On the other side
of the world...
in Europe the Allied forces
are pounding the Germans...
with relentless force.
We do not expect to have
a winter lull in Europe.
We expect to
keep striking...
to keep the enemy
on the move...
and hit him again
and again.
1944, December.
I was miles
from the front...
and a stranger to war.
Troops, fuel dumps...
enemy units...
they were pins
on a map to me.
Champagne?
Are you trying
to score a few points?
Just trying to aid
the war effort, Hart.
Tom.
Sir.
The captain needs a lift
back to the 106th.
Can you find him a driver?
I can take him, sir.
Funny. I had a feeling
you'd say that.
Well, there hasn't been
much movement today, sir.
So I see. Captain.
Oh, don't forget, sir.
You wanted to send some of that
champagne along as well.
Yes.
Yes, thank you
for reminding me, Tom.
The general should get
a kick out of that.
Colonel.
Troops are now fighting...
along a battle line
of 300 miles in Poland...
France, and Germany.
Within 10 weeks
after the first landings
in France last June,
the Allies have landed
nearly 2 million men.
You know what
this army could use, sir?
Snowplow services.
What we could use...
is half a million gallons
of gasoline...
and a road
that wasn't paved...
for Bouncing Betties.
German S-mines.
Yes, sir.
You really ought
to spend a night...
on the line sometime,
Lieutenant.
I know that, sir.
Of course,
it's not too likely, is it?
Sir?
The Colonel says
your father is a senator.
So I guess you won't
spend too many nights...
in a foxhole, will you?
It's nothing
to be ashamed of, son.
That's a hell
of a father to have.
-Where to, sir?
-St. Vith.
I'm afraid you've gone
the wrong way, sir.
St. Vith is due west.
I'm pretty sure
St. Vith is due east.
Sergeant,
it's straight ahead.
Can I see that, sir?
I drove this route
yesterday, Sergeant.
Mm-hmm.
Get your hands up.
Out!
Halt!
Are you in great pain?
First Lieutenant...
Thomas Hart.
Serial number...
Would you care
for a cigarette?
Your train is
an 8 kilometer march from here.
Of course,
with some shoes on...
you might be all right.
First Lieutenant...
Thomas Hart.
Serial number 1841287.
Thank you, Lieutenant.
But we both know...
there is much more
to you than that.
Show me locations
of the fuel dumps.
Just point...
and we can end all this.
I'll have your clothes
returned to you immediately.
When you are dressed,
we'll have another chat.
Our last one, I hope.
Smile, Joe.
For you the war is over.
Lieutenant.
This will help
against the cold.
No thanks, soldier.
I'll be all right.
No, you won't.
Come on. Take it.
Just till you warm up.
Take it, sir.
Hey, Captain...
does somebody tell our folks
about us being captured?
Germans give a list
to the military...
and the military
notifies the family.
Is that voluntary, sir?
How do you mean,
Lieutenant?
Uh, I mean...
can you ask them not to?
I don't think so.
Have to put
some straw in there.
Straw in your shoes...
for frostbite.
Another slave detail, sir.
Hey, ladies...
next batch of shells
you turn out...
nothing but duds
this time, all right?
Mortars no boom boom, ja?
Fire!
Captain, P-51 incoming.
-Incoming!
-Ours?
Get down, everybody!
Get down!
Everybody stay down!
Keep low!
Captain, what's happening?
Why are they
shooting at us?
They can't read the roof.
All right, get the doors!
Everybody get the doors!
Come on, now!
Get down!
Get down! Down!
Hart, help out!
-Come on!
-Go! Go! Go!
Go on, now!
Let's go!
Moving out!
Get the other cars!
Get the other cars!
Let's go! Now!
We're spelling out!
Round up your men now!
We're spelling out
our position!
We're spelling out!
Hart, get that man
clear of here.
Let's get in line!
Assemble on me!
-Assemble!
-Move it! Move it!
All right, men!
Let's get back in line!
Move it!
It's not helping.
Come on, men!
Oh, Christ.
Are you OK?
Keep looking at me.
Look at me.
Look at me.
Oh, shit. Shit.
All right.
Are you all right?
They're telling us to march.
Probably ought to take
his boots, Lieutenant.
Lieutenant!
Take his boots.
Because either you
or some Jerry's gonna get them.
Take them, sir...
while you still got feet
to put them on.
His socks, too.
Ain't gonna help him any.
Stay together.
All right.
Once again...
I'm forced to remind you
escape is not a sport.
Think of it this way.
Now these Russians
have a chance...
at a happy new year.
Those are dogs
you're saluting, Colonel.
Animals.
My country doesn't make...
those kinds of
distinctions, Colonel.
They're our allies, Colonel.
Oh, yes.
You and your allies.
Let me tell you
about you and your allies.
The Ministry of War
has just released the figures...
from our offensive
in the Ardennes.
Two hundred thousand Allies
killed or captured.
Your Third Army--
Patton--
in full retreat.
And the wehrmacht has captured
enough abundant fuel...
to retake Paris--
perhaps even drive
your troops back to the sea.
Might be a bit crowded
around here this winter.
Turn around, Joes.
Yes. Turn around.
Ross. Hart.
Ross and Hart.
I'm Captain Ross.
Major Clary.
Lieutenant Hart.
Lieutenant.
Debriefing, gentleman.
Officer's hut.
On the double.
The German counterattack on
the American Third Army front...
The German counterattack on
the American Third Army front...
is still going on.
The entire front...
stretching about
30 miles south of Monschau...
is in full view.
On our side,
countermeasures are being taken.
On the enemy's side,
more strafes are being flown in.
This is a major German effort.
Some of the best units
in the German army...
were involved
in this penetration.
At ease, soldier.
Sit down.
Thank you, sir.
So tell me, Lieutenant...
How come you're not dead?
Sir?
First you survive
crashing that jeep...
then Hans and Fritz
take your boots.
You got a rabbit's foot
in your pocket, son?
Two horseshoes
and a 4-leaf clover, sir.
Atta boy.
By the way...
you might want to take it easy
on that bread.
