation as a sold ier.

Do not the two go together?

G ive the general my com pl i ments . Tel l h i m , "Than k you .

I appreciate h is gestu re . " And good n ig ht.

You can make you r own way out.

Zero minus two hours.

All units ready to attack.

Repeat. Zero minus two hours. All units ready to attack.

-Come on . - P ut them down , d u m m kopf.

H el lo , Ki ley.

I was cu rious to see how you i nterrogate you r prisoners .

My other officers may be aski ng the wrong q uestions .

I ' m afraid you won 't hear any new answers .

Someti mes it's more i m portant what you see than what they say.

Cou ld we get a l ittle more l ig ht i n here?

H ow's that, si r?

So th is is the face of the u ndefeated enemy.

It looks l i ke you 've captu red a S u nday school class .

Th is al l they have left to put i n the front l i nes? Where are the weapons?

H ere , si r.

What's th is?

Sti l l has g rease i n the barrel . It's never been fi red .

- D id they put u p any fig ht? - N o , si r.

J ust gave u p .

Wel l , I ' m not su rprised . They' re on ly ch i ld ren .

Take a good look at them , Ki ley.

They' re not even toug h enoug h to be classified as del i nq uents .

Go ahead and q uestion them . Ask if Germany's gon na wi n the war.

Go ahead , Ki ley.

They cou ld be plants put i n the front l i nes to m islead us .

I want to tal k to you alone , Ki ley.

Escort these prisoners to the rear for proper i nterrogation .

Yes , si r. Move them out.

- Let's go , move it out. -Go !

These prisoners were carryi ng these ru bber hoses .

Send them along , and anyth i ng else you fou nd .

Yes , si r.

Do you actual ly sti l l th i n k the Germans are prepari ng a major offensive?

Yes , si r, colonel , I do .

You mean those kids are replacements for more seasoned troops ...

... sent to the rear to re-form for the big attack?

Yes , si r, colonel , I do .

Ki ley, you ' re crazy. Facts mean noth i ng to you . Evidence means noth i ng .

The on ly th i ng you can see are you r own cockeyed h u nches .

Wel l , that doesn 't work i n the Army.

I ' m recom mend i ng you for transfer to a desk i n Wash i ngton .

You can tel l the president how to ru n the war.

Major.

You make coffee as bad as my wife .

S he always told me I 'd never get along i n the Army.

I never had it so easy i n the pol ice force .

I 've j ust been cou nti ng u p how many ti mes I 've been wrong .

B ut never th is wrong .

Al l the sig ns poi nt to on ly one th i ng .

I s it possi ble they mean someth i ng else?

Maybe th is war is beyond me and maybe Colonel P ritchard 's rig ht.

Ru n ner broug ht th is from headq uarters . It's for you .

O pen it.

Wel l , it's a pictu re of a Kraut colonel and h is service record .

I wanted that.

Wel l , there it is agai n . Panzer officer. F i ne fig hti ng record .

Last reported i n the Russian front com mand i ng a tan k reg i ment.

What's he doi ng here?

I 'd say that proves my poi nt.

Colonel P ritchard wou ld probably say he got fi red for losi ng the war i n Russia .

I don 't know. What do you th i n k?

Wel l , si r. I ' m reg u lar Army. I don 't get i nto beefs between colonels .

B ut I ' l l tel l you what some of my sti r-crazy men th i n k.

They th i n k we got a g reat opportu n ity here .

We got a chance to wi pe out Germany.

J ust wi pe it clean off the map . Knock everyth i ng down ...

... every city...

... every castle , al l the bridges , al l the roads . Everyth i ng .

Don 't leave two stones stand i ng together. J ust wi pe the slate clean .

Tu rn Germany i nto a prai rie , then sh i p over a few buffalo ...

... and let them start from scratch .

N ow, what do you th i n k of that, colonel ?

I th i n k you r men oug ht to wash thei r socks and take a shave . It sti n ks i n here .

-S peak E ng l ish . O n ly E ng l ish . -O kay, l ieutenant.

Let's get th is stuff out of here .

Operation Transit parachuted behind enemy lines.

Repeat. Operation Transit parachuted behind enemy lines.

What the . . . ?

What's that noise?

O n you r feet ! Everybody out !

-Sou nds l i ke a thousand of them . - H ey, C harl ie , get battal ion .

-Get battal ion . -O n the dou ble ! O n the dou ble !

Sergeant, hau l everybody out.

- Everybody out. Come on . - Bazooka men , report to me .

The l i ne's dead , si r.

Go ! Go ! Go !

What's that?

"What's that?" And you wanted to see Germans , rig ht?

Come on ! O n the dou ble !

O n the dou ble !

Tu rn them over! Tu rn them over! Let's go ! Let's go !

Come on , let's get th is baby movi ng .

Colonel Hessler reports panzer Tiger moving to the attack.

No enemy activity.

Northern front reporting panzer Pisen entering Losheim Gap.

No enemy opposition encountered.

Southern front reporting.

All elements of panzer Pisen linking up at road junction 0-2.

Stay on my tai l .

Sold ier.

D id they g ive you basic trai n i ng ?

H ere , you do it th is way.

They' re g reen , never seen action before . What do you expect?

Sergeant, you ' re the anchorman here . N obody moves without orders .

Yes , si r.

Stay here . O ne more man won 't make a d ifference .

- I need to look i nside one of those Tigers . -Al l rig ht, come on .

Relay to Standard O-bay. I 've made contact with enemy.

Meeti ng weak resistance .

Take cover! Make a stand . Take cover! Make a stand .

Make a stand .

Load .

I said , load !

Tiger to Tan k 1 04 . Tan k 1 04 , you ' re blocki ng the road .

Get off the road at once !

There's you r Tiger.

Wait a m i n ute .

You ' re gon na need th is .

Take the g reaser.

Tiger to Tank 1 04, what is your condition ?

Tank 1 04, reply at once.

This is Colonel Hessler.

B utton u p !

Tigers at 11 o'clock.

H it them hard , Edd ie .

They got B lond ie .

Forget it. It's l i ke h itti ng them with ten n is bal ls .

