PRODUCERS: Joel Silver
                Arnold Schwartzenegger






                               SGT. ROCK


                        An Original Screenplay by

                           David Webb Peoples

                    based on the comic book character

                         created by Bob Kanigher





                                             FIRST DRAFT
                                             August, 1987
     WARNER BROS. INC.                       O 1987
     4000 Warner Boulevard                   WARNER BROS. INC.
     Burbank, California 91522               All Rights Reserved











                  NOTE:  Nazi rhymes with potsy...
                  Nazzey rhymes with snazzy...
                  Likewise the plurals...










     A TINY VILLAGE/NIGHT

     Moonlight illuminates a mountain village consisting merely of a cobble
     street and a cluster of modest cottages.  A jeep full of NAZI SOLDIERS
     grinds through the deserted street as words appear SUPERED over the 
     scene...

                                ITALY, 1943

     Peering from the cracks in shuttered windows frightened CHILDREN watch 
     shadowy NAZI SOLDIERS as they dismount from the Jeep.

     MOMENTS LATER

     The SOLDIERS move ominously from house to house while A NAZI OFFICER,
     speaking in crude Italian, questions a PEASANT WOMAN in her doorway, 
     her CHILDREN clinging in terror to her skirts, their eyes on the 
     towering NAZI, whose face is lost in shadows...

                                       NAZI OFFICER
                             (Italian, subtitled)
                        Americans?  Where?

                                       PEASANT WOMAN
                             (Italian, subtitled)
                        No, no.  Not here.

                                       NAZI OFFICER
                             (Italian, subtitled)
                        Where?  How far?  How many kilometers?

     The CHILDREN cringe in horror as the NAZI OFFICER grabs the WOMAN 
     roughly by the arm, shaking her.

                                       PEASANT WOMAN
                             (Italian, subtitled)
                        I don't know.
                             (pointing south)
                        That way, I think.  Five kilometers
                        maybe.

                                       NAZI OFFICER
                             (Italian, subtitled)
                        You're lying, you wop whore, I don't
                        believe you.

                                       A VOICE (O.S.)
                             (German, subtitled)
                        Excuse me, sir.

     The NAZI OFFICER turns to see a hulking NAZI CORPORAL approaching him 
     from the shadows, his face lost in the gloom.

                                       NAZI OFFICER
                             (German, subtitled)
                        What is it, Corporal?  You're supposed
                        to be watching the perimeter...

                                       CORPORAL
                             (German, subtitled)
                        A message, sir, by courier...from the
                        Fuhrer himself.

                                       NAZI OFFICER
                             (German, subtitled)
                        What?  What are you talking about?

     The CORPORAL moves closer, his face still shadowed, his voice 
     apologetic as the OFFICER glares suspiciously...

                                       CORPORAL
                             (German, subtitled)
                        The Fuhrer says there's been a
                        mistake, we're not the master race!
                        He says we're a bunch of perverted
                        fools.

     As the NAZI OFFICER stares in flabbergasted disbelief, the CORPORAL
     embraces him fiercely, yanking a nine inch knife blade upward from the
     NAZI OFFICER'S gut, ripping him open, spattering blood on the 
     astonished PEASANT WOMAN and her CHILDREN.

     As the NAZI OFFICER slumps to the ground, the big NAZI CORPORAL turns 
     on the dumbfounded PEASANT WOMAN and shoves her and her CHILDREN inside
     the house.  His words are English this time...

                                       CORPORAL
                        Inside!  Presto!  Hurry, inside!

     As he turns his attention back to the street, we glimpse the CORPORAL'S
     face for the first time...unshaven, scarred, tough and battle
     worn...the face of war!  This is SERGEANT ROCK, a thirty year old 
     American soldier of German descent disguised for the moment as a German
     Corporal.

     Twenty yards away, in the street, two NAZI SOLDIERS are just noticing 
     the shadowy body of the OFFICER slumped on the cobbles in front of the 
     darkened doorway...

     ROCK opens up with an automatic weapon, a grease gun.

     RATTA RATTA RATTA RATTA!

     OUTSIDE THE VILLAGE

     WILDMAN, a wild looking American Corporal, blond and bearded, erupts 
     from behind a rock on the craggy slope, rifle ready.

                                       WILDMAN
                        That's it!  Come on, let's go.

     A lone GERMAN SENTRY, startled, raises his rifle to fire, but before 
     he can get off a shot, WILDMAN guns him down.

     Seven more American Infantrymen burst from hiding and move toward the 
     village and the sound of gunfire.  They are...

     TONY PASCALANO, WHIPSNAKE JAMES, BEEF RILEY, TEXAS FLORES, GERONIMO 
     JONES, MIKE FARRACCI, MARTIN KLUZEWSKI, and TOM PARDEE.

     STREET, VILLAGE

     Still crouched in the doorway, ROCK fires on a jeep load of four GERMAN
     SOLDIERS as they pull up close to the bodies of the men he fired on.

     Bullets splatter around ROCK as the GERMANS, crouching behind their 
     halted jeep, blaze away at him furiously until they're suddenly 
     distracted by shots from their flank.

     ROCK takes advantage of the distraction to hastily yank a grenade from 
     a D-ring on his chest, pull the pin, and toss it toward the jeep.

     BOOOOOOOOOM!  The grenade explodes.

     ROCK starts to advance on the jeep, firing steadily.

     CRACK!  Somebody fires from behind him.

     ROCK whirls and hits the ground rolling, seeing a dark figure emerging 
     from the shadows, firing on him.

                                       DARK FIGURE
                        Given zee up, asshole!

                                       ROCK
                        Hold your fire, it's me.  Don't shoot.

     The dark figure is WHIPSNAKE.

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        Shit, Sarge, you sure had me fooled.

     VILLAGE STREET/LATER

     Two GERMAN SOLDIERS are squatting with their hands on their heads, 
     while WHIPSNAKE covers them with an M-1.

     Two more GERMAN SOLDIERS lie bleeding while GERONIMO and PARDEE bend 
     over them, tending to their injuries.

     Four more GERMAN SOLDIERS are sprawled in the street, dead, while TEXAS
     searches them and KLUZEWSKI examines the dead OFFICER.

     ROCK is shedding his disguise, revealing the fatigues with the chevron 
     underneath the German uniform as BEEF approaches him...

                                       BEEF
                        They didn't suspect ya, huh, Sarge?
                        Ya walked right up to them?

                                       ROCK
                        Easy, no problem.

                                       BEEF
                        No kidding.  You didn't talk to 'em
                        did you?  I mean, did you say anything
                        in kraut?

                                       ROCK
                        Not much.

                                       BEEF
                             (awed)
                        You talked to 'em?  You actually
                        talked kraut with them and they
                        thought you were a nazzey?  God damn!
                        Whadja talk about?

                                       ROCK
                        Politics.

     Nonplussed, BEEF watches ROCK, in American uniform now, turn his back 
     and start across the street.

     Just then KLUZEWSKI approaches ROCK...

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                        Hey, Sarge, there's an officer with
                        these deceased guys in a different
                        uniform.  Like the ones at Kassarene...

     ROCK reacts sharply as we...

                                                           CUT TO:

     STREET/MOMENTS LATER

     ROCK frowns as he stares at one of the dead bodies.  The uniform is 
     indeed slightly different from the others.  ROCK considers a ring on 
     the dead man's finger.  Then he rips the collar patch from the jacket.

     ACROSS THE STREET

     FARRACCI is surrounded by the local PEASANTS, including the PEASANT
     WOMAN.  He's talking to them in Italian as ROCK crosses the street 
     toward him.

                                       FARRACI
                             (Italian, subtitled)
                        A lotta Americans speak German and
                        Italian.  Our parents come from over
                        here, we got roots in the old country.
                        My folks are from outside a Firenze,
                        they're always talkin' about old
                        Firenze...

     Interrupting FARRACCI in English, ROCK looms over the awed PEASANTS,
     holding up the collar patch from the Nazi uniform...

                                       ROCK
                        Ask them if they've seen any more
                        krauts with outfits like this...

     FARRACCI turns to the PEASANTS as we...

                                                           CUT TO

     OUTSIDE VILLA MODESTO/MORNING

     Several rifle companies are bivouaced in a confusion of tents outside 
     an elegant Italian villa perched on a steep slope in the mountains.  As
     GIs busy themselves waiting for more war, WHIPSNAKE, BEEF, PASCALANO,
     and FARRACCI regale some of the other unshaven, war-weary men from Easy
     Company with details of last night's patrol...

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        ...so we're gonna sneak up on 'em
                        cause we don't know how many there
                        are or anything, and the Wildman's
                        s'posed to slit the sentry's throat
                        only he gets the dull edge of the
                        knife against the kraut's neck...

     A listener named BIGELOW is horrified at the fuck-up.

                                       BIGELOW
                        The dull edge!

                                       BEEF
                             (triumphantly)
                        ...so he strangles the guy instead...

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        ...and Rock sees there's no blood on
                        the uniform...

                                       BEEF
                        ...and the kraut's about his size...

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        ...so Rock puts on the kraut uniform...

                                       BEEF
                        ...and walks right in there with the
                        krauts...

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        ...and talks to them in German!

                                       BEEF
                        About politics for Christsake!

     As jaded and weary as the listeners are, they're all at least mildly 
     impressed by ROCK'S exploits...except one, a grizzled old timer 
     (thirty-five) named RETREAD...

                                       RETREAD
                        He's gonna get us killed.  The man
                        takes risks...

     A storm of protest...

                                       FARRACCI
                        Careful risks!

                                       PASCALANO
                        An' he takes 'em, Retread.  He's not
                        like summa them officers, he don't ask
                        you to do somethin' he wouldn't do...

     RETREAD shakes his head knowingly as if talking to children...

                                       RETREAD
                        That might be true...but there isn't
                        anything that asshole wouldn't do!
                        So where's that leave ya?

     RETREAD, his point proven, smiles triumphantly as we...

                                                           CUT TO

     INSIDE THE VILLA

     MAJOR PRITCHARD, battalion commander, frowns as he fingers the collar 
     patch ROCK tore from the Nazi while CAPTAIN WALTERS addresses him...

                                       WALTERS
                        You don't want to discourage the men
                        from bringing in information, sir...

     They're in the huge ballroom of the villa where furniture has been 
     pushed aside to create a ludicrously spartan Battalion Headquarters in 
     the midst of Italianate splendor.

                                       PRITCHARD
                        Of course not!  But I don't want them
                        playing genius and drawing conclusions
                        they're not qualified to draw
                        either...

                                       WALTERS
                        He's an experienced man, not a new
                        recruit, he's served in North Africa,
                        he was decorated three times at
                        Kassarene...

                                       PRITCHARD
                        For bravery, not for intelligence.
                        I admire brave men, Captain, but I've
                        observed that some of the bravest are
                        some of the stupidest.  In fact the
                        qualities at times seem to be
                        complimentary.  And stupidity loses,
                        Captain (almost always), where smart
                        wins (almost always)...

                                       WALTERS
                             (coldly)
                        I guess courage is irrelevant, sir.

                                       PRITCHARD
                             (a shrug)
                        We lost at Kassarene.
                             (then... )
                        Through no fault of the Sergeant's,
                        I'm sure.  Send him in.

     WALTERS, furious, moves to the door and calls into the foyer...

                                       WALTERS
                        Sergeant Rock...

     WALTERS stands aside as ROCK enters and salutes the MAJOR smartly.  The 
     battered Sergeant looks particularly out of place in the villa.

                                       PRITCHARD
                        At ease, Sergeant...
                             (then... )
                        That was a helluvan action last night,
                        impressive in every way.  You
                        inflicted casualties on the enemy
                        without suffering any losses.  Top
                        notch soldiering!  You submit a list
                        of the men on that patrol to the
                        Captain and I'll see that every one
                        of them is decorated, yourself included.

     ROCK'S eyes drift to the collar patch in PRITCHARD'S hands even as he 
     responds stiffly...

                                       ROCK
                        I'm sure I speak for the men in
                        thanking you, sir.  They'll be
                        grateful.

     PRITCHARD has caught ROCK'S look and now he holds up the collar patch.

                                       PRITCHARD
                        Captain Walters says you attach
                        considerable significance to this
                        patch, Sergeant.

                                       ROCK
                        I've seen them before, sir.  In North
                        Africa.  Waffen SS, Panzer Division.

                                       PRITCHARD
                        You're not going to see tanks up here,
                        Rock, not in this kind of country.
                        We tried some Shermans, five of them,
                        and we lost three in one week.  Not
                        to the enemy, to the terrain.

                                       ROCK
                        Well, sir, with or without tanks,
                        they're crack troops, they're not a
                        defensive outfit...

                                       PRITCHARD
                             (cutting him off)
                        Sergeant, you're not qualified to
                        speculate.  I'm going to forward this
                        patch along with your report, not your
                        conclusions, to Intelligence where
                        it'll be properly analyzed by
                        qualified people.  In the meantime,
                        I don't want you gossiping around the
                        battalion...

     ROCK'S eyes flash with suppressed anger, his jaw sets, his voice cold 
     and flat...

                                       ROCK
                        "Gossiping," sir?

                                       PRITCHARD
                        Starting rumors about an attack by
                        Nazi super-soldiers in tanks.  That
                        kind of nonsense can be very
                        demoralizing to the men, especially
                        the Negroes.  There's a colored outfit
                        in the battalion and those people can
                        get spooked by rumors and panic!  Am
                        I clear?

     ROCK stares stiffly ahead.

                                       ROCK
                        Yes, sir.

                                       PRITCHARD
                             (turning away)
                        Give those names to the Captain.  You
                        did very good work.  Dismissed.

     As ROCK turns to go, WALTERS gives him a secret, rueful shrug, but ROCK 
     doesn't respond, exiting.

                                       PRITCHARD
                        See what I mean?  Guts up the giggy,
                        but no brains at all, he probably
                        can't fart and wipe his ass on the
                        same day, too complicated...

                                       WALTERS
                        He's not bookish, Major, but that
                        doesn't mean...