You haven't had anything
solid for a while.
Wouldn't want you to wind up
in the infirmary.
I don't know, sir.
After the march I just made...
and infirmary might look
like the Waldorf to me.
A stomach can shrink
quite a bit in 17 days.
That's the number, isn't it?
Seventeen days?
Six days on the train...
another 6 days of marching.
What was it, Joe?
Five days of interrogation?
No, sir.
Three days.
Well, anyway...
easy does it.
Yes, sir. Thank you.
So this interrogator
they threw at you...
his name wasn't Schumann,
was it?
No, sir.
Lutz.
Schumann was a real prick.
Almost broke me in two.
Not much for small talk,
I guess.
You come to appreciate that.
Smoke, Lieutenant?
Would you care
for a cigarette?
Again, Lieutenant,
I need to ask you...
the fuel dumps...
Thank you.
This Captain Lutz...
he know much about
your operations at the chateau?
He knew everything, sir.
Fuel dump locations?
Troop movements?
Sir, he knew what
I'd had for breakfast...
the morning of my capture.
Point,
and we can end all this.
Just name, rank,
and serial number.
Good enough.
You're excused, Lieutenant.
Unfortunately,
we won't be able...
to quarter you here.
We're full up.
We're gonna have to
put you in Barracks 27.
Isn't barracks 27
for enlisted men, sir?
Yes, it is...
but as you can see...
the Germans are doing a rather
brisk business these days.
You'll be comfortable there.
Sir.
-Lieutenant.
-Sir.
Point.
Point or say
hello to stumps...
for the rest
of your life.
Good.
Don, are you in?
I called.
Hold your water, Joe.
Hold your water, Joe.
Looks like a whole division
just surrendered.
Who's in charge here?
Hey, how many we up to?
Three lovely ladies,
big shot.
That's right.
That's right.
-Excuse me.
-Yeah?
I'm looking for
who's in charge here.
From the looks of things,
I'd say Adolf Hitler.
I'm Lieutenant Tom Hart.
It's OK, folks.
Staff Sergeant Vic Bedford.
-Good to meet you.
-You, too.
You just come in
from Ardennes?
Yeah.
Colonel sent me over
to bunk in here.
Officers' barracks are full.
Well, in that case,
welcome to Rio.
Hope you don't mind, sir.
All we have is this
middle bunk right here.
It looks fine.
I'm betting you're
a Lucky Strike man.
You bet right.
Care for some hooch,
Lieutenant?
Ringing in the new year.
Uh, thanks. I'm fine.
It's fermented raisins,
mostly.
A little turpentine
thrown in for flavor.
I'm fine.
We got anybody
left up front, sir?
How are you doing,
Lieutenant?
Private.
Give him a break, fellas.
He just got here.
Lieutenant.
Guard them with your life.
They double for cash
around here--
especially with the guards.
-Thanks, Sergeant.
-Excuse me a second.
Fellas, listen up.
Lieutenant Hart here...
is going to be staying
with us for a while.
-Hello, sir.
-Men.
Say, what's it take
to get in that poker game?
I expect we can work
something out.
Good.
Sir, are you about a size 10?
Why?
They got a Woolworth's
behind one of these barracks?
You never know.
Just piss on him, sir.
Huh?
It's the only thing
that gets him moving.
Happy New Year.
New year.
It's 1945!
Happy New Year!
Ten and a half
is the best I could do.
The holiday season.
Look at the smile
on this guy.
Socks, too.
Could have used those
in the...
What's the matter,
you don't like trench foot?
Sure, it's just that
once my toenails turned black...
I didn't have a single purse
that matched.
Square them up, Major.
Yes, sir.
Look at this.
They've got those poor bastards
going around the clock now.
See that factory
up past the North tower?
The Germans are making bombs
right under our noses.
It's supposed to be
a shoe factory.
Instead, they've got the
Russians running in and out...
making mortar shells.
What the hell is that?
One of their flyers.
Wait a minute, they've got
niggers flying airplanes, now?
Three hundred and thirty-second
Fight Squadron.
I read about them
in ''Yank Magazine.''
I'll be damned.
Well, we got us
some nigger officers.
Fucking Jerry's right.
We must be losing this war.
Five, 6, 7, 8. Lift! Lift!
-Lieutenant.
-Sir.
Looks like it'll be a good show.
Yeah, it does.
It's high stakes
around here, sir.
What do you mean?
Half the smokes in camp
are riding on...
where you're putting
the new men.
Where do you think
we should put them?
I think I'd give them
their own billet tent, sir.
Well, we can't do that.
I was thinking about
putting them in 27 with you.
Sir, wouldn't they be better off
in the officers' barracks?
I don't carry enough weight
to move 2 officers out of 22.
I can't make them
the only 2 officers...
in the enlisted men's barracks.
You're in 27.
Figure you can keep
an eye on them for me.
Sir, I'm still new
to that barracks.
Don't carry a lot of weight
with the men yet.
You've got bars
on your shoulder, Lieutenant.
That ought to be weight enough.
Be done. Come on.
Tastes like chicken, right?
No, you've got maggots.
It's protein. Eat.
-You called?
-Yeah.
What do you got?
Going to have to make
some room in here, fellas.
Come on in, men.
We got 2 more guests.
Second Lieutenants
Lamar Archer and Lincoln Scott.
You've got to be kidding, sir.
They're gonna live here?
Two officers just
entered the barracks.
Where's your salute?
What's the big idea, sir?
I mean, we're all
full up in here.
Not anymore.
-Croutch, Krasner.
-Yes, sir.
You've been reassigned.
Barracks 28.
The Colonel wants you
situated before lockdown.
What were you flying?
P-51 bomber escorts.
Must be a shitload
of dead bomber crews...
scattered across Europe.
You see these bars,
Sergeant?
A pair of bars
don't make you fit to share...
the same roof
with white folks, boy.
Bedford!
That's Lieutenant, boy.
You got that?
Call yourself
whatever you want.
You're still just
a nigger to me.
I didn't quite catch that,
Sergeant.