Come on , let's get out of here !

Get down and stay down .

C rawl , you d u m my ! C rawl .

Lieutenant, keep those g renades com i ng .

Fal l back !

Fal l back !

Fal l back !

Fal l back !

Get down .

Get goi ng . Stay low.

H essler to headq uarters .

Resistance very weak.

Southern front reporting.

Commander Nimke encountering light resistance.

Pnemy retreating across river K- 1 0.

- Let's get out of here . - H ey, somebody man th is g u n !

- H ere they come ! -There they are !

G ive me a belt !

H ey, wait for me !

G rab the tai lgate !

Wait for me !

-Where's you r motor pool ? -At reg i ment, fou r ki lometers .

Let's get there . I gotta get back to headq uarters .

-Wait for me ! - H old it a m i n ute !

Wait for me !

We haven 't got a chance .

Relax. Stay loose .

You th i n k we' l l have to su rrender?

Wel l , I hear they treat American prisoners real wel l .

I n a big battle , they treat nobody real wel l .

Come on . There's a back road that leads to the motor pool .

-Maybe we can get us a jeep . - H ow do you know?

Because I stud ied the maps when we arrived here .

J ust l i ke you shou ld 've done .

-What if we ru n i nto thei r l i nes? -We' re sti l l ahead of them .

-They m ig ht have advanced patrols . - It's enoug h trou ble keepi ng al ive ...

... i n th is mess without you bel lyach i ng .

If you wan na su rrender, go ahead . I ' l l make it easier alone .

You ' re out of l i ne , sergeant.

Sorry, l ieutenant.

Look, I don 't need hel p from you . You wan na go on by you rself, go ahead .

Are you com i ng , or am I gon na have to carry you ?

H el lo , C heyen ne .

What's that? You ' re u nder attack?

I n what strength ?

Wel l , what's you r g uess?

I can 't g ive you ai r recon naissance , I ' m bl i nd .

-Get Apache . -Cal l Apache .

Edd ie , what's goi ng on i n you r sector?

It's on ly patrol action . H ow heavy?

Wel l , what does you r recon naissance say? N oth i ng heavy.

We' re tryi ng to get a pictu re . Stay on task.

The fi rst phase of ou r offensive was a success .

The element of su rprise was com plete .

American com m u n ications are i n a tu rmoi l .

We m ust cross the O u r River before the enemy real izes ...

...we have lau nched an al l-out offensive .

I do not bel ieve I gave you perm ission to smoke .

Sorry, si r.

U nfortu nately, we d id not have ti me to get better acq uai nted ...

... but al l of you know my reputation .

My com mand always suffers the h ig hest casualties .

The price of victory is never cheap .

I n th is battle , we wi l l be as hard as ou r tan ks .

I wi l l reach the objectives assig ned to me ...

... no matter what the cost.

S ig nal from headq uarters , colonel .

H essler, I cong ratu late you .

-You ' re on sched u le . - I wi l l reach the O u r River as plan ned .

B ut the enemy m ust not be perm itted to destroy the bridge .

- H as Sch u macher seized it yet? - N ot yet.

Sch u macher's pri mary assig n ment is to d isru pt enemy com m u n ications .

I m ust have that bridge secu red for my tan ks .

I have no ti me to bu i ld bridges .

H essler, you r bridge wi l l be secu red .

We are expecti ng you to cross it accord i ng to the sched u le .

You know you r l i ne of march . Coord i nate with the map .

Con rad , I have a headache .

F i re ! F i re !

Land m i nes ! Why were they not cleared ?

Where are the men with m i ne detectors?

We are movi ng too fast.

The men are fol lowi ng i n trucks .

They are al l dead .

The m i ne exploded d i rectly u nder them .

N otify thei r seconds-i n-com mand to take over.

Tel l them I have absol ute confidence i n them .

We have lost a tan k u n necessari ly.

We've lost precious m i n utes u n necessari ly.

You r troops were here to protect the panzers .

F rom now on , u nti l we clear th is m i nefield ...

... you r men wi l l go ahead of my tan ks .

And have my veh icle repai red at once !

Come on , keep movi ng . Step on it.

N ow, l isten to me , al l of you .

I need precise i nformation :

H ow many men , how many g u ns ...

... how many tan ks the enemy are th rowi ng i nto th is .

H ow m uch fuel are they carryi ng ? And get a move on .

We've got 24 hou rs before we scream rape .

Al l rig ht, Ki ley, it's you r tu rn .

They' re pou ri ng th roug h , general .

C rack troops . B rand-new eq u i pment.

I looked i nside one of thei r tan ks . They can chew u p anyth i ng we've got.

-Q uestion is , where are they goi ng ? - Do you have that i nformation ?

N o , but he does . Colonel H essler...

... the com mand i ng officer of the panzer spearhead .

When we know where he's goi ng ...

...we' l l know the objective of the attack.

The enemy is probi ng at five poi nts along an 85-m i le front.

With on ly that i nformation at ou r d isposal ...

... how can you assu me H essler's col u m n is the spearhead ?

-The law of probabi l ity, Ki ley? - N o , si r.

The law of probabi l ity is agai nst me .

B ut i n the absence of other i nformation , I 've one chance i n five of bei ng rig ht.

- I 'd l i ke to explore that chance . - H ow?

-Wel l , si r-- - I ' l l tel l you how.

Watch the O u r River.

There's on ly one bridge , rig ht here , that can su pport heavy tan ks .

I 'd say that's where H essler wi l l be , and that's where I ' l l be .

Don 't get too close to that bridge . I 've ordered it blown u p .

That's a good th i ng to know. Than ks for the ti p .

Keep movi ng . Keep movi ng . Keep movi ng . Go on , keep movi ng .

Come on , let's go . You there , keep movi ng .

-Come on , let's go . -Come on .

Come on . Come on , let's go .

Let's go . What are you waiti ng for?

Move it. Come on , keep movi ng . Step on it. Get goi ng .

Come on , let's get goi ng . Step on it.

H ey, what are you stoppi ng for?

That sig n . When we came th roug h before ...