                                       PRITCHARD
                             (exploding)
                        They're not Indians, Captain!  They're
                        not going to sneak up on us on tippy
                        toes, they're Germans!  Nazis, the
                        Wehrmacht, a war machine!  If they're
                        gonna attack this pass, they'll pound
                        the living shit out of us with
                        artillery, they'll hammer us with 88s
                        and screaming mimis, they'll bomb us
                        till we're grateful to be attacked,
                        for Chrissake!  Now do you hear any
                        German planes?  Do you hear any German
                        fucking artillery?

     As if on cue, there's a whistling sound.

     The two men stare at each other and PRITCHARD'S jaw sags as the 
     whistling gets louder, someone SHOUTS outside and then...

     BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!  The whole place shudders, plaster falls as a shell 
     bursts outside, close to the villa.

     OUTSIDE THE VTLLA

     Chaos!  Death!  Blood!  Screams!

     RETREAD and BEEF are yelling for everyone to take cover...

                                       RETREAD
                        Inside!  Get in the cellar!  Take
                        cover.

     WHIPSNAKE is shouting for a Medic as WILDMAN and PASCALANO try to help 
     FARRACCI who's sprawled in a confusion of torn and twisted bodies 
     completed covered with blood.  As they free him, another shell whistles 
     overhead and SOLDIERS dash frantically out of the way...

     BAAAAAWHOOOOOOOM!  A shell slams into the villa, partially collapsing 
     the roof.

     WILDMAN is still holding FARRACCI, screaming for a Medic.

     A red-haired youth, a medic named O'HARA, is helping an injured man
     when WILDMAN grabs him and indicates the bloody FARRACCI.

     O'HARA looks at FARRACCI and shakes his head.

                                       O'HARA
                        He's gone, soldier.  Better take
                        cover.

     RETREAD and BEEF are helping men into the smoking villa as another 
     shell whistles overhead ominously...

                                       RETREAD
                        Come on, you assholes!  The cellar!

     INSIDE THE VILLA

     In the smoke and plaster dust PRITCHARD is digging in the debris of the 
     collapsed section of ceiling, uncovering CAPTAIN WALTERS, as the next 
     shell hits outside, shuddering the whole villa.

     BEEF and RETREAD are herding men past PRITCHARD toward the cellar.

                                       PRITCHARD
                        You!  Give me a hand.

     BEEF dutifully responds, lifting a board and revealing CAPTAIN WALTERS 
     face.  WALTERS is weak, blood tricking from his mouth.  He looks at 
     PRITCHARD and speaks weakly.

                                       CAPTAIN WALTERS
                        Fucking Indians!

     PRITCHARD watches horrified as WALTERS slips into unconsciousness and 
     BEEF takes his pulse...

                                       BEEF
                        He's dead, Major.  We better get in
                        the cellar.

     OUTSIDE THE VILLA

     WILDMAN, PARDEE, KLUZEWSKI, GERONIMO, and TEXAS are supporting or 
     carrying INJURED MEN into the damaged villa, heading for the cellar.

     PARDEE reacts to something he sees.

     O'HARA and another MEDIC are hunched over a body, the face so bloody as
     to be unrecognizable...but the Sergeant's Chevrons are clearly visible 
     and the bulky arms and torso clearly belong to ROCK.

                                       PARDEE
                             (shaken)
                        Oh, Jesus!

                                                           CUT TO

     IN THE CELLAR/LATER

     PRITCHARD is hovering over a RADIO OPERATOR who's trying to get the 
     radio equipment, newly moved to the cellar, to operate.

                                       RADIOMAN
                             (into radio)
                        This is Dog Easy Baker Six calling
                        Blue King Six...
                             (to Pritchard)
                        I'm trying Regimental HQ, sir...

     GIS are jammed in the crowded cellar, the familiar bunch from Easy
     Clustered in one corner, arguing emotionally...

                                       PASCALANO
                        No way!  No way Rock's dead, you're
                        fulla shit.  He's indestructible.

                                       RETREAD
                        Nobody's indestructible, Pasky.

                                       PARDEE
                        I'm just saying what I saw, that's all.

                                       WILDMAN
                        An' you're sure it was him?

                                       PARDEE
                        Yeah, I'm sure, and he looked like he
                        had a bad head wound...

                                       PASCALANO
                        That doesn't mean anything, you wash
                        off the blood it could be superficial,
                        it could be...

                                       PARDEE
                             (erupting)
                        Hey, I didn't take his pulse.  I
                        didn't take Cameron's pulse that time
                        either.  Remember Cameron?  Huh?  Is
                        Cameron dead or alive?

     There's a momentary hush at that, then KLUZEWSKI speaks in a low voice.

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                        I saw him too.

                                       WILDMAN
                        Rock?  You saw Rock?

                                       PASCALANO
                        Was he dead or not?

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                             (grimly)
                        He looked the way Cameron looked that
                        time.

     Silence.  Grim faces, as we...

                                                           CUT TO

     A VISION/OUTSIDE

     Out of focus, an unshaven youthful face looms full frame, crowned by 
     flaming hair.  The bright blue eyes are full of fury, the mouth is 
     almost snarling the words...this is O'HARA...

                                       O'HARA
                        COME ON, YOU BASTARD!  SUCK IN!
                        SUCK IN, YOU SONOFABITCH, DON'T
                        QUIT, DO IT, DO IT, DO IT, DO IT,
                        DO IT!

     ROCK'S unfocussed eyes stare stupidly at the medic O'HARA moving over 
     him and pounding on his chest.  There's blood all over ROCK'S face and 
     neck.

                                       ROCK
                        Uh...uh...uh...

     O'HARA'S face looms close again, unfocussed, as he works on ROCK...

                                       O'HARA
                        COME ON, SERGEANT, DON'T GIVE IT ALL
                        AWAY, HANG ON, YOU BASTARD, THINK
                        ABOUT THE GIRLS, THINK ABOUT THE
                        STEAKS, THE KIDS, SUNNY DAYS, BREATHE,
                        YOU STUPID SONOFABITCH, BREATHE,
                        BREATHE, BREATHE, YOU FUCKING
                        CHICKENSHIT QUITTER, WHAT WOULD YOUR
                        MOTHER SAY?  HOW ABOUT YOUR FATHER?

     ROCK gurgles, his eyes vaguely alive now...with fear...while shells
     thunder around them BOOOOOM BOOOOM BOOOOOOOM and we...

                                                           CUT TO

     KIDS/SNOWBALLS/AMERICAN STREET

     KIDS, ten to twelve years old, are furiously hurling snowballs and 
     shouting insults.  A SUPERED TITLE tells us where we are...

                                 AKRON, OHIO

     It's Akron a long time ago, almost suburban.  The KIDS are snowballing
     a dignified white haired gentleman, MR. VAN ROCKLIN, who's walking 
     along a neatly shovelled sidewalk toward a corner Grocery Store...

                                       BOYS
                        Nazi Bastard!  Kraut!  Hey, jerry,
                        heil Hitler!  Sig Heil!

     VAN ROCKLIN, wiping snow from his face with as much dignity as he can 
     muster, addresses the boys in a thick German accent...

                                       VAN ROCKLIN
                        Hitler you cannot kill with snow.  I
                        am not Hitler, I am only myself, a
                        German.

     The speech only inflames the KIDS who, while maintaining their 
     distance, rain a fury of snowballs on the elderly man as he enters the 
     Grocery Store...

     INSIDE THE GROCERY STORE/MOMENTS LATER

     A paper bag.  The middle-aged CLERK is pulling it from under the 
     counter.  With a quick glance around to make sure no one is looking, he 
     puts it on the counter in front of VAN ROCKLIN whose coat is still 
     dripping from the snowballs.

                                       CLERK
                        Twelve dollars, that's the best I can
                        do.

                                       VAN ROCKLIN
                        That much?

     As the CLERK pulls a box out of the paper sack, he indicates a
     newspaper lying on the counter, featuring a bold black headline: GERMAN
     COUNTER ATTACK and a sub head HARD FIGHTING ON ITALIAN FRONT.

                                       CLERK
                        There's a war on, Mister Van Rocklin,
                        in case you didn't notice.  Guys are
                        dying.  This stuff is rationed, it's
                        black market...

     VAN ROCKLIN looks at the opened box.  Partagas Cigars from Havana, 
     short, stubby coronas.

                                       VAN ROCKLIN
                        Okay, yes, I pay, I understand.

                                       CLERK
                        I wouldn't even do this if you weren't
                        referred by a regular customer...

                                                           CUT TO

     SIDEWALK/MINUTES LATER

     VAN ROCKLIN hurries off with the paper sack while the BOYS pelt him 
     mercilessly with snowballs and hurl anti-German insults at him and 
     we...

                                                           CUT TO

     BERGAMO, ITALY/NIGHT

     It's pouring rain in the darkened Bergamo, a town just large enough to 
     have two hotels and a cathedral, as a 4X4 U.S. Troop carrier grumbles 
     through the darkened streets...

     INSIDE THE TROOP CARRIER

     Instead of troops the rear of the vehicle is jammed with cooking 
     equipment and one fresh faced young officer, LIEUTENANT GORYL, who's 
     slumped on top of a field stove, peering out through a gap in the 
     canvas covering.  Obviously unseasoned, GORYL is getting his closest 
     look at war so far from the slowly moving troop carrier.

     GORYL sees a confusion of battle-weary FOOTSOLDIERS in dirty uniforms 
     hunkering in doorways out of the rain.  Bergamo has been taken over as 
     Regimental HQ and now, although the town is blacked out, lights flash 
     now and again revealing nightmare glimpses of defeat.  He sees into the 
     covered rear of a jeep where WOUNDED MEN are lying, wrapped in bloody 
     bandages, their eyes dull with horror, plasma-bottles feeding into 
     their arms.

     Big guns are booming monotonously somewhere in the distance as the 
     carrier inches through the narrow main street jammed with muddy 
     battered vehicles and exhausted, beaten GIS, passing the local 
     Cathedral, now serving as a hospital.  GORYL cringes at the sound of a 
     piteous VOICE crying out...

                                       VOICE (O.S.)
                        WHERE AM I?  WHERE THE FUCK AM I?  I
                        CAN'T SEE!  I CAN'T FUCKING SEE!

     Looking out of the moving truck, GORYL glimpses a stretcher bearing a 
     BLIND SOLDIER, his eyes covered with a bloody bandage.  It's he who's 
     crying out as the MEDICS carry him into the Cathedral Hospital.

     Just then a bunch of COOKS rush the back of the troop carrier.

                                       COOKS
                        Hey, stop!  Goddamnit, that's our gear.

     As the troop carrier lurches to a halt, COOKS swarm aboard, grabbing 
     equipment, ignoring GORYL who scrambles off the stove hastily.

     Among the COOKS we see but do not notice a FACE that we'll see
     later...a FACE that means nothing to us now and is in no way special
     or noticeable.

     As the COOKS unload their equipment, the CORPORAL/DRIVER of the carrier 
     moves into view and addresses GORYL...

                                       CORPORAL/DRIVER
                        That's Regimental HQ right across the
                        street, Lieutenant.

     GORYL follows the CORPORAL'S indication and sees the local Hotel with 
     GUARDS stationed at the door and lots of in and out traffic.

     INSIDE THE CATHEDRAL/NIGHT

     The ceiling is lost in a vaulted gloom dominated by shadows while the 
     damp walls reverberate with urgent VOICES, cries of pain, desperate 
     moans.  Is this Hell?  Is this a nightmare?

     It's what ROCK is seeing as his eyes blink open and he stares stupidly,
     obviously confused and disoriented while the BLIND MAN'S VOICE 
     (offscreen but close at hand) seems to express ROCK'S own confusion in 
     an urgent refrain...

                                       BLIND SOLDIER'S VOICE (O.S.)
                        Where am I?  Where the fuck am I?
                        Please, goddamnit, tell me?  Where am
                        I?

     ROCK is flat on his back on a cot.  His skull has been partially shaven
     and partly bandaged, his face has new scars, his neck is heavily 
     bandaged as well.  He lifts his head cautiously and looks around.

     MEDICS and DOCTORS are rushing about in lantern light, UNCONSCIOUS
     SOLDIERS, plasma bottles plugged into them, bump urgently past on
     stretchers hauled by more MEDICS.

                                       BLIND SOLDIER'S VOICE (O.S.)
                        Can anybody hear me?  Please.

     ROCK looks to his right.  The BANDAGED MAN on the next cot, is 
     motionless and silent, clearly not the speaker.  Searching for the 
     VOICE, ROCK looks down between the cots and sees the BLIND SOLDIER 
     lying on a stretcher on the floor.  The BLIND SOLDIER is tugging at his 
     bandages, pulling them off his eyes.

                                       BLIND SOLDIER
                        I can't see for Chrissake, I can't see
                        at all.  Where am I?

     ROCK speaks...with effort...his voice weak, tentative...

                                       ROCK
                        A hospital.  It's all right.  It's...a
                        hospital.

     More like a nightmare!

     INSIDE "HOTEL HQ"/NIGHT

     Maps, desks, squawking radios, jangling phones, typewriters, ENLISTED
     STAFF, OFFICERS.  Regimental HQ is chaotic, hysterical.  GORYL hovers
     nervously near CAPTAIN SLOAN'S desk as an enraged COLONEL CRONKITE
     snaps at the beleaguered SLOAN...

                                       COLONEL CRONKITE
                        Make it an order then!  Henceforth no
                        line officer is to report that he's
                        "pinned down" by machinegun fire,
                        mortar fire, rocket fire, or any other
                        fucking fire!  Is that clear?

                                       SLOAN
                        But, sir, if they are pinned down,
                        don't we need accurate -- ?

                                       CRONKITE
                             (waving reports)
                        It says "pinned down" in every goddamn
                        report from every goddamn company
                        commander, from every fucking platoon
                        leader...thank God the men don't
                        transmit individual fucking reports
                        because I'm sure they're all pinned
                        down!  Now I'm going to assume
                        everybody's pinned down from now on,
                        okay?  So don't tell me when you're
                        pinned down, tell me when you're not
                        pinned down.  That's what I want to
                        hear...when you're not pinned down.

     Looking worried, GORYL watches SLOAN nod wearily.

                                       SLOAN
                        Yes, sir.  No more "pinned down," only
                        "not pinned down."

     CRONKITE turns away and SLOAN scribbles a note, then he turns back to 
     GORYL'S orders on his desk.

