"BELGIUM DECEMBER 16, 1944" "On the otherside ofthe world, 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," "HEADQUARTERS BATTALION V CORPS 19944, Deçember," "I was miles from the front, anda stranger to war," "Troops, fuel dumps, enemyunits," "They were pins on a map to me," "Champagne?" "Are you trying to score a few points?" "Just trying to aid the war eﬀon, Han." " Tom?" " Sir?" "The captain needs a liR back to the 106th." "Can you find him a driver?" " I can take him, sir." " funny." "I had a feeling you'd say that." " There isn't 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." "Thank you for reminding me, Tom." "The general should get a kick out of that." "Sir." ",are now fighting along a baﬀIe line of300 miles in northern france and Germany," "Within ten weeks aner the first landings in france lastJune, the allies had landed nearly two million men," "You know what this army could use, sir?" "Snowplough service." "We could use half a million gallons of gasoline and a road or mo that wasn't paved with 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?" " Colonel says your father is a senator." "So I guess you won't spend too many nights in a foxhole, will ya?" "Ifs nothing to be ashamed of, son." "That's a hell of a father to have." " Where to, sir?" " St Vith." "I'm afraid you're going the wrong way, sir." "St Vith is due west." "I'm pretty sure St Vith is due east, Sergeant." "Straight ahead." "Can I see that, sir?" "I drove this route yesterday, Sergeant." "Get your hands up!" "Up!" "See what's in the box." "It's nailed shut." "Could be wine or champagne." "Halt!" "Are you in greatpainT firstLieutenant Thomas Hart," "Serial number 1841287." "Would you care for a cigarette?" "Your train is an eight-kilometre march from here." "Of course, with some shoes on you might be all right." "first Lieutenant Thomas Han." "Serial number 1841287." "Thank you, Lieutenant." "But we both know there is much more to you than that." "Show me the locations of the fuel dumps." "Just point, and we can end all this." "Get the lieutenant's uniform." "I'II have your clothes returned to you immediately." "When you are dressed we'II have another chat." "A last one, I hope." "Smile, Joe. for you, the war is over." "Lieutenant." "This'II help against the cold." "No, thanks, soldier." "I'II be all right." "No, you won't." "Come on, take it." "Just till you warm up." "Take it, sir." "Hey, Captain, does somebody tell ourfolks aboutus being capturedT" "The Germans give a list to the military, the military notifies the families." "Is that voluntary, sir?" "How do you mean, Lieutenant?" "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?" "Monars no boom-boom,jat" "Captain!" "P-51 , incoming!" " Ours?" " Everybody get down!" "Everybody stay down!" "Heep low!" " Captain, why are they shooting at us?" " They can't read the roof." "Unhook the engine!" "AII right, get the doors!" "Everybody, get the doors!" "Han, help them!" "Get to the other cars!" "Get those men out!" "We're spelling out!" "Round up your men now!" "We're spelling out!" "We're spelling out!" "Han!" "Get that man clear of here!" "AII right, men, get in line!" "Assemble on me!" "Move it!" "Move it!" "We're spelling out!" "AII right, men!" "Let's get back in line!" "Don't you fuckin' die on me." "Oh, God." "Aw, Christ." "OH, keep looking at me." "Look at me." "Look at me." " Shit." "Shit." " I couldn't get to him, sir." "You're all right." "It's all right." "Stand still!" "Easy, son." "Easy." "They're telling us to march." "Probably ought to take his boots, Lieutenant." "Lieutenant!" "Take his boots!" "Cos either you or some Jerry's gonna get 'em." "Take 'em, sir, while you still got feet to put 'em on." "His socks, too." "Ain't gonna help him any." "Stay together." "Six abreast." "AII right, let's do what they say." "I'm sorry." "STALAG VI A AUGSBURG, GERMANY" "Once again," "I'm forced to remind you, escape is not a spon." "Think of it this way." "Now these Russians have a chance at a Happy New Year." "Those are dogs you're saluting, Colonel." "Animals." "Untermenschen," "My country doesn't make those kind of distinctions, Colonel." "They don't make such distinctions." "They're our allies, Colonel." "Oh, yeah, you and your allies." "Let me tell you about you and your allies." "The Ministry ofWar has released figures from our oﬀensive in the Ardennes." "200,OOO allied killed or captured." "Your Third Army, Patton, in full retreat." "And the Wehrmacht has captured enough abandoned fuel to retake Paris, perhaps even drive your troops back to the sea." "Might be a bit crowded around here this winter." " Major fussel?" " Take them to de-lousing." "Turn around, Joe." "Yeah, that's it." "Turn around." "Ross?" "Han?" "Ross and Han?" "Captain Ross." "Major Clary." "Major Clary." "Major Clary." "Major