-What was that?
-All right!
-That's enough!
-Just let it go.
Set, go!
Over--Over here!
Nice. Very nice!
Uh-oh! Deadline.
Lieutenant!
Mind grabbing that, boy?
What are you doing?
Nice one, sir!
Cookie, hey!
More bread.
More bread.
Das ist verboten!
Das ist verboten, Bedford!
Bon appetit!
Shit!
Nobody moves!
How bad, Sergeant?
Yeah, it's just a nick.
I'll be fine.
-You all right?
-Yeah.
Fuck them !
-Go get that hand looked at.
-Yes, sir.
Hey, Bed.
Cigarettes?
You're a regular bank, Vic.
How's the hand?
Is that really what you
came over here to ask me?
No. Major Clary told me
that you went to see him...
to lodge a complaint about
Lieutenants Archer and Scott.
I'm sure he'll take it up with
Eisenhower first chance he gets.
They don't belong here.
Nobody belongs here.
But this is where
the colonel put them.
Yeah. I bet you wish the colonel
would have given you...
that open bunk
in the officers' barracks...
right about now, Lieutenant.
I mean, this is hardly
the Waldorf.
Ain't that right?
We're not going
to have a problem...
about this, Sergeant,
understood?
What did you do before the war
for a living?
I was in law school.
Second year.
Harvard?
Yale.
-Meet many coloreds up there?
-A few.
Yeah, well,
I dealt with their kind.
Two years I was
on the police force...
in East St. Louis,
and I know what they are.
So let's not pretend like
we're fucking neighbors.
You finished, Sergeant?
No, I'm not finished.
Never did settle on a price,
did we...
for them boots and socks?
I mean, might be as cold as
the North Pole around here...
but that don't make me
Santa Claus.
What do you want?
I'll take your watch.
This was a gift from my father.
I bet your daddy
can afford you another one.
Is this going to buy me
a little civility, Sergeant?
Tons.
Not much of a picture, is it?
Well, we do feel
a little misled, sir.
Guard told us
they'd be showing...
the life and time
of Jesse Owens.
You know, you men can sit
up front with everyone else.
We're fine, sir.
Nobody's going to bother you.
I said we're fine, sir.
That was nice, C.W.
That was 18 inches.
Ah, come on, Joe.
It was 2 feet, at least.
Hey, either way,
my record still stands.
Cut it out, you guys.
Up, up, up.
Everybody.
Out of the way.
-Out!
-Out of the bunks.
Attention.
Attention near the bunks.
Now.
Who is the ranking man in here?
Lieutenant Thomas Hart.
One of your men was out on the
compound tonight, Lieutenant.
He was spotted
on the East field...
removing a spike from
one of the billet tents.
Your men are aware of
this camp's policy...
concerning the possession
and concealment of weapons...
are they not?
Major, no one has
left this barracks.
Whoa, wait a minute.
What the hell--
Quiet.
-But this is a plant.
-Quiet.
-Somebody put that--
-Quiet.
You bastard, I heard you go out.
I should have seen this coming.
Major, where are
you taking this man?
Examples must be made,
Lieutenant.
We take the safety of
our men very seriously.
Major, where are you all
taking him?
What did he do?
I'll kill you.
I'll fucking kill you, Bedford.
You put that spike--
Watch your mouth, nigger.
You put that spike there.
Get off of me.
-Lincoln, look at me.
-Get off of me.
Can I let you go, Lincoln?
It's a minor offense, Colonel.
This man deserved 15 days
in the cooler, not execution.
He attempted to escape.
Bullshit.
You dragged him out of his
barracks barely clothed.
Your men lined him up
and shot him.
This man wasn't trying
to escape...
any more than those Russians
you hung the other day.
Is he a dog?
A lesser race?
There's a word you
Americans use, as I remember.
But of course, your country
doesn't make such distinctions.
And neither do you, I'm sure.
He was an officer...
a lieutenant in
the Army Air Corps.
Yeah. That's why you were
so eager...
to welcome him and the other one
into your barracks.
Look it up, Colonel.
We have every right
to question a man...
for concealment of
a dangerous weapon.
This man had rights, too.
The Geneva Convention...
specifically forbids
summary executions.
Take a look around you, Colonel.
This is not Geneva.
Where are you going?
To check on my men.
You're welcome to do so,
of course.
In the meantime, I'll be looking
in on your barracks...
to listen to what's on
the B.B.C. this evening.
Now go see your men, Colonel.
Good night.
Not to love the Fuhrer
is a great disgrace
so we heil, heil
right in the Fuhrer's face
Is we not the super friend?
Aryan pure supermen?
Ja, we is der supermen
Super-duper supermen
Is this Nazi land
Let's go.
How's Scott holding up?
It's hard to tell.
He isn't saying much.
He was asking about the body.
And there's some personal
effects--dog tags.
Come on, boys.
Take that, you bastard.
Careful, Bedford.
That's a nigger
you're rooting for.
Tail's painted red...
means he's 99th,
right out of Tuskegee, boy.
Come on, let's get him out!
Get them out of there.
Get him to the doc, now.
Put this out. Come on!
More buckets, more buckets.
Quickly, come on.
Come on!
-Move around this corner.
-Yes, sir.
Do you know where
I wish I'd never been?
Where's that?
The goddamn Waldorf.
It's not personal.
He just can't stand
being lied to.
-I never lied to him.
-Go on.
You hung yourself the minute
he debriefed you.
That guy Lutz
they threw on you...
he was a level 1 interrogator.
McNamara had him, too.
When a guy won't talk, they just
keep kicking him up the ladder.
Level 2, level 3.
It takes weeks.
He was in there for a month.
The only guy you saw was Lutz...
and he spit you out of there
in 3 days.
All I gave them was name,
rank, and serial number.
See, the thing about the colonel
is he's not like you and me.
He's West Point,
fourth generation.
He was raised on all this.
The crap like this...
catching a junior officer
in an obvious lie...
all it does is remind him
of how far away he is...
from the real war...
the one he's supposed
to be fighting.
