SYNOPSIS:

A Group of American soldiers take to collecting Nazi souvenirs believing the trinkets protect them from the dangers of battle.

SOUVENIRS TREATMENT

Souvenirs Treatment by: Michael J. Caputo & Keith C. Chase Registered WGAW: 1579276 Based on the 1991 novel SOUVENIRS by Keith C. Chase Caputo Business Services Michael J. Caputo 399 Exchange Street PO Box 131 Athol, MA 01331 617-674-4367 Period: October 1944 Location: Front Lines, Germany Time Lapse: 48 hours Category: WW2 Drama Setting: Gothic German Feel Logline: On the front line in 1944 Germany, a squad of honorable, but superstitious, American Soldiers believe their obsession for Nazi Souvenirs is key to their survival in the most dire of situations. Scene Treatment: 1 Seven weary, battle worn American Soldiers, a Sergeant, two Corporals and four Privates, are escorting four German P.O.W.s on foot. Some insignia have been torn from the German Uniforms. One of the Germans is wounded. A Jeep approaches with TWO RELATIVELY CLEAN SOLDIERS in it. “We're going that way, We can take care of them for you.” Germans are loaded onto the Jeep which drives off over a nearby hill. The seven soldiers turn, bunch up and walk in the other direction. Four clear gun shots are heard followed by the Jeep's engine approaching. As the same Jeep passes one of the men, laughing, calls out “We took care of 'em for you!” SERGEANT GRANT nearly 6', powerful build, close set eyes, severely cautions his men about ever conducting themselves in that fashion; the men in general are mortified at the occurrence. 2 At the edge of a field, the same seven American Soldiers and a Lieutenant are in fox holes overlooking a tree line about 100 yards away. From the trees German machine gun fire sprays the ground near the fox holes. In the field are a number of bodies, two wounded soldiers are calling out for help. One in English, the other in German. There are a number of helmets placed on the parapets of the fox holes making it look like there are more men on the line. CORPORAL CALVIN CUSTEN, age 20, 6' and wiry, adopted son of German-American couple, is distressed. “I can't take it anymore,” he says flatly. Custen hops out of the foxhole. As German machine gunners try to get his range, he runs to WOUNDED AMERICAN #1 and drags him back to the line. Sergeant Grant, is about to chew Custen out for the dumb move when Custen hops back out of the fox hole and runs for WOUNDED GERMAN #1. The German machine gun goes silent as soon as they realize what he is doing. The German is badly wounded, Custen struggles to carry him back to his Fox Hole. LIEUTENANT KAWCZYNSKI, (pronounced Ka-ZIN-ski) 30, likeable Polish-American with curly brown hair and a ready smile; drops into the fox hole with Sergeant Grant and says “I'm putting Custen in for a Silver Star.” Grant agrees but asks that Custen not be informed. Kawczynski agrees Custen would not feel he was due the honor and would likely attempt something that is worthy of it in his own eyes. 3 Incoming artillery fire begins to land in the woods well behind the tree line. Twenty-four German soldiers look across the field at the American position. What appears to be 30 or more men's heads are just peeking out above the fox holes. GERMAN ARMY LIEUTENANT #1 and an impeccably clean SS CAPTAIN #1, tall powerful 'perfect Aryan' appearance, discuss Custen's heroics and their inability to retreat because of the artillery falling behind them. Occasionally the machine gun spits a burst towards the Americans. An authoritative voice calls from behind them with orders to withdraw and rejoin their company. The men start moving the machine gun, the SS officer leading the way comes face to face with Custen and CORPORAL BATES, 6'2” age 32, athletic but famished in appearance, training their rifles on the Germans. The SS Captain sees he has been tricked and begins to draw his side arm. Bates fires his rifle, killing the SS Captain. Custen, in good German asks German Army Lieutenant #1 if he want to be dead like the Captain. The Lieutenant and the other Germans place their weapons in a pile. Grant, Kawczynski and the other four of the seven walk off, guns trained on the TWENTY THREE GERMAN P.O.W.s, hands on their heads as they shuffle along. Custen and Bates sit on the ground near the dead SS Captain, and a number of German corpses. Custen begins taking insignia off the SS Captain's uniform with his bayonet. Securing the holster and pistol, he says, “That's for The Sarge.” Bates who stashes each item in his pack. Custen notices that the SS Captain is his size. Custen's uniform trousers are ragged. He decides to take the SS Captain's trousers. Bates dislikes the idea, Custen puts them on anyway. 4 Custen is having a 'conversation' with the dead SS Captain, telling him if he wasn't a fanatic he would still be alive. Bates joins in mocking the SS officer. PRIVATE THOMAS “MUDPIE” BREWSTER, a grubby, short and hairy married farmer with two children, one of the American Soldiers who had left with Grant, always playing with a fork, appears out of nowhere and cautions the corporals that they would be dead if he was a German. Compliments from the corporals on his stealth do not dissuade him from his primary concern. “Grant's on his way back; did you collect my 'birds?'” Custen hands over the embroidered sleeve insignia taken from the dead SS officer. Mudpie comments on the differences in the embroidered eagles he has collected, he opens a can of SPAM from his backpack, uses it to oil his bayonet then eats the balance of the can's contents. He describes 'collecting souvenirs' from the P.O.W.s. Off hand he mentions “Oh yeah, Kawczynski is dead.” Bates nods. Custen doesn't acknowledge. Grant and the other three men return. The group sits down and exchange souvenirs. Sergeant Grant keeps the SS Captain's Luger. 5 Grant is standing in the empty German machine gun nest looking out at what the Germans had seen. “Looks like there are still a couple dozen men over in those holes,” he says as Bates walks up to him. Bates recalls Mudpie originally wanted to collect helmets. Bates recommends Mudpie be acknowledged for setting up the helmets on the edge of the fox holes. Grant agrees. Bates asks about Kawczynski. Grant blandly relates how Kawczynski died. 6 Custen, PRIVATE ALAN STANFORD, efficient, with a robotic blank expression, a non-drinker, non-smoker, and PRIVATE STEWART, 18 company rifleman, troubled youth with an intermittent nose twitch, lied about his age to enter the war at 16, discuss how they started collecting and how it becoming habitual. Custen tells the details to the two Privates that say nothing. Custen tells stories that explain how collecting has saved their lives, and what happens to those that do not collect. Stories are told of soldiers no longer with them that died on the same day, after flatly refusing to collect with the rest of the squad. Eerily as Custen tells the stories; those listening mouth the word as if participating in a ritual. Their habit satisfies a psychological need. 7 CAPTAIN MITCHELL, quite spiritually voiced, comes past Grant and his men. Mitchell asks Grant why they have not moved up to the line. Grant tells the Captain they have just delivered prisoners to the rear. Grant sends Mudpie to scout ahead and find a Staff Sergeant. Mudpie leaves. Captain Mitchell asks Grant if the men are okay with what happened to Kawczynski. Grant says “The men know Kawczynski didn't collect.” Grant requests a casualty report. Mitchell sends him to find and meet up with a Staff Sergeant for placement assignment on the line for a morning attack on the village. 8 Grant's men are settling in for the night when STAFF SERGEANT TALBOT, an arrogant cowardly, nasty man with a penchant for yelling, far too clean for the front line, calls to Bates and assigns a night patrol duty to “you any three privates.” Bates complains that he and his men have not slept in three days. Talbot berates him for laziness and leaves. Bates tells Mudpie, Stanford and Stewart they have patrol duty. The men drop their packs and helmets. Wearing dark green knit caps and carrying limited weapons they head into the darkness without helmets. Overhead flares and star shells explode in the sky and illuminate the next morning's battle field. The men come to the edge of a farmer's field. In the middle of the field is a burned out American tank. Bates tells the men to split up before they hop over the stone wall. Stewart asks “Is the field Mined?” No one answers, the men spread out, hop the wall and crawl into the knee high grass. 9 Somewhere in a large room AMERICAN GENERAL #1 and AMERICAN COLONEL #1 are discussing the next morning's attack. The Colonel says there are no tanks or artillery to support a morning attack and suggests waiting until mid-afternoon, he mentions that prevailing weather will also keep planes on the ground. MAJOR BROGAN, wearing a West Point Class Ring which he plays with when under pressure, on the other side of the map table tells the general that communications will be down through mid morning. The General overrides their arguments. “ I want that town. I want it tomorrow, I want it before sundown.” Unhappy, the Colonel and Major leave the room. They reach the end of the hallway and turn, one going left, the other right. Major Brogan enters a field office where Captain Mitchell and CAPTAIN #2 and CAPTAIN #3 are nervously waiting. Major Brogan tells them there will be no tanks or artillery and lays out the battle plan. The Captains are not happy and are vocal about it. Major Brogan leaves. The Captains depart. Captain Mitchell in his front line Command Post gives a GROUP OF LIEUTENANTS their orders. With Lieutenant Kawczynski dead, Sergeant Grant is among the Group of Lieutenants. They are visibly upset but give Captain Mitchell a firm “Yes sir!” The Lieutenants depart. Sergeant Grant trudges back to his squad and finds out Talbot sent his men out on patrol. Grant has to man his section of the line with only three exhausted men. 10 Mudpie, on night patrol, comes upon WOUNDED GERMAN SOLDIER #2. Assuming he is dead Mudpie begins to crawl over him. The German, who was left behind wounded, screams as Mudpie's knee compresses him. Stanford hears the scream, which stops abruptly, and seeks Bates. Together they wonder if Mudpie is alive. They decide that he 'collected' this morning and should be safe for the rest of the patrol. They hear the sound of a German flare being launched and cover their eyes. They rush back towards the American Line hoping to take cover behind the burned out American Tank. Stewart catches up to them as the flare ignites in the sky. Stewart reports Mudpie is 'collecting' from the German he crawled over. Mudpie makes it to the tank with news the Germans are coming out of the woods in large numbers. They return to the line. Bates and Mudpie go to the Command Post to report. STAFF SERGEANT ROLAND LA ROSE, Custen's buddy, angry and suspicious French Canadian, competent, supportive of the front line men, he also greatly dislikes Talbot, asks Bates “Everyone back?” hearing an affirmative La Rose begins to comment on Grant's men's extended good luck under trying circumstances. La Rose is upset about Grant's men being used on the Patrol and tries to discuss Talbot with one of the TWO CP LIEUTENANTS that always seem to be in the Command Post. Mudpie interrupts La Rose to report on the German troop movements. The Lieutenants hastily leave the CP. La Rose sends Bates and the Mudpie back to Grant. La Rose turns to the RADIO OPERATOR #1 as they leave. 