Clary." "Major Clary." "Major Clary." " Lieutenant Han." " Lieutenant." "Debriefing, gentlemen." "Oﬀicers' hut." "On the double." ",German offensive on the American front is still going on," "The entire front, stretching about 30 miles south ofmonschau, is in motion," "Countermeasures are being taken," "Got a pack of Chestertields." "I'II trade you." " Sure." " This is a majorGerman effort," "Some ofthe bestunits in the German alMYale 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 rabbifs foot in your pocket?" "Two horseshoes and a four-leaf clover, sir." "Attaboy." "And by the way, you might want to take it easy on that bread." "You've had nothing solid for a while." "Don't want you to end up in the infirmary." "I don't know, sir." "ARer the march I just made, an infirmary might look like the Waldort to me." "Well, stomach can shrink quite a bit in 17 days." "That's the number, isn't it?" "17 days?" "Six days on the train, another six days of marching." "What was it, Joe?" "five days of interrogation?" "No, sir." "Three days." "Well, anmay, easy does it." "Yes, sir." "Thank you." "So, this interrogator they threw at ya." "His name wasn't Schumann, was it?" "No, sir." "Lutz." "Schumann was a real prick." "almost broke me in mo." "Goon up." " Not much for small talk, I guess." " Yeah, you'II come to appreciate that." "Smoke, Lieutenant?" "Would you care for a cigarette?" "Again, Lieutenant, I need to ask you." "The fuel dumps?" "Thank you." "So 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." "Unfonunately, we won't be able to quaner you here. full up." "Gonna have to put you in Barracks 27." "Isn't Barracks 27 for enlisted men, sir?" "Yes." "But as you can see, the Germans are doing rather brisk business these days." "You'lI be comfonable there." "Yes, sir." " Lieutenant." " Sir." "Point!" "Point!" "Or say hello to stumps for the rest of your life!" "Good." "Donny, you in?" "I call." "Hold your water, Joe." "Looks like a whole division just surrendered." "Who's in charge here?" " AII right, how many we up to?" " Three lovely ladies, big shot." "Excuse me." "I'm looking for who's in charge here." "from the looks of things, I'd say Adolf Hitler." "I'm Lieutenant Tom Han." "It's OH, fellas." "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." "middle's fine." " I'm betting you're a Lucky Strike man." " You bet right." "Care for some hooch?" "Ringing in the new year." "No, thanks." "It's fermented raisins, mostly." "A little turpentine for flavour." " I'm fine." " We got anybody leR on the front, sir?" " How are you, Lieutenant?" " Ifs all the guards talk about." " What the hell happened, sir?" " Give him a break." "He just got here." "Guard 'em with your life." "They double for cash here, especially with the guards." " Thanks, Sergeant." " Excuse me a second." "fellas!" "Listen up." "Lieutenant Han here is gonna be staying with us for a while." "Men." "Say, what's it take to get in that poker game?" " I expect we can work something out." " Good." "Sir, you about a size ten?" "Why?" "They got a Woolwonhs behind one of these barracks?" "You never know." "Just piss on him, sir." "It's the only thing that gets 'em moving." "Happy New Year." "Raus!" "Raus!" "Happy New Year!" "It's 1945!" "Happy New Year!" "10½ was the best I could do with the holiday season and all." "Look at the smile on this guy." "Socks, too." "could've used those in the HÜngen." " What, you don't like trench foot?" " Sure." "It's just once my toenails turned black, I didn't have a single purse that matched." "Major fussel." " Square 'em up, Major." " Yes, sir." "Barracks, attention!" "Look at this." "Got those poor bastards going around the clock now." "See that factory out past the nonh tower?" "Germans making bombs right under our noses." "Supposed to be a shoe factory." "Instead, they got Russians making monar shells." "What the hell is that?" " Oh, they're fliers." " They got niggers flying airplanes now?" "332nd fighter Squadron." "Read about 'em in Yank magazine." "I'II be damned." "Well, we got us some nigger oﬀicers." "fuckin' Jerry's right." "We must be losing this war." "..five, six, seven, eight." "LiR." "LiR." "Lieutenant." "Sir." " Looks like ifll 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 'em?" "I think I'd give 'em their own billet tent, sir." "Well, we can't do that." "I was thinking about putting them in 27 with you." "No, sir, wouldn't they be better oﬀ in the oﬀicers' barracks?" "They don't carry enough weight to move mo oﬀicers out of 22." "I can't make them the only mo oﬀicers in the enlisted men's barracks." "You're in 27. figure you could keep an eye on 'em for me." "Sir, I'm still new to that barracks." "I don't carry a lot ofweight with the men yet." "You got bars on your shoulder, Lieutenant." "That ought to be weight enough." " What