You see?
Lieutenant Lincoln.
Should have sold some tickets
for this one.
Two of your men dead
in 2 days, Colonel.
It seems you've lost control
of your company.
Will Lieutenant Scott be granted
the right to stand trial...
and face this charge?
Major Fussel saw him
standing over the body.
I would say he's had his trial.
Any prisoner accused of a crime
against another prisoner...
has a right to a trial.
And if the boy
were being held in Alabama...
there wouldn't be
any trial at all.
Is this not so?
Yeah, maybe you're
right, Colonel.
Maybe we should
just forget the trial.
Let's just drag him
out of the barracks...
and shoot 2 holes
in his chest...
like you do with
Lieutenant Archer.
A trial.
A court-martial.
Like in your American movies?
Yes?
Yeah, something like that.
That should be fun.
Yeah.
All right, Colonel.
You may conduct it...
in your theater here.
Colonel, my men are in
this theater every day.
With your permission...
we'd like to erect
a billet tent...
to house the proceedings.
No.
Your theater
will do quite nicely.
You have until
the end of the week...
to conduct your trial.
It's a capital charge,
Colonel.
The trial will take
more than a few days.
One thousand more American
prisoners from the Ardennes...
will be arriving
over the weekend.
I am putting them
in your theater.
Colonel, I just
explained to you--
Colonel...
Saturday, your theater is mine.
Wait. Colonel!
This is a murder site.
I beg your pardon,
Lieutenant.
I said
this is a murder site.
The body and
everything around it...
are now evidence.
This area cannot
be disturbed...
until everything
is photographed.
Of course.
I'm appointing you counsel
for Lieutenant Scott.
Sir, I'm not a lawyer.
You sounded like one
a minute ago.
I could be
a material witness.
I mean, I heard
the lieutenant going out.
The lieutenant
needs our help.
I've appointed you counsel.
Understood?
Yes, sir.
Dismissed, Lieutenant.
Sir.
And this guy
that's prosecuting me...
this Captain Sisk...
is he a real lawyer?
Yes.
That sounds about right.
I think we have to paint
this thing as a fight, Scott.
That's all.
It was a fight
that got a little out of hand.
You're supposed to ask me
if I did it, first.
Look, I came here
to kill Nazis.
If it was some crackers
that I wanted to kill...
I could have stayed in Macon.
Major Fussel ID'd you
standing over the body.
Fussel is a Nazi!
No. Fussel is a witness...
and he's enough to hang you.
Look, all I'm saying
is if it was a fight...
that got a little
out of hand...
then it's not murder.
It's manslaughter.
Do you understand that?
Man, oh, man.
Can I fire you?
Oh, look, Scott,
I'm just trying--
If it's a colored guy
on trial...
and it's a white man
who's been murdered...
there's no such thing
as manslaughter.
Don't you know that?
Or is that something
that they teach you...
in the third year
of law school?
What do you expect
from me, anyway?
A ''Hey, yes, sir, boss.''
Or ''Why, thank you, boss.
You're mighty kind.''
Is that the way
a railroaded colored man acts...
where you're from?
Nobody's railroading you, Scott.
Then how come
the only real lawyer...
is the guy
that's prosecuting me...
and I'm stuck with you
defending me?
That's how the Colonel
wanted it.
Yeah, but I ain't
being railroaded.
I'll meet you
back at the barracks.
Yes, sir.
Well, Lieutenant?
I'm gonna need
a few things, sir.
Who has Bedford's
personal effects?
We do.
I'll need to see them...
and the photographs
that were taken of the scene...
and of course, his body.
What did Scott tell you?
Sir?
You were with him all day.
What did he tell you?
I'm sorry, sir.
I can't reveal that.
Sure you can.
Attorney-client privilege, sir.
Only an attorney
has attorney-client privilege.
I need to be briefed
on everything...
that Scott intends
to testify to.
Sir, you're going to be
President of the court-martial.
How can I possibly
discuss our case with you?
Are you suggesting...
that I would betray
Lieutenant Scott?
That I would share
details of his case...
with the prosecution?
No, sir.
Scott followed Bedford out
through the night latrine.
If he testifies to that fact...
every German in this camp
will know how we get in...
and out of the barracks
after dark...
and every man in this camp
would be compromised...
because of that.
Are you following this,
Lieutenant?
-Yes, sir.
-Good.
Now, Scott will testify
that he went out...
through a hole
beneath the stove...
in the barracks.
And you will make certain
that he is clear on that.
Do we understand each other,
Lieutenant?
We do, sir.
Dismissed.
Permission to speak, sir.
Speak freely.
Scott thinks this is all
just for show.
He thinks you passed sentence...
as soon as the body
hit the ground.
Is he right?
Bedford's footlocker
is in my barracks.
I'll make sure you get it.
Not much to look at, is he?
Did you know him?
No.
Not personally.
But my guards certainly
seemed to.
These are for you.
Thank you.
How well?
Your guards,
you said they knew him.
How well?
Well, you'll have to ask them
about that.
This is yours, too.
We found it on his wrist.
But with the inscription...
and those new boots
on your feet...
I made the assumption.
It's a little hard
to imagine, Colonel...
your guards
sitting for an interview.
I can arrange it.
I can arrange
anything you like.
It seems only fair...
what with your colonel
throwing you to the wolves.
I'm not sure I follow you.
Really?
Yale isn't in the habit
of accepting half-wits.
At least it wasn't
when I was studying there.
The oldest member
of the class of '28.
My fellow students voted me
hardest worker.
But we can swap stories
some other time, can't we?
Right now we've got a trial
to prepare for.
It's a sincere offer,
Lieutenant.
Anything I can do to help...
Truly.
And exactly where were you,
Major Fussel...
on the night in question?
I was walking the area
behind this theater...
and the Australian compound.
At about what time?
Maybe about 1:00
in the morning.
And can you tell the court
what you saw?
The schwarz Lieutenant Scott
was kneeling over the body.
It looked to me like he was
checking that the man was dead.
I blew my whistle,
and he started to run.
And what did you do next?