- ... I recal l Am bléve was that way. -You ' re blocki ng the road . Get goi ng .

- H u rry u p . -Come on , let's go .

Wait a m i n ute . I tel l you , those sig ns poi nt i n the wrong d i rection .

What's hold i ng u p the parade here?

Somebody's been mon keyi ng arou nd with those road sig ns .

That ai n 't the road to Am bléve .

Two hou rs ago , I came here from Am bléve ...

... over th is exact same road .

N ow, maybe they've moved Am bléve i n the meanti me ...

... but two hou rs ago th is was the road to it.

-Take off, D uq uesne . - Lieutenant, I ' m tel l i ng you--

Lieutenant, tel l you r sergeant to get th is jeep out of here .

Move . That's an order. Move .

Yeah , I hope they enjoy themselves i n Mal medy.

-Come on . We' re getti ng off here . -Wait.

Come on !

J u m p .

H ey, wait a m i n ute . Where we goi ng ?

We' re su pposed to be i n Am bléve .

We' l l get there . I gotta make a picku p fi rst.

- P icku p? - I got some merchand ise i n a farm house .

Germans are com i ng . They' l l steal it. You gotta g ive me a hand .

H ey, you two !

Come on , keep movi ng . Step on it.

Are you the last one? Anybody beh i nd you ?

Yeah , the whole German army. Go ahead .

You there , keep them movi ng . Come on , step on it.

N otify the panzers . The bridge is i ntact.

-Any sig n of the Germans? - N o , not yet.

-What are you men doi ng here? -We got orders to blow the bridge .

- P i le out. -Wait a m i n ute .

That job's bei ng done .

H ow you boys maki ng out?

-J ust about fi n ished . - H u rry u p , wi l l you ?

Get out of here before those Krauts get here .

-You need any hel p? - I got a good idea .

We' l l g ive them al l a hot-water bottle . That water comes straig ht off the ice .

Wel l , I ' m su re loaded with C-4 . Can you use any?

I i mag i ne they cou ld sel l you some .

C l i m b i n .

H ey, why do you got you r wi res hooked on to that detonator?

- I g uess he's i n a h u rry. -To get ki l led ? That's not the way.

Sarge , bri ng a cou ple of men .

We' re gon na take a look u nder that bridge .

Th is ai n 't the road to Am bléve .

That's what the sig n says .

The sig n says thataway, the map says Am bléve was th is way.

Wi l l somebody straig hten th is out?

Am bléve . Am bléve .

- H ey, Wolenski . -O h , colonel .

H ey, we' re al l fou led u p here .

We've been ordered to Am bléve , but the maps don 't j i be with the sig ns .

H ow'd you get off the road ? Th is wi l l take you to Mal medy.

-Am bléve's that way. -That way?

We've been fol lowi ng these road sig ns the whole way.

And the M Ps we ran i nto , they've been d i recti ng us th is way.

They've been changed . They switched them arou nd .

Those M Ps you ran i nto seem okay?

-What do you mean ? -Anyth i ng odd about them ?

J ust reg u lar G I s .

We i ntercepted an enemy d ispatch .

They were recru iti ng E ng l ish-speaki ng Germans .

What ti me d id you cross the O u r River?

8 : 40 . We were last ones across . They were set to blow it.

-You see the bridge blown ? - N o .

B ut I saw the eng i neers setti ng the charges .

H ey, wait a m i n ute . What the hel l ? They weren 't eng i neers , they were M Ps .

M u rphy, get me headq uarters .

And , major, have someone switch that sig n back.

Red River S ix. Come i n , Red River S ix.

-Come in, Red River Two. - Red River S ix, th is is Red River Two .

Germans u n iformed as American M Ps hold i ng O u r River B ridge .

B ridge has not been blown .

Repeat. Germans u n iformed as American M Ps ...

... hold i ng O u r River B ridge . B ridge has not been blown .

Over and out. Let's go .

Better hold it, J ack.

-What happened ? -They ran i nto a fi refig ht.

German patrol .

I don 't see any Germans .

They' re i n the river. They d id n 't make it across .

Get out of here . We' re blowi ng the bridge .

What? Are you su re?

Watch out, the M Ps are Krauts !

O h , my God ! Get down !

Why are we waiti ng ? Get that tan k out of the way.

We are prepari ng to tow it off now, si r.

Tiger to tan ks Leopard and Panther. B last that tan k off the bridge .

It's headq uarters , colonel .

General Koh ler says we are beh i nd sched u le .

H e wants to know what's hold i ng us u p .

Tel l the general the Americans are learn i ng how to retreat.

Tiger to Panther. Get onto the bridge , push that j u n k rig ht out of the way.

Stay down .

M u rphy, cal l headq uarters . Tel l them the O u r River B ridge hasn 't been blown .

-The enemy's crossi ng i n g reat strength . -Yes , si r.

- Let me have you r rifle . -What you need is a can non , si r.

The last ti me I saw that German , al l I had was a camera .

Can 't you h u rry it u p , sergeant? We lost the col u m n .

Do you happen to have a new carbu retor i n you r pocket, l ieutenant?

You mean we' re stuck here?

N ope . We can sti l l wal k.

Let's go .

- H ey, maybe we can get a l ift, h u h ? - H old it.

We better fi nd out j ust who they are fi rst.

Down .

Yeah , Krauts . Back.

If you 'd j ust stayed loose , I cou ld 've gotten them al l .

Americans in headlong retreat. Our forces are advancing on all fronts.

Great numbers of prisoners are being taken.

I got a bad feel i ng about th is .

If you wanted to make a ru n for it, why d id n 't you ?

I ' m i n you r outfit, l ieutenant.

My job is to look out for you , go where you go .

I su re got you i nto the wrong place th is ti me .

B ut I ' m g lad you ' re with me .

When we get to the POW cam p , they' l l separate us ...

... you bei ng an officer.

Yeah .

I ' m gon na m iss you , sergeant.

Ru n !

Keep goi ng !

Get goi ng . Come on , step on it.

- I s she here? - N o .

Wel l , tel l her I ' m back, h u h ?

I want you al l to fan out. Rou nd u p every man that belongs to th is outfit.