11 Bates returns to Grant's men who are preparing their weapons. Bates finds Custen asleep and covers the corporal with an extra blanket. American mortar star shells burst over the field illuminating the incoming Germans. The Germans begin to move more quickly. The Americans open fire, killing and wounding dozens but hundreds more Germans are on the way. Hand Grenades are thrown, rifle fire, machine guns and mortar shells are all unleashed on the advancing Germans. The Germans continue to come. Near the burned out tank, some 70 yards away from the American line the Germans set up a machine gun. Grant and PRIVATE REGINALD MACDONALD a tall powerfully built man with fire in his eyes when agitated and seems to be in love with his weapons, have set up the Browning Automatic Rifle near a tree. Bates, Stewart, Stanford and Mudpie have spread out in foxholes. The seven defend a section of the line which should be covered by twenty men. Mudpie shares a two-man foxhole with a soldier from the next company to his right. Just as he fires his rifle, the man in the fox hole with him is killed by the same soldier Mudpie was aiming at. Mudpie curses his timing. It begins to rain. The Germans continue to advance. Stewart, efficiently drops an advancing soldier with each carefully placed shot. Bates notices and calls to anyone who can hear “Aim for the Muzzle flashes.” Custen, incredulously, continues to sleep through the noise. Grant and MacDonald are unsuccessful at taking out the machine gun position with the big Browning. “I know I am hitting them. Why are they still there?” A bazooka-man comes up from behind and takes direction from MacDonald. The missile whooshes into life and explodes near the tank. The machine gun goes silent. 12 Stewart is in his foxhole on the far left of the line segment Grant was assigned. Stanford shares the hole with him. UNNAMED AMERICAN SOLDIER #1 yells from the nest foxhole to his left “I'm hit!” Holding the side of his head, blood seeps between his fingers. Stanford calls for a Medic. The wounded soldier climbs out of the fox hole and runs away from the battle. Stewart continues to fire his rifle at the oncoming Germans. “They keep coming and I keep hitting them, but they keep on coming,” he says to Stanford who has hopped to the next foxhole, taking the position of the wounded man. MEDIC #1 drops in beside Stewart. Stewart points at Stanford and continues to shoot at the Germans who are beginning to withdraw. The medic goes to Stanford who tells him the wounded man has run into the woods. 13 Mudpie is in his fox hole. He takes aim and the German falls to someone else's gunfire. He aims again with similar results. Frustrated he takes aim again only for his next target to collapse after his helmet is blown off. “I might as well join Custen for all the good I am doing here.” Bates seeing the Germans are retreating crawls over to Custen and opens Custen's Poncho and covers the still sleeping man with it. The battle peters out, occasional rifle fire from the Germans is answered with dozens from the American side. SOLDIERS move from position to position handing out ammo, k-rations and water. Grant tells Bates to get some sleep as he and MacDonald take the first watch. 14 The night becomes extremely foggy. The rain continues. Men on watch intensely listen rather than watch. Each squad sets up Listening Posts by sending two men each, crawling several yards forward, with strings attached to their wrists leading back to another soldier who has the other end tied to his. Cautions are voiced about not accidentally tugging the string. Soldiers complain that they are not allowed to smoke and are shushed by others. Only the sounds of wounded German soldiers dying in the field breaks the silence. Stanford complains that they cannot collect and that makes the evening dangerous. Bates and Stewart tell him that the rules of collecting say he is okay til the fog lifts. 15 Morning comes but the fog does not lift. The rain stops. Everything is wet and muddy. In an advanced fox hole listening post two unidentified American Soldiers have fallen asleep. A hand and arm reach out towards them. The uniform sleeve is German. The German taps the closest UNNAMED AMERICAN SOLDIER #2 on the arm insistently. The American awakes and jumps when his eyes open to see the German just inches away. It is a GERMAN MAN, an elderly, sad eyed WWI veteran in a brand new but poorly fitting uniform decorated with ribbons from the previous World War. In his hand he holds a small white handkerchief. He is wounded in both legs. The American doesn't know what to do. He wakes UNNAMED AMERICAN SOLDIER #3 who is in the fox hole with him, and asks for advice. They give the German water and a cigarette. The German is thankful. One of the Americans carries the old man back to the Command Post as a P.O.W. 16 Custen wakes with a start, with fear in his eyes he does not recognize his surroundings. There are faint voices but he cannot make out the language. He is cold, winces with a headache and tries to make sense of his situation. Due to the fog he cannot see farther than the nearest trees. He picks up his wet rifle and takes a few tentative steps. Through the fog the figure of a man appears hunched over a small fire. Suddenly realizing it is Mudpie he approaches. Mudpie, without looking, asks if Custen slept okay, tells him he “missed the show.” Custen wants to know where the German SS Officer they killed the previous afternoon is. Mudpie begins to bring him up to date. While talking Mudpie picks up a metal cup he had heating over the fire to make instant coffee in but it is too hot to hold. Spying a dead Nazi Soldier's arm half unburied by a mortar shell, he uses the corpse's hand to 'hold' the cup. The hand sizzles when the cup is placed in it. Grant and Bates approach. Grant tells the men the counter attack will start in half an hour. Mudpie offers coffee, all want a sip. When he tries to take the cup from its resting place, the corpse's hand has cooked to the cup and he cannot get it free. Using his bayonet the cup is cut free. Each of the men drink from the cup without apparent concern for the flesh hanging from the cup. Grant notices Custen's German trousers. Sergeant La Rose comes to the fire and tells Custen to report to the Command Post to interrogate a German Prisoner. Soldiers come past again and re-supply Grant's men with ammunition and rations. MacDonald is sorting his souvenirs. Mudpie relieves MacDonald at the Browning Rifle and sorts his his German embroidered eagle insignias. 17 Custen and La Rose walk to the Command Post. La Rose asks Custen to join G-2 they need men who can speak German. Custen turns him down, feeling obligated to his group of collectors. La Rose confides to Custen that he is afraid to order them to stop because they seem to have “all the luck.” Custen says “It works for us. I do not know how, or why, but it works.” Passing a group of soldiers, UNNAMED AMERICAN SOLDIER #4 notices Custen's trousers and says “There's one of the Lucky's from Grant's squad.” La Rose wants to know if the trousers are part of his collection. Custen tells him that they just happened to be the right size and his were worn out with no replacement expected. La Rose tells Custen that Kawczynski died at the burned out tank in the middle of the field. La Rose tells him to keep collecting. They arrive at the CP tent. 18 As they enter the tent two Lieutenants and Sergeant Talbot are standing over MEDIC #2 who is bandaging the legs of the Old German Man. La Rose asks where the Captain is. Talbot orders Custen to interrogate the German. “Find out what this bastard knows.” The Lieutenants leave. Custen starts talking calmly to the German who suddenly shows great fear, Custen turns to find Talbot has drawn his pistol and aimed it at the German over Custen's shoulder. Custen, La Rose and Medic #2 tell Talbot to put the gun away. There is an argument. Talbot kicks the P.O.W.'s leg. Talbot is thrust from the tent. Custen converses with the German, they discuss his WW1 decorations and his apparently new WW2 German uniform. The German tells him his brother was killed in last night's fight. They were in the town's fire department. Custen tells La Rose the officials in the area have conscripted all male citizens. “If you can hold a rifle...” TWO CORPSMEN take the German out by stretcher. As Custen leaves the Command Post La Rose asks one more time for Custen to transfer. Custen smiles and declines. 19 Bates and Mudpie are discussing how to split up the many Iron Crosses they are seeing on German uniforms when they collect. They decide to go to Custen for a determination on the rules of collecting. The group is on the front line now, waiting. Mudpie wants to pull a practical joke on an AMERICAN LIEUTENANT #1 that is on a field telephone. Grant stops him. Grant tells his men they are on point in the upcoming attack. Grant instructs his men to collect grenades from German corpses on the way across the field but to not collect souvenirs til the battle is over. American Artillery fires from somewhere behind them and the shells are heard flying overhead. Grant, Custen, Bates, Stewart, MacDonald, Mudpie, Stafford each watch reflectively as the town is shelled, they react when the town's church steeple is destroyed. “No snipers now,” says MacDonald. Bates expresses relief that they have the unexpected artillery barrage. The Americans begin their advance. 20 Leaving the woods, Grant's men approach the burned out Sherman Tank. Many of the dead bodies of Germans turn out to be older men and young boys. Reaching the location of the former German Machine Gun, MacDonald sees the Germans had piled their dead in front of them. “Look at all the holes in them” Mac says. Grant stops to inspect the machine gun nest. “I'd rather not.” replies Custen. As they pick up German Grenades which are scattered among the German dead, Talbot trots up and accuses Grant of stalling. Grant becomes angry and the Sergeants exchange hostile words. Mudpie is behind Talbot, has his rifle aimed at Talbot, “Can I shoot him now Sarge?” Grant is disgusted with Talbot, sends Mudpie to the right flank. A German Assault Gun roars out of the woods and begins to spray the platoon to Grant's left with automatic weapons fire. Grant's men make it back into the woods. The assault gun makes short runs along the woods firing into the treeline to keep the Americans off the field. A sole bazooka-man finds his weapon will not fire and he beats it against a tree. The men hunker down to wait for the assault gun to pass. They discuss possible plans for destroying it which vary from spitballs to brimstone. The rain begins again. With it comes German Mortar shells. 