                                       SLOAN
                        Easy Company's up on the line.  You
                        can get a ride up there in the
                        morning.  In the meantime bed down
                        anywhere you can.

                                       GORYL
                        Thank your sir.

     SLOAN is turning away.  GORYL hesitates, then blurts...

                                       GORYL
                        I guess it's pretty...pretty rough up
                        on the line.

     For a moment SLOAN just stares at GORYL blankly as if GORYL spoke 
     Swahili...then he shakes his head slowly...

                                       SLOAN
                        Oh, no, Lieutenant, no, no, not at
                        all.  It's rough in here...up on the
                        line, it's just one big...one big...
                        party.  Laughing and joking with the
                        goodhearted people of Germany who
                        happen to be visiting Italy like
                        ourselves.

     SLOAN turns away abruptly and heads for another desk, leaving GORYL by 
     himself.  Feeling foolish and green, GORYL heads for the door.

     Meanwhile, SLOAN is addressing a PRIVATE at a desk.

                                       SLOAN
                        Type up an order, Private.  "The words
                        'pinned down' will not be used in
                        future transmission to HQ.  It is only
                        acceptable to report 'not pinned
                        down.'"  Colonel Cronkite will sign
                        it.

     STREET/NIGHT

     GORYL has paused for a moment in the dark street to look toward the 
     front where big guns thunder in the night.

     On the distant slopes the flashes of fire as the shells explode are out 
     of sync with the sounds of the guns, lending an eerie, surrealistic 
     quality to the obscure battle ten miles away.  It doesn't look
     real...but it's scary.

     GORYL turns away and enters a doorway...

     INSIDE "QUARTERS"

     In the gloom of a former restaurant the GIS are only shadows and 
     glowing cigarette butts...and VOICES...

                                       VOICE/DARKNESS
                        We were gettin' all this shit from a
                        kraut fifty, so this kid, he works his
                        way to maybe 25 yards from 'em,
                        fucking courageous.  He's gonna send
                        'em some pineapple, right?  So he
                        pulls the pin.  Booooom!  Short fuse!
                        Right in the fucking face.

                                       ANOTHER VOICE/DARKNESS
                        I seen ugly and I seen uglier, but a
                        short fuse is the ugliest.

                                       VOICE/DARKNESS
                        Well, it didn't kill him, it blew his
                        fucking face off is all.  He was
                        screaming, "I can't see, I can't see."
                        Massachusetts guy.  Gimme a light.

     A light flickers and GORYL'S face is briefly visible.  GORYL looks 
     shaken as we...

                                                           CUT TO

     HOSPITAL/NIGHT

     The canvas over the stained glass has been partially pulled back to let 
     some of the weak winter light in.

     A DOCTOR is speaking to the BLIND SOLDIER who's on a cot now, wearing 
     fresh bandages, somewhat cleaned up.

                                       DOCTOR
                        We're going to do everything we can
                        for you, Private...everything!  But
                        your sight is gone.  We can't bring
                        that back, that's not something we can
                        change.  Do you understand that?

                                       BLIND SOLDIER
                             (bravely, desperate good
                              cheer)
                        Yes, sir.

     ROCK is watching this painful scene from the next cot.  And now the 
     DOCTOR turns to him, turning a page of his chart.

                                       DOCTOR
                        Well, Sergeant...you're looking better
                        today.  A lot better.

                                       ROCK
                        I...don't remember...how I got here.
                        I don't remember...you.

                                       DOCTOR
                        That's not unusual under the
                        circumstances, a mild antrograde
                        amnesia.  It'll come back to you in
                        bits and pieces...in flashes.  Your
                        prognosis is for complete recovery
                        from all your wounds...you're one of
                        the lucky ones.
                             (glances significantly
                              toward the Blind Soldier)
                        By tomorrow you'll be on your way to
                        England where you'll continue post-
                        op care for about a week, then back
                        to the States.  It's gonna be rough,
                        soldier, very rough...clean sheets,
                        hot meals, pretty nurses.  Think you
                        can handle it?

     The DOCTOR is about to move on, but ROCK looks disturbed.

                                       ROCK
                        How long have I been here?

                                       DOCTOR
                             (a glance at the chart)
                        Two weeks.

                                       ROCK
                             (stunned)
                        Two weeks!

                                       DOCTOR
                        Twelve days, actually.  You had a
                        close call, Sergeant, you're lucky.

     A SUDDEN VISION, A FLASHBACK OF THE MEDIC O'HARA, OUT OF FOCUS SEEN
     FROM ROCK'S POINT OF VIEW AS HE SCREAMS AT ROCK TO BREATHE!  THEN
     VISION IS GONE...

     The DOCTOR is moving to the next bed.  Shaken, ROCK calls out to him...

                                       ROCK
                        I remember...

                                       DOCTOR
                             (impatient)
                        Yes?

                                       ROCK
                        A...a medic!  He...saved me.

                                       DOCTOR
                        They're good men.  Brave men.

     As the DOCTOR moves to the next cot where he starts to speak to the 
     SOLDIER virtually mummified in bandages, ROCK just lies there staring 
     at the ceiling.  Then he hears muffled sobs.  Turning, he sees the 
     BLIND SOLDIER, completely isolated in his dark world of misery, shaking 
     with the sobs he's trying to stifle.

     ROCK struggles weakly to sit up.  Looking around, he sees the bustle of 
     the hospital...stretchers with WOUNDED MEN groaning, MEDICS, scurrying 
     DOCTORS.

     ROCK considers the bandages on his chest...then he pokes himself, 
     looking for pain.

     Across the cot-cluttered nave, a CORPORAL on MAIL DUTY is shouting 
     aloud as he distributes mail to bedridden GIS...

                                       MAIL DUTY CORPORAL
                        Awright, Dog!  Any more Dog, last call
                        for Dog Company.  Sing out (or bark)
                        if you're Dog.

                                       A VOICE
                        Yo Dog!  Dog here!

     The MAIL DUTY CORPORAL heads for the DOG SOLDIER as ROCK swings his 
     legs over the side of the cot and rests for a moment.  Then he 
     tentatively tries his feet on the floor.

     ANGLE ON A MEDIC/SECONDS LATER

     As the MEDIC moves along an aisle between the cots, hauling one end of 
     a stretcher, he comes face to face with ROCK who's wobbling unsteadily 
     among the cots.

                                       ROCK
                        I'm looking...for a medic...

                                       MEDIC
                        What's the problem, buddy?

                                       ROCK
                        A medic with...red hair...

                                       MEDIC
                        You better get back on your cot,
                        fella.

     Maneuvering the stretcher around ROCK, the MEDIC and his PARTNER move 
     their patient, a BLACK SOLDIER, onto an empty cot.

     ROCK pauses, observing the youthful face of the unconscious, blood 
     covered BLACK SOLDIER as the MEDIC quickly and efficiently hooks a 
     bottle of plasma to an IV stand beside the cot.

     A piece of tape on the plasma bottle says "COLORED."

     The MEDIC turns and glances toward ROCK.

                                       MEDIC
                        Red hair.  Around here that's O'Hara.

                                       ROCK
                        Where can I find him?

     The MEDIC is pillowing the head of the unconscious BLACK SOLDIER as he 
     shakes his own head.

                                       MEDIC
                        Missing in Action.  About a week.
                        Better get back in your bunk, okay?

                                       MAIL DUTY CORPORAL'S VOICE (O.S.)
                        Easy Company!  Anybody else from Easy?

     Still dazed and weak, ROCK reacts as a SOLDIER in a cot twenty cots 
     away shouts...

                                       SOLDIER
                        Hey, right here!  I'm Easy.

     There's a ripple of weak laughter and someone adds, "Aren't we all?"

     ROCK starts to make his way unsteadily in that direction, passing 
     horribly WOUNDED MEN, nearly stepping on a BANDAGED SOLDIER lying on 
     stretcher on the floor.

     Across the room, the soldier from Easy, GOINES, is opening the the 
     envelope the MAIL DUTY CORPORAL has handed him.  He stares at the 
     contents in outrage and dismay...

                                       GOINES
                        Jury duty!  For Christ sake!  I'm
                        supposed to serve on a jury in
                        Brattleboro, Vermont?

                                       MAIL DUTY CORPORAL
                        No kidding?  I just gave a guy from
                        Iowa a bill from his plumber, how do
                        ya like that?

                                       ROCK'S VOICE (O.S.)
                        Goines!

     GOINES turns and his eyes widen in amazement as he sees ROCK, still 
     unsteady on his feet, looming beside his cot.

                                       GOINES
                        Holy...shit!  Sarge!  I...thought
                        ...we all thought...we thought you
                        were...

                                       ROCK
                        No.  No, I...I made it.

                                       MAIL DUTY CORPORAL
                             (to Rock)
                        You from Easy too, pal?  What's your
                        name, maybe I got something for
                        you...?

                                       ROCK
                             (to the Corporal)
                        Rock, John.
                             (to Goines)
                        What happened?  They shelled us...
                        How many casualties...?

                                       GOINES
                        Since then?  Shit, Sarge, you don't
                        know?

                                       ROCK
                        No.  No, I've been...I don't
                        remember...

                                       GOINES
                             (tears forming)
                        They ate us alive.  First the arty,
                        then the krauts...bad ones...worse
                        than Kassarene...the Colonel assigned
                        us to the ass...everybody's falling
                        back, we're protecting the rear...
                        eighty per cent casualties.

                                       ROCK
                        Eighty per cent!

                                       MAIL DUTY CORPORAL
                        Here ya go!  I knew I recognized the
                        name.

     The CORPORAL has been digging through his big bag and now he produces 
     a neatly wrapped package which he hands to the stunned ROCK who barely 
     notices it as he accepts it.  ROCK'S eyes are on GOINES' bed.  Under
     the sheets the shape of his legs ends above the knees where GOINES'
     legs were amputated!

                                       GOINES
                        More by now.  Eighty per cent two days
                        ago.  There was hardly anyone left
                        when they took me out.  I'd be dead
                        if it wasn't for the medics...

                                       MAIL DUTY CORPORAL
                        It's hell up there, we got orders,
                        hold the mail for Easy, Dog, and
                        Baker.  Whyncha open the package,
                        see whatcha got?

     Absent mindedly ROCK starts to unwrap the package as he speaks to
     GOINES...

                                       ROCK
                        What about the Wildman?  What about
                        Flavin and Pascalano?

                                       GOINES
                        Flavin didn't make it.  Wildman was
                        okay.  Pascalano too, and Beef.  I
                        dunno about Mitchell or Texas.  Like
                        I said, we all thought you were dead
                        too.  What's in the package?  My girl
                        sent me dry socks.  Argyles!  Ha ha.

     ROCK looks numbly at the package in his hand.  It's the box of cigars!
     Coronas!  There's a note on top of it.

     ROCK stares at the crudely scrawled note...

     "Dear son, I love you.  Kill Hitler!  Your father."

     OUTSIDE/DAY

     A lull in the rain.  Leaden skies.  The distant booms of the big guns 
     seem remote.  On the bland, woodsy slopes twenty miles north occasional 
     flashes indicate exploding shells.

     More ominous is the steady flow of FOOTSOLDIERS and MILITARY VEHICLES 
     crawling into the town from the north like blood from a wound.  Troop 
     carriers overflowing with WOUNDED MEN, tired plodding FOOTSOLDIERS with 
     haggard faces and vacant eyes suggest the true horror of those remote 
     hills and distant sounds.

     GORYL is in the street, arguing with a PFC who's sitting at the wheel of 
     an idling jeep.

                                       GORYL
                        You just told me you had about sixty
                        miles of gas, Private.  That's enough
                        to get me to the line and get you
                        back, so what's the problem?

                                       PFC
                        I thought you wanted to go south, sir.
                        This gas is southerly gas, sir.  It
                        don't go north, it's a matter of
                        internal combustion.

                                       GORYL
                        I see.  What do I need to get some
                        "northerly gas"...a written order from
                        the Colonel and threat of a court
                        martial?

                                       PFC
                             (starting the jeep)
                        No, sir.  What you need is a lotta
                        luck and a different driver.

     RRRRRR.  The PFC pulls away into the confusion of troop carriers, 
     jeeps, and trucks clogging the street.

     GORYL is scowling in frustration when he hears an urgent shout.

     Looking around he sees SOLDIERS pointing toward the north where three 
     specks are approaching low over the mountains...getting bigger.  
     Planes!

     Suddenly SOLDIERS are shouting "Butcherbirds! Butcherbirds," running 
     every which way, jumping from trucks, taking cover.

     GORYL hastily follows GIS into a doorway and crowds in as the three 
     BUTCHERBIRDS (Folke Wulfs) thunder in low, cannons firing into the 
     crowded street, machineguns rattling.

     GORYL sees a running SOLDIER cut in half.

     WHOOOOOOOOM!  An explosion shakes the town as a bomb bursts.  WHOOOM! 
     BAH-BOOOOOOOOM!  KA-BLAAAAAAM!  MORE BOMBS!

     GORYL presses back among the GIS wedged like sardines in the doorway, 
     driven back by heat from flames.  He's cowering there when he hears a 
     SERGEANT scream in rage and anguish...

                                       SERGEANT
                        The bastards bombed the hospital!
                        They bombed the hospital!

     The BUTCHERBIRDS are climbing off into the distance, their bombs and 
     ammo spent, as SOLDIERS rush to the hospital.

     Smoke pours from a gaping wound in the giant red cross painted on the 
     stones of the cathedral.  The ceiling and wall are partially collapsed.

     GORYL stares in horror.  He can hear screams from within the collapsed 
     walls.

     INSIDE THE HOSPITAL

     Smoke!  Panic!  Confusion!  Chaos!  Vague FIGURES move about, obscured 
     by smoke.

     GOINES lies dead, crushed by debris across his chest.

     As confusion reigns all around and MEDICS rush to and fro, a HAND
     emerges from the debris near GOINES.  Grasping, pulling, it's the hand 
     of someone pulling himself from the debris.  WE DON'T HAVE TO SEE HIM 
     TO KNOW IT'S ROCK!

     ANGLE ON CIGARS

     The box of cigars, overturned, lies beside the note, covered with 
     mortar dust.

     The HAND reaches for the box, scoops spilled cigars into the box, takes 
     the box and the note.