do you got?" "Come on." " I got mo pair." " Tastes like chicken, right?" " No." "No." "Maggots." " It's protein." "Eat." " You call?" " What do you got?" " Three pair." "Gonna have to make some room in here, fellas." "Come on in, men." "We got mo more guests." "Second Lieutenants Lamar Archer and Lincoln Scott." "You 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 any more." "Croutch?" "Hrasner?" " Yes, sir?" "You're reassigned." "Barracks 28." "Colonel wants you situated before lockdown." "Goon up." " What were you flying?" " P-51 bomber escons." "Must be a shitload of dead bomber crews scattered across Europe." "See these bars, Sergeant?" "Don't make you fit to share with white folks, boy." " Bedford!" " That's "Lieutenant Boy"." "You got that?" "Call yourselfwhatever you want." "You're still just a nigger to me." " I didn't quite catch that, Sergeant." " AII right!" "That's enough." "Something like that, OH?" "And you're gonna do a "stop and go"." "AII right?" "Set!" "Go!" "Over here!" "Nice, Johnny!" "Nice!" "Ready?" "Go." "Uh-oh." "Deadline." "Lieutenant!" "You mind grabbing that, boy?" "Come on, lefs go." "Cromin?" "Come here." "Do your route." "Do your route." "Do your route." " I'm going." "I'm going." " Halt, Kriegie!" "Halt!" "Halt!" " Nice one, sir." " Cookie!" "Hey!" "More bread." "More bread." " Das ist verboten!" " Touchdown!" "Touchdown!" "Das ist verboten, Bedford!" "Bon appétit!" "Shit." "Son of a bitch." "Nobody moves." " How bad, Sergeant?" " It's just a nick." "I'II be fine." " You all right?" " Yeah." "Joe, right here!" "fuck 'em." " Go get that hand looked at." " Yes, sir." "Hey, Bedford." "Cigarettes?" "You're a regular bank, Vic." "Mm-hm." " How's the hand?" " That really what you came to ask me?" "No." "Major Clary told me that you went to see him to lodge a complaint." " Yeah." " About Lieutenants Archer and Scott." "I'm sure he'II take it up with Eisenhower the 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 had given you that open bunk in the oﬀicers' barracks right about now, huh, Lieutenant?" "I mean, this is hardly the Waldort." "Ain't that right?" "We're not gonna have a problem about this." "Understood?" "Whafd you do before the war?" "for a living." "I was in law school." "Second year." " Harvard?" " Yale." " Meet many coloureds 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 lefs not pretend we're fuckin' neighbours." " You finished, Sergeant?" " No, I'm not finished." "We never did set on a price, did we, for them boots and socks?" "It might be as cold as the Nonh Pole here but that don't make me Santa Claus." "What do you want?" "I'II take your watch." "This was a gir from my father." "I'm bettin' your daddy can aﬀord you another one." "This gonna buy me a little civility, Sergeant?" "Tons." "Oh, that was great," "Oh, baby," "Not much of a picture, is it?" "Well, we do feel a little misled, sir." "The guard told us they'd be showing The Life and Times ofJesse Owens," "You know, you men can sit up front with everyone else." "We're fine, sir." "Nobody's gonna bother you." "I said we're fine, sir." "Take your places!" "Barracks, attention!" " How was that?" " Nice, DW." "That was 18 inches." " Come on, Joe." "It was mo feet at least." " Hey, either way, my record still stands." " Up!" "Up!" "Up!" "Raus!" "Raus!" " Everybody, out of your beds!" " Out!" " Raus!" " Raus!" " Out!" "Out of beds!" "Attention at the bunks!" "Attention at the bunks!" "Now, now, now!" "Now!" "Who is the ranking man in here?" "Lieutenant Thomas Han." "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 ofweapons, are they not?" "Major, no one has leR this barracks." " Wait a minute." "What the...?" " Quiet!" " This is a plant!" "Somebody put that in..." " Quiet." "Quiet!" " mitkommen, mitkommen!" " You bastard, I heard you go out!" " I shoulda seen this coming!" " Where are you taking him?" "Examples must be made, Lieutenant." "We take the safety of our men very seriously." " Major!" " Where are y'all taking him to?" "What did he do?" "!" "Lamar!" "Hey, Lamar!" "Lamar!" "fire!" "I'II fuckin' kill you." "I'II fuckin' kill you, Bedford!" "You put that spike there!" " Watch your mouth, nigger!" " He put that spike there!" "Get oﬀ of me!" " Lincoln, look at me." "Lincoln, look at me." "." "Get oﬀ of mel." "Get oﬀ of mel." "Can I let you go?" "Lincoln?" "It was a minor oﬀence, 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." "He wasn't trying to escape any more than those Russians you hung the other day." "Was 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 at that, Colonel." "We had every right to question a man for concealment of a dangerous weapon." "This man had rights too." "The Geneva Convention specifically forbids..." "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'II be looking in on yourbarracks