I would have shot,
but it was dark.
And so was he.
Major Fussel, how well
did you know Sergeant Bedford?
A little, I think.
You traded with him regularly.
Traded?
Bartered.
Cigarettes for a pair of boots.
Chocolate for some spare parts.
No. I never did this.
A kriegie trading
with a German soldier?
I never saw it.
Am I allowed to repeat what
he actually said to Captain?
You may, Private.
Lieutenant Scott said,
''I'll kill you.
''I'll fucking kill you,
Bedford.''
Corporal, have you ever
heard any other man...
threaten a fellow soldier
during your time in the army?
''Better shape up
or I'll kill you.''
''I'll kill you if you touch
my cigarettes again.''
-That sort of thing?
-Yes, sir.
I'll bet you've even made such
a threat yourself once or twice.
I suppose so.
Corporal, did you ever
actually kill any of the men...
you threatened in this manner?
No, sir.
But I'm not colored.
I can control myself.
So, you, too,
had heard the threats...
made by the accused
against Sergeant Bedford?
Your Honor, this being the
fourth prosecution witness...
called to testify
in this matter...
if the defense will stipulate
that the accused...
did indeed threaten the life
of Sergeant Bedford...
could we dispense
with any further testimony...
-to his having done so?
-Your Honor...
Sergeant Webb is being called
as an eyewitness...
to the crime itself.
He's what?
Is that right, Sergeant?
Yes, sir.
-Sir, that's a lie.
-Your Honor...
the sergeant will testify that
on the night of the murder...
he watched through a window
in barracks 27...
as Lieutenant Scott
accosted Sergeant Bedford...
outside the theater
and broke his neck.
Your Honor,
he did no such thing.
I was standing
right beside Sergeant Webb...
at the exact time
of the murder.
-He saw nothing of the sort.
-The hell I didn't.
You don't know what I saw.
Sir, I request that this court
instruct this witness
as to the consequences of
perjuring himself in a court--
He put his hand on the Bible...
and swore to tell the truth,
Lieutenant.
-That's good enough for me.
-Objection, Your Honor.
We've had no prior notice
of his testimony.
-Sit down, Lieutenant.
-Your Honor, his bias alone--
Lieutenant!
Sit down, please.
I'll catch up.
I gotta go make some trades
in barracks 18.
See if you
can get me some smokes.
Webb...
You're a lying sack of shit,
you know that?
Yeah, and maybe you ought
to mind your own business.
This doesn't concern you, West.
-Hey, Lieutenant.
-Or you. Any of you.
What do you know, Joe?
George S. Patton just showed up.
Return to your barracks,
Corporal.
Take your 2 friends with you.
So, what is it, Webb?
Up there today.
You think you owe it to Vic?
Why are you so bent about
that flying bellhop anyway?
He's a soldier.
Vic Bedford was a soldier.
He fought.
He had courage.
You wouldn't know too much about
that, would you, Lieutenant?
You lied in there today.
You didn't see what happened
any more than I did.
I didn't have to.
I know.
Not good enough.
It's good enough for McNamara.
Sorry about what happened
in there today, Lincoln.
I didn't see it coming.
You're saying that's
the first time...
you seen a man lie
through his teeth...
holding his hand on a bible?
I was writing a letter
to my father.
Figured I should tell him first.
He was part of
the 369th Infantry...
in the last war,
the old 15th.
They was the first negro troops
to go into action in France.
Did your father serve?
My father
was in headquarters.
He had an 8
on his shoulder, too.
His father made sure of it.
That's how we do things
in our family.
That's a shame.
Got your testimony to prepare.
Yeah.
Lieutenant.
How are you?
Not too well, I imagine.
Come on up.
That was quite a beating
you took today.
It's warm inside.
You've read Mark Twain?
It's wonderful.
Colonel, I have witnesses
to prepare for.
Yes. I know.
It's why I wanted to see you.
We keep a library of all
American military manuals.
I thought this one might be
of particular use to you.
I can't accept this, Colonel.
We have a policy
about fraternizing...
Lieutenant,
without this, your client...
will face the firing squad.
Would that be better?
Your son?
Yes.
Where's he fighting?
He is not anymore.
The Russian front.
Horrible place.
I'm sorry.
I killed my share of English
and French, I suppose...
in the first war.
They had fathers, too.
It's verboten, you know.
Negro jazz.
These might be the only copies
of their kind...
in the entire Reich.
But I'm quite fond of them.
Nice to read by, anyway.
Takes a man right back.
Take a seat.
Thank you for your time,
Colonel.
Lieutenant...
Enjoy the manual.
Come to order, gentlemen.
Captain Sisk,
is the prosecution...
prepared to call
its next witness?
We are, Your Honor.
Begging the court's pardon, sir.
Yes, Lieutenant?
Before we continue,
Your Honor...
it's been brought to
my attention that the court...
may have overlooked a few
procedural matters yesterday.
I'm referring to the ''U.S. Army
Manual for Courts-Martial''...
chapter 12, sections 57, 58.
Make your point.
According to these sections,
Your Honor...
the court was obliged yesterday
to ask the accused...
if he wished to challenge
any members of the court...
for peremptory disqualification
before any pleas were entered.
A little late in the game
for that, isn't it, Lieutenant?
Nevertheless, it is a right...
specifically granted
to the defendant.
Very well.
Does the accused
wish to challenge...
any member of the court now?
We do, Your Honor.
You, sir.
Request denied.
Proceed, Captain Sisk.
Sir, according to chapter 12,
section 58d...
defense is allowed
1 peremptory challenge...
of the board,
and this challenge...
is not subject to any ruling
by the court itself.
Request denied, Lieutenant.
Then the court must address
section 58e...
which states the defense
may disqualify...
a member of the board
for cause...
if that member
has displayed a bias...
toward the accused or his case.
This court has shown no bias
in this case, Lieutenant.
Your Honor,
the court has demonstrated...
in ex parte conversations
before the commencement...
of this hearing a distinct
prejudice against the accused...
his case, and his counsel, sir.
Very well.