We wi l l assem ble here i n 1 0 m i n utes . O n the dou ble .

Let's go .

What's al l th is?

What's it look l i ke? My place of busi ness .

-What are the ch ickens for? -They lay eggs .

Any idea what fresh eggs bri ngs i n these days?

O h , beautifu l , beautifu l .

Al l rig ht, open the door, that's my partner.

Look, ru n down to the tan k park and check us both i n .

- B ut-- -And then report back to me . Go ahead .

The ch ickens look scrawny. H ave you been feed i ng them reg u lar?

I was worried about you .

- I s it true the Germans are com i ng ? - Rig ht th roug h here .

-We gotta sel l everyth i ng , fast. -Then you ' l l leave?

Face it, kid , we' re out of busi ness . O ne case of cham pag ne , $360 .

Two dozen nylons , $80 . Twenty bottles of perfu me , $200 .

S ix h u nd red and forty dol lars . H ere's you r half.

Th ree h u nd red and twenty dol lars . Al l rig ht, what d id you make?

O ne thousand , two h u nd red and th i rty dol lars . H ere .

What have you been sel l i ng ? I don 't see m uch stock gone .

-Take it. - I won 't u nti l I know how you made it.

-What do you th i n k I am ? -What do you th i n k I am ?

- It's money I 've saved for us . - For us? What are you tal ki ng about?

When a woman goes i n busi ness with a man , it means forever.

What's forever? The shop is closed . The Germans are com i ng .

They've been here before .

I 've l ived th roug h it.

I wi l l l ive th roug h it agai n .

I wi l l wait for you .

H ow can you feel th is way about me? I never laid a hand on you .

That's why.

You ' re i n love with me .

J ust a second . H old the phone .

H old the phone , here .

S h ut u p .

You know what?

You ' re rig ht.

There .

You hold al l the money. I gotta go back i n action .

You don 't know what it's l i ke i n com bat.

You get shot, somebody takes you r money.

Before the plasma comes , a g uy's got h is hand i n you r pocket.

G uffy. G uffy.

- I don 't want you to get ki l led . -Who's tal ki ng about getti ng ki l led ?

You take care of the money.

Sarge , the tan ks aren 't there . They've been pu l led back. We gotta catch u p .

So long , partner.

Take care of you rself.

G uffy.

Don 't you want to kiss me?

Don 't forget to feed the ch ickens , h u h ?

Keep movi ng . Let's go , keep movi ng .

Come on , sarge , we gotta catch u p with the tan ks . Let's go !

Good bye , Lou ise !

P ut that i n there .

Come on , get to it. Get to it.

Lion Battal ion , take u p bom bard ment position .

Panther Battal ion , stand by.

-Get started . -Yes , si r.

- H old it. Where you ru n n i ng ? -The Germans are com i ng .

-Where's you r rifle? Where's you r outfit? -Captu red .

- Dead . Gone . They' re al l gone . -Sergeant, stop that man !

H e's not doi ng anyth i ng we aren 't.

We' re stayi ng .

Cou ntermand that order to fal l back.

Al l u n its are to make a stand where they are and fig ht.

And that means everybody. Except tan ks .

C lerks , cooks , bakers , staff officers .

Anybody who can carry a rifle is to use it.

- Ki ley. -Come on , bri ng it al l i n .

It's very d ifficu lt for me to say th is . I was wrong .

-Sergeant, hau l them out agai n . - Everybody out.

Come on , what are you waiti ng for?

Wel l , it looks l i ke we' re stayi ng .

- I never have a rifle when I need one . -Take m i ne .

- It's on the house . - I ' l l retu rn it later.

- Let's go ! - Let's go . Come on .

We' re on the l i ne , si r.

General G rey speaki ng . F red .

I ' m hold i ng at Am bléve , but I can 't last without heavy stuff.

What can you let me have?

1 55s wi l l do the trick. Where are they? O n flatcars .

Are we sti l l hold i ng the rai l l i ne?

Good . N ow, when can you get them here?

Wel l , not later, F red . We' re cou nti ng on you .

B ri ng that am mo u p !

Stack it u p . Position , on the wal l .

Get some beef beh i nd it.

H ey, lay those logs i n there .

Let's go ! Let's move it out.

F i rst P latoon , fol low me . Second P latoon , over there .

F i re .

Sold ier!

Go ! Go !

Everybody out !

-Wait a m i n ute . Where you men goi ng ? -To the shelter.

- N o , you ' re not. G rab you r rifles . - B ut we' re cooks .

Lu nch is over. Get you r rifles and fol low me .

-Stay away from the bu i ld i ngs ! -Sold ier, u p front.

I ' m i n the Ai r Corps .

You ' re i n the i nfantry now. Fol low me .

We' re d rivi ng them back. They' re ru n n i ng .

Th is is on ly the fi rst rou nd .

Why have you stopped ?

They have d ug i n .

- It's a very strong defense . - Bypass it.

- I have considered that. -There's noth i ng to consider.

We m ust measu re what we m ig ht gai n by what we m ig ht lose .

Come on .

You were to have been 1 0 ki lometers west of Am bléve by th is hou r.

Why are you sti l l here?

My fi rst attack fai led . I m ust take Am bléve .

We are wasti ng ti me . Ti me , H essler, you don 't have m uch .

Am bléve is an isolated resistance . Go arou nd it.

We have su rrou nded and bypassed Bastog ne . Do the same .

General , it wi l l be dark i n one hou r.

I want you r perm ission for a n ig ht assau lt with al l my armor.

Colonel H essler...

... you wi l l break off th is engagement, proceed with you r m ission .

-That's an order. -Yes , si r.

General , before you go , may I show you someth i ng ?

What is it?

A chocolate cake .

Wel l ?

It was taken from a captu red American private . It's sti l l fresh .

If you wi l l look at the wrappi ng , general , you wi l l see it comes from Boston .

And ?

General , do you real ize what th is means?

It means that the Americans have fuel and planes ...

... to fly cake across the Atlantic Ocean .

They have no conception of defeat.

We have the opportu n ity here to break thei r morale ...