to listen to what's on the BBC this evening." ""Goon up!"" "Now, go see your men, Colonel." "Good night." "Excuse us, Captain." "How's Scott holding up?" "It's hard to tell." "He isn't saying much." "He was asking about the body." "And there were some personal eﬀects." "Dog tags." " Come on!" " Get him!" " Come on, boys!" " Yeah!" " How does that taste, 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." "Clear the barracks!" " Come on!" "Let's get him out!" " Get him out of there!" "The theatre!" "Get on top of the theatre!" "Get him to the doc, now!" "Come on!" "I want men down here!" " Get this!" "Come on!" " Come on!" "Come on!" "Go over the top." "Lefs go!" "We need some more buckets!" "Quick!" "Come on!" "Come on!" "Lefs go!" " Move it around this corner." " Yes, sir." "You know where I wish I'd never been?" " Where's that?" " The goddamn Waldort." "It's not personal." "He just can't stand being lied to." " I never lied to him." " Don't." "You hung yourself the minute he debriefed you." "That guy Lutz they threw you in with?" "He was a level-one interrogator." "McNamara had him, too." "When a guy won't talk, they just keep kicking him up the ladder." "Level mo, level three." "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 three days." " AII I gave him was name, rank..." " See, the colonel's not like you and me." "He's West Point, founh-generation." "He was raised on all this." "So crap like this, catching a junior oﬀicer in an obvious lie..." "AII 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?" " Hnock it oﬀ, huh?" " What the hell is he doing?" " What you doing, Lieutenant?" " Goddamnit, Lincoln." "We shoulda sold some tickets for this one." "Halt, Kriegie!" "Hands up!" "Stop!" "Halt!" "Raus!" "Raus!" "Move it." "Move it." "Two of your men dead in mo days, Colonel." "It seems you've lost control of your company." "Will Lieutenant Scott be granted the right to stand trial?" "Major fussel saw him standing over the body." "I would say he's had his trial." "Any prisoner accused of a crime against another has a right to a trial." "And if the boy were being held in Alabama, there wouldn't be any trial." "Is this not so?" "Yeah, maybe you're right, Colonel." "Maybe we should just forget the trial." "Let's just drag him out and shoot mo holes in his chest like you did with Lieutenant Archer." "A trial." "A coun manial," "like in your American movies?" "Yes?" "Yeah, something like that." "That should be fun." "Yeah." "AII right, Colonel." "You may conduct it in your theatre here." "Take him away." "Colonel, my men are in this theatre every day." "We'd like to erect a billet tent to house the proceedings." "No." "Your theatre will do nicely." "You have until the end of the week for your trial." "It's a capital charge." "The trial will take more than a few days." "1 ,OOO American prisoners from the Ardennes will arrive over the weekend," " and I'm putting them in your theatre." " Colonel, I just explained..." "Colonel!" "Saturday, your theatre is mine." "Take the body to the morgue." "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." "Leave everything alone." "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." "Just 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 crackers I wanted to kill, I'd have stayed in Macon." " 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, ifs not murder." "It's manslaughter." "Do you understand that?" "Man, oh, man." "Can I fire you?" " Now, look, Scott, I'm just trying..." " If it's a coloured guy on trial, and it's a white man whds been murdered, there's no such thing as manslaughter." "Don't you know that?" "Or is that something that they teach you in the thirdyear of law school?" "What did you expect from me, anmay?" ""Y-Yessir, boss!"" ""Thank you, boss." "You're mighty kind:" "Is that the way a railroaded coloured man acts where you're from?" " Nobody's railroading you." " The only real lawyer is prosecuting me, and I'm stuck with you defending me!" "That's how the colonel wanted it." "Yeah, but I ain't being railroaded." "Barracks, fall out!" " I'II meet you back at the barracks." " Yes, sir." " Well, Lieutenant?" " I'm going to need a few things, sir." " Who has Bedford's personal eﬀects?" " We do." "I'II 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 president of the coun manial." "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 it, the Germans will know how we get out of barracks aRer dark." "And every man in this camp would be compromised." "Are you following this?" " Yes, sir." " Good." "Scott will testify that he went out through a hole beneath the stove in the barracks." "And you will make cenain that he is clear on that." "Do we understand each other?" "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'II make sure you get it." "Not much to look at, is