21 The sound of branches snapping startle the group. They wait tensely as the sound comes closer. Stewart sees something move. With the entire squad aiming in the direction of the sound, a cow steps into view. “Something is behind her” Mudpie says. TWO GERMAN SOLDIERS step out from behind the cow and fire on the Americans but Bates had been aiming to the left of the cow and Mudpie to the right killing both Germans. In spite of the automatic weapons fire all around them Mudpie and Bates are unharmed. An AMERICAN PLATOON SERGEANT strides up and tells Grant to move out. Custen and Bates reach the two fallen German Soldiers then lag behind, collecting a button Bates tosses it to MacDonald as he passes. As they are catching up to the squad they come across an SS SOLDIER #1 missing an arm from the elbow down sitting against a tree. He poses no threat. Bates lights a cigarette and gives it to the German. Custen takes the German's rifle and tosses it into the bushes. A breeze rises, the fog begins to thin out, the rain stops along with the German mortar fire. The American Artillery intensifies. They cross the field unopposed, walking through the treeline on the other side and stop, facing a village. 22 As Grant's men make it through the trees an UNNAMED PRIVATE from First Platoon steps up and asks “What do we do now?” Grant suggests he ask his squad leader. “He's dead. So's the rest of my squad. Can I come with you guys?” An AMERICAN LIEUTENANT #2 jogs up, tells Grant to advance as long as the fog covers him. Grant wants to know where the rest of First Platoon is but the Lieutenant does not know. Just as they start out the artillery stops. In the silence, six hundred yards away the town sits at the other edge of a field. The field is uneven, studded with boulders and a gully crosses its middle. Just beyond the gully is a stone wall, the land then slopes up to the first building. With no fog left to cover them they tentatively head out across the field with the unnamed First Platoon Private. Smoke and flames are visible coming from buildings in the town. 23 Custen reaches the wall first, hops it and runs about twenty feet up the hill on the other side. Bates just begins to climb over the wall when Grant tells everyone to take cover. German machine gun fire erupts from a building about 200 yards away. The machine gunner is not accurate but the bullets are still deadly and Custen is in the open. Custen runs for the wall and dives over it, machine gun fire following him. Bates calls Custen's attention to the right where the men of Third Platoon are being killed by a mortar barrage, small arms fire and a machine gun. On his left Grant sees several members of First and Second Platoon clustered together and AMERICAN LIEUTENANT #3 is crawling towards him, stopping at each cluster. Custen calls to Grant and tells him he knows where the machine gun is. Grant tells the Lieutenant that he needs a bazooka or grenade launcher. 24 BAZOOKA-MAN #1 shows up, a plan for covering fire is laid out. He is successful at eliminating the machine gun crew in the bushes near the town. After words of thanks from Grant he heads towards Second Platoon and is killed by a German mortar shell. 25 Grant signals the advance. Mudpie immediately countermands Grant's order. “Landmines” Mudpie points out a number of land mines where Custen had advanced earlier. “See the little prongs where you were Cal?” Custen realizes he had walked into and run out of a mine field unharmed, a fact Mudpie is thrilled to point out. A soldier from Third Platoon tosses his rifle in the air and runs from the battle for the forest behind them. Two others join him. One makes the tree line the other two are shot in the back as they run from the battle. 26 German mortar fire falls closer. Unnamed Private expresses feelings of defeat. Custen decides to be a hero, Bates is trying to talk him out of it when the sound of an approaching tank comes from the trees. Turning to the sound Stewart points out it is an American Sherman Tank with a dozer blade. The tank begins shelling the town. The SHERMAN TANK COMMANDER takes his position behind the 50-caliber machine gun mounted on the back of the tank's turret. He opens fire on the town. The Sherman's smaller gun is also spraying the town attracting attention. The German mortar fire is diverted from the wall towards the tank as they begin walking shells towards it. The tank heads towards the men trapped at the stone wall and a second Sherman appears behind the first, this one without a blade. It too opens fire on the town and the German mortar fire slows. 27 Custen takes everyone's grenades and explains he will use grenades to clear a path through the mine field. Grant declares him a genius and instructs MacDonald to be the first to follow him. Mudpie and Custen are huddled by the wall with the stash of grenades. Custen tosses the first grenade just over the wall. It explodes and covers the two with dirt. “Jeez, drop the next one in my pocket why don't you?” says Mudpie. Custen laughs and drops the next one between Mudpie's feet. Mudpie screams, Custen laughs again, picks it up, arms it by pulling the pin, and tosses it a few feet farther over the wall than the last. Some of the debris from the explosion triggers a nearby mine. 28 Three more tanks arrive and advance towards the town the first American tank is slowly advancing on the town from Grant's left as it clears a route through the mine field. The other four tanks take positions and provide cover fire. German resistance to the tanks is diverted towards Grant's men when their plan becomes apparent. Custen stands to throw the next grenade and a bullet hits his jacket, but not injuring him. Custen sits down and inspects the hole. “You bastard, this coat was perfect,” he says. Throwing the last grenade as far as possible they crouch and wait for the tanks to cross the wall. 29 Grant and his men watch the tanks approach the wall, behind them a company of infantry use the tanks for cover. Soldiers rush from behind the tanks to the wall, a number are killed as soon as they are out from behind the tank. Each of Grant's men absentmindedly touch where they keep their souvenirs. Custen takes another look at the bullet hole in his sleeve. The tank-dozer pushes through the wall to Grant's left. The tank turns left plows the mines under along the wall clearing the way for Second Platoon and the reinforcements. With the Germans firing on the American tanks, Grant's squad goes over the wall and moves towards the town jumping from one grenade crater to the next, using them for cover. 30 The tank-dozer returns from the left. The tank commander is out of the tank manning the 50 caliber gun. He orders the driver to get between the town and Grant's men. The tank's turret rotates, knocking the Tank Commander off. He gets up and begins to remount the tank. The tank is firing its cannon rapidly at something Grant cannot see. Something slams into the far side of the Sherman, knocking the commander to the ground again. Fire is coming out of the turret hatch. Grant's men head for the burning tank. Custen, in the lead reaches the tank and calls back that there are no more mines. The tank Sergeant is beside himself with grief. “They are all gone, can't you smell them burning?” Bates clasps the man on the shoulder “We'll get 'em for you.” 31 Stewart is standing at the corner of the first building in town. Stafford is peeking around the corner at Stewart's waist. They are just staring around the corner. Their rifles are pointed down towards the ground. MacDonald taps Stewart and asks what is around the corner. Stafford says “I, I don't exactly know.” Just past Stafford and Stewart, on the other side of the wall the building is missing. The area is an open small square or marketplace. The ground is riddled with weapons, dropped ammunition, dead soldiers, parts of dead soldiers, helmets, assorted equipment, field packs, both American and German, but no fighting. Two blocks away almost constant weapons fire is heard. 32 As Grant and company move into the marketplace every step rings as they step on or kick aside empty casings from every weapon available in town. In a shell crater two WOUNDED GERMAN SOLDIERS #3 & #4 huddle. They have tossed their helmets away and unbuttoned their uniforms. Neither holds a gun, both are wounded. One is tending to the other man's more serious wounds. Neither pay any attention to Grant and his men who split and walk around the crater disregarding them. Partially hidden from view is a burning German Assault gun. Grant looks from the assault gun over his shoulder to the hole in the burning Sherman. Grant shakes his head, MacDonald asks if anyone got the name of the Tank Commander. No one responds. “Is everyone here?” Grant asks. “'Course,” says Bates. The squad sits down and Stafford passes his canteen around the group. Bates asks “Why are we still alive? All of us. We took everything they could throw at us. How can we still be alive? It doesn't add up.” “Move out,” says Grant. They pass the destroyed German Assault vehicle. 33 On the other side of the barn a GROUP OF SIX RIFLEMEN are popping up and down taking shots at a house farther down the block. “Street fight,” says Bates, “looks like they need help.” Sergeant Grant seems dazed as he looks down the street where numerous exchanges are taking place between buildings. Bates taps his shoulder bringing him around. Grant doesn't want to go in. He feels it is someone else's turn after what they have been through in the last four days. The men are telling each other that they are protected by their souvenir collecting. Grant sees two of the riflemen shot. Both are obviously dead. Grant tells MacDonald to set up the Browning. 34 MacDonald sets up then fires at the house the Germans are in as Grant and the men cross the street. Custen falls and holds his leg. They worry he has been hit but he tells them he tripped. The riflemen open fire on the window MacDonald was shooting at and MacDonald crosses the street to Grant. While he crosses his Browning is hit twice destroying it. From inside the building NAZI #1 is screaming slurs at the Americans in English but they are comically poor English and not very insulting. Custen calls back with some very accurate German insults. 35 MacDonald advances along the building's wall and comes upon THREE WOUNDED AMERICANS. He takes a rifle from one. Just down the street a Sherman tank roars its way through a house and turns towards them. The 30cal gun on the tank fires into the houses as it slowly advances tearing the fronts of the homes into splinters. From one of the houses GERMAN SOLDIER #1 leans out of a window and launches a Panzerschreck anti-tank missile, similar to a bazooka, at the back of the tank which comes to a halt. The tank crew climbs out, one man is on fire. All the American Infantrymen open fire on the building where the Panzerschreck was fired from as the tank crew runs for cover. Nazi #1 stops yelling insults at the Americans. 36 The Americans are pinned down; the Germans have better cover. An AMERICAN LIEUTENANT #4 appears as if out of nowhere and calls out that reinforcements are on the way. He orders the street cleared for them. One of the wounded trio tells him they can't clear the streets without grenades, a bazooka or something. “Then cover me,” he says and runs out into the street. A hail of German bullets seek but do not find him. “Wonder what HE collects?” says Mudpie. Grant tells Mudpie and Custen to go through the house and see what's on the other side. They see all the houses on one side of the street are held by Germans firing across the street at the houses held by the Americans. There are guns pointing out of windows everywhere. It is a senseless, intense and continuous firing of rifles, from one side, machine guns from the other. “Why do the Germans always have the monopoly on automatics?” wonders Custen aloud. In the streets a pair of crows walk aimlessly, and safely, among the insanity. 