     For a second ROCK looks down at GOINES' lifeless face.  ROCK'S eyes are 
     like tiny diamonds...his face like cold stone.

     A BOX OF UNIFORMS

     In the midst of the smoky chaos THE HAND reaches into a jumble of 
     uniforms tossed in a crate in the corner of the nave.  THE HAND is 
     sorting through the torn and sometimes bloody fatigues...

     A BOX OF BOOTS

     The same thing...THE HAND searching for the right boots...

     BOOTS WALKING

     Through the chaos and confusion of the hospital THE BOOTS move with 
     purposeful strides...stepping over the torn BODIES and the debris... 
     past the dead BLIND SOLDIER.

     DEAD CORPORAL/DEBRIS/NAVE

     In the confusion and debris the MAIL DUTY CORPORAL lies dead, sprawled 
     face down beside his spilled mail bag.

     THE BOOTS start to step over him...then halt...  A moment passes... 
     then HANDS reach into the spilled mail...searching...finding a bundle 
     marked COMPANY E...

     THE STREET OUTSIDE

     A MEDIC is squatting beside a BLOODY SOLDIER, applying a tourniquet.

     The BOOTS appear close to the busy MEDIC...the HANDS reach down and 
     remove several grenades from the BLOODY SOLDIER'S chest...while the 
     MEDIC continues to work...

     A DAMAGED JEEP

     The DEAD DRIVER is slumped at the wheel.  There's a pack beside him on 
     the seat and an M-1.

     HANDS reach in, take the pack...open it..dump it out...stuff the box of
     cigars and the bundle of mail inside...close the pack...take the M-1...

     A DAMAGED BUILDING

     A Browning Automatic Rifle lies unattended beside the smoldering debris 
     of a bomb damaged wall.

     The BOOTS appear...the big HANDS scoop up the BAR...

     Likewise a box of ammo...

     THE ROAD INTO BERGAMO

     The WOUNDED and the WEARY are still streaming into the bombed town, 
     clogging the road with one-way traffic.

     But in the foreground appear the BOOTS!  One man alone is going in the 
     other direction.

     It's ROCK, laden with a full pack, an arsenal of weaponry, grenades 
     dangling from his chest, the stub of a cigar in his mouth, an angry 
     look in his eye.

     Ahead of him, on the faraway hills, the big guns boom.

     ROCK heads straight for them, carrying more than a man should carry as 
     we...

                                                           CUT TO

     FARMHOUSE/SLOPE

     MAJOR PRITCHARD, unshaven and haggard, is standing outside his new, 
     less grand Battalion HQ, a farmhouse which squats on a slope at the 
     southern end of a mountain pass.  He's peering through binoculars at 
     the wooded slopes to the north above the pass.  He can hear the patter 
     of rifle fire and the chatter of machineguns in the woods.

                                       PRITCHARD
                        What the hell?

     Standing beside PRITCHARD, a GI is watching a SECOND GI sprinting 
     toward them.

                                       GI
                        Runner, sir.

     PRITCHARD lowers the glasses as the SECOND GI, a runner, staggers up 
     them, totally winded.

                                       PRITCHARD
                        Well?

                                       SECOND GI
                             (gasping for breath)
                        Dog's...falling back, sir, like you
                        said for 'em to.  Twenty-two
                        ambulatory...six non-ambulatory.
                        Their walkie talkie was busted, that's
                        why...

                                       PRITCHARD
                        What about Easy?

                                       SECOND GI
                        There...ain't no Easy, sir.  Not to
                        speak of.  Four guys from the third
                        platoon, six from the fourth.  They're
                        dug in around the mouth of the pass
                        down there...

     The SECOND GI is pointing at the wooded slopes with their secrets...

                                       PRITCHARD
                        "Dug in"!  Did you tell them to fall back?

                                       SECOND GI
                        They can't move, sir.  Krauts got two
                        fifties right on 'em.  I got as close
                        as I could and shouted.  I think they
                        heard me.

                                       PRITCHARD
                             (disgusted)
                        All right, what about Baker?  Where
                        the hell is Baker?

                                       SECOND GI
                        Couldn't find any live ones, sir, but
                        I spotted four dead niggers near the
                        mouth of the pass on that side...

     The SECOND GI is pointing to the opposite slope, the eastern slope...

                                       PRITCHARD
                        "Negroes," soldier, not "niggers."
                        "Negroes!"

                                       SECOND GI
                        Well, whatever they were, sir, they're
                        dead now, Major.  They been gutted.

                                       PRITCHARD
                        "Gutted"?

                                       SECOND GI
                        Mutilated, sir.  At least that's what
                        it looked like through my glasses, I
                        couldn't get near 'em.  It looks like
                        the krauts killed 'em and ripped 'em
                        open.

                                       PRITCHARD
                        Jesus!  And there was no sign of the
                        rest of Baker?

                                       SECOND GI
                             (indicating the slopes)
                        Sir, there's krauts all over down
                        there.  Anybody down there is damn near
                        surrounded.

     ROAD/MID DAY

     Scraaatch!  ROCK strikes a match without breaking his steady stride and 
     relights his cigar.

     Traffic flows past ROCK in the opposite direction, retreating vehicles 
     and weary FOOTSOLDIERS, heads down, eyes unseeing.  Ahead the shelling 
     has stopped, an apparent lull in the fury of the battle.

     Suddenly a VOICE calls out close by...

                                       VOICE (O.S.)
                        Say, Sergeant, can I give you a lift?

     ROCK turns and finds himself staring at a fresh young officer at the 
     wheel of a jeep headed for the line...GORYL.

     MOVING JEEP/MINUTES LATER

     ROCK is behind the wheel now and GORYL is beside him in the passenger 
     seat.  GORYL sneaks glances at ROCK, looking him over, noting the scar 
     on his face, glimpsing the partially shaved skull, the bandage on his 
     neck...

                                       GORYL
                        I guess...I guess you...you've been
                        up on the line already, huh, Sergeant?

                                       ROCK
                        Yes, sir.

                                       GORYL
                        I guess you've heard of Easy Company...

                                       ROCK
                        Easy Company, sir?

                                       GORYL
                        You must have, they're supposed to be
                        the roughest outfit around, they were
                        in North Africa, the only company that
                        held ground when Rommel and the Afrika
                        Korps attacked the Kassarene Pass.
                        Of course I guess it wouldn't be
                        really the same outfit, there were
                        heavy casualties, a lotta them musta
                        been killed.

     A 4X4 laden with bagged and unbagged bodies grinds past in the opposite 
     direction.

                                       ROCK
                             (remembering)
                        Right...heavy casualties...
                             (then...)
                        Why are you interested in Easy,
                        Lieutenant?

                                       GORYL
                        I'm their new C.O.

     Deadpan, ROCK shifts the cigar between his teeth as he considers the 
     fresh faced youth at his side and we...

                                                           CUT TO

     MOVING JEEP/SEVERAL MILES LATER

     The jeep is alone now, the retreating army is behind them to the south 
     and the wooded slopes ahead are much closer.  GORYL is chattering out 
     of nervousness...

                                       GORYL
                        ...so I hadda M.A. in psychology and
                        they were looking for guys like me
                        to work in the War Department.  Psy-
                        war stuff, intelligence, desk jobs...
                        actually interesting work for
                        someone in my field...

                                       ROCK
                        And you turned them down?

                                       GORYL
                        Pretty stupid, huh?  It was guilt.
                        This kid down the block, I used to
                        play ball with him, he lost both arms
                        over in North Africa.  And this other
                        kid I didn't know so well got killed
                        in the Pacific...I already felt guilty
                        and I figured it was gonna get worse,
                        so here I am, headed for the line, the
                        C.O.  I know everything...and I don't
                        know anything...and I'm in charge.

                                       ROCK
                             (deadpan)
                        Cigar, sir?

     GORYL looks startled as we...

                                                           CUT TO

     WOODS/DAY

     TEXAS is squirming on his belly through the rotting leaves, sweating 
     furiously, casting nervous glances to his right.

     The woods to the right look bland...and ominous.  The unseen enemy is 
     visible in TEXAS' fear, the way he hugs the ground and sweats as he 
     inches along.

     Arriving at the lip of a foxhole he looks over the rim at the grim, 
     exhausted faces of RETREAD and PASCALANO who are crouched in their 
     muddy foxhole in several inches of water.  They've been fighting 22 
     days straight and it shows.

                                       TEXAS
                        We're gonna make a run for it.

                                       PASCALANO
                        In daylight?

                                       TEXAS
                        When Wildman gives the signal, Klu's
                        gonna give us some cover if they open
                        up...

                                       RETREAD
                        Oh, they'll open up, you can count on
                        it.

     TEXAS squirms off, leaving RETREAD and PASCALANO alone again in the 
     hole.

                                       PASCALANO
                        Shit!  You think that's a good idea?

                                       RETREAD
                        Doesn't matter what I think, that's
                        the plan.

                                       PASCALANO
                        Yeah, yeah, Wildman makes me nervous.
                        I wish Rock was here.

                                       RETREAD
                             (sarcastic)
                        Oh, that'd be great, just great.
                        We're pinned down, you know what that
                        asshole would do?

                                       PASCALANO
                        Get us outta here alive maybe?

                                       RETREAD
                        Attack.

     SECOND FOXHOLE/DAY

     TEXAS is on his belly, looking into a second foxhole where BIGELOW and 
     GERONIMO are huddled miserably.

                                       TEXAS
                        When he signals, head for that big
                        rock back there about a hundred yards,
                        take cover there.  Got it?

     BIGELOW and GERONIMO nod grimly and TEXAS crawls off, leaving them 
     alone.  BIGELOW immediately burrows frantically in a pocket and pulls 
     out a half a pack of lifesavers.  With trembling hands he examines the 
     lifesavers...hesitates...chooses a red one...then reconsiders 
     indecisively as GERONIMO watches...finally changes his selection and 
     pops a green one in his mouth.

                                       BIGELOW
                        Green one.

                                       GERONIMO
                        Yeah?  That's good luck, a green one?

                                       BIGELOW
                        You could have one, Ger, go ahead.

                                       GERONIMO
                        Be a waste.  I'm not superstitious.

                                       BIGELOW
                        Sure ya are.  Indians are religious,
                        you got Gods and stuff, I believe in
                        Lady Luck, it's the same thing.

                                       GERONIMO
                        You believe in lifesavers, it's
                        different.

                                       BIGELOW
                        I'm not dead, am I?  Or maimed?

     THIRD FOXHOLE/DAY

     TEXAS is peering into the third foxhole at WHIPSNAKE and KLUZEWSKI as 
     KLUZEWSKI frowns a question...

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                        So we provide cover, then what?

                                       TEXAS
                        We'll cover you from the rock back
                        there.  Just don't fire till they do.
                        They might not ever shoot.

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                             (glumly)
                        Right.

     FOURTH FOXHOLE/MOMENTS LATER

     BEEF, one eye bandaged, and PARDEE, haggard and gaunt, are looking up 
     at TEXAS as he peers down at them into their foxhole.

                                       PARDEE
                        In daylight?  Why don't we wait till
                        it's dark?

                                       TEXAS
                        'Cause they'll put up flares like they
                        did last night.

                                       BEEF
                        Yeah, but daylight's worse!

                                       TEXAS
                        Don't start that shit, just go when
                        he signals.

     TEXAS turns and squirms away as we....

                                                           CUT TO

     A MONTAGE/DIFFERENT FOXHOLES

     RETREAD looks stoic, PASCALANO is chewing his lip nervously as they 
     crouch, all ready to move...

     BIGELOW is choosing a yellow lifesaver with shaking hands while 
     GERONIMO watches deadpan...

     KLUZEWSKI aims the BAR over the lip of the foxhole while WHIPSNAKE 
     prepares a pile of magazines.

     BEEF and PARDEE are tense, ready to go...

     TEXAS looks expectantly at WILDMAN who's coiled like a spring.  WILDMAN
     sticks his rifle up out of the foxhole in two quick thrusts, a signal...

     WOODS/SECONDS LATER

     They're running low, eight of them, zig-zagging among bare trees, the 
     only sound their feet in the leaves.  It's spooky how quiet it is after 
     all the tension...

     One second...

     Two seconds...

     Three seconds...

     BUDDA BUDDA BUDDA BUDDA BUDDA BUDDA!  The German machinegun chatters 
     mindlessly, bullets sizzle in the air.

     PARDEE lets out a sharp cry as he lurches forward, then crashes to the 
     ground.

     The others dive down on their bellies.

     CHATTA CHATTA CHATTA CHATTA.  The BAR joins the cacophony, returning 
     fire.

     BUDDA BUDDA BUDDA BUDDA.  The second German machinegun replies.

     THIRD FOXHOLE

     KLUZEWSKI is firing the BAR at the German position which is invisible 
     except for the nervous muzzle flashes of the first machinegun while, 
     beside him, WHIPSNAKE fires his M-1.

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                        How far are they?

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                             (looking back)
                        Not far enough, they're gonna have to
                        come back.

     WOODS

     As bullets whiz over him, BIGELOW hugs the ground and looks toward the 
     objective... a boulder barely visible through the trees sixty yards away 
     on slightly higher ground.  BIGELOW turns and speaks to GERONIMO lying 
     three yards to his right...

                                       BIGELOW
                        We can't make it, we gotta go back.

     GERONIMO doesn't answer...and BIGELOW suddenly sees that GERONIMO'S
     eyes are glassy and lifeless.

     TEN YARDS AWAY

     WILDMAN is calling out as he squirms back toward his foxhole twenty 
     yards behind...

                                       WILDMAN
                        Back.  Get back in the holes.

     TEN YARDS FURTHER

     PARDEE is on his back, moaning pitifully as BEEF bellies toward him...

                                       BEEF
                        Where you hit?  Pardee!  Where'd you
                        get hit?

                                       PARDEE
                        I dunno, I dunno.  It hurts!

                                       BEEF
                        Where?  Where's it hurt?

     BEEF is close now, trying to examine PARDEE.

                                       PARDEE
                        I dunno.  In my body!
                             (panic)
                        I can't move, I can't move.

     BEEF sees blood all over PARDEE'S front.  He digs in his first aid kit.

     FIRST FOXHOLE

     RETREAD and PASCALANO are scrambling back into their foxhole.