... to destroy thei r wi l l to fig ht.

That is why you m ust perm it me to red uce Am bléve to ashes .

You have u nti l 0400 .

That is al l .

We have si lenced thei r g u ns . N ow we wi l l attack.

You r i nfantry wi l l go i n with my tan ks .

Yes , si r.

Second P latoon , over there .

Let's go . Move it out.

We'd better get goi ng , si r, before the town is com pletely su rrou nded .

S hal l I send a ru n ner to Major Wolenski tel l i ng h i m to cover ou r withd rawal ?

N o , that's the ki nd of order I g ive to a man myself.

Ai m at the trench !

Some more . Let's get closer.

B ri ng u p some more plastiq ue !

Major Wolenski !

The general .

H u rry u p ! Move that am mo u p !

Wolenski , we've been ordered out.

I ' l l need ti me to save what I can . You r outfit wi l l have to cover the withd rawal .

-They' re com i ng down the ch i m ney, si r. - Do what you can .

-Yes , si r. -Come on .

I on ly loaned you th is rifle .

-See you later, major. -Yes , si r.

S pread out.

B ri ng u p am mo !

S ister.

Colonel , excuse me .

We are looki ng for someone who can hel p .

Be brief.

There are many wou nded townspeople i n the ch u rch cel lar.

We need med ici ne , bandages . Can you spare any?

We have noth i ng to spare .

If there are captu red med ical su ppl ies , g ive them to the n u ns .

Yes , si r. Fol low me .

H e fi red with th is .

J ean , J ean , J ean !

Don 't do anyth i ng to h i m , please .

Th is is the boy's father.

I beg you . H e's j ust a l ittle boy.

H e's my on ly ch i ld .

Don 't do anyth i ng to h i m , please .

Release the boy.

J ean .

S hoot the father.

- Papa ! Papa ! - N o !

Colonel .

The sen ior American officer taken prisoner...

... req uests perm ission to speak with you .

-What does he want? - H e' l l on ly d iscuss it with you .

- Ran k? -Major.

- H e has two m i n utes . -Yes , si r.

Con rad .

-What is th is food ? - It's the best th is town has to offer.

I told you , tan ks ru n on petrol and sold iers ru n on rations .

I m ust eat as my men do so I know how far they can go . Take it away.

-Con rad . -Yeah ?

My C h ristmas present, it's for you r sons .

You r promotion to fi rst sergeant.

My sons than k you .

Go i n .

What is it?

Colonel , stragg lers you 've captu red tel l me ...

... that hel pless American prisoners have been massacred .

-Where? -Mal medy.

And as sen ior officer, I can 't control my men u n less I have you r assu rance ...

... they' l l not be m u rdered . I want you r sig ned order stati ng that my men ...

...wi l l be accorded the protection ...

... g uaranteed prisoners of war by the Geneva Convention .

U n less I retu rn with that order, colonel , the prisoners wi l l riot.

U ndou bted ly, you ' l l ki l l us , but so hel p me ...

...we' l l take a hel l of a lot of you with us .

There wi l l be no sig ned order. There wi l l be no riot.

You wi l l not be al lowed to retu rn to you r men to i nstigate that riot.

You l isten to me , colonel .

There are su rvivors i n al l massacres .

I warn you , if any of my men are harmed ...

... you wi l l be held responsi ble . There wi l l be no place on earth that you can h ide .

And when you ' re fou nd , I hope I ' m the man that ties the rope arou nd you r neck.

Major...

... I have never l i ked th reats .

I do not ki l l prisoners .

B ut I wi l l have no com pu nction at shooti ng you myself for you r last remark.

Then do it.

You are del i berately tryi ng to provoke me .

Yes , colonel , that's rig ht.

If I wal k out of here al ive , I know my men wi l l be properly treated .

D iepel !

Retu rn th is officer to the prisoners' com pou nd , al ive .

Come .

Major, I ' m relyi ng on you to reassu re you r men ...

... I have no ti me for trou blesome prisoners .

Tiger to Standard O-bay, General Koh ler.

You r usual ration , si r.

General Koh ler. H essler.

General , is it true that American prisoners were executed at Mal medy?

There are SS u n its i n the Mal medy sector.

I can 't assu me responsi bi l ity for every sold ier on th is front.

Do you real ize the conseq uences of th is act?

I have lost 1 7 tan ks and a battal ion of men level i ng Am bléve ...

... for the sole pu rpose of red uci ng the enemy's wi l l to fig ht.

Th is massacre wi l l stiffen resistance to us everywhere .

It wi l l tu rn a demoral ized mob i nto aveng i ng sold iers .

You are bei ng i nsolent, colonel .

Concern you rself with you r m ission .

You are to reach Sai nt-M ichel by 1 600 tomorrow.

- Be there . -Yes , si r.

They've taken a beati ng , and they look it.

They' re not a rabble .

They' re retreati ng l i ke sold iers .

There's sti l l fig ht i n them .

Where are we gon na stop and put u p the fig ht?

At ou r last l i ne of defense , the River Meuse .

We' l l cross it and d ig i n on the west ban k.

At least we' l l get the Germans wet.

Sti l l sore I pu l led you out of Am bléve?

I was contri buti ng to the war effort there , si r.

Try to keep you r feet from freezi ng wh i le we fig u re a way to stop them .

They've made m istakes before .

Where have they made one th is ti me?

Wel l , they got me mad at them .

S h ut u p . We' l l get there .

Come on . Come on .

Keep movi ng ! Keep movi ng !

-What's hold i ng you u p? - I ' m out of gas .

I reported low about an hou r ago . Where's the fuel truck?

Get off the road and wait for it. Keep movi ng .

- P u l l it over. -Move it !

Come on !

Keep movi ng .

Keep movi ng . Move it.

Where are you goi ng ? Wi l l you wait a m i n ute?

I need gas .

O h , get down .

Why, you ug ly jerk !

H ere , use you r big mouth on that.

H ey, come on , let's get with it.

What are you laug h i ng at? Come and move th is th i ng .

-You ' re al l wet, sarge . - N ow get it u p .

-What are you gon na do with th is? -"What are you gon na do with th is?"