he?" "Did you know him?" "No, not personally." "But my guards cenainly seemed to." "These are for you." "Thank you." " How well?" " Hm?" "Your guards." "You said they knew him." "How well?" "Well, you'II have to ask them about that." "This is yours too, I believe." "We found it on his wrist." "But with the inscription and 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 halmits." "At least, it wasn't when I was studying there." "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 you've got a trial to prepare for." "It's a sincere oﬀer, Lieutenant." "Anything I can do to help." "Truly." "Exactly where were you, majorfussel, on the night in guestionT" "I was walking the area behind this theatre and the Australian compound," " At about what time?" " Maybe about one dclock in the morning." "And can you tell the coun what you saw?" "The Schwane 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 staned to run." " And what did you do next?" "Ja, I would have shot, but it was dark." "And so was he." " How well did you know Sgt Bedford?" " A little, I think." " You traded with him regularly." " "Traded"?" "Banered." "Cigarettes for a pair of boots." "Chocolate for some spare pans." "No, I never did this." "A Kriegie trading with a German soldier?" "I never saw it." "May I repeat what he actually said, Captain?" "You may, Private." "Lieutenant Scott said "I'II kill you." "I'II fuckin' kill you, Bedford:" "Corporal, have you ever heard any other man threaten a fellow soldier?" ""I'II kill you if you touch my cigarettes again:" "That son of thing?" " Yes, sir." " I bet you've made such a threat yourself." "I suppose so." "Did you ever actually kill any of the men you threatened in this manner?" "No, sir." "But I'm not coloured." "I can control myself." "So you, too, heard the threats made by the accused against Sgt Bedford?" "Your Honour, this being the founh witness called to testify on this matter, if the defence stipulates that the accused did threaten Sergeant Bedford, could we dispense with any funher testimony to it?" "Sgt 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 Honour, the Sergeant will testify that he saw through a window in Barracks 27 as Lt Scott accosted Sgt Bedford outside the theatre and broke his neck." "Your Honour, I was with Sgt Webb at the exact time of the murder." "He saw nothing." "The hell I didn't." "You don't know what I saw." "Sir, I request that you instruct this witness as to the consequences of perjury!" "He put his hand on the Bible and swore to tell the truth." " Objection, Your Honour!" " Sit down, Lieutenant." " His bias alone demands..." " Lieutenant!" "Sit down, please." "I'II catch up with you." "Webb?" "You're a lying sack of shit." "You know that?" " You ought to mind your own business..." " This doesn't concern you, West." "Or you." " George S Patton just showed up." " Return to your barracks, Corporal." "Take your mo friends with you." "It's OH." "So, what is it, Webb?" "Up there, today?" "What, do you think you owe it to Vic?" "Why are you so bent about that flying bellhop?" " He's a soldier." " Vic Bedford was a soldier." "He fought." "He had courage." "But you wouldn't know 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 it." " Not good enough." "Ifs good enough for McNamara." "Sorry about what happened in there today, Lincoln." "I didn't see it coming." "That's the first time you've seen a man lie through his teeth holding his hand on the Bible?" "I was writing a letter to my father." "I figured I should tell him first." "He was pan of the 369th Infantry in the last war." ""The old fiReenth"." "They was the first Negro troops to go into action in france." "Did your father serve?" "Mm." "My father was in headquaners." "He had an eight 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." "Oberst Visser will Sie sehen," "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 read Mark Twain?" "He's wondertul." " 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 panicular use to you." "I can't accept this." "We have a policy..." "Lieutenant, without this, your client will face the firing squad." "Would that be better?" "Your son?" "Yes." "Where's he fighting?" "He is not any more." "The Russian front." "Novgorod." "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, anmay." "Takes a man right back." "Take a seat." "Thank you for your time, Colonel." "Lieutenant." "Enjoy the manual." "Order, gentlemen." "Captain Sisk, is the prosecution ready to call its next witness?" " We are, Your Honour." " Begging the cours pardon, sir." "." "Yes, Lieutenant7." " Before we continue, Your Honour, the coun may have overlooked a few procedural matters yesterday." "Referring to the US Army manual forCourts martial, chapter 12, sections 57 and 58." "Make your point." "According to these sections, the