                                       PASCALANO
                        Great plan, that was a great plan.

                                       RETREAD
                        They got our positions again.  We're
                        gonna get some mortar fire.

     WHOOOSH!  The sound of a mortar on cue.

     KAH-BOOOM!  The mortar shell explodes fifteen yards from the foxhole.

                                       RETREAD
                        What'd I tell ya?

     FIFTH FOXHOLE

     WILDMAN and TEXAS are firing at the German woods from their foxhole when 
     BIGELOW crawls to the rim, tears in his eyes...

                                       BIGELOW
                        They killed the Indian, they killed
                        Gerry!

                                       TEXAS
                        Get in, you're drawing fire.

                                       BIGELOW
                        Bastards won't even let us run.  We
                        were running!

     KA-BOOOOOOM.  A mortar shell explodes ten yards from the foxhole.

                                       TEXAS
                        We shouldn'ta shot those last two
                        mortar shells, we shoulda saved 'em...

                                       WILDMAN
                        Shut up.

     WOODS

     AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!  PARDEE is screaming in agony as BEEF, crawling on
     his belly, tries to drag PARDEE with him toward a foxhole.

     KA-BOOOOM!  A mortar shell hits twenty yards from them.

     It isn't working.  Besides PARDEE'S agony, they're not making any 
     progress...

                                       BEEF
                        Listen, Pardee, I can't do anything
                        for you, okay?  I'm gonna grab your
                        clips and go back to the hole.  We'll
                        come back an' getcha when it's dark.

                                       PARDEE
                        Right, yeah.  Gimme another shot.

                                       BEEF
                             (grabbing clips)
                        Too soon.

                                       PARDEE
                        I'm not gonna make it, Beef, I'm not
                        gonna make it.

                                       BEEF
                             (lying)
                        Yeah, yeah, you're gonna be okay.
                        We'll getcha tonight.  It hurts,
                        right?  That's good.  It's when you
                        can't feel it, that's when you got a
                        problem.

     KA-BLAAAAM!  Another mortar shell hits fifteen yards away and BEEF 
     starts to crawl for the foxholes.

     OUTSIDE THE FARMHOUSE/A MILE AWAY/LATE AFTERNOON

     The mortar concussions and intermittent bursts of machinegun fire are 
     subdued by distance while the woods themselves, like a mask, reveal 
     nothing to MAJOR PRITCHARD as he peers through his binoculars from the 
     ridge in front of the farmhouse.  There's simply nothing to see down 
     there in the pass.  He's lowering the glasses when the FIRST GI 
     approaches him...

                                       FIRST GI
                        Message from Regimental, sir.

                                       PRITCHARD
                        Permission to withdraw?

                                       FIRST GI
                        No, sir.  A General from Division's
                        coming forward to survey the
                        situation.  They --

                                       PRITCHARD
                             (erupting)
                        A General!  Up here!  Great Christ
                        Almighty we can't protect a General!
                        We can't protect ourselves.
                             (heading for the farmhouse)
                        Did you tell them we've got men pinned
                        down and we can't pull 'em out?

                                       FIRST GI
                             (on Pritchard's heels)
                        They won't accept "pinned down," sir.

                                       PRITCHARD
                        What?

                                       FIRST GI
                        Colonel's orders.  All transmissions
                        must say "not pinned down."

                                       PRITCHARD
                        "Not pinned down!"  Jesus H. Christ.

     PRITCHARD charges into the farmhouse as the FIRST GI follows him.

     INSIDE THE FARMHOUSE

     PRITCHARD looms over the RADIO OPERATOR.

                                       PRITCHARD
                        Get Regimental!  Tell them we can't
                        protect a General unless he brings an
                        armored division with him.  Tell them
                        we want permission to withdraw, we're
                        suffering heavy casualties and we're
                        about to be overrun.

                                       FIRST GI
                        Uh, also, sir...we have, er, some
                        replacements...

                                       PRITCHARD
                        Replacements?

                                       FIRST GI
                        Uh, Lieutenant Goryl and Sergeant
                        Rock, for Easy Company.

     PRITCHARD turns and notices GORYL and ROCK for the first time.  Both men 
     salute the astonished PRITCHARD who suddenly recognizes ROCK.

                                       PRITCHARD
                        Right.  Rock.  You were injured.

                                       ROCK
                        Fully recovered, sir.

                                       PRITCHARD
                        Good.  You were lucky, luckier than
                        your buddies anyway.

                                       ROCK
                        Sir?

                                       PRITCHARD
                        Decimated.  We got the first and third
                        platoons out with fifty per cent
                        casualties.  What's left of the Second
                        and Fourth are down in those woods,
                        trapped, along with what's left of
                        Baker.

                                       ROCK
                        You're pulling out without them, sir?

                                       PRITCHARD
                        Oh, God no, Sergeant.  I've got the
                        whole HQ platoon here, almost thirty
                        men.  What we're gonna do is attack,
                        all thirty of us.
                        We're gonna jump those Waffen SS (you
                        were right about that, Sergeant) and
                        kick their Nazi butts all the way to
                        Rome, bet yer ass.  Fuck yes!  We're
                        gonna save those poor bastards from
                        Easy and those Baker Negroes, yessir!

     BOOOOOOOOM!  A shell hits outside.  ROCK is heading for the door.

                                       ROCK
                        Western slope, is that right, sir?

                                       PRITCHARD
                        Huh?  Hold on, Sergeant, you're
                        reassigned to HQ, what -- ?

     Bang!  The door slams behind ROCK, leaving PRITCHARD with his mouth 
     open.

     BOOOOOOOOM!  Another shell hits outside as PRITCHARD steps to the 
     window.  He sees ROCK walking steadily toward the slope into the pass.

                                       PRITCHARD
                        Where the hell does he think he's
                        going?

     The FIRST GI and GORYL look uneasy as PRITCHARD opens the door and 
     shouts at ROCK.

                                       PRITCHARD
                        Sergeant!  Sergeant Rock!  Get your
                        ass back here!  Pronto!

     ROCK keeps walking.

                                       PRITCHARD
                             (turning to Goryl)
                        Lieutenant!  I want that man back
                        here.  Get him back here on the
                        double!

                                       GORYL
                        Right away, sir.

     GORYL hastens out the door.

     ON THE SLOPE

     BOOOOOOOOM!  A shell hits on the ridge as ROCK, fifty yards from the 
     farmhouse, starts down the slope into the woods.

     GORYL pants after him, shouting...

                                       GORYL
                        Sergeant!  Hey, Sergeant!

     ROCK keeps walking even as GORYL pants up to him and continues at his 
     side, breathlessly...

                                       GORYL
                        Sergeant, the Major wants us back
                        there.  He's ordering us back to HQ.

                                       ROCK
                             (without breaking stride)
                        I can't hear him, sir.  It's the
                        shells.

     BOOOOOM!  Another shell hits on the ridge as ROCK continues without 
     looking back, leaving GORYL to stare after him, flabbergasted.

     WOODS/MOMENTS LATER

     Fifty yards down the slope, ROCK is in the woods now, alert for signs
     of the enemy, scanning the confusion of trees when footsteps behind him 
     cause him to turn. GORYL draws alongside him, rifle in hand.

                                       GORYL
                        I couldn't hear him either.

                                                           CUT TO

     THE ROAD FROM BERGAMO

     A jeep is winding through the slopes, not yet in sight of the
     Farmhouse/HQ.  CAPTAIN SLOAN is at the wheel.  All we see of the man 
     beside him is a helmet with three stars on it.  The GENERAL'S face is 
     obscured in profile and the shadow of his helmet.

     Shells are thundering into the woods just ahead of them.

                                       SLOAN
                             (slowing down)
                        I think we're getting kind of close,
                        actually, sir.

     WHOOM!  As if to confirm the statement, a shell explodes only a couple 
     of hundred yards from the road.  The GENERAL doesn't flinch.  He speaks 
     sardonically, still in shadowy profile, his helmet more in evidence
     than his face.

                                       GENERAL
                        Don't like shooting, Captain?

                                       SLOAN
                             (bristling)
                        No, sir, I don't like it and I don't
                        know anybody who does.  Would the
                        General like to proceed with the
                        understanding that Major Pritchard
                        advises us he cannot guarantee the
                        General's safety...and that the men
                        are already demoralized without losing
                        a General, General?

                                       GENERAL
                        Fair enough, Captain.  I withdraw the
                        comment.

     HONK! HONK!  SLOAN and the GENERAL (his face still obscured) turn to
     see a Troop Carrier looming behind them on the road, eager to pass.

     INSIDE THE REAR OF THE TROOP CARRIER

     MORGAN, a cook, is sitting on top of the same confusion of cooking 
     equipment GORYL rode in on, peering ahead around the canvas roof and 
     speaking to several other COOKS lost in the gloom in the back.

                                       MORGAN
                        Christ almighty!  The asshole's
                        honking a General off the road.

                                       COOK'S VOICE (O.S.)
                        So fucking what?  They're useless
                        bastards, Generals.  You could have
                        all the wars you want without
                        Generals, but you can't have shit
                        without food.  Generals are useless,
                        we ain't.

     INSIDE THE JEEP

     CAPTAIN SLOAN is pulling off the road to let the troop carrier by...

                                       SLOAN
                        Cooks.  They're gonna try and give 'em
                        a hot meal up on the line at Major
                        Pritchard's request.

     The Troop Carrier is grinding by, the DRIVER saluting the CAPTAIN and 
     the GENERAL who's still obscured by the angle...

                                       GENERAL
                        Let's get out of here. The men would
                        rather see a hot meal than a General
                        any...

     SLOAN shouts as the sound of an incoming shell crescendos...

                                       SLOAN
                        GENERAL!  JUMP FOR IT!

     BAAAAAAAAAAWHOPOOOOOOOOOOOM!  THE SHELL HITS FULL FRAME, OBSCURING
     THE JEEP AS THE TROOP CARRIER GRINDS PAST AND WE...

                                                           CUT TO

     SKY/LATE AFTERNOON

     The gloomy overcast sky is blackening, the first drops of rain are 
     falling...

     FIRST FOXHOLE

     RETREAD is taking in the socks he was drying on the rim of the foxhole 
     as the rain begins to sprinkle...

                                       RETREAD
                        Didn't get dry.

     BUDDA BUDDA BUDDA BUDDA BUDDA.  A German machinegun opens up.

     PASCALANO is looking off to his right.  He can see WILDMAN slithering 
     along on his belly as the tracers whiz over him.

                                       PASCALANO
                        It's Wildman.

                                       RETREAD
                        Now what?

                                       PASCALANO
                        Headed for Pardee.

     THIRD FOXHOLE

     WHIPSNAKE comes awake at the sound of the machinegun and sees KLUZEWSKI 
     looking out of the foxhole...

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        What's going on?  They coming?

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                        It's Wildman, he's covering up Pardee.

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        He's dead?

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                             (watching)
                        From the rain.  He's still alive, he
                        was yelling for medicine a couple a
                        minutes ago.

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        Take a turn, I'll watch.

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                             (sarcastic)
                        Great.  It's raining.  You got a dry
                        sleep, I take a wet one.

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        Anytime you sleep it's gonna be wet,
                        Kluzewski, you're the horniest bastard
                        in Italy.

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                        What's that mean, what're ya talking
                        about?

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        You think nobody notices you pounding
                        it?  You think it's a big secret?

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                        Horseshit!  Who says?

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        Everybody says!  Anytime you're off
                        the watch you're flogging it.
                        Pascalano warned me, he said, "He's
                        gonna flog it an' moan everytime he
                        shuts his eyes."

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                        Aaaw, crap!  I'm a restless sleeper,
                        I squirm around, maybe I make some
                        noises...I got gas is all.  My wife
                        used to get on me about it.

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        You beat your meat in front of your
                        wife?

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                        Fuck you!

     FIFTH FOXHOLE

     The rain is coming down fiercely now as TEXAS watches WILDMAN scramble 
     into their foxhole, machinegun bullets sizzling above them.

                                       TEXAS
                        How is he?

                                       WILDMAN
                        How do I know, am I a medic?  He's
                        bad, I gave him a shot, he's all
                        chewed up, I don't know what to do for
                        him.

                                       TEXAS
                        That was a great plan, making a run
                        for it in daylight...

                                       WILDMAN
                        Shut the fuck up!

     WILDMAN and TEXAS are glaring at each other as we...

                                                           CUT TO

     MEADOW/DUSK

     The rain is pouring down on a tiny hut, apparently abandoned, in a 
     meadow on the fringe of the woods as ROCK and GORYL appear, slogging 
     through the meadow toward the woods.  A machinegun rattles in the wood 
     ahead and GORYL reacts nervously.  That gun isn't too far away and he's 
     scared now.

                                       ROCK
                        Kraut gun.

                                       GORYL
                        H-how do you know?

                                       ROCK
                        Faster rate of fire.

                                       GORYL
                        Oh.

     ROCK is considering the peasant hut.  It looks deserted.

                                       ROCK
                        If that place is empty, we could wait
                        in there till dark.

                                       GORYL
                        Uh, right.  Good idea.

     INTERIOR/FARMHOUSE/NIGHT

     PRITCHARD peeks out between the curtains that cover the window.  He 
     can't see anything, rain is slashing at the window.  He turns to the 
     weary looking FIRST GI slumped by the door.

                                       PRITCHARD
                        Private, I want you to go out and
                        check our positions, make sure
                        everyone's on their toes...

     The FIRST GI blinks in disbelief, then climbs reluctantly to his feet, 
     his tone almost openly hostile...

                                       FIRST GI
                        Right, sir.

                                       PRITCHARD
                        They've stopped shelling.  That could
                        mean they're approaching, it could
                        mean...

                                       RADIO OPERATOR'S VOICE (O.S.)
                        Sir!  Orders from Battalion HQ, sir.
                        Colonel Cronkite.

     PRITCHARD turns abruptly and heads for the radio where the RADIO 
     OPERATOR sits, wearing headphones.

                                       PRITCHARD
                        Withdraw?

                                       RADIO OPERATOR
                        Fall back to Bergamo, yes, sir.

     PRITCHARD breathes a sigh of relief and turns toward the FIRST GI.

                                       PRITCHARD
                        All right, we're gonna get the fuck
                        outta here!  Notify everybody in...