S i phon with it, id iot. P ut it i n .

-What are you th i n ki ng ? -Same th i ng you are .

Those prisoners you broug ht had ru bber hoses on them .

They've been carryi ng those to si phon gas?

At the O u r River, I saw a German fuel truck...

... d rop oi l d ru ms i n the water, they floated .

-What the hel l are you tal ki ng about? -Gasol i ne , si r.

E m pty fuel d ru ms and men carryi ng si phon hoses add u p to one th i ng .

The Germans are low on gas . They have to forage for it.

That's thei r weakness .

-Get th is off to headq uarters . -S i r.

A, what is the fuel consu m ption of a Tiger tan k?

B , the exact d istance from the S iegfried Li ne to the Meuse River.

C , what is the esti mate of fuel reserves i n the German army?

-That's it. -Yes , si r, rig ht away.

What are you laug h i ng at, you id iot?

What is the situation i n Bastog ne?

O u r forces have com pletely enci rcled the Americans .

Thei r situation is hopeless . They have no recou rse but to su rrender.

H ey, look what's com i ng . Lieutenant !

H alt !

The German com mander wishes to com m u n icate ...

...with the American com mander of the enci rcled town of Bastog ne .

H e's a l ittle busy rig ht now. What's on you r m i nd ?

" F rom the German com mand i ng general to the com mander of American troops ...

... fig hti ng i n Bastog ne .

With the chang i ng fortu nes of war...

... the U . S .A. forces i n and arou nd Bastog ne ...

... have become com pletely su rrou nded by su perior German armored u n its .

The on ly possi bi l ity to spare the American troops ...

... from total an n i h i lation is thei r honorable su rrender...

...wh ich wi l l also prevent the slaug hter of hel pless civi l ians . "

You have one hou r of truce to reply.

B l i ndfold h i m .

Take h i m u p to the com mand post.

Repeat, please .

I s that al l ?

S i r, I have a message from Bastog ne .

What is it?

I don 't u nderstand it.

" F rom the American com mander of Bastog ne to the German com mander.

N uts . "

N uts .

H ey, over there .

H ey, it's an officer.

Boy, are we g lad to see you .

- I haven 't eaten i n 1 2 hou rs . -We got lost.

H old it. Wait a m i n ute .

Do you th i n k we shou ld su rrender, l ieutenant?

S u rrender?

N o .

J ust stay loose , al l of you . Stay loose .

N ow, g ive me that l ig ht.

Al l rig ht, spread out. Get some rest.

We' l l get started when it's l ig ht.

General G rey.

S i r, th is j ust came i n .

-Move along . -Any of you g uys been to Am bléve?

Wait a m i n ute . Wi l l you wait a m i n ute?

-Any of you g uys been to Am bléve? -Come on , G uffy, we' l l get i n trou ble .

I gotta know.

I 've been to Am bléve .

-You know Am bléve i n n ? -Yeah .

Wel l , it's okay, isn 't it?

There's noth i ng left of it.

G uffy, come on .

When are they gon na let us fig ht?

Let's go .

It's here , si r, the i nformation you req uested from headq uarters .

That's it.

They' re ru n n i ng out of gas .

Where's the spearhead of the German advance rig ht now?

We place it fou r m i les past Am bléve , movi ng west.

Where wi l l they be at daybreak?

If they travel al l n ig ht, they shou ld be n i ne m i les d ue east of the fuel depot.

We' l l be there to meet them .

I ' m com m itti ng my tan ks .

We' l l use plan F .

-Get me B l ue Code 301 . -301 .

Al l rig ht, mou nt u p . C ran k them u p . Let's go . Let's go .

Let's go . C ran k them u p , cran k them u p .

Look at that fog .

If it stays , we won 't fi nd them and we won 't fig ht.

If it l ifts , they' l l fi nd us .

And that wi l l be the end of ou r men and ou r tan ks .

And I ' m prayi ng that it l ifts .

What does that make me , Dan ?

A general .

I s that so , general ?

It's very i nteresti ng .

Than k you , general .

O u r col u m n has made the farthest advance .

We have outru n the other panzers . The eyes of Germany are on us .

The F ü h rer h i mself wi l l decorate me .

We have done it, Con rad . We have done it.

Then I was wrong . We have won the war.

N o .

You mean we have lost?

N o .

I don 't u nderstand . If we have not won and we have not lost...

... then what's happen i ng ?

The best th i ng possi ble is happen i ng . The war wi l l go on .

- For how long ? - I ndefi n itely.

O n and on and on .

- B ut it m ust come to an end . -You ' re a fool , Con rad .

Those of us who u nderstood knew, i n 1 941 , we cou ld never wi n .

You mean , colonel , for th ree years , we have been fig hti ng ...

- ...without any hope of victory? -There are many ki nds of victory.

For the German army to su rvive , for us to remai n i n u n iform ...

... that is ou r victory.

Con rad , the world is not goi ng to get rid of us after al l .

B ut when do we go home?

Th is is ou r home .

And my sons? When do I see them ? What wi l l become of them ?

They wi l l become German sold iers , and you wi l l be proud of them .

Con rad .

You sti l l have any of those del icacies left you offered me at Am bléve?

Yes , si r.

P repare them for me , wi l l you ? I ' m i n very good appetite .

-See anyth i ng ? - N oth i ng .

It's l i ke they d isappeared .

-They been spotted yet? - N o , si r.

They m ust have changed cou rse d u ri ng the n ig ht.

Cal l ou r scouts agai n .

-See anyth i ng ? - N oth i ng .

Red River S ix. Red River S ix.

Scouted desig nated territory.

N o sig n of German tan ks .

Can 't see 20 yards . They' re nowhere arou nd , or I 'd hear someth i ng .

Let's be reasonable , colonel .

You expect me to take you u p? N oth i ng 's flyi ng i n th is fog .

That makes it safe . We won 't bu m p i nto another plane .

H ow can we see the panzer col u m n when we have zero visi bi l ity?

You ' l l catch pneu mon ia if you don 't stop arg u i ng . Get beh i nd that stick.

Wait a m i n ute .