We'll take a short recess
to consider the matter.
-Lieutenant Hart.
-Sir?
Can I see you outside
for a moment, please?
Sir?
Listen to me,
you pampered little shit.
I will not be laughed at.
Not by him.
Sir, I'm just trying
to protect my client.
Your client's about to lose
his lawyer, Lieutenant.
Sir?
Article 32: contempt of court.
Article 70: intentional delay.
I know the book, too.
Forwards and backwards.
Then you must know, sir, that--
Shut up and listen to me,
Lieutenant.
You will not accept anything
from that commandant again.
Is that clear?
You will not allow him
to participate...
in these proceedings,
is that clear?
You will never set foot
in his office again...
without my permission.
We understand each other?
...and propaganda reported
by them...
and by the Germans
over Strasbourg.
One minute you can hear
Hitler himself announcing...
that he will be in Strasbourg
by January the 30th...
the anniversary of the Nazis
coming to power in Germany.
The next, the Nazis are claiming
that 2 new divisions...
are advancing on Strasbourg...
and that the Americans are
in full flight from Alsace.
The closer they get,
the more violent they become.
The Nazi menace are offering
their promises.
But today...
Come in. Have a seat.
We've checked German...
Have a drink.
Sure.
Maybe you can help me
decipher some of this code...
coming through
the BBC tonight, yeah?
I don't think you need
my help, Colonel.
Seems pretty clear
what they're saying.
It would seem so.
Or perhaps
it's all propaganda.
How about that?
Strange thing about war wounds.
The older you grow, the less
proud you become of them.
Got another one of these
around here somewhere?
Of course.
Good. Why don't you and I take
a walk out on your compound...
and have ourselves
an old-fashioned duel?
That would be fitting,
wouldn't it?
But surely you can think
of a more clever way...
out of this camp
than that, yes?
You think the war will wait
for you, is that it, Colonel?
It won't, you know.
They never do.
You're drunk.
Yeah.
But I'm seeing things
very clearly.
You know, sometimes I think
your Lieutenant Scott...
might have been better off
in Alabama.
Lynchings are over in minutes.
The kind of justice he's
suffering here is far crueler.
Is that why you gave
Lieutenant Hart the manual?
I was merely
trying to help the lad.
He's got enough
to worry about...
without providing you
with amusement.
Yes.
He's got you to worry about,
hasn't he?
Stay out of our business.
Forgive me, Colonel,
but you're hardly...
in a position
to hand out orders.
Especially to me.
For now.
Unless, of course,
you think that's just...
the sound of propaganda
falling out there.
Well, the idea was
to follow Bedford...
and catch him
on the compound.
I wanted to drag him back
under the barracks...
and put his face in the mud.
Well, by the time
I got to him...
he was already dead
behind the theater...
neck had been snapped.
That's when everything blew up.
Dogs, you know, hands up,
and that was that.
Lieutenant,
did you apply anything...
to your face or hands
before going out that night?
Shoe polish? Soot?
No.
Defense exhibit 1, Your Honor.
Photos of the deceased taken
in the camp morgue.
The court will note
black smudges...
on Bedford's right cheek
and jaw.
Your Honor, what is
the relevance of this?
To demonstrate to the court...
that whoever killed
Vic Bedford was white.
I'd like to ask
the court's permission...
to conduct a demonstration,
Your Honor.
I'd also ask the trial judge
advocate to rise, if he would.
Proceed.
Based on Bedford's wounds
and the fact that...
nobody reported hearing him
cry for help that night...
we have to assume
that he was either...
friendly with his assailant...
or that whoever killed him
did so from behind...
the positioning being
something like this.
Captain, if you wouldn't mind
grabbing at me...
at my face
to get me to stop.
Now, of course, the killer
had the benefits...
of leverage and surprise,
so the neck was snapped...
and Bedford fell,
and the smudge went with him.
It was also on his fingers.
Captain?
At this time,
I would like the court...
to note the following
for the record:
whoever killed Vic Bedford...
had such a substance on his face
on the night of the murder...
which raises 2 questions.
First, what call
would Lincoln Scott have...
for darkening his face?
To look more black?
Second, if he had done so,
when did he take it off?
Your Honor, you stood
face to face with him...
immediately
after his capture.
His face was clean.
I think it's fair to conclude...
that whoever killed Vic Bedford
was not only white...
but was waiting
behind this theater...
face blackened to avoid
detection by the guards.
Nothing further, Your Honor.
Lieutenant, you say that
Sergeant Bedford sneaked out...
through a loose board
beneath the barracks' stove.
Is that right?
Yes, sir.
And you took that same route
on the night in question...
after he'd gone out.
Yes, I did, sir.
What did you find down there,
Lieutenant?
Excuse me, sir?
What was down there
on the ground?
Mud, right?
You stated that it had been
your intention...
to put the victim's face
in the mud...
until he begged you to stop...
so there was mud down there,
isn't that right, Lieutenant?
I suppose so.
And a fair amount of soot
from the stove itself.
So it's possible
that Sergeant Bedford...
having descended through
a hole lined with soot...
and then having crawled
facedown...
beneath the barracks
wet with mud...
might have emerged with mud
and soot on his face.
Nothing further, Your Honor.
Thank you, Captain Sisk.
Will you step down, Lieutenant?
Lieutenant Scott?
You know how hard they tried...
to wash us out of flight
school--the colored flyers?
Your testimony's been entered,
Lieutenant.
You can step down.
It was test after test.
I mean, anything they
could come up with to turn us...
into the cooks or the drivers
or the shit shovelers.
Your Honor,
this is highly unnecessary.
-The witness has already--
-But I refused to wash out.
So did Archer.
I mean, come hell or high water.
We hit the books.
We were just determined...
that we were not going to spend
the war being some niggers.
That's enough, Lieutenant.
You will take your seat.
With all due respect, sir...
I would like to exercise
my right and address this court.
Now, I've been sitting down
ever since I got here.
And you know, I should have
stood up and said something...
the moment that you threw us in
with the enlisted men...
instead of quartering us
properly as officers.