     WHAM!  The door bursts open, interrupting PRITCHARD in midsentence. 
     PRITCHARD'S eyes bulge and his jaw sags at what he sees in the doorway.

     Dripping wet in the doorway is an angry looking MAN of about fifty, 
     grizzled and graying...STARK NAKED EXCEPT FOR COMBAT BOOTS AND A HELMET.

     Everybody in the room is staring in disbelief when PRITCHARD
     suddenly notices that there are three stars on the NAKED MAN'S
     helmet.  PRITCHARD hesitates, then, still slack-jawed, tentatively
     comes to attention and salutes like a man afraid not to.

     The NAKED MAN brusquely returns the salute as we...

                                                           CUT TO

     WOODS/NIGHT

     It's pitch black, pouring rain when suddenly a flare whooshes and
     bursts overhead, illuminating the woods in a spooky green light, 
     catching WILDMAN running low.

     BUDDA BUDDA BUDDA BUDDA, the German machineguns open up, spraying 
     bullets as WILDMAN dives flat on his belly and squirms and wriggles the 
     rest of the way toward the foxhole.

     CHATTA CHATTA CHATTA CHATTA.  The BAR responds, firing a burst at the 
     winking muzzle of the German machinegun as the flare fades overhead.

     FIFTH FOXHOLE

     TEXAS is firing his M-1 at the German guns as WILDMAN tumbles into the 
     watery foxhole.

                                       WILDMAN
                        Don't waste rounds.

                                       TEXAS
                        I was covering you.

                                       WILDMAN
                        You can't see 'em, you can't hit 'em.

                                       TEXAS
                        What about Pardee?  Is he alive?

     For a long moment WILDMAN doesn't answer.  The guns have stopped firing 
     and there's no sound but the raging rain.  Then he speaks in a low 
     voice...

                                       WILDMAN
                        He's all bandaged.

                                       TEXAS
                        Bandaged?  Whaddaya mean "bandaged"?

                                       WILDMAN
                        His chest, his gut, his wound, it's
                        all bandaged up.  He says a medic did
                        it.

                                       TEXAS
                        Medic!  What medic?  Where?

                                       WILDMAN
                        He's crazy in the head, he must have
                        a fever..

                                       TEXAS
                        So who bandaged him?

                                       WILDMAN
                             (dubiously)
                        He musta done it himself.  There
                        aren't any medics around here.

                                       TEXAS
                        Can he move?  Whadder we gonna do
                        about him?

                                       WILDMAN
                        He's crawled about ten yards already,
                        he's resting up.

                                       TEXAS
                        He's gonna crawl here?  Okay, then
                        what?  We were gonna get outta here
                        tonight.  If he can't walk...

                                       WILDMAN
                        We can't get outta here because
                        they'll put up a flare.

                                       TEXAS
                        So why'd we go in daylight?  We're
                        worse off now with him non-
                        ambulatory than if...

                                       WILDMAN
                        It's called "pinned down," asshole!

                                       TEXAS
                        I know what it's called, Wildman.
                        What the fuck are we gonna do about
                        it?

     THIRD FOXHOLE/NIGHT

     Barely visible in the rainy darkness, WHIPSNAKE is poking KLUZEWSKI
     awake.

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        You awake, Klu?  It's your watch.

     KLUZEWSKI stirs, grunts, sits up in the darkness while WHIPSNAKE
     shields a flashlight as he tries to make a bed for himself under a 
     poncho that half roofs the hole.

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                        There oughtta be a flag you could wave
                        when you gotta take a crap.  Like a
                        time out.

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        This is a war, not a basketball game,
                        Kluzewski.

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                        There's rules in war just like in
                        basketball.  They gotta crap, we gotta
                        crap.  You want me to crap in the
                        foxhole?

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                             (curling up, dousing the
                              light)
                        You crap in the foxhole, asshole, I'll
                        kill you before the jerries get you.

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                        I don't have to crap anyway, I didn't
                        eat anything.

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        Shuddup and lemme sleep.

     Silence.

     Rain pours down.

     A long moment, then... WHOOOSH!  A flare bursts overhead, turning the
     woods a spooky yellow, revealing KLUZEWSKI in the foxhole and WHIPSNAKE
     beside him, already asleep under the poncho.

     KLUZEWSKI stares at the brightly lit woods.  Nothing moves.  There's no 
     sound except the thrashing rain.  It's very spooky, almost surreal.

     Nervously, KLUZEWSKI whispers loud in the direction of the other 
     foxholes.

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                        Sssssst!  Wildman!
                             (no answer)
                        Retread?  Hey, Retread!

     Nothing!  It's like KLUZEWSKI is all alone in the world as the light 
     from the flare diminishes but, instead of fading entirely, remains a 
     gloomy yellow, giving the woods a creepy glow.

     KLUZEWSKI is uneasy as he sits back in the foxhole...and stiffens 
     suddenly as his hand touches something.

     He looks.  There's something in the wall of the foxhole, buried in the 
     mud.

     Tentatively he touches it, wiping away mud, and sees...A HUMAN HAND.

     For a moment KLUZEWSKI stares at it in horror.  It's a small hand, as 
     if a woman or child were buried in the mud...not too long ago.

     IT MOVES!

     No!  Impossible.  It must be an illusion, something to do with the 
     continuing weird yellow afterglow of the flare.

     IT REALLY MOVES!  WRITHING, EXPOSING A DELICATE WRIST.

     Without taking his eyes off the horrifying phenomenon, KLUZEWSKI hisses
     urgently at WHIPSNAKE...

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                        Whip!  Whip, wake up!  Whip!

     WHIPSNAKE doesn't stir.

     KLUZEWSKI forgets to say anything more as, hypnotized, he watches an
     arm emerge from the mud and then a face, covered with mud.  A WOMAN'S 
     FACE!

     Bug-eyed, KLUZEWSKI sees the hand wipe mud from the face.

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                        Angie!  Jesus Christ!

     ANGIE is squirming out of the muddy wall of the foxhole, a lithe young 
     woman of twenty-three, stark naked.  She gives an apologetic little 
     laugh...

                                       ANGIE
                        I been going crazy, Klu, ha ha.

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                        Angie!  Angie, this is fucking Italy.
                        We're at war.

                                       ANGIE
                        I know, honey, but I got hot pants,
                        I'm going crazy.

     KLUZEWSKI casts a frantic glance at WHIPSNAKE who's still sound 
     asleep...thank God.

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                        Angie, we can't do nothing here.  I
                        mean, there's guys around...Germans
                        for Christ sake!  We're in a foxhole.

     It's a small foxhole, there's nowhere to go.  ANGIE has a hand on 
     KLUZEWSKI'S crotch.  The rain is washing the mud off her, revealing her 
     firm breasts, her alabaster skin, her wet black hair.  She's moving the 
     hand gently, speaking in a breathy, intimate voice...

                                       ANGIE
                        Remember that time when the kids were
                        out back...when we did it on the
                        kitchen floor?

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                             (sudden alarm)
                        The kids!  Where are the kids?

                                       ANGIE
                             (rubbing against him)
                        With your parents.  Come ooooooon,
                        baby...

     KLUZEWSKI'S gonna shit or go to heaven!  His eyes are rolling, his 
     breath is heavy.  She's kneading his crotch.  He tongue kisses her, 
     puts a muddy hand on her firm breast.  She moans hotly.  Rain soaks 
     them.

     FIFTH FOXHOLE/NIGHT

     Darkness.  Rain.  TEXAS stiffens and kicks WILDMAN awake.

                                       TEXAS
                             (whisper)
                        Sssssst.  Someone moving.

                                       WILDMAN
                             (whisper)
                        Don't shoot, it could be Pardee.

                                       TEXAS
                        Whozzat?

                                       PARDEE'S VOICE (O.S.)
                        Lana Turner.

                                       TEXAS
                             (to Wildman)
                        Whatsa countersign?

                                       WILDMAN
                        Big tits, stupid.

                                       TEXAS
                        Big tits.

     PARDEE appears and flops down painfully into the foxhole while WILDMAN
     covers them with a poncho and flicks on his flashlight.

                                       PARDEE
                        Tell me...tell me the truth.

                                       WILDMAN
                        What truth?

                                       PARDEE
                        I'm alive, right?

                                       TEXAS
                        Yeah.

                                       PARDEE
                        I thought maybe I was dead.  You know
                        who I saw out there...three minutes
                        ago?

                                       WILDMAN
                        Who?

                                       PARDEE
                        Sergeant Rock!  I seen Rock!

                                       WILDMAN
                        Fuck you.

                                       PARDEE
                        Sergeant Rock!  I swear to God.

                                       WILDMAN
                        He's dead, asshole.

                                       PARDEE
                        That's what I'm talking about.  He's
                        dead, but I see him, what's that make
                        me?  He's out there, him and another
                        guy.

                                       WILDMAN
                             (to Pascalano)
                        Give him a dose, he's fucked up from
                        the wound.

                                       PASCALANO
                        You got a fever, Pardee...

                                       PARDEE
                        He said to me, "Ssssst!  Pardee!  You
                        okay?"  I said, "I dunno, Sarge.  I
                        thought you were dead."  "Where's the
                        Wildman?" he says...

                                       WILDMAN
                        Shut up, Pardee.  Shut up and swallow.

                                       PARDEE
                        ..."Wildman's over there," I go, "dug
                        in."  "What about the rest," he says,
                        "Who's left?"

                                       PASCALANO
                        Hallucination.

                                       PARDEE
                        Well, I told him...or it...the
                        hallucination, and the hallucination
                        crawled off with this other guy, this
                        other hallucination.

                                       WILDMAN
                             (keeping watch)
                        Rock isn't out there, Pardee.

                                       PARDEE
                        Maybe we're all dead.

     FIRST FOXHOLE/NIGHT

     The rain is diminishing, the moon appearing behind blowing clouds as 
     PASCALANO nervously alerts RETREAD.

                                       PASCALANO
                        Hey, I see something.

                                       RETREAD
                        Again?

                                       PASCALANO
                        Over there...something moved.

     SECOND FOXHOLE/NIGHT

     BEEF and BIGELOW are both awake, peering into the shadowy darkness.

                                       BIGELOW
                        Where?

                                       BEEF
                        Over there.  Watch.

                                       BIGELOW
                        Might be Pardee.

     WHOOOOOOSH!  A flare bursts, the woods are suddenly bright green.

     THIRD FOXHOLE/NIGHT

     Oooooooooh!  Uuuuuuuuuuuun!  In a blaze of green light, her head thrown 
     back in wild abandon, ANGIE comes as KLUZEWSKI humps her furiously in 
     the brightly lit foxhole.

                                       WHIPSNAKE'S VOICE (O.S.)
                        Kluzewski, you asshole, cut it out.

     ANGIE'S face is distorted with the agony of the climax!

     WHIPSNAKE'S hand clutches KLUZEWSKI'S shoulder as the German 
     machineguns start to rattle...

     KLUZEWSKI looks up.  WHIPSNAKE is shaking him.

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        Wake up, you dumb fuck!

     KLUZEWSKI shakes his head clear and grabs his rifle.  There is no
     ANGIE, the flare is dying, the BAR is making dull sounds, rifles are 
     snapping.

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                        What's goin' on?

     WHIPSNAKE is firing over the lip of the foxhole...BANG! BANG!

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        You an' the krauts, you're both
                        coming!

     SECOND FOXHOLE

     The woods are moonlit again as BEEF looks frantically off and behind 
     them where a muzzle flashes a burst of automatic fire...

                                       BEEF
                        Who's that?  Who the fuck is that over
                        there?

     BIGELOW fires a burst at the German machineguns as he answers.

                                       BIGELOW
                        Dunno!  Krauts?

     FIRST FOXHOLE

     RETREAD and PASCALANO are observing the same muzzle flashes as they 
     return German fire.

                                       RETREAD
                        Not krauts.

                                       PASCALANO
                        Who?

     BAAAAAAAWHOOOOOOOOOM!  A sudden explosion.

     PASCALANO and RETREAD stare in amazement.

                                       RETREAD
                        Jesus Christ!

     SCREAMS fill the night.  Words of agony...IN GERMAN!

                                       PASCALANO
                        The bastards blew up.

                                       RETREAD
                        It was a grenade.

                                       PASCALANO
                        I thought nobody had any left!

     A sudden burst of automatic fire and more screams.

     THIRD FOXHOLE

     WHIPSNAKE and KLUZEWSKI are equally confounded.

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                        Who the fuck is shooting?

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        Must be Wildman.  He musta gone after
                        'em.

     More screams, more GERMAN words...

     FIRST FOXHOLE

     PASCALANO swings his rifle violently toward rapidly moving shadows to 
     the right.

                                       VOICE/DARKNESS
                        DON'T SHOOT!

     BANG!  PASCALANO fires as a shadowy figure looms out of the darkness
     above them and...leaps into the foxhole on top of PASCALANO and
     RETREAD.

                                       VOICE/DARKNESS
                        It's okay, you missed me.

     RETREAD peers into a face partially visible in the silvery moonlight, a
     fresh, young, non-combat kind of face...GORYL.

                                       RETREAD
                        Who the fuck are you?

                                       GORYL
                        Lieutenant Goryl, your new C.O.

     RETREAD and PASCALANO are flabbergasted...

                                       PASCALANO
                        Yer shitting me...uh, sir.

                                       RETREAD
                        "Girl"?

                                       GORYL
                        Gore-ill, Tom.

                                       RETREAD
                        That was you over there with the BAR?

                                       GORYL
                        Right.  As soon as Sergeant Rock takes
                        out the second machinegun position,
                        we're gonna move out.

                                       PASCALANO
                             (bug-eyed)
                        Rock!

     FIFTH FOXHOLE/MINUTES LATER

     WILDMAN, TEXAS and PARDEE are looking at PASCALANO in disbelief as 
     PASCALANO peers into the Fifth Foxhole...

                                       TEXAS
                        Alive?

                                       WILDMAN
                        You're sure?

     A GERMAN VOICE is screaming in the darkness...pain.

                                       PARDEE
                        I toldja.

                                       PASCALANO
                        We're supposed to put Pardee on a
                        poncho and move out when Rock takes
                        out the second machinegun.