37 Mudpie and Custen find a ladder and use it to climb to the second floor of the building. Coming in through a window they find an intact bedroom and a very inviting bed. “Oh! Lord! No!” says Mudpie. “Can I touch it?” Custen points at the window where they take up positions on either side. Custen comments they could take out at least two strong points across the street before their position would be found by the Germans if they had rifle grenades. Custen points out a baby carriage in the corner. Mudpie doesn't understand. Custen tells him to lie down and take a nap while he figures something out. 38 Bates is getting angry, he is almost out of bullets. Across the street a HELMET-LESS GERMAN is firing at him while in a neighboring window GERMAN SOLDIER #2 is covering him between shots. Bates knows where they are but can not get a shot off. Lieutenant #4 returns with FIVE MEN, each carrying ammunition. Lieutenant #4 makes it across with an ammo box filled with bazooka rockets. One of the three wounded American Soldiers near Grant yells “Cover those guys!” Three more of them make it. In the street lies two men, each with a bazooka tube. The Lieutenant says they need to get the bazookas. Bates runs for the street, snatches the closest tube as bullets zing past. One of the men says “I'm playing dead.” Bates grabs the man by the collar and, bazooka in the other hand, drags him towards safety. The sounds of the bullets looking for him get louder to his ears and he suddenly feels twice his normal size. Bates realizes he has made a huge mistake. A bullet finds his helmet knocking it off and throwing the Corporal to the ground. Grant is yelling, “Arland where did you get it?” “In the head,” says Bates. There is no wound. Lieutenant #4 asks “How's your man, Sergeant?” Grant tells him Bates is OK just as Custen returns and sees Bates laying on the ground without a helmet or his glasses. Custen is stunned. Bates reassures Custen. Grant wants to know where Custen and Mudpie have been. “I have a plan...” says Custen. The ammunition in the burning Sherman down the block explodes. Buildings on both sides of the street catch fire. “I need all the TNT we have Sarge.” Lieutenant #4 tells them grenades have been used up but the Germans are still in the large bank with the stone facade. 39 Bates tosses Custen three satchel charges. The two Corporals head back into the house, climb the ladder and enter. Reaching the bedroom Bates hears the sound of heavy snoring. Custen says ”Mudpie fell in love with a bed.” They wake Mudpie set about rigging the three satchel charges together and packaging them in the baby carriage. Directly across the street is a bank the Germans are using as a stronghold. Mudpie sets up in the window to give cover fire as Custen prepares to run the carriage across the street. 40 One of the soldiers that resupplied Grant and the others, has his head too high and takes a bullet through his helmet. Bits of gore spray Stanford. Lieutenant #4 asks Grant if Bates took all three satchel charges. Grant affirms that and the Lieutenant suggests they pull back so they are not hurt by the explosion. Grant suggests they move over where the ladder is and Lieutenant #4 says it isn't safe, three satchel charges will level the house. 41 Bates and Custen, with the baby carriage, have a similar discussion and decide to use two charges. Mudpie opens fire on a signal from Bates. The survivors of the two squads, down on the street, hear Mudpie's automatic fire and open fire on the building as well. Custen pushes the carriage out the door and trips as he starts across the street. “Push it!” yells Bates. Custen takes three long strides and shoves the carriage towards the bank. A FEW GERMANS realize what is happening and try to stop the carriage from making it. One is hit and falls from the window landing head first, his helmet clanging against the cobblestones. The carriage comes to rest against the wooden door of the bank. Custen dives back through the door to the house Bates and Mudpie are in. Bates slams the door shut and screams for Mudpie to get down. The charges go off. The explosion is tremendous. It rains glass, wood, furniture, everything imaginable. Mudpie's nose bleeds. Bates, and Custen see the debris raining down but cannot hear each other. Mudpie rushes downstairs, he and Custen lift the heavy door off of Bates. The three communicate with hand signals, none of their ears are working. 42 Custen and Mudpie head across the street. Mudpie looks sick. “Would it help if you puked?” Custen asks. Bates points to Stewart, who is vomiting into the torso of an SS corpse, “Got your fork?” he asks Mudpie. Most of the village is in American hands. The two visible Sherman tanks are destroyed, blocking streets at various points. The streets are strewn with corpses, American and German. Grant signals his men to gather and tells them they have been assigned to secure the block including the remains of the stronghold Bates and Custen have obliterated and the houses and buildings left standing. Lieutenant #4 asks the names of the men responsible for destroying the German Stronghold. Grant gives him the names of the two Corporals and “Mudpie, ah Private Brewster.” Lieutenant #4 scribbles the names in a notebook. He shakes hands with Grant and says he hopes they will meet again. He signals some waiting riflemen and they head towards the fighting. 43 Grant's squad is standing in front of the collapsed building. The facade is gone. The road is impassible due to a collection of twisted furniture, doors, bodies, helmets, body parts, and assorted parts of the fronts of the stone building and the houses across the street. “What a mess.” says Mudpie. “More men were in there than I ever considered,” says Grant. Stanford spies a closed door exposed on the first floor of the building and points to it. The group clambers over the rubble to the door. The men are reloading or checking the ammo in their guns as they go. Reaching the door Grant motions to Mudpie who prepares to kick in the door. Mudpie draws back his foot, braces himself and indicates he will hit it on “three.” Mouthing the words he indicates 'One... Two...” and there is the sound of glass in the next room followed by a heavy footstep. The sound of organ music fills the air. Mudpie kicks the door open. On the other side SS OFFICER #1 is standing, arms at his side, uniform well bloodied; his face ghoulishly white. “American Bastarden. I die.” The Nazi falls face first just short of Mudpie. The men lower their weapons. MacDonald pushes past them and shoots the Gramophone playing Bach. Unsatisfied he knocks it to the floor and smashes it repeatedly with the butt of his rifle until Grant stops him. 44 Turning to his men Grant finds Stewart watching the door, the rest encircling the SS Officer's corpse like a ring of vultures. Custen takes the ribbon bar and pulls it off, handing it to Bates. The picking begun they descend on the corpse, each pulling their souvenir. Stewart leaves his post at the door. “Lemme at the bastard,” he snarls. The group turns with a start towards a low guttural grunt within the room. Grant is squatting, cradling a pistol as if it were a baby. He draws yesterday's prize and presents it to Custen saying he will have earned it if he cleans it. “Are we done here?” Grant asks. The men appear satisfied. “Like Thanksgiving Dinner, Sarge,” says MacDonald. 45 The squad moves from room to room securing the building. They operate methodically, efficiently, mechanically showing their precision and complete trust in each other. Mudpie begins turning doorknobs first and swinging doors open. Grant wonders why the building has not caught fire. They come to a stairwell. Grant sends Bates and Custen down to check the cellar. Bates pulls the pin from a grenade and is about to drop it down the stairwell when Grant whistles and holds up a finger. Bates freezes with an armed grenade in his hand. Grant, Mudpie, Stanford and Stewart noisily ascend the stairs, heading for the upper floors. Custen, appearing grim is looking up the stairs, Bates looking down. When Grant is heard walking on the upper hallway floor Custen smiles; Bates hurls the grenade, they duck and the grenade goes off. 46 Custen and Bates are in the cellar. Custen lights a candle and adheres it to the muzzle of his rifle, using it as a candelabra , he holds it towards what turns out to be a tunnel to the building next door. “Looks like they tunneled all the way down the street.” Custen moves into the next building. Bates berates his lack of caution. Bates finds and begins rummaging through a German rucksack. Custen finds a ladder to the ceiling. He taps Bates and points up mouthing the words 'trap door.' Bates blows out the candle. 47 Exploding from the trap door in the middle of the room Custen rolls out to one side of the trap door and into an empty room. Bates' head, and pistol clenching hand, is above the floor line almost instantaneously and pointed in the direction opposite Custen. “I hate being on the wrong side of a door.” Custen wishes for more grenades. Bates briefly reminisces about the girl he met in France. Custen pulls out cigars and the Corporals sit down to smoke. Bates wants to finish checking the house. Custen offers to do it alone saying there isn't anyone left or they would have been dead coming out of the trap door. The sound of a nearby grenade explosion causes them to jump. “Grant,” they say in unison getting up to continue their search. Room by room they find nothing. Each door is a new source of terror until it is opened and the room beyond cleared. Coming to the end of the hall on the second floor, in the last room, they find a narrow staircase to an attic. 48 Grant and the others are exiting the building next door. Grant tells Mudpie and Stanford to go around back of the house Custen and Bates are in. Grant, Stewart and MacDonald head for the street to go in the front. Across the street, other American teams are clearing houses. Mudpie and Stanford round the corner. Mudpie stops Stanford and asks for his canteen, Mudpie produces a half flask of cognac and pours it into the canteen. The men smile over their good fortune. 49 Bates bemoans the lack of grenades to 'do the attic right.' Lightning strikes and it starts raining. Rain is coming through the punctured roof. Custen hangs his head, sighs deeply and moves towards the stairwell. “Kommen sie raus! Oder wir werfen eine granat!” he shouts. Bates translates. Custen applauds Bates' improving German. Custen starts up the stairs and Bates warns him to be cautious at the floor level. Custen places his helmet on his rifle and lifts it into the attic slowly. A board creaks and a jackboot knocks the helmet off the rifle, and Custen off balance. Several shots are heard and the staircase splinters around Custen. Custen cries out, bullets fly past his face, one lifting his hair as it passes. Custen and Bates return fire. As they go up a few steps they continue to fire blindly into the dark attic. 