But it's OK.
You see, colored men
expect to have to jump...
through a few hoops
in this man's army.
Archer knew that.
We all did.
There's a camp right outside
of Macon, where I'm from, and...
there the army sends
the German POWs...
puts them to work
picking cotton.
But what's strange is
every once in a while...
we'd see them
walking through town...
going to movies,
eating in diners...
but if I wanted to go
to those same movies...
I had to sit way off
in the balcony.
And those diners were closed
to me even in uniform.
But German POWs were allowed
to sit there and eat.
And this must have happened...
to at least half the guys
at Tuskegee.
But the thing is...
we just kept telling ourselves
that no matter what...
as long as we did our jobs,
it'd all be worth it...
because hey, the war would end,
we could go home...
and be free to walk down
any street in America...
with our heads held high as men.
So that's what we did.
We did our jobs.
We served our country, sir,
Archer and I.
And what you
let happen to him...
what you allowed to happen
to him...
was appalling.
And so is this.
At ease, Lieutenant.
How are they treating you?
No worse than the men
in my barracks, sir.
I can probably find you
another blanket.
No. I'm fine.
Good night.
New order, gentlemen.
Before you proceed, Your Honor,
the defense hasn't rested yet.
Still like to call
one last witness.
Defense calls
Oberst Werner Visser.
This some kind of joke,
Lieutenant?
He's material to our case, sir.
Unless, of course,
the colonel refuses to testify.
He does not.
Colonel, could you tell us...
the nature of your relationship
with Vic Bedford?
I'll be happy to.
I didn't have one.
And what about your guards,
Colonel?
Major Fussel, for instance?
Were you aware of his dealings
with Vic Bedford...
at night after lockdown?
That would be impossible
in this camp, Lieutenant.
Policy forbids.
Do you remember
the conversation we had...
in the camp morgue 4 days ago?
Vaguely.
I asked you
if you knew Vic Bedford...
and you said, ''No, but my guards
certainly seem to.''
Perhaps.
So, in your words...
no guard ever traded with
Vic Bedford...
and yet he was able to acquire
winter boots...
thick socks, fresh milk,
and parts for a hidden radio.
Isn't that a fact?
Lieutenant, I'm sitting here as
a gesture of military courtesy.
If it is your intention
to paint me as a liar--
No, Colonel.
It is my intention
to establish...
that Vic Bedford built up
enough of a rapport...
with your majors Wirtz
and Fussel...
to engage in the framing of
Lamar Archer...
conspiring with them
in the tent spike incident...
which resulted in
Archer's death.
Lieutenant Archer was shot
while attempting escape.
No, Colonel.
Lieutenant Archer was executed
in return for information.
Archer dies.
Five minutes later...
Colonel Visser and Major Wirtz
enter Barracks 22...
and destroy a hidden radio...
that they had been trying
to locate for months.
Can you tell the court anything
about these items, sir?
Identification papers,
some currency.
What of them?
Perfect German-made I.D. papers
and reichsmarks.
Two thousand of them.
More than enough cash to make it
through the country.
Vic Bedford kept those
in a stash beside his bunk.
Again, can you tell the court...
the nature of your relationship
with Vic Bedford?
I did not have one, Lieutenant.
Do you have any idea...
how he may have gotten
these items, sir?
If they didn't come from you...
and if he never had any dealings
with your guards...
the fact is, Colonel...
Vic Bedford traded with you
and your men regularly.
Objection, Your Honor!
As soon as he came up dry
on you, you ordered his murder.
Isn't that right, Colonel?
Lieutenant Hart...
I thought you tried
marvelously...
to establish that the killer had
blackened his face with soot.
Now, if any of my guards...
or even I wanted to kill
one of my prisoners--
Vic Bedford in this case--
we would hardly need to blacken
our faces to do it.
Would we?
Move. In the corner, Webb.
Captain.
You see?
German uniforms, explosives.
Yes, Captain, I see.
The trial's got nothing to do
with Lincoln Scott, does it?
No.
It's the way it had to go.
We're out of time, Hart.
We lose this theater tomorrow.
Uh-huh, and I'm supposed to keep
Visser and his men distracted...
while half the camp goes out.
Is that it, Captain?
I'm asking
the wrong fucking guy.
I've just seen the tunnel,
Colonel.
In here, Lieutenant.
Everything in this place
is a lie.
Everything.
Jesus Christ.
First he told the Germans
about the radio.
It was only a matter of time...
before he told them about
the tunnel.
You killed Bedford.
That's right.
If you fuck with this operation
in any way, I'll kill you, too.
You will sit in
that courtroom...
as Captain Sisk drags out
these proceedings.
Make whatever summation
you like, but that's it.
When that board breaks
to deliberate,
35 men go under the wire.
And Lincoln Scott will be dead.
That's war, Lieutenant.
The war's at the front, Colonel.
We're not even in it anymore.
Speak for yourself!
You know those Russians...
they march in and out of here
every day?
-You know where they go?
-Munitions plant.
The army thinks
it's a goddamn shoe factory.
Look...
I don't want to see Scott dead
any more than you do.
But if one man
has to be sacrificed...
to take out that target...
then that's the way
it has to be.
-I agree completely, sir.
-Good.
But I think that one man
should be you.
And don't worry.
I'll play my part.
But at the end of the trial...
you're going to tap
your little gavel.
You're going to stand up...
and you're going to confess to
the murder.
Your duty demands that.
Fuck you, Hart.
What the fuck would you know
about duty?
I'll see you in court, sir.
I got a better question.
What was in that goddamn soup
last night?
I got 20 men
with food poisoning.
Colonel? Whoa! Colonel!
You're in no shape
for the trial, sir.
I'm fine. Really, I'm fine.
Here we go.
We'll convene as scheduled
after the appell.
Square them up.
Prisoners, attention!
New order, gentlemen.
Captain Sisk...
is the prosecution ready
to present its summation?
We are, Your Honor.
Very well.
I'm sorry, gentlemen.
The court needs a 5-minute
recess before summations.