Where are the flyi ng orders?

I wan na see them .

I wan na know what l u natic issued them .

There are no orders , J oe . I ' m the l u natic.

Wel l , there's no i nsan ity i n my fam i ly.

If we don 't fi nd that panzer col u m n , there wi l l be no tan k battle .

We' l l have to stop them with i nfantry.

A lot of g uys are gon na d ie to keep you safe and cozy.

You su re know how to h it below the belt. That's d i rty.

We' re not i n a pi l low fig ht, J oe . Sorry it h u rts .

Get i n .

Al l reports negative , si r.

Wel l , they m ust be someplace .

The earth cou ld n 't have j ust swal lowed them u p .

-Send out add itional patrols . -Yes , si r.

What am I doi ng u p here? It's l i ke flyi ng i nside a l ig ht bu l b .

J ust stay on the cou rse I gave you . We' l l fi nd them .

- H ow do you know? - H essler's looki ng for gas .

H e's gam bl i ng on captu ri ng ou r su pply. Get lower.

-We' re down to 500 feet. -We j ust have to pick u p a land mark.

H i l ls are al l arou nd . We' l l pick u p a land mark rig ht i n the kisser.

Try it a l ittle lower.

- I can 't see a dam n th i ng . -Al l rig ht, cut you r eng i ne .

G l ide and l isten . We can hear them .

-Are you tel l i ng me to g l ide at 200 feet? -C ut the tal k and the eng i ne .

- I ' m cal l i ng th is off. -S u re . N ow, let's try it agai n .

O kay, cut you r eng i ne .

If we were 1 00 feet h ig her, I 'd j u m p and leave you here .

Q u iet.

There's the depot.

There's the river.

The col u m n has to be d ue south .

That's you r cou rse .

Get her down , J oe , where we can see .

-What's ou r altitude? - Fou r h u nd red feet.

Al l rig ht, cut the eng i ne .

Do you hear that?

Yeah . We' re goi ng down for a look.

H it you r eng i ne , let's get out of here .

Red River S ix, th is is Red River Two . The enemy col u m n sig hted .

P resent position , map coord i nates : 8-7-3 , 1 -4-4 .

E nemy col u m n sig hted , si r.

Fou nd them .

P resent position , map coord i nates : 8-7-3 , 1 -4-4 .

Repeat. E nemy col u m n sig hted .

Come i n , Red River Two . Come i n , Red River Two .

Come i n , Red River Two .

-Contact broken . -Where's that coord i nate?

- Rig ht here . -What's the terrai n ?

Low rol l i ng h i l ls .

O rder ou r tan ks to i ntercept them at that poi nt.

-Yes , si r. - Red River Two .

-That's Ki ley. - I know.

There's a plane u p there .

H e's i n trou ble .

Med ic ! Med ic !

Sch neider.

F rom S pitzbergen , the weather forecast.

Warm front movi ng i n .

N otify al l col u m ns , weather cleari ng .

E nemy forces are reported crossi ng the River Meuse .

Send scouts forward . I want thei r n u m bers and com position .

Yes , si r.

Con rad . My bi nocu lars .

Con rad ?

I was sayi ng I wanted--

What is it, Con rad ?

N oth i ng , si r.

I was sayi ng I wanted my bi nocu lars .

What's wrong ?

I wou ld l i ke to be transferred to other d uties , si r.

-What is the matter with you ? - Don 't ask me , si r. J ust transfer me .

- For com bat d uty? -Yes , si r.

You want to fig ht? Very ad m i rable , but why?

Personal reasons , si r.

Personal reasons .

Personal reasons? What the devi l are you tryi ng to say?

It's the rig ht of every German sold ier to ask perm ission ...

... for a transfer to other d uties .

It is the rig ht of every com mand i ng officer to know the reason ...

- ... for the transfer, and I want the truth . -The truth ...

... is that I ' m a fool . I bel ieved i n you .

B ut al l you bel ieve i n is the war.

You have the war. You l i ke the war.

And al l I have are my sons , and I don 't want to lose them .

- I ' m not responsi ble for you r ch i ld ren . -You are . You 'd make them sold iers .

-Yes . They wi l l fig ht. -They wi l l d ie .

- If necessary. - N ecessary for who? For you ?

You are not on ly a fool , you are a traitor.

And you are a m u rderer.

You wou ld m u rder my sons . You wou ld m u rder my cou ntry.

You wou ld m u rder the whole world to stay i n that u n iform .

It is on ly the memory of you as a friend ...

... that prevents me from havi ng you cou rt-martialed . Get out.

O u r scouts have sig hted a brigade of med i u m tan ks .

- Lig ht armor at th is poi nt? Any arti l lery? - N one .

-And no i nfantry. -They' re com m itti ng thei r reserves .

We destroy them , they have noth i ng between us and the fuel depot.

-Send al l i nfantry to the rear. -Yes , si r.

D iepel , assig n th is man to fuel trucks .

Yes , si r.

S i r, enemy advanci ng on ou r position .

Good . They've taken the bait.

P ritchard ...

...we' re goi ng to test that i nformation we got from headq uarters .

If it's accu rate ...

...we' l l ru n them out of gas .

Tiger to al l u n its , close hatches . Forward .

B utcher, swi ng u p and take positions on the ridges .

And watch that dam n g u l ly. Th is is no ti me to lose a track.

H ere they come .

H old you r fi re ti l l they' re rig ht on us .

Load with hypershot. Make every one cou nt.

- H old you r fi re . - H ow long ?

U nti l I tel l you !

Attack i n staggered formation .

F i rst, Lion on the assau lt. Second , Panther.

Remem ber, hold you r fi re ti l l they' re with i n effective range .

- H ow long are we gon na wait? - U nti l we can h it a soft spot.

Steady.

Steady.

H old it. H old it.

Let them come on i n . Let them come i n . That's the way.

N ow! Let them have it !

F i re one more rou nd , then let's get the hel l off th is ridge .

There's one com i ng u p over the rise . You see h i m ?

Steady, boy. Ready on .

F i re !

Tiger to Panther, spread out to left. Lion , spread out to rig ht.