50 Mudpie and Stanford hear the gunfire and rush up the stairs from the first floor. Reaching the room with the staircase they enter in time to see an empty ammunition clip drop down the stairs into the room followed by Custen's pistol. Clicking is heard as both Bates and Custen try to continue shooting. Custen falls out of the stairwell. Mudpie rushes over to check the Corporal. Bates is on the attic stairway. There are an amazing number of bullet holes in the wall where Custen had been standing, miraculously they skip the spot where he was. Bates looks at the splintered stairway rail and the wall and pushes a new clip into his rifle. Shoving the bolt home he quickly peers over the top of the stairs and finds the ARTILLERY SOLDIER IN ATTIC laying on the floor dead. A quick sweep around the room confirms the enemy was alone. Mudpie calls up the stairs. Bates calls down the stairs. Mudpie asks Custen where he is hit. Custen shakes his head and mouths the word 'no.' Stanford offers Custen his canteen. Custen finds his voice and says “Souvenirs. Upstairs.” “You bet.”Mudpie says. Entering the stairway he finds Bates is still frozen there with his rifle pointed at the German. Custen asks where Grant is. Mudpie returns from the attic, they head down to the first floor. 51 Grant's squad is gathered in the room where Bates and Custen were smoking earlier. Mudpie is distributing souvenirs from the dead German in the attic. Custen hears a noise. He follows the sound with the others in tow. In a pile of rubble he hears a whimper. Looking closely he sees a pair of eyes. As Custen removes rubble the whole squad trains their weapons on the trapped person. Custen finds it is an elderly frail PEASANT WOMAN, easily 70 years old but looking much older. Her jaw quivering, wanting to speak but not knowing what to say. In the crook of her arm is a kitten. “O Good Lord no,” says Custen. The rifles are lowered and Custen tenderly brushes dust from her face and speaks softly to her in German. Her voice is barely a hum. She tells him HER HUSBAND is trapped beside her. The men dig debris away and find a heavy leather chair, the mate to the one Custen was sitting in as he smoked. The woman tells Custen her husband was hiding behind it when the wall came down. They uncover him, Custen pronounces him alive, tears come to his eyes. Bates sends Mudpie and Stanford for corpsmen and stretchers. Custen speaks to the woman in German with a soft soothing voice calling her Grandmother. FOUR CORPSMEN arrive with stretchers. Custen helps carry the woman's stretcher to the evacuation ambulance. 52 On the other side of the building, outside the room there is yelling. Sergeant Grant is giving the immaculately uniformed Staff Sergeant Talbot a piece of his mind. Talbot has ordered Stanford to wake Mudpie, Talbot wants to put him on report for goldbricking. Grant calls Talbot a number of things and gives him a good dressing down for being undeserving of his rank. Grant continues with Talbot becoming less and less secure of himself. Talbot decides to walk away and threatens under his breath to get even with Grant. Grant returns the favor by threatening to let Mudpie shoot him. Talbot retreats across the rubble and out of the building. “I don't like doing that, but I am in no mood to listen to that bastard, Talbot.” Grant says. Grant sends Stewart to find the corporals. 53 At the ambulance Custen implores the AMBULANCE DRIVER to keep the man and woman together and to let the woman keep her kitten. The Ambulance departs. Bates puts his arm around Custen and tells him to come in out of the rain. Custen weeps, they turn for the building as Stewart comes out. “Sarge wants you back inside, he just gave Talbot 'what for.' I think we are moving out.” The three return to the room where, through the partially collapsed wall, Major Brogan and SERGEANT #1 pull up in a Jeep. Sergeant #1 climbs over the Jeep and through the wall. He asks the condition of the men. He tells Grant where they are to go next. He asks where his Platoon Leader is. Grant says “Dead, Yesterday.” Sergeant #1 asks how long it has been since they have eaten then invites them to the Jeep where the Major has K-rations. Major Brogan is standing in the rain. He greets the men. Mudpie asks about going to a rest area. Major Brogan promises that tomorrow will be their turn if all goes right tonight. LIEUTENANT #5 jogs up and salutes the Major who laughs at him and says “Trying to get me shot, son?” “No, Sir! Looking for Grant.” Grant falls in behind Lieutenant #5's MACHINE GUN CREW #1. A pair of half-tracks, loaded with bodies, rumbles past in the opposite direction. They pass a female mannequin wearing a neglige which is propped up beside a tilted lamp post. A German Schwimmwagen complete with two very charred occupants sits pressed into a house. Stewart turns away sickly at the sight of the driver. 54 Grant and company reach the outskirts of town. A voice calls to Grant and his squad joins with SERGEANT ALLEN, a squat muscular man with a square jaw and deep set eyes, who asks if Grant lost anyone. Grant tells Allen “No.” Allen contemplates introducing his own men to collecting. Allen suggests placing the Machine Gun Crew #1 between Allen's and Grant's squads. Allen mentions that in the morning he and his men will also be relieved for a few days. Allen lost two men today. Allen suggests that Grant join him to reconnoiter the field before them. Returning, Grant tells Custen and Bates to “Get 'em dug in.” The men pull out their entrenching tools and begin digging. Mudpie is loving the work in the dirt as the rain falls. Stewart curses every time water trickles off his poncho and down his neck. Mudpie wonders if there will be mail when they get R&R. Stewart has no idea. Mudpie whines,”I wanna see my wife and kids.” 55 In the Command Post Staff Sergeant La Rose is debriefing UNIDENTIFIED SERGEANT #1. Also in the CP is the RADIO OPERATOR #2. Major Brogan is standing on the far side reviewing a map. The Sergeant tells La Rose that his patrol spotted a long line of German Tanks just North of the town. La Rose calls Major Brogan's attention to the report as the Radio Operator hears a message and reports to La Rose. “More tanks on the road from the South.” Major Brogan tells the Radio Operator #2 to call for artillery. The Radio Operator cannot send messages. Major Brogan tells La Rose to take his jeep and find out what is going on. La Rose says he has already sent Talbot. Major Brogan is unhappy that Talbot has not returned. La Rose assures him that as soon as the shooting starts Talbot will return. Radio Operator #2 succeeds in calling for artillery. He reports tanks are almost into the town on the Right Flank. UNKNOWN LIEUTENANT #6 and Captain Mitchell come into the post. Radio Operator #2 reports enemy artillery has stopped. American Artillery can be heard firing and shells tear through the air overhead. The German Tanks can be heard as a distant rumble. The Radio Operator reports tanks are in town, tanks have broken through along another road. Brogan takes credit for the American Sherman Tanks showing up earlier that day and is troubled at the lack of support equipment. Major Brogan asks the Captain what he has for reserves to “send up there and hold that place?” Captain Mitchell has nothing. Brogan sees his Jeep outside the CP, says “Mitchell you are in charge” He strides to his Jeep and they drive off. The Radio Operator #2 reports “They are requesting flares, it is too dark up there now.” 56 A Panther tank has become mired in the field. Tanks are advancing on the roads from two directions and the Americans have limited anti-tank weapons, just a few bazookas. The Americans can not stop either column of tanks and are barely slowing them down. The 250 soldiers that remain after the day's fighting in the town are doing what they can to keep the German infantry at bay but the tanks are all but unchallenged. The lead tank makes precise hits on the American machine gun crews. German artillery knocks out the American's communications. An incoming tank shell wipes out the 30 caliber machine gun crew beside Mudpie. One of the soldiers is thrown on top of Mudpie in his foxhole. Mudpie calls for help. Stewart drops into Mudpie's foxhole and drags the dead man off. As he leaves to return to his own position a shell from the mired tank hits the building behind them destroying a heavy machine gun crew. American artillery which had been hitting the front of the lines was now falling behind the tanks and with communications out there is no way to redirect the fire. Four assault guns come down the road. TWO BAZOOKA MEN hide behind a boulder. They knock out the first two assault guns, which burn brightly while the other two leave the road to roam the battlefield. A group of German Infantry advance towards the rock, Stewart, Custen and Mudpie leave their holes to go to defend the bazooka men. Out of nowhere another bazooka rocket hits the third Assault gun as it swings towards Custen's position. The crew dismounts and runs from the battle. The bazooka team Grant's men are covering crawl towards the foxhole line and try to set up to get the last assault gun. The gunner kneels to reload but this companion is dead. The gunner loads it himself and fires on his feet stopping the last of the four Assault guns. As it explodes the light illuminates a line of Germans on foot firing their automatic weapons and rifles, charging Sergeant Allen's position on the line. Behind them is a wave of Germans with bayonets affixed. They break through the American line. Custen, Stewart and Mudpie watch helplessly, unable to stop the flood of German soldiers that are now in hand to hand combat with American troops. Bates has scrambled to the boulder and calls to Custen that there is a Panther Tank coming down the road. In fact there are five, four veer off the road into the field. Grant dives beside Bates. Custen says it is up to him to stop them. The first Panther into the field rips through a farmer's barbed wire fence and mires itself in a mud bog. The second backs away returning to the road. The tanks take up a line and aim at the American positions. The German infantry withdraw. The tanks fire at will. Bates tells Grant “This is it you know.” Grant agrees. An unseen Lieutenant orders Grant to fall back. Grant realizes they are the only ones left on the line. 57 Returning to town Grant finds the Germans hold both roads out of town, their advance stalled by damaged Panthers and a German Mk-4 Tank which is wedged in a building. Major Brogan arrives in his Jeep. He finds exhausted, frightened and wounded men hurrying through the gap in the minefield outside the village. The Major spots a Staff Sergeant scurrying towards the rear and calls him. He tells Talbot to grab “That group of men there and close this road to the front line.” Talbot shoves past a wounded man and calls out “Hold it Grant!” The men stop and glare. Talbot tells Grant Major Brogan wants him to take rear guard “back there” and points back the way they had come. Bates tells Talbot off. Custen spits at Talbot. An UNNAMED LIEUTENANT # 7 runs over and sends Grant back. Grant balks “We were first in this morning and almost left behind! We haven't slept in three days; we're beat.” The Lieutenant remains firm there is no one else to turn around. Lieutenant turns to go, Talbot turns also. Lieutenant stops Talbot tells him to stay with Grant. Talbot bickers “But... But... I'm G-2.” Major Brogan says “Staff Sergeant, you have your orders.” Grant waves Mudpie in behind Talbot. They walk back towards town. Sergeant Allen is being helped by TWO MEN. “Got shot in the gut and a bayonet to the leg but I'm OK. Let's get out of here.” Grant tells him they can't. Allen warns there is nothing behind him but a lot of Germans. His parting remark makes Custen wince. “Don't push your luck,” Allen calls back. 58 In front of a heavy stone house Grant and his men watch the Germans swarm over the town. The Church is on fire. A priest lay half in, half out of the doorway, face down in the mud. Custen asks Bates, “Why us? We were going back tomorrow.” Grant tells MacDonald to kick in a door if necessary but get them out of the street. Talbot turns to run, Mudpie grabs his collar. Mudpie tells Talbot “Get shot by the Krauts or by me, or get in the house.” The sounds of the Germans talking and the click of their boots come from all sides. Talbot is shaking with terror. A German peeks inside the front door. Mudpie fires his captured German MP-40 sub machine gun. It kills the man and his two companions. Mudpie runs out the door and down the street firing the weapon at soldiers down the block who scatter. Mudpie returns to the house without his gun. Grant tells him he is nuts. Mudpie shrugs and says they got him angry, they took his sleep, they took his leave. Grant tells the men they are getting out now. Custen, looking out the window urges haste, a tank is coming down the block. Grant shoves Talbot to Mudpie who takes Talbot by the collar again and tells him “This is how it is, every day, every week, this is who we are, this is all we got. You have a lot to learn now stop shaking dammit.” 