coun must ask the accused if he wishes to challenge members of the coun for disqualification before any pleas are entered." "A little late in the game for that, isn't it?" "Nevenheless, it is a right specifically granted to the defendant." "Very well." "Does the accused wish to challenge any member of the coun?" "We do, Your Honour." "You, sir." "Request denied." "Proceed, Captain Sisk." "Sir, according to chapter 12, section 58D, defence is allowed one challenge, not subject to any ruling by the coun itself." " Request denied, Lieutenant." " Then the coun must address section 58E which states the defence may disqualify a member of the board for cause if that member has displayed a bias toward the accused." " This coun has shown no bias." " This coun has demonstrated, in ex pane conversations before this hearing, a distinct prejudice against the accused, his case, and his counsel, sir." "Very well." "Coun will take a shon recess to consider the matter." "Lieutenant Han?" "Could 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?" " Anicle 32, contempt of coun." "Anicle 70, intentional delay." "I know the book, too." "fomards and backwards." " Well, 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 panicipate in these proceedings." "Is thatclear?" "And you will never set foot in his oﬀice again without my permission." "Do we understand each other?" ",andpropaganda poured into the etheras by the Germans overStrasbourg," "One minute you can hearHimmlerhimself announcing thathe will be in Strasbourg byJanuay30th, the anniversay ofthe Nazis coming to power in Germany," "The next, the Nazis are claiming that two new divisions are advancing on Strasbourg and that the Americans are in full ßight from AIsace," "The closer theyget, the more violentbecome the Nazi menaces, and the more honeyed theirpromises," "Come in." "Have a seat." ",are turning in ourfavour, We've checked the Germans along the moderriver," "They'II come again, ofcourse, but the citynowknows it can hope," " Have a drink?" " Sure." "You can help me decipher some of this code coming through the BBC tonight." "I don't think you need my help, Colonel." "It seems pretty clear what they're saying." "It would seem so." "Or perhaps ifs all propaganda." "How about that?" "The citizens can't do much themselves with theirsimple guns andrißes," "But they're standing up to, and winning, the other war," "Strange thing about war wounds." "The older you grow, the less proud you become of them." " You got another of these around here?" " 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 crueller." "Is that why you gave Lieutenant Han the manual?" "I was merely trying to help the lad." "He's got enough to worry about without providing you with amusement." "Yes." "And he's got you to worry about, hasn't he?" "Stay out of our business." "forgive me, Colonel, but you're hardly in the position to hand out orders." "Especially to me." "for now." "Unless, of course, you think thafs 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 under the barracks andputhis face in the mud," "But by the time I got to him, he was already dead, behind the theatre." "His 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?" " Shoe polish?" "Soot?" " No." "Defence exhibit one, Your Honour." "Photos of the deceased taken in the camp morgue." "The coun will note black smudges on Bedford's right cheek and jaw." "Your Honour, what is the relevance of this?" "To demonstrate to the coun that whoever killed Vic Bedford was white." "I'd like the coun's permission to conduct a demonstration." "I'd also ask the trial judge advocate to rise, if he would." "Proceed." "Based on Bedford's wounds and the fact nobody reponed hearing him cry for help, we have to assume he was either friendly with his assailant, or whoever killed him did so from behind, the position being 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?" "I would like the coun to note the following - whoever killed Vic Bedford had such a substance on his face on the night of the murder." "Which raises mo 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 Honour, you stood face-to-face with him aRer 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 theatre, face blackened to avoid detection by the guards." "Nothing funher, Your Honour." "Lieutenant, you say that Sgt 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 anerhe'd gone out?" "Yes, I did, sir." " What did you find down there?" " 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." "So ifs possible that Sgt Bedford, having descended through a hole lined with soot and then having crawled face down beneath a barracks wet with mud, might have emerged with mud and soot on his face." "Nothing funher, Your Honour." "Thank you, Captain Sisk." "You may step down, Lieutenant." "Lieutenant