We wi l l try to enci rcle .

S herman damaged . We' l l fi n ish it off.

F i re ! It's a h it.

The next, 11 o'clock, 900 .

Get i n among them .

M ix with them so they can 't fi re without h itti ng each other.

B utcher O ne , th is is B utcher Th ree . There's a Kraut at 1 o'clock...

...with a pen nant on h is anten na .

Th is one belongs to me . H e's m i ne .

There he is .

Al l rig ht, kick her left, kid . Left. N ow, hard rig ht ! H ard rig ht !

Stay with them ! Range , 9-0-0 . U p two .

F i re !

Good shot ! We got h i m !

Load agai n . N oth i ng has happened .

H ey, watch it. They see us . H ey, let's get out of here .

Ai m j ust ahead as he ru ns .

F i re !

B utcher O ne , th is is B utcher Th ree .

Come in, Butcher Three. Report damage. Over.

I 've got one dead and two wou nded , but we can sti l l fig ht.

You lost you r g u n . P u l l out. Try to make it back to the assem bly area .

We don 't need a g u n ! We can ram them .

G uffy, you ' re al l busted u p .

Get out of there and make it back to the assem bly area . That's an order. O ut.

Get her over the h i l l .

D river, halt.

Let's try to pick them off.

Ten o'clock. S herman , 800 . F i re !

Baker Battal ion reporti ng i n .

Two tan ks destroyed , one damaged , out of action .

P hantom Battal ion reports six tan ks destroyed , n i ne out of action .

B utcher Battal ion reports 11 tan ks destroyed , eig ht on fi re .

Keep bu rn i ng u p thei r gas .

Com mander to base , I am retu rn i ng to refuel .

We are cutti ng them to pieces .

And they are em ptyi ng ou r tan ks .

They are del i berately sacrifici ng thei r armor to bleed us d ry.

-What is the d istance to the fuel depot? -Twelve ki lometers .

You wi l l conti n ue the battle here .

Let them bel ieve thei r strategy is succeed i ng .

I want 1 5 tan ks and al l the em pty trucks .

- I ' m goi ng on to the depot. -Yes , si r, 1 5 tan ks and fuel trucks .

Forward .

H ey, come on , sold ier. You can make it.

P u l l it off the road !

-Wait ! -Come on ! Come on !

P u l l it off the road ! P u l l it off!

Get off the tan k.

-Stay off the tan k ! -You 've got plenty of room .

-You can carry these g uys . -Th is tan k ai n 't goi ng no place .

Get off the tan k !

Wherever you ' re goi ng , you better wal k.

-What are you waiti ng here for? - For the Germans .

They gotta come by here .

And I sti l l got a mach i ne g u n .

There's not m uch you can do with that.

- H ow m uch am mo do you have left? -Two belts .

That wi l l take care of some of them .

You got a wou nded man . You th i n k you oug ht to get h i m to the med ics?

O h , he's not too bad . H e can sti l l fig ht.

Get on , fel las .

P u l l th is tan k back. H ead it west towards the River Meuse .

I ' m warn i ng you , l ieutenant, stay off my tan k.

E ither put u p that g u n or fi re it, sergeant.

It's okay, sarge . It's okay.

General , another panzer col u m n has been spotted fou r m i les ...

- ... from the River Meuse . -Where d id they come from ?

Get me the officer i n charge of the fuel depot.

Get S i lver C loud 201 . Q u ickly.

It's not a new col u m n .

It's H essler.

- H e sl i pped away from the battle . -The fuel depot, si r.

General G rey speaki ng . I ' m g ivi ng you th is order personal ly.

Destroy the fuel depot at once . I repeat.

Destroy the fuel depot at once.

Yes , si r. I ' l l destroy the depot i m med iately, si r. Set it on fi re .

N o , si r, not a d rop . I ' l l make su re of that, si r. They won 't get a d rop .

Al l rig ht, let's get these bod ies out of here . Let's go . Move !

E l ke and E isner report fuel exhausted , si r.

What's H essler's present position ?

H e reports bei ng th ree ki lometers from the American fuel depot.

We m ust get there .

H e wi l l do it. H essler wi l l do it.

N o shooti ng . I ' l l do the tal ki ng .

Get back to you r post.

- H old it u p there , sergeant. -Stop it.

-What can I do for you boys? -We j ust made it. Cou ld you fi l l her u p?

S u re . G ive you a hand , sold ier. S u re .

Corporal , bri ng some of those cans over here .

A cou ple of you boys hel p out.

Sergeant, we' l l have you gassed u p and on you r way i n no ti me .

Get on you r mach i ne g u n .

- H ey, l ieutenant. -Yeah ?

Weren 't you d i recti ng traffic at the O u r River B ridge?

Does the road to Am bléve sti l l lead to Mal medy?

Stop .

Th is fuel d u m p m ust be taken i ntact.

N o shooti ng .

- Look. Let's get out of here . - H old it. They' l l captu re the gas .

We can 't j ust leave it.

-What are you waiti ng for? Let's go . - H old it ! They' re after the gas .

-We oug ht to blow it u p . -We can 't set a match to al l that.

-We got no orders , l ieutenant. -Yeah ? Wel l , I ' m g ivi ng the orders .

H ey, l ieutenant, one of them is sti l l al ive .

H old it ! H old it ! H e's one of ou rs .

- I got you , colonel . - B u rn it.

-Take it easy. I know what to do . - B u rn it.

-G ive h i m a hand , if you can . - B u rn it.

Come on , I ' m waiti ng for you ! Come on !

Get those barrels off the end of that ram p . H old you r fi re , G uffy.

Move you r tan k beh i nd that pi le u nti l I tel l you to shove .

You , get me some hand g renades off the tan k. Come on .

Come on .

You , get to that gas truck and open al l the valves .

Then get the hel l away from it.

Al l rig ht, rol l them down .

Get off the road .

G ive me a hand g renade .

H e's getti ng away.

O kay, shove .

Don 't stop ! Keep goi ng ! Don 't stop !

Get th is message to headq uarters :

They've abandoned thei r tan ks , and they' re wal ki ng back to Germany.