59 With Sanford leading they head down the block, around the corner form the advancing tank. In the distance the sound of a single American M-1 rifle announces that they are not the only ones that were left behind. There is overwhelming return of German gunfire and the M-1 is silenced. The group reaches the house where they had found the elderly couple. They enter and hide among the rubble. Stanford spies a group of men approaching. Mudpie suggests running. A tank from the other direction stifles his plan. The tank turns a corner just past the stronghold across the street. Grant observes they are looking for “us.” Bates reminds the men they have a way of being in two places at once. Talbot is hysterical, “We have to get out of here!” he is screaming his need to get out. Bates is frantically watching the street and shushing Talbot. Grant punches Talbot, knocking his helmet off. A second tank passes and the room fills with a cloud of black exhaust. Talbot continues to scream in terror, Grant punches him again, knocking him to the floor. He disarms Talbot and draws his bayonet. Talbot pleads for his life. The men watch transfixed. Mudpie asks what he is doing as Grant removes Talbot's chevrons. “Collecting Souvenirs” Grant says. Custen gasps. “Off our own?” Talbot begins to focus on Grant taking his insignia. Grant looks him in the eyes for less than a second and removes the other chevron. “Now private I do not care what you do, where you go or if you live, just get out of here.” Talbot says he cannot go “out there” Grant tells him to stay then because they are going. Grant warns Talbot if he follows, he will kill him. Grant asks Bates if there is a back window they can use. Bates lifts the trap door and says “Yeah for him. We go down.” Grant, last through the trap door, tells Talbot to wait til late at night to try to get out. Grant closes the trap door. Talbot is alone in the room wide eyed and trembling. The sounds of men speaking German, the roar of tanks, the click of hob nail boots and occasional gunfire become louder than life as Talbot quivers in the ruins searching himself for the courage to move. 60 It is a dark and tense moment in the cellar below the trap door. Muffled sounds tell the tale of a passing tank. Grant assigns Custen point. Mac produces a flashlight. Custen enters the tunnel hoping there are no Germans at the other end. Entering the cellar of the other building there is water dripping into a puddle on the floor near the stairway. Custen leads the way up the stairs and they find the house as they left it. Custen peeks through the open door into the room that is demolished and sees a Panther Tank parked right outside the missing wall. He starts to close the door but it creaks loudly. Grant breaks out a window frame and Mudpie and Stanford pick out the glass remnants. Stanford drops out the window followed by Stewart. Stanford watches the street and sends Stewart across the street. MacDonald drops to the ground precisely as Stewart leaves. The group proceeds like clockwork, one across, one down. Mudpie stumbles and crosses on one hand and his knees holding his rifle high. At the window Grant is snickering at Mudpie. Custen tells Grant to hurry the because Germans are checking the buildings and coming close. Bates climbs on the window and almost falls as his heel catches. Grant steadies him. Grant tells Custen to go, he will take rear. Custen sits on the frame and gets a piece of glass in his buttocks. Grant goes through and crosses with Stewart and Custen. Mudpie asks if anyone has water. Custen hands him his canteen. There is barely an ounce. In the distance a Thompson and an M-1 are heard followed by what sounds like a million German guns, two grenade explosions, an echo-y silence and a third grenade. 61 Breathing heavy, nerves frayed, they reach the last house in town. MacDonald begins to peek around the corner to his left when Custen, right behind him, points to the right where a line of German soldiers are in plain sight a hundred feet away. “Krauts on the right.” gets whispered down the line. Stewart indicates one is looking directly at him. Bates asks for a count. “I stopped at a hundred,” Custen sends back in response. A long file of soldiers march down the street and turn between two houses heading for where they left Talbot. A strange sound is heard, and two horses gallop out of the mist, one white, one brown. The riders stop thirty feet from MacDonald. They watch the last of the file pass, turn their mounts and trot off. MacDonald peeks back around the corner and returns with a lost look. It is followed by the massive rumble and high pitched squeals of half-tracks which are now coming down the road towards them. They are trapped. Mudpie swears. Grant tells him to pipe down. 62 In an upper room with four windows Custen and Bates are sitting on a sofa. One soldier is positioned in each window. Two overlook the street. Two face the field and the woods they spent last night fighting in. They are passing around a bottle of wine. Talk goes to what they would be doing if not in the Army and at war. Grant is sleeping on a rug in the middle of the room. Mudpie and Stewart are sleeping at their respective windows. MacDonald says “Midnight.” Bates describes what to look for and avoid in a future wife. Stanford interrupts when he hears a GROUP OF GERMANS #1 talking as they approach. Custen translates. They are talking about the day's battle and about their orders. They are heading to check the forward most outposts. Bates wakes Grant and tells him Custen has intelligence, they need to get back to Headquarters. Grant sends MacDonald on a one-man patrol. MacDonald asks for and receives Talbot's .45 pistol and extra ammunition. MacDonald exits silently. 63 Outside in the shadows MacDonald makes his way to some charred timbers and uses them to blacken his face. Stepping into the open he runs across the field as far as a shell hole and flops along the mound at the edge, blending into the surroundings immediately. He crawls into the shell hole and continues across the area keeping to the shell mounds. Crawling through the mire towards a concentration of mounds he suddenly realizes he is among a vast encampment of German pyramid tents. He sees a man walking SENTRY #1. MacDonald shrinks into the shell hole. 64 In the upper room Grant rearranges the watch. Bates takes a window and Custen goes to sleep on the rug against his will. Grant empties the wine bottle. Bates and Grant watch Mudpie, hoping he doesn't start snoring. Grant pulls out a toothbrush. Bates tells Grant they are “sitting on a powder keg.” Grant tells Bates he is surprised they are all still alive. Bates starts a soliloquy. “Luck is a camouflaged Angel,” he says. Bates offers to take Stanford's window but Stanford is too keyed up to sleep. Bates tries to converse with Stanford who grits his teeth and tells Bates about Helen, girlfriend and perfect compliment to Stanford. She is a transport pilot. She has a smile that would crack your heart. They are going to be married. The story stops there. Bates asks what happened. “She's dead. Eleven months ago, I'm done talking Corporal. Thanks anyway.” 65 In the shell hole MacDonald does his best to push into the wall of the hole as Sentry #1 walks to the edge of the hole, turns, and retraces his steps vanishing in the misty darkness. MacDonald rolls out of the crater onto the dirt and grass. His trousers are soggy. He is caked with mud. MacDonald crawls back out of the encampment. The sounds of him moving through the muddy grass seem to be very loud to him making him double and triple check every move. Reaching the edge of an incline he feels sheltered in its shadow. He looks to the road and decides to go about half way there, where there is a bit of a rise. Arriving at that point he sits to rest for a moment. He looks longingly across 200 yards of marshy grass at the treeline, his goal. 66 In the dark Bates begins talking to no one in particular. He talks of his dreams of a house with a room just for his books, a place to withdraw from the world. He wants to find the girl he met in Northern France. He tells the story of a BELGIAN JEWESS, a slight woman with dark curly hair and deep brown eyes, high cheekbones and thin lips, who had hid with a Belgian Farmer and his family. Bates spends five days with her on the farm just before he is released from a field hospital and returns to the lines. In broken English and High School French they cry together and promise to find each other after the war. Bates' story trails off and Stanford tells him to get some sleep. Stanford takes the watch. Bates lies down on his back among broken glass not noticing it is there. Bates continues talking about thousands of millions of bullets, mortar rounds and shells. He speculates on how many times he has been shot at, how many times someone shot at him not even knowing they shot at him. Bates talks about the insanity of war, and ponders “Why does it take a war to find peace? Why not kill the dictators first? Why not send the Generals in first and the privates in last?” As Bates falls asleep Stanford tells a snoozing Bates “Because the privates from both sides would sit down and share a beer.” 67 MacDonald is crawling through the marsh. He finds a dead American, then another as he sees a third, it is a Master Sergeant he knows. The bodies have been picked over, no cigarettes, rations or valuables are left on them. He sees the clean mark where the sergeant's wedding ring was. MacDonald is safer here because he can become 'suddenly dead' should a German appear. Checking a few more dead men he finds a full canteen. Laying beside the body he unscrews the cap and drinks deeply without raising the canteen or even removing it from the corpse's belt. He thanks the dead soldier for his generosity. A German truck speeds down the road. MacDonald curses the truck and hopes the American artillery do not open up on a sound bearing. He pats his collection pocket and muses about the luck holding “until daybreak anyway.” He stands to gauge how much farther to the tree line but steps on a can. His mind hears it as an explosion of sound. He drops to hands and knees. “I should have been counting fox holes,” he says through clenched teeth. “I am too close to the road.” 68 Grant is awake but has not moved. The room is absolutely silent. From several miles away comes the familiar 'crump' of artillery hitting but the guns are so far away the boom is not heard. From the window Stanford says the Germans are running around in the square. Some of the tanks start their engines. Grant carefully peeks out of the window. The echos of boots and yelled orders mix into a combination that sounds almost like wolves barking and howling. Turning from the window he says it appears the Germans are moving towards the artillery fire. Stanford wonders where MacDonald is. Grant says it has been an hour and he wants to be out of town before the American reinforcements arrive and start their attack. A Panther Tank is heard out the window, both look to see it turn down the street. It is followed by a second then a third. A line of exhausted German Infantry appear from a side street and come towards the hideout. They are not in formation. A second line follows. Grant tiptoes across the room to the rear window. Here he sees Germans coming in from the field of tents. The tanks and men pass directly below Stanford's window. Bates wakes when the first Panther passes. He remarks that he never gets a full night's sleep. Stanford tells Bates he got almost half an hour. Bates asks for water, no one has any. Bates wonders where MacDonald is. Grant gestures out the window where the Germans keep coming toward the town from the field. 