Scott?" "You know how hard they tried to wash us out of flight school?" "The coloured fliers?" "Your testimony's been entered, Lieutenant." "You can step down." "It was test aRer test." "I mean, anything they could come up with to turn us into the cooks, or the drivers, or the shit-shovellers." " Your Honour, this is unnecessary..." " 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 gonna spend the war" " being some niggers." " That's enough." "You will take your seat." "With all due respect, sir, I would like to exercise my right and address this coun." "Now I've been "sitting down" ever since I got here." "I shoulda stood up and said something when you threw us in with enlisted men instead of quanering us properly as oﬀicers." "But it's OH." "Coloured 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 'em to work picking cotton." "But what's strange is, 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, ifd all be wonh it." "Because, hey, the war would end, and we could go home and be free to walk down any street in America, with our heads held high, as men." "So thafs 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 could find you another blanket." " No, I'm fine." "Here." " Come to order," " Before youproceed, YourHonour, the defence hasn't rested yet." "I'd still like to call one last witness." "Defence 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, tell us the nature of your relationship with Vic Bedford." "I'II 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?" "ARer lockdown?" "That would be impossible in this camp, Lieutenant." "The policy forbids." "Do you remember the conversation we had in the camp morgue four days ago?" "Vaguely." "I asked you if you knew Vic Bedford, and you said" ""No, but my guards cenainly 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 pans for a hidden radio." "Isn't that a fact?" "Lieutenant, I'm sitting here as a gesture of military counesy." "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 rappon with your Majors Winz and fusseI 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 Winz enter Barracks 22, and destroy a hidden radio that they had been trying to locate for months." "Can you tell the coun anything about these items, sir?" "Identification papers, some currency." "What of them?" "Pertect German-made ID papers." "And Reichsmarks." "2,OOO of them." "More than enough cash to make it through the country." "Bedford kept those beside his bunk." "Tell the coun the nature of your relationship with Vic Bedford." "I did not have one..." "Then 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 the guards..." "The fact is, Colonel, Bedford traded with you and your men regularly." " Objection, Your Honour!" "Objection!" " He came up dry so you had him killed." "Lieutenant Han," "I thought you tried marvellously 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." "Get 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." "Ifs the way it had to go." "We're out of time, Han." "We lose this theatre tomorrow." "Uh-huh." "And I keep Visser and his men distracted while half the camp goes out?" "Is that it, Captain?" "I'm asking the wrong fuckin' 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." "And if you fuck with this operation in any way, I'II kill you, too." "You will sit in that counroom 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." " The war's at the front." "We're not in it." " Speak for yourself!" "You know those Russians they march in and out of here?" " Hnow 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, that's the way it has to be." " I agree completely, sir." " Good." "But I think that one man should be you." "Don't worry, I'II play my pan." "But at the end of the trial, you're going to tap your little gavel, you're going to stand up and confess to the murder." "Your duty demands that!" "fuck you, Han!" "What the fuck would you know about duty?" "I'II see you in coun, sir." " Was ist lost - "Was ist los"T 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." "I'm fine." "Here we go." "We'II convene as scheduled, aRer the Appell," "Square 'em up." "Barracks!" "Attention!" "Come to order, gentlemen." "Captain Sisk, is the prosecution ready to present its summation?" "We are, Your Honour." "Very well." "I'm sorry, gentlemen." "Coun needs a five-minute recess before summations." "Colonel?" "Colonel?" "Let's get him back to the barracks." "Get his coat." " You should get some rest, sir." " AII right." "Come on." "Back to the barracks." " We need an extension." "He's very ill." " The agreement was the end of the week." " It's a matter of counesy, Colonel!" " The agreement was today!" "I need to talk to you." "You any good at poker, Lincoln?" "There's an escape going to take place later on this aRernoon." "Escape?" "How's that?" "Down a