     THTRD FOXHOLE/MOMENTS LATER

     KLUZEWSKI and WHIPSNAKE are reacting to PASCALANO who's peering over 
     the lip of their foxhole as the GERMAN VOICE shouts in the 
     background...

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        Sergeant Rock!  He's alive?

                                       PASCALANO
                        He's gonna take out the other gun,
                        then we're supposed to go according
                        to Lieutenant Girl...

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                        "Girl"!

                                       PASCALANO
                        No such luck, pal.  He's pretty, but
                        it's just a name.

     SECOND FOXHOLE/SECONDS LATER

     BEEF and BIGELOW are facing PASCALANO who's peering into their foxhole 
     from above as the GERMAN VOICE wails in the background...

                                       BIGELOW
                        How's he gonna take out the machinegun?

                                       PASCALANO
                        He got the first one, didn't he?  You
                        hear that Kraut fucker crying?  Ask
                        him.

                                       BEEF
                        I like Rock.  He's a sonofabitch, a
                        real goddamn leader.

     GERMAN POSITION

     The GERMAN SOLDIERS are crouched behind their machinegun, cold and
     businesslike.  As two GERMANS drag the wounded, screaming GERMAN 
     SOLDIER into their position, the CAPTAIN snaps an order.  The GERMAN 
     SOLDIER is silenced immediately!  These guys mean business!

     PLOP!  A grenade flops stupidly in front of them, a silly little 
     pineapple of iron.

     The CAPTAIN looks at it, it registers in his mind...then it explodes.

     BOOOOOOM!

     TATTA TATTA TATTA TATTA...a grease gun opens up, bullets ripping into
     the already ravaged GERMAN SOLDIERS as we...

                                                           CUT TO

     MOONLIT WOODS/SECONDS LATER

     Nine SHADOWS, stumbling, struggling through the darkness with the tent 
     man, PARDEE, in a poncho.

     Stumbling.

     Cursing.

                                       WILDMAN
                        Where we going, huh?

                                       GORYL
                        Up the pass.  There's a hut, we meet
                        Rock there.  In a meadow.

                                       BEEF
                             (tripping)
                        Fuck.

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                             (freezing)
                        Listen.

     The rapid patter of the German machinegun.

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        That's the kraut gun.

     WILDMAN is grim in the moonlight as BIGELOW says aloud what all of them 
     are thinking...

                                       BIGELOW
                        He didn't get 'em, they got him.

     GORYL is worried, but he forces himself to take charge.

                                       GORYL
                        Come on, men, let's keep moving.

                                       WILDMAN
                        Maybe a couple of us should go back.
                        Me and Retread.

                                       GORYL
                        No.  Keep moving.  Let's go.

     WILDMAN hesitates, his eyes meeting GORYL'S.  GORYL looks away.

                                       PASCALANO
                        Rock ain't dead.  He's fucking
                        indestructible, can't be killed.  We
                        just seen that, we thought he was
                        gone, we see him half dead, then he
                        shows up.

     GORYL is moving ahead and the others are falling in behind him.

     WILDMAN hesitates, then follows.

     Behind them, the machinegun stutters again...

                                       TEXAS
                        Who the fuck they shooting at?

                                       BEEF
                        Colored guys.  From Baker.  They were
                        on the east slope.

                                       PASCALANO
                        Bullshit!  Not Baker.  Fucking Rock
                        got the kraut gun and he's shooting
                        the goddamn huns with their own gun,
                        that's all.

     GERMAN POSITION

     The machinegun spatters bullets into the moonlit woods where GERMAN
     VOICES exchange urgent shouts.

     ROCK is behind the gun, blazing away, finishing off a belt.  Beside him 
     in a pool of blood a badly INJURED GERMAN speaks to him.

                                       INJURED GERMAN
                             (German, subtitled)
                        Give me more medicine.  For the pain.

                                       ROCK
                             (German, subtitled)
                        I gave you all I had.

     Having failed to find another ammo belt, ROCK is hastily grabbing some 
     German grenades and other gear.

                                       INJURED GERMAN
                             (German, subtitled)
                        How come you talk German without an
                        accent?

                                       ROCK
                             (German, subtitled)
                        My parents came from the Ruhr.

                                       INJURED GERMAN
                             (German, subtitled)
                        Too bad, they should've stayed.  You
                        guys don't have a chance.  We're like
                        a big machine, the Panzers are coming
                        now, tanks.

                                       ROCK
                             (leaving)
                        We eat tanks, we piss on them, tanks
                        are nothing to us.

     Laden with gear, ROCK slips off into the woods and, the instant he's 
     gone, the INJURED GERMAN shouts at the top of his lungs...

                                       INJURED GERMAN
                             (German, subtitled)
                        THERE'S ONLY ONE, HE'S ALL ALONE!  GET
                        HIM!  WILLIE!  CHRISTIAN!  GET HIM!

                                                           CUT TO

     MEADOW/LATER

     TEXAS is moving cautiously back through the meadow to where GORYL and 
     the rest of Easy are waiting tensely...

                                       TEXAS
                        No hut up there, sir.

     Muttering among the men..."Christ!"  "Lost."  "Stupid kid."

     Shaken, GORYL tries to hide his waning confidence...

                                       GORYL
                        I must have got turned around.  It's
                        that way.  Let's go.

     More grumbling.  BEEF murmurs to RETREAD...

                                       BEEF
                        We're fucking lost.  I got no
                        confidence in this kid at all!

     RIDGE/OUTSIDE THE FARMHOUSE/NIGHT

     Crouched behind a machinegun outside the farmhouse, three weary GIS 
     are sharing a quick smoke, hiding the single cigarette in a helmet so 
     the glow won't give them away...

                                       SECOND GI
                        Naked?  Bare ass?

                                       FIRST GI
                        Fucking aye!  Bare fucking ass!  Boots
                        and a helmet is all...

                                       THIRD GI
                        A helmet with three stars!

                                       FIRST GI
                        He says his jeep got shelled, gasoline
                        all over his uniform.  Took it off so
                        he wouldn't catch fire.

                                       THIRD GI
                        Poor bastard was out there in the
                        woods buck naked for about three
                        hours...

                                       SECOND GI
                        "General Cook," huh?  I never hearda
                        no General Cook.

                                       FIRST GI
                             (imitating)
                        "Cook, Third Division, gimme that
                        uniform, private.'

                                       SECOND GI
                             (incredulous)
                        He took your fucking uniform?

                                       FIRST GI
                        Am I gonna say "Fuck you, General"?

                                       SECOND GI
                        It makes you wonder sometimes if this
                        is a war or a comedy...

                                       FIRST GI
                        Comedy, my ass!  That bastard ain't
                        funny unless getting killed is ha-ha!
                        You know what he's doing, he's in
                        there telling Pritchard we're gonna
                        stick it out.  The dumb shit wants
                        to attack, he's calling for support...

     INSIDE THE FARMHOUSE

     PRITCHARD looks agitated as GENERAL COOK, wearing an ill-fitted 
     private's uniform, harangues him...

                                       COOK
                        You get your man to repeat the order.
                        I want at least a dozen howitzers, I
                        want Long Toms, I want air support,
                        and I want six rifle companies by...

                                       PRITCHARD
                        General, I don't think you quite grasp
                        our situation here.  By the time any
                        support arrives we'll already be --

     COOK interrupts, leaping to his feet, waving his arms theatrically and 
     declaiming loudly...

                                       COOK
                        "Then up spoke brave Horatius, the
                        Captain of the gate!  'To all the men
                        upon this earth, death cometh soon or
                        late! And how can man die better than
                        by facing fearful odds for the ashes
                        of his fathers and the temples of his
                        gods?"

     Stunned, PRITCHARD can only stammer while everybody in the room stares 
     at the General, completely non-plussed...

                                       PRITCHARD
                        I...uh, I beg your...pardon, General?

                                       COOK
                        Tennyson!  You didn't learn Tennyson
                        at The Point, Major?  Goddamn pity.
                             (to the amazed GIs)
                        Of course we don't believe in all
                        that crap about ashes of fathers and
                        temples of gods, that's Greek stuff...
                        but we believe in our families, our
                        loved ones, our country, and Jesus
                        Christ...and our men down in that
                        pass.

                                       PRITCHARD
                        General, that's very emotional stuff
                        about "fearful odds," but, as you
                        know, sir, wars are won with tactics
                        and...

                                       COOK
                        "'Hew down the bridge, Sir Consul,
                        with all the speed ye may, and I with
                        two to help me will hold the foe at
                        bay!'"
                             (triumphantly)
                        "'For in yon straight path a thousand
                        may well be stopped by three, now who
                        will stand on either hand and fight
                        the foe with me?'"
                             (to everyone)
                        That's your tactics!  It was a bridge,
                        see?  Narrow like that pass down
                        there.  The idea was three men could
                        stand off an army of thousands...and
                        they did!  That's called "tactics mitt
                        balls," got that?

                                       PRITCHARD
                        General, our situation is very serious
                        and I don't think we should discuss
                        this in front of...

                                       COOK
                        What's that?

     COOK has suddenly noticed some cans piled under a shelf in the corner 
     which he's pointing at...

                                       RADIO OPERATOR
                        Looks like paint, sir.

                                       COOK
                             (inspecting)
                        Paint!  What kind of paint?

                                       PRITCHARD
                        I imagine it's Italian paint, General,
                        it was here when we established HQ.
                        I wonder if we could continue our
                        discussion of tactics in private so
                        that...

                                       COOK
                        It's white paint!

     COOK has opened a can and dipped his finger in as we...

                                                           CUT TO

     HUT, MEADOW/NIGHT

     Squatting in a moonlit meadow, the little peasant hut looks ominous
     to GORYL and the men of Easy who are eyeing it warily from a safe 
     distance.  PASCALANO expresses almost universal sentiments as he 
     mutters under his breath...

                                       PASCALANO
                        I was beginning to think it didn't
                        exist.

                                       GORYL
                             (ignoring the remark
                              bravely)
                        The Sergeant and I checked it out this
                        afternoon.  It's abandoned.

                                       RETREAD
                        Yeah?  I smell smoke.

                                       BEEF
                        Me too.

                                       GORYL
                             (decisively)
                        I'm gonna look it over.  I need a
                        volunteer to go with me.

     GORYL finds himself looking into battle-hardened faces, men who don't 
     volunteer...especially not for green lieutenants.  No response.

     Hiding his own fear, GORYL consider the tough faces one by one.  Then 
     he points...

                                       GORYL
                        You.  Let's go.

     Without waiting for WILDMAN to answer, GORYL starts toward the hut.

     With a shrug, WILDMAN falls in behind him.

     The others watch the two of them move stealthily toward the hut.

                                       BEEF
                        I'll say this for the Lieutenant, he's
                        goin' himself, he didn't send two of
                        us.

                                       RETREAD
                        That's 'cause he's so fucking green
                        he's more scared of us than the
                        krauts.  He'll learn.

     CLOSE TO THE HUT

     WILDMAN moves cautiously to a window, then turns and hisses to 
     GORYL...

                                       WILDMAN
                        Window's covered with something.

     GORYL hides his trembling hands as he whispers.

                                       GORYL
                        Cover me.  I'm going in.

     WILDMAN is actually impressed.  He looks GORYL in the eye.

                                       WILDMAN
                        I got more experience, sir.  I could
                        go in.

                                       GORYL
                        I need more experience.  Cover me.

     WILDMAN stands by the door as GORYL suddenly shoves it open.

     INSIDE THE HUT

     As GORYL drops in low, a gun muzzle touches his temple...

     FORTY YARDS AWAY

     BEEF, RETREAD, and the others watch breathlessly as WILDMAN follows
     GORYL in through the door.

     The men wait tensely for a shot or something...

     Suddenly WILDMAN appears and approaches the anxious men somberly...

                                       WILDMAN
                        Sergeant Rock is preparing a light
                        repast of hot K rations and he wonders
                        if we would care to dine with him.

                                       PASCALANO
                        What'd I tell you?  The bastard can't
                        die, he's superhuman!

     MEADOW/DAWN

     The hut is a glum silhouette against the weak light coming from the 
     east where the rising sun is obscured by clouds.  BIGELOW'S breath 
     comes in puffs of steam as he stands watch outside the hut, holding his
     hand out to collect the first flakes of snow that's beginning to fall 
     almost imperceptibly.

     INSIDE THE HUT

     The men of Easy, huddled on the floor, are just beginning to stir. 
     PASCALANO is seeing to PARDEE'S needs while ROCK passes out another 
     round of K rations from his pack.

                                       TEXAS
                        That true what Whip said about the
                        hospital?  The Krauts bombed it?

                                       ROCK
                             (a grim shrug)
                        It coulda been an accident.

                                       PARDEE
                        It killed Goines, right?  Chopper was
                        probably there too, and Fortuna.

                                       BEEF
                        Some accident.

                                       RETREAD
                        Well, I guess we gotta stop being nice
                        to the Germans, right, fellas?  No
                        more Mister Nice Guy.

                                       WILDMAN
                        Fuck you, Retread.

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                             (looking out the window)
                        It's snowing out.

                                       BEEF
                        There you are, sunny Italy,
                        vacationland of Europe.

                                       PASCALANO
                        Any country's gonna be shit when it's
                        winter an' people are shooting at you.

                                       ROCK
                        Lieutenant, with your permission I'd
                        like to take a couple of men and scout
                        ahead to make sure they didn't get
                        behind us, make sure we got a clear
                        way to fall back.

     Everybody looks at ROCK, then at GORYL like at a tennis match.

                                       GORYL
                        Right.  That's a good idea, Sergeant.

                                       ROCK
                        While we're scouting, sir, you might
                        want to distribute the mail...

     Everybody gasps as ROCK produces the bundle of letters from his pack 
     and we...

                                                           CUT TO

     THE MEADOW/MOMENTS LATER

     ROCK, RETREAD and WHIPSNAKE are moving across the meadow away from the 
     hut as snow flutters in the air, not yet sticking to the ground...

                                       RETREAD
                        You picked us 'cause we didn't get no
                        mail, right?

                                       ROCK
                        I didn't look.  It's gonna be tough
                        hauling Pardee on the high ground.
                        Let's check the pass, see what we see.

                                       RETREAD
                        You know I don't ever get mail.  Whip
                        neither.