69 At the edge of the woods MacDonald looks longingly at the trees. Grant's orders were to return if he made it that far. The ground is littered with small branches. Entering would be very noisy. Turning he makes it to the first of the fox holes and climbs in just as the German tanks begin coming along the road. With his back to the side of the hole nearest the road he counts four Panthers followed by the distinctly different sound of a Mark 4 tank, he counts eight as they roar past going at full speed. Looking over the edge of the foxhole he sees a line of assault guns coming but ducks quickly because of the long line of infantry between the tanks and the guns. He grumbles “Great, if our artillery doesn't hear this where are they? If they do the Germans will scatter and I'll be found.” MacDonald pulls his bayonet and waits with it in one hand and draws a Souvenir Button from his pocket with the other. He worries the button and sits tensely waiting for the column to pass. 70 There is a noise from above, Custen moves to the attic stairway and begins climbing. Something is up there and he has to check. It is raining through the roof. He reaches for the attic floor and puts his hand on the edge of the attic floor. A German boot comes down on it hard, trapping the hand there. The other foot swings into his face. He calls out and falls a few steps then catches himself. He starts up the stairs again. He reaches the same point and sees a LARGE GERMAN there pointing a pistol at him. The German tells him, in English, “I told you to stay away!” The pistol fires. Custen is shot repeatedly in the face and neck. The bullets do not knock him down. The German continues firing until he is out of bullets. “Now leave me alone!” says the German. Custen reaches for his face which is a mass of blood and bone. “Wake him! Shut him up!” says Grant's voice from far away. In the dream Custen is trying to put his helmet on but cannot find his head. “Calvin, Cal!” Calls the far away voices. Custen awakes to find himself in a destroyed room. In the center of the room is an OLD GERMAN WOMAN, her arms and legs are missing. She calls to him “Helfe mir!” Custen begins to cry. Grant has his hand over Custen's mouth. Bates is shaking him. Custen's eyes snap open in panic. Grant gets acknowledgment from Custen and releases him. Bates continues to hold him by the lapels. Custen reaches for his face and composes himself. Bates tells him “You are safe. We are here, we are all here.” Outside the window the line of assault guns roars past seemingly without end. The men are all in a circle around Custen. Grant is standing. He looks to the window when the sound of engines is eerily replaced by the haunting echo of thousands of German boots in lock step. Grant tells Bates “We gotta do something.” Bates says they have to wait for MacDonald because he is laying low waiting for the Germans to pass. Custen asks if anyone has water. No one does. 71 In the foxhole MacDonald is looking down. His boots are under water. There is a rivulet coming into the foxhole from the grass. He is wet. His hands and feet are numb. The last vehicle rumbles past. He chances a peek over the edge of the fox hole and sees a long line of soldiers about 30 feet away. “Why is it I always get the wet fox hole? The longer I am going to be here the wetter it has to be.” Something bites him behind his ear. He slaps at it and drops the button. Bending over to search the mud for it he remembers the girl he left behind. It is a fleeting memory of a happy slightly chubby tomboy who was still in High School when he left for Europe. He finds the button and says out loud “I'll be home, see? I'm going home as soon as I get Grant and the guys.” 72 A few groups of German soldiers continue to stream past Grant's hideout. Grant relieves Stanford at the window. “Half Past Four,” says Stanford, “Where's Mac?” Grant and Stanford discuss the possibility that MacDonald has run out on them but they quickly dismiss the notion. Stanford lays down on the couch. He waves to Bates and Custen at the rear windows. Custen is softly telling Bates the legend of the Loreley Rhine Saga. The story is interrupted with wishes that MacDonald would return, questions about the Loreley's eye color and wishes they could tour Germany without “All this Nazi shit.” Stewart wakes and asks why they have not left yet, the sun is coming up soon. Stanford tells him they are waiting for Mac. Stewart does not remember Mac leaving. Stewart says he wants to write his mother. Grant comments that for the first time in forever there is no fog. He begins wondering aloud how to get out without cover, without being seen, without being discovered. Looking out the window the street is deserted. “It is almost 5:30 we have to do something soon.” 73 La Rose is in the General #1's HQ conference room. A number of officers are in the room. Gesturing towards the map on the table the General informs the room that the town they lost yesterday will be retaken today. The General orders mortars, machine guns and “some 57's” brought up for direct fire. He tells his officers that his artillery has the Germans that left town over night pinned down about five miles outside of town, they cannot go back to the town. The General asks about the enemy strength in the town and La Rose says Sergeant Talbot has not been debriefed. The General sends La Rose in a Major's jeep, which the General calls a “peep,” to debrief Talbot immediately. La Rose departs. 74 The Jeep rolls to a mud encrusted stop. La Rose strides quickly from the Jeep to the Command Post Tent. The two Lieutenants are present as is the Radio Operator #1. Talbot is sitting on a cot to the side of the tent. As soon as La Rose steps through the tent opening a Lieutenant hands La Rose a slip of paper. The names of Brewster, Bates and Custen are on the paper. Talbot notices La Rose and is on his feet in fury. Talbot says he is pressing charges against Grant. He tells La Rose that Grant took his stripes, struck him and threatened to shoot him. La Rose tells Talbot to sit down. Talbot demands to know where Grant is. La Rose shoves Talbot onto the cot yelling “Sit down!” One of the Lieutenants tells La Rose to take it easy. La Rose tells Talbot that Grant is still out there. Talbot goes meek. La Rose says Talbot was responsible for Grant and about thirty other missing men and wants to know where they are. Talbot doesn't know. Talbot relates last seeing them go down a trap door. La Rose wants names and injuries. Talbot doesn't know. La Rose wants to know how he got back. Talbot tells of crossing the field after the tanks and troops moved out. Talbot cannot report on the number of tanks or number of troops saying he couldn't do any counting because he had to hide. He complains Grant took over the assignment and would not allow him to exercise his authority. Talbot continues saying “He wouldn't let me do anything and he called all the shots. When they left me behind he threatened to shoot me if I followed them.” One of the Lieutenants steps over to Talbot, says he is unfit for combat and G-2 and sends him out to follow a tank trail behind the lines to an evacuation point. At the exit he turns and says “Grant stole my pistol, he left me defenseless.” The others in the tent stare at him for a moment til he turns and leaves. Their thoughts are on the missing men. 75 About three miles away artillerymen are clustered around a battery of 105 MM Howitzers. Not far away a 2.5 ton GMC Truck full of artillery shells is being unloaded on a muddy road in the rain. “About time shells got here” says ARTILLERY OFFICER. The shells are brought near the artillery guns and stacked. The Artillery Officer stares intently at his watch as the artillerymen load the squat cannons. “We pulverize that town today starting at oh-six-fifteen.” his watch shows just two minutes to go. 76 The early light reveals a village in ruins. Grant and his men are in alarm. The day is fast approaching, there is no fog cover left. At the window Mudpie says two Germans are coming towards the house. Custen volunteers to delay them by telling them there is a grenade trap on the other side of the door he is trying to disarm. Grant agrees. Stewart informs Grant that MacDonald just came in the rear window. Down the road a GERMAN SENTRY #2 notices movement near the house at the other end of the road, it was MacDonald going through the window. The latch on the door is wiggling. Custen calls out for the soldiers to not open the door. They have a conversation through the door. They ask if they can come in through the windows Custen says no he doesn't know how he got in without tripping the trap. They ask about food and water. Custen tells them there is nothing in the house but he will check the cellar when he can safely get to it and they should come back later. The rest of the squad has come downstairs to the Room where MacDonald came in. Grant and MacDonald have a brief discussion. Grant wants to move out immediately. Bates doesn't like the idea of trying to cross the field. Custen warns that the Germans will be back in a few minutes. Mudpie is looking out a tiny window. He says “It is too late there is a group coming and one of them is pointing at the house.” Mudpie counts 23 Soldiers coming. Grant sends everyone out the back. With only Bates and Custen left to go out the window the Germans start banging on the door with rifle butts. Custen turns as the door gives and a GERMAN NCO is standing there surprised to find the two American Corporals. Custen raises his rifle and shoots the German who falls backwards into his men. 77 Outside the window Grant hears the rifle shot and turns towards the window. Bates sails through it. Custen is fast on Bates' exit and is followed by a double grenade explosion which sends smoke and debris out the window behind him. A line of German soldiers have turned to the sound and begin running towards them from the field. “We're surrounded!” yells Custen. The first artillery shell lands in the town with the familiar but much louder 'crump' noise. MacDonald bemoans being caught in his own artillery. Mudpie complains about the rain. Bates looks at Custen, he is afraid, he raises his rifle and shoots four rounds at Germans who are across the street. One German Soldier falls. Turning, Custen is gone. Bates sees MacDonald and Stanford firing at the Germans advancing from the field. Custen is crawling towards two dead Germans laying near the house wall not far from the window they just came through. 