Colonel. Colonel!
Colonel? Colonel!
Let's get him back
to the barracks.
Get his coat.
Get some rest, sir.
All right, come on.
Get back to the barracks.
We need an extension, Colonel.
He's very ill.
The agreement was
the end of the week.
It's a matter of courtesy,
Colonel.
The agreement was today!
I need to talk to you.
Are you any good at poker,
Lincoln?
There's an escape going to take
place later on this afternoon.
Escape? How's that?
Down a tunnel through
that burned theater wing.
while the jury's
in deliberation.
So what you mean?
This whole thing's been a joke?
Yes.
But Archer and Bedford
are dead for real.
Is that part
of this big joke, too?
Look, we haven't got time now.
During deliberations you're
going out under the wire...
with 35 other men.
Is McNamara, too?
Yeah, McNamara, too.
It's funny.
I was just writing my son...
and in the letter I was
trying to explain to him...
what the word honor means.
It would be a hell of a thing,
wouldn't it...
to find out that your father
helped 35 men...
escape from a place
like this, wouldn't it?
You're going out, too, Lincoln.
You got that?
I can't do that, Tommy.
Suppose the board comes back...
and there's nobody sitting in
the defendant's chair anymore.
It doesn't matter.
You'll already be out.
Then the search begins...
and all those men,
they won't have a chance.
Lincoln, if you stay,
you'll be convicted.
If I stay, those men
are gonna have a chance.
If I stay, those men
are gonna have a chance.
And you'll be executed.
Lincoln, listen to me, please.
Everything's fine, Tommy.
Everything's really OK...
just as long as he knows
what happened here.
As long as there's
somebody to tell him.
How far could I get anyway?
A colored man running through
the German countryside?
It'd be target practice.
It started with a noble idea.
Letting colored men
join the fight.
But no one in the Air Corps ever
considered what might happen...
if one of those Tuskegee men
ever got shot down.
No one ever asked
what would happen...
if a colored officer
was suddenly captured...
and sent to a stalag
like this one.
But Lincoln Scott was shot down
and he was sent to a stalag...
and once here,
he wasn't just thrown in...
amongst white enlisted men,
he was quartered with them.
Men like Staff Sergeant
Vic Bedford.
Bedford, the real Bedford,
was a man unknown to us.
Hateful, vengeful, with
a bigotry that ran bone-deep.
A man who simply couldn't
stomach the thought...
of sharing a roof
with colored officers.
So he badgered Scott,
baited him.
Even refused
to respect Scott's rank.
Then conspired to kill the only
friend Scott had in this camp.
That's why Scott
followed Bedford out...
the night in question...
crept up behind him
and snapped his neck.
Members of the board,
we take no pleasure...
in prosecuting
Lieutenant Scott...
but a capital charge requires...
that we put aside
our passions and sympathies...
wedding ourselves
solely to the truth.
It is this.
Lieutenant Scott
was positively...
and unimpeachably identified
at the scene of the crime.
He had motive,
he had opportunity...
and he had an animus
for the victim...
which was confirmed
even by his own testimony.
Lincoln Scott is an officer,
he is a soldier...
but he is also a murderer.
There's a tenet that was
drummed into all of us...
from our first day in basic.
Sometimes 1 man
must be sacrificed...
for the good
of the men around him.
Someone has to be first
to hit the beach...
or to jump on a grenade
or to draw enemy fire...
so coordinates can be drawn
for mortar teams.
Vic Bedford
learned that tenet, too...
except Vic got it backwards.
Vic thought that sometimes
a few hundred...
must be sacrificed
for the good of 1.
Him. For Vic.
The watchword was expediency.
One day he'd trade
with our captors...
to get hard-to-find parts
for a radio...
earning him the loyalty
of our commanding officer...
and his staff.
Then Vic would tell the Germans
where to find that radio...
Go.
in exchange for the murder
of Lamar Archer.
The army has its share
of cowards...
and Vic Bedford was one of them.
It also has heroes...
soldiers like Lincoln Scott.
Lincoln Scott who wanted nothing
more than to serve his country.
And serve he did.
Nine downed German fighters,
30 missions...
until one of those missions
landed him here, Stalag 6A...
where Vic Bedford and the sad
sacks Bedford called friends...
were lying in wait.
Scott was a target
from the second he got here.
He suffered insults, threats,
but he did not retaliate.
He did not kill Vic Bedford.
No.
Someone beat him to it.
It could've been
any number of people.
The guard who thought
that Bedford had cheated him.
A fellow kriegie who discovered
Bedford's treachery.
Even one of our
ranking officers...
as punishment for
ratting out that radio.
So this, then, is our victim?
A bigot. A traitor. A rat.
Enemy of every kriegie in camp.
The question is, who hated him
enough to kill him?
Colonel.
I did.
Wait a minute.
What are you saying?
I killed Vic Bedford, sir.
Come on, Colonel. Here.
I want every man in the compound
present...
for the execution
of Lieutenant Hart.
Very brave.
Very brave, indeed.
Colonel, this man has rights.
Not anymore.
This court still has to
deliberate the matter.
I am the court now!
Now. Get him up.
Get him up. Get him up.
Get out.
I want every man...
who participated
in the court-martial...
removed from the line.
Line them up.
Line them up. Now.
These men knew nothing, Colonel.
Line them up!
You will be the first.
These men knew nothing.
You will be the first!
Colonel, they knew nothing!
So, your men are saboteurs
as well?
No, Colonel,
they're just soldiers.
They were following my orders.
I assume complete
responsibility.
That's very noble of you.
Seems you've won our duel
after all, Colonel.
No.
We both lose, don't we?
Yeah.
And now you wish to
trade your life for theirs?
Yes, I do.
Very well.
We buried the Colonel in
a marked grave behind the camp.
Three months later,
the German army surrendered.
Our stalag was liberated.
The war was over.
We returned home to America,
to our families.
Lincoln Scott got the chance...
to explain the word honor
to his son.
Honor and courage,
duty, sacrifice.
Lincoln's son came
to understand those words...
and so have I.