tunnel, through that burned theatre wing." "While the jury's in deliberations." "You mean this whole thing's been a joke?" "Yes." "But Archer and Bedford are dead for real." " Is that pan 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 "honour" means." "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." "You got that?" "I can't do that, Tommy." "Suppose the board comes back and there's nobody in the defendant's chair." " It doesn't matter." "You'lI be out." " Then the search begins." "And all those men, they won't have a chance." " Lincoln, if you stay, you'II be convicted." " If I stay, those men are gonna have a chance." "And you'lI be executed." " Lincoln, listen to me." "Please." " Everything's fine, Tommy." "Everything's really OH." "Just as long as he knows what happened here." "As long as there's somebody to tell him." "How far could I get, anmay?" "A coloured man running through the German countryside." "Ifd be target practice." "Itstarted with a noble idea," "Letting colouredmenjoin the fight," "But no one in the Air Corps considered what might happen if one of those Tuskegee men ever got shot down." "No one ever asked what would happen if a coloured oﬀicer was suddenly captured and sent to a stalag like this one." "ButLincoln Scott was shot down, andhe was sent to a stalag," "And once here, he wasn1just thrown in amongst white enlistedmen, he was guartered with them, men like StaffSergeant Vic Bedford," "Bedford, the real Bedford, was a man unknown to us," "HatefuI, vengeful, with a bigoty thatran bone-deep," "A man who couldn'tstomach the thought ofsharing a roofwith coloured oMcers," "So he badgered Scott, baited him, even refused to respect Scott's rank, then conspired to kill the only kiend Scotthad in this camp," "Thafs why Scott followedBedford out on the night in question, crept up behind him, and snapped his neck." "Members of the board, we take no pleasure in prosecuting Lieutenant Scott." "Buta capital charge reguires that we putaside ourpassions andsympathies, wedding ourselves solely to the truth." "It is this:" "Lt Scott was positively, unimpeachably identifiedat the scene ofthe crime," "He hadmotive, he had opportunity, andhe hadan animus for the victim which was confirmed even by his own testimony." "Lincoln Scott is an oMcer," "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 one man mustbe sacrificed for the good ofthe men aroundhim," "Someone has to be first to hit the beach, or to jump on a grenade, or to draw enemy fire so coordinates çan be diawn formortar teams," "Vic Bedford learned that tenet, too." "Except Vic got it backwards." "Vic thought sometimes a few hundred must be sacrificed for the good of one." "Him. for Vic, the watchword was expediency." "One day, he'd trade with our captors to get hard-to-find pans for a radio, earning the loyalty of our commanding oﬀicer." "Then Vic would tell the Germans where to find thatradio, in exchange for the murderofLamarArcher," "The army has its share of cowards." "And Vic Bedford was one of them." "Italso has heroes, Soldiers like 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 couldhave been anynumberofpeople," "A guard who thought that Bedford had cheated him." "A fellow Kriegie who discovered Bedford's treachery." "Even one of our 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." " What are you saying, Lieutenant?" " I killed Vic Bedford, sir." "Come on, Colonel." "Come on." "I want every man in the compound present for the execution of Lieutenant Han." " Very brave, ami, Very brave indeed." " Colonel, this man has rights." " Not any more." " This coun has to deliberate..." " I am the courtnow!" " Out!" "Get 'em up." "Get 'em up." "Get 'em up." "Get out, get out, get out." "Herr Oberst!" "We have a problem with the count." "How many are missing?" "The first count is 35." "Ready the execution." "McNamara is not in his barracks." "Herr Oberst," "I want every man who panicipated in that coun manial removed from the line!" " Colonel, I demand..." " Silence!" "Line them up for execution!" " Line them up!" "Now!" " These men knew nothing, Colonel!" "That's quite a comfon." "Thank you." "Line them up!" " You first!" " These men knew nothing." " Youwill be the first!" " Colonel, they knew nothing!" "Shoot them all!" "This one first!" "HerrKommandant!" "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 aRer 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 markedgrave behind the camp," "Three months later, the German armysurrendered," "Ourstalag was liberated, The war was over," "We returnedhome to America, to ourfamilies, where Lincoln Scottgot the chance to explain the word "honour" to his son," "Honourand courage," "Duty, Sacrifice," "Lincoln's son came to understand those words," "Andso have I," "Visiontext Subtitles= Rob Colling" "ENGLISH HOH"