78 Grant, Mudpie and Stewart are pinned down behind a scorched wooden wall. Artillery shells are landing constantly in town. 79 Kneeling over the dead Germans Custen is collecting. A GERMAN IN THE WINDOW shoots at Custen hitting in the right shoulder. Artillery rounds continue to explode nearby and Custen sways from the concussion waves. He stands, bleeding, moving slowly, staggering, he is dizzy, he tries to bring souvenirs to the rest of the squad. Rather than fog, smoke engulfs him. He walks past the enemy-held-house, unseen. He is giggling because he is invisible. He removes his cartridge belt and equipment. At the edge of the drifting smoke he stands still. 80 MacDonald falls over and lies still. Stanford removes his helmet and sees MacDonald has been shot straight through the head. Grant lunges from his position behind the wall and lands near Stanford. His canteen is hit by a bullet but passes through without injuring him. “He's dead Sarge.” Grant looks at Stanford and a hole appears in his right coat sleeve. Sanford clutches his arm and blood flows through his fingers. Grant drags him back behind the wall. 81 Custen is staggering towards Grant. He is no more than 15 feet away, bleeding, smiling, wet with rain. Bates screams “Cal, No!”and Custen loses his smile. Bates rushes to help him to the relative safety of the ruined wall. “Arl,” Custen says, “I don't want to go.” Then calls out “Gott helfe mir.” An artillery shells burst very close by. From somewhere machine gun fire riddles the ground and Bates rolls away from Custen. Smoke drifts between them. When the smoke clears Custen is gone. 82 Custen is walking in a staggered zigzag across the field as smoke drifts thickly. He makes it down the slope to the marshy ground and heads for the woods. Custen is muttering “This Corporal is going to kill that corporal, friggin Hitler.” He disappears into the woods. 83 Stanford is shivering from the cold rain and fatigue. A stick grenade lands by Stanford. He sees it, stops shaking and lays on it. He dies instantly when it goes off. Mudpie loses his nerve. Artillery rounds continue to fall through the ruined village. Mudpie stands, pulls a handful of his souvenir embroidered eagles out of his pocket and throwing them in the air calls out “This isn't supposed to happen! It ain't fair, ya hear me it ain't fair! We was being relieved, We was going home!” Mudpie empties his bag of souvenirs on the ground. Artillery shells continue to smother the village. Some land very close. The Germans are now more interested in finding cover than getting at the survivors of Grant's squad and fewer shots are directed at them. Bates is sitting beside MacDonald's body waving for Mudpie to take cover. He tries to call to him but is so exhausted no sound comes out of his mouth. 84 Grant yells “We can't stay here.” An artillery shell levels the house beside them. Another lands just behind it. In the field several hit at once. The shock-wave sends Grant sprawling. Mudpie, standing, rain washing his face as blood flows from his nose, calls to the sky. “I got family, I gotta take care of my family...” He walks out into the street and looks around at the devastation as more artillery shells land on all sides one after another. Mudpie looks lost. Grant is screaming for him to return but the screams are lost in the constant artillery explosions. Mudpie suddenly comes to his senses. He takes two running steps towards Grant and is cut down by machine gun fire. Grant slams his helmet back on and tells Bates they are getting out of there. Bates is crying. He wants to know how they are going to do that. Grant calls Stewart and tells them both they are going to go straight down the road. Stewart nods. The artillery intensifies tearing their part of the village apart. 85 The three men are removing their packs, and cartridge belts. They stuff their pockets with the remaining rifle clips. Stewart says he is going to get Stanford and MacDonald's dog tags. He inches towards MacDonald and takes a bullet in the back. Grant and Bates each grab a leg and pull Stewart back behind their wall. A German grenade sails over the wall. Stewart sees it and rolls onto it. Bates and Grant are both wounded by the grenade, Stewart is dead. Grant and Bates size themselves up. Grant's hand is gashed. Bates has lost his glasses and can barely hear. As Bates searches for his glasses TWO GERMANS appear near the rubble of the house. Grant shoots one and is about to shoot the other but the German has laid his weapon down to help his wounded companion. Grant and the German lock eyes. Grant lowers his rifle. The German nods and retreats a few steps. 86 Bates finds his glasses intact. Bates asks if Grant is taking his pistols with him. Grant answers in the affirmative. Bates pulls out his bag of ribbon bars. The two jump the wall towards the field and find the Two Germans sitting there with their backs to the wall. The four men regard each other as Grant and Bates run past them and down the road. Artillery continues to fall in the field, in the town and all around them as they run. Reaching the trees they find artillery is falling in the woods as well. They run past a small group of FOUR GERMANS HUDDLED in a shell crater. 87 Grant sees the woods thinning ahead, they smile as they run for the clearing. Exiting the tree line they find themselves at a road. Quickly checking the road they run across it into more woods on the other side. Running another hundred yards through the trees the ground becomes marshy and they stop to catch their breath. Artillery is falling far behind them. Grant suggests ditching their souvenirs. Bates concurs saying 'the feeling' is gone with everyone dead. Together they walk to a pool of clear water in the marsh. They drink from the pool. Bates puts a stone in his bag of ribbons and together they lower the bag of pistols and the bag of ribbons into the water. As they let go of the drawstrings Arland murmurs “The spell is broken.” They look at each other with pained expressions of exhaustion and sadness. 88 A bird is singing in a tree. Bates is watching it, smiling. Grant is sitting beside him trying to puzzle something out. The sounds of battle are present but just far enough away for them to feel at ease. “Arland,” says Grant,” I should have disobeyed last night.” They discuss the ramifications and ponder the lives taken and lost. “I'll miss him and the others for the rest of my life,” reflects Bates. Grant says that about sums it up and they should move on. They stand. Bates tells Grant they no longer have to worry. Grant hears Bates rifle fall, then hears the report report of a single shot. “Shit.” says Bates. Grant turns to Bates and sees he is dead, shot through the heart. Grant removes Bates' helmet and throws it aside. He holds Bates as several others approach. The Germans surround Grant. Grant slowly stands with his hands over his head. Grant tells the GERMAN LIEUTENANT KURT KRAUSER that he doesn't want to be shot, he wants to go home. TWO SOLDIERS search him, one takes his watch. The other starts to remove his wedding ring. Grant looks pleadingly at Kurt Krauser who tells Grant, in English, he may keep it. He is marched off at gunpoint. 89 Arriving at a German encampment Grant is among a number of wounded German soldiers. Artillery continues to fall some distance away. One WOUNDED GERMAN #5 shows him a bullet hole in his side and grins, holding up a small pink object. Grant looks at Kurt Krauser questioningly. Kurt Krauser says “That is his Gluckschwein. His lucky pig. Like an American's rabbit's foot.” Grant tells Kurt Krauser he never believed in luck. Kurt Krauser's uniform has a number of decorations. He tells Grant he was Calvary until they took the horses away. He tells Grant he really should believe in luck because it was all that kept him alive in Russia. 90 Grant's hand has been bandaged. The American artillery is impacting closer. Some of the wounded are yelling to be evacuated. As Grant looks around they all seem to be Stewart screaming. Medics yell orders. Soldiers come and begin carrying the stretchers away. Kurt Krauser tells Grant to grab the other end of a stretcher. They take the soldier that had the side wound and begin running down a small trail. A shell bursts, spraying the trees with shrapnel. Branches and twigs shower them. Grant feels a stab in his right arm, a ring of blood spreads on his coat. They run on. 91 Puffing with exhaustion the two slow down. The shells can be heard falling well behind them. Kurt Krauser tells Grant to halt. Grant tells him the man on the stretcher has been hit again. The officer points to Grant's arm. Grant nods. The man on the stretcher is dead. A bird is heard nearby. The German asks if Grant believes in luck now. Grant says he does not. The German tells him he is a fool. “My luck is over. Germany is out of luck. He,” gesturing to the dead man on the stretcher,” is out of luck. You believe, for you are free to go!” Grant cannot understand this. “Try to go home alive,” says Kurt Krauser. Grant thanks the man. The German wishes him good luck and indicates the direction Grant should go. Grant salutes the man and disappears in the misty rain. Epilogue 1 In spring of 1965 Grant returns to Germany. Dropping into a cafe near the US Embassy one afternoon, he chances on a German couple. Melissa, young multilingual Serbian waitress, Sets everyone at ease as she busies herself about the cafe. The woman HEIKA, a beautiful German woman in her mid fifties, invites Grant to join them. The man tells him he works for NATO. In the casual conversation Heika discovers that both men fought near Aachen. Grant tells them he is looking for clues to Custen's disappearance. “Tell us a little of your time in Aachen” Heika presses. They begin exchanging war stories. Grant starts, choosing to tell of his capture. The German man turns out to be Kurt Krauser. Both men are shocked to meet again, Kurt dropping a glass of schnapps and Grant losing his cigarette. Grant raises his voice. Melissa mistakes the expressions for a fight about to break out and tries to prevent it. “No Panic Yankee.” Realizing she is wrong she makes the rejoined friends comfortable and they talk well into the night. 2 Two days later Kurt has brought Grant into the woods near the village. They find the location where Bates was killed. Kurt tells Grant the recovered Bates' body “In about 1947 I believe.” Grant finds Bates' rusty American helmet in a thicket. Kurt offers to join Grant in his effort to find Custen. Grant accepts his offer. It begins to rain, Birds begin to sing in the misty rain. End