                                       ROCK
                        It coulda got lost at Regimental.
                        Things are pretty fucked up back
                        there.

                                       RETREAD
                        Just because nobody writes us is no
                        reason for us to pull extra duty,
                        Sergeant.

                                       ROCK
                        We'll mark trees to make sure we can
                        find our way back.

     INSIDE THE HUT

     GORYL is pulling envelopes from the sack of mail.

                                       GORYL
                        Jones, William...

     An awkward silence, exchange of glances, then...

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                        He...ain't with us no more.

                                       GORYL
                        Oh.  Uh, sorry. Uh...Blake, Thomas.

     Another silence.

                                       GORYL
                        Uh, absent?

                                       TEXAS
                        Dead.

     GORYL pulls out another letter.

                                       GORYL
                        I can't pronounce this, it, uh, looks
                        Italian.  Eff ay...are...are...ay...

                                       PASCALANO
                        Farracci.

                                       BEEF
                        Shit!

     Another silence, then...

                                       WILDMAN
                        Why don't you let me distribute 'em,
                        Lieutenant?

                                       GORYL
                        Yes.  Good idea, Corporal.

     WILDMAN takes the stack of letters.  He looks at the top one, then sets
     it aside solemnly.  Then the next.  And the next.

     It's a grim moment, the room is full of the ghosts of dead men.
     Until...

                                       WILDMAN
                        Here ya go, Klu.

     As KLUZEWSKI takes the letter eagerly PASCALANO breathes a sigh of 
     relief.

                                       PASCALANO
                        Thank Christ!  I was thinking maybe
                        none of us were alive!

     WOODS/SNOW

     Snow is falling fast and furiously now, sticking to the bare branches, 
     several inches deep on the ground, obscuring everything, muffling 
     sound.

     ROCK, RETREAD, and WHIPSNAKE appear plodding through the snow.  ROCK is
     peering around at the woods.  The snow has cut his visibility to thirty
     yards.

                                       ROCK
                        We're not gonna learn anything more.
                        We better get back.

                                       RETREAD
                        While we can.  I hope you know the way.

     RETREAD is considering the fresh blanket of snow behind them, the 
     mysterious woods.

     CRACK! CRACK!  Sharp snapping sounds in the distance.  All three of 
     them stiffen.  WHIPSNAKE looks puzzled.

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        Rifles?

                                       RETREAD
                        Not M-1s.  Maybe Italian rifles or
                        something.

     ROCK frowns as he listens.  He knows what they are...

                                       ROCK
                        Trees!

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        Trees?

     INSIDE THE HUT

     Looking disturbed, KLUZEWSKI is studying the contents of his letter 
     with a frown when BEEF'S triumphant shout causes him to look up.

     Everybody's looking at BEEF who's gleefully holding up a crude 
     ladderback chair and punching out the straw seat.

                                       BEEF
                        Looka this, willya?  Looka what I got?
                        A fucking toilet!  I'm gonna take a
                        shit like a human being.  I'm gonna
                        take a proper fucking crap!

                                       WILDMAN
                        Seconds!

                                       PASCALANO
                        Thirds!

                                       TEXAS
                        Next!

                                       BIGELOW
                        After Texas.

                                       PASCALANO
                        Whatsa matter, Kluzewski, you
                        constipated or you got to like
                        squatting?

     KLUZEWSKI is completely preoccupied with a photo enclosed with his 
     letter...a picture of his wife ANGIE and his two kids.  Pretty ANGIE 
     smiles at him from the picture with love and innocence (in sharp 
     contrast to the horny slut from his dreams) as he answers absently...

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                        Yeah, yeah, count me in.

                                       PASCALANO
                             (to Goryl)
                        This is a democracy here on the line,
                        Lieutenant, no officers latrine.

                                       GORYL
                        Fair enough, I'm last.

                                       PARDEE
                        He oughtta go outside, he's gonna
                        stink up our luxury accommodation.

                                       WILDMAN
                        Who could smell it?  We all stink so
                        bad we can't smell anything but
                        ourselves.

                                       TEXAS
                             (emotional)
                        Fucking aye!  We're all disgusting!
                        Can you imagine if some woman walked
                        in here?  What she'd think of us?  A
                        buncha animals...

                                       PASCALANO
                        Worse than animals!  Animals clean
                        themselves.

                                       PARDEE
                        That's what so great about women, you
                        know?  How clean they are!

                                       WILDMAN
                        That isn't all that's so great about
                        them, in case you forgot...

     Nobody laughs at WILDMAN'S joke, they're serious...

                                       TEXAS
                        Pasky's right.  Even the dirty ones
                        are clean...

                                       PARDEE
                        They smell like soap...

                                       PASCALANO
                        Or clean sheets...

                                       GORYL
                        Their hair especially...

     Surprised looks.  Nobody expected GORYL, "the stranger," to speak. 
     Then KLUZEWSKI looks up dreamily from "Mother Angie's" smile...

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                        Yeah.  Their hair...

     Everybody's silent for a moment thinking clean thoughts...

     BBBBRRRRRRAT!  A loud farting noise from BEEF'S direction breaks the 
     mood.

                                       WILDMAN
                        I believe we got artillery support
                        after all.

     TANKS/WOODS

     CRAAACK!  SNAP!  CRACK!  Trees break like twigs as two tanks, Panzers, 
     ghostly in the snowy air, grind through the woods ominously.

     ROCK, RETREAD, and WHIPSNAKE are crouched behind a tree twenty yards 
     away, watching the tanks.

     ROCK is grim.

                                       ROCK
                        Let's go.

     The three men move from behind the rock and start hastily back through 
     the woods as the tanks continue through the trees.

     Moving through the thickly falling snow, their vision obscured, they 
     weave among the trees...

     ROCK is looking around with a frown.

                                       ROCK
                        There!  There's one of our marks.

     ROCK is indicating a crude slash in one of the trees.  He's about to 
     look for the next one when...

     CRACK!  SNAP!  Directly in front of them, the sound of a tank coming, 
     still a ways off.

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        Aw shit!

                                       ROCK
                        This way.

     ROCK heads decisively in another direction as we...

                                                           CUT TO

     SNOW/WOODS/MOMENTS LATER

     Leading them in the other direction, ROCK suddenly hears the snarling 
     engine of a tank ahead of him...not too far.  But he can't see the 
     tank...in fact he can't see more than ten feet in the thickly falling 
     snow.  Hastily, the three men turn back, moving away from the snarl of 
     the engine.

     But seconds later another engine growls even closer to them, forcing 
     them to change direction again.

     The engines get louder...so loud the roaring seems to surround them.

     WHIPSNAKE and RETREAD look to ROCK for guidance.  Which way do they go?

     ROCK doesn't know.

     SUDDENLY A TANK APPEARS...A HUGE BLACK THING LOOMING OUT OF THE
     OF SNOW ONLY FIFTEEN FEET AWAY.

     All three men scramble out of the way as the huge tank grinds within a 
     few feet of them, apparently never seeing them.

     But WHIPSNAKE is pointing in alarm.

     Here comes another, ten yards from them.  Its machinegun starts to 
     chatter.

                                       ROCK
                        SPLIT UP!

     ROCK dives out of the way to the left of the tank, WHIPSNAKE and 
     RETREAD sprawl in the other direction.

     Half crawling, half running, ROCK scrambles away from the tank...

     And scrambles almost under the treads of another as it suddenly appears 
     out of the whiteness.

     Escaping the treads, ROCK sees the flash of machinegun fire from 
     another tanks invisible in the snow.

     It must be shooting at RETREAD and WHIPSNAKE.

     ROCK pulls a grenade and moves through the blinding snow, deafened by 
     roaring engines.

     Suddenly he's ten feet from the profile of a tank as it grinds forward
     firing.

     ROCK flips the grenade into the treads and dives flat on his face.

     KA-BLAAAAAM!  The grenade explodes.

     ROCK looks up.  The tank rumbles ahead, apparently oblivious.

     And suddenly another tank rumbles out of the snow only a few feet away,
     about to run over him.

     ROCK scrambles to his feet and sprints off into the snow as the 
     machineguns chatter behind him.

     Gasping for air he keeps running, putting distance between the
     throbbing engines and himself as we...

                                                           CUT TO

     ROCK/MINUTES LATER

     Still staggering forwards sucking wind, ROCK looks back.  He can't see 
     anything through the snow, but he can still hear the tanks grumbling 
     toward him a quarter mile back.

     WHAM!  ROCK slams into something directly in front of him.  A wall.

     Shaking his head clear, ROCK finds himself looking at the muzzle of 
     TEXAS' rifle.

                                       TEXAS
                        Sarge!  You okay?  What's going on?
                        Those tanks are trucks or what?

                                       ROCK
                        Tanks.  Get inside.

     As ROCK and TEXAS disappear into the hut, wind blows the curtain of
     snow momentarily clear, revealing four tanks only a hundred yards away,
     grinding slowly toward the hut with GERMAN FOOTSOLDIERS moving behind 
     them.

     INSIDE THE HUT

     TEXAS is peeking out the side window.

                                       TEXAS
                        Shit!  It's letting up, the wind's
                        blowing the snow away.

                                       GORYL
                        We can't fight tanks...

                                       ROCK
                        I think we should sit tight, there's
                        a chance they'll go right past us.

     The engines are getting louder.

                                       GORYL
                        Good idea, Sergeant.  I --

                                       TEXAS
                        No, it ain't!  Hit the deck!

     TEXAS, who's been peering through the window, dives for the floor and 
     everybody else follows suit.

     TANK TURRET

     From behind the turning tank turret we see the big gun on the lead tank
     line up with the hut a hundred yards ahead...aiming...

     KA BLAAAAAM!  The big gun blasts.  A direct hit demolishes the hut.

     The tank continues to rumble toward the crumpled hut.

     INSIDE THE RUBBLE

     ROCK pokes his head out of the clutter of debris, spots the tank coming 
     toward the hut, now only 70 yards away, and starts to struggle free.

     GORYL, TEXAS, WILDMAN, KLUZEWSKI and PASCALANO are scrambling to their 
     feet, covered with cuts and bruises, as ROCK starts digging in the 
     debris.

                                       ROCK
                        Where's Pardee?  Where's Beef?

                                       WILDMAN
                        Where's my rifle?

                                       TEXAS
                        Fuck your rifle.

     TEXAS is seeing the tank grinding right at them.

                                       BIGELOW
                        Help!  I'm caught!  Me and Beef.

     BIGELOW and BEEF are underneath a collapsed wall and GORYL, KLUZEWSKI,
     PASCALANO and TEXAS start digging them out as ROCK pulls aside debris
     desperately looking for PARDEE.

     The tank is closer...much closer...  Machineguns rattle, bullets sizzle 
     in the debris.

     ROCK and GORYL pull a heavy board aside and react...underneath is 
     PARDEE, clearly dead.

     CRACK! Ping! CRACK! Ping!  WILDMAN fires his M-1 at the tank, now only 
     thirty-five yards away, and the bullets ping off the armored surface as
     machinegun bullets sizzle around WILDMAN.

     BEEF is clear, his arm broken, but BIGELOW is still trapped as GORYL 
     and ROCK join the others trying to free him.

     Pinned, BIGELOW is able to maneuver enough to get one hand on his
     lifesavers.  Frantic, he spills two before he manages to get a hand to
     his mouth with a red one.

                                       GORYL
                        I got him!  You guys take off!

     GORYL is still digging frantically as TEXAS turns and sees the tank 
     twenty yards away and coming...coming...coming...

     ROCK sees it too as he hurls aside debris, freeing BIGELOW at last... 
     but the tank is on them, looming over them, five yards away, too late 
     to run, too late to...

     KAAAABAAAAM!  A sudden explosion shudders the tank, causing it to grind 
     to a violent stop, canted part way up the heap of debris, its menacing 
     treads only three feet from RDCK who stares in amazement.

     KAAAA-BOOOM!  A second bazooka shell slams into the immobilized tank's 
     turret penetrating heavy armor.  Smoke pours from the badly damaged 
     tank and someone screams from inside.

     As the others stare in dumbfounded amazement, ROCK, looking left, spots 
     several phantom SOLDIERS barely visible a hundred and fifty yards away 
     at the edge of the woods.  Ghostly figures in the falling snow, they
     seem to be wearing dark masks and one of them has a bazooka.  Then, 
     like apparitions, they disappear into the woods.

                                       ROCK
                        Everybody down, the krauts don't see
                        us.

     Crouched behind the debris and the burning tank, ROCK, GORYL and the 
     others watch the other tanks turn abruptly toward the woods to the 
     left, machineguns rattling as they pursue the PHANTOM SOLDIERS.

                                       TEXAS
                        Sonofabitch!

                                       WILDMAN
                        Bazooka!

                                       BIGELOW
                        Helluva shot!

                                       GORYL
                             (to Rock)
                        Who...?

                                       ROCK
                        I dunno, sir.

     ROCK'S thoughtful eyes follow the tanks as they grind into the woods 
     with GERMAN FOOTSOLDIERS in their wake.

                                                           CUT TO

     WOODS/LATER

     It's still snowing, piling up on the ground and covering the tree 
     branches as WILDMAN moves cautiously among the trees, rifle ready. 
     He's the point man, about thirty yards ahead of the rest of the ragged 
     band.

     GORYL and PASCALANO are next, then BEEF who's wearing his left arm in 
     sling, then ROCK carrying the BAR followed by TEXAS and finally 
     KLUZEWSKI who's bringing up the rear.

     Ahead, in the distance, a machinegun rattles, then rifles crack and the 
     deep thud of a flat trajectory gun sounds.

     GORYL drops back to be close to ROCK.

                                       GORYL
                        That machinegun...it's slower...

                                       ROCK
                        One of ours.

                                       GORYL
                        You don't think maybe we're getting
                        support?

                                       ROCK
                             (dubious)
                        That Major said there was another
                        outfit, Baker, in the area.  It was
                        probably them with the bazooka.

     UP AHEAD

     WILDMAN is scanning the woods, back and forth, back and forth, panning 
     his rifle, moving cautiously.

     To the right...trees...trees...trees...

     To the left...trees...and more trees...

     It's spooky how peaceful the woods appear when every tree could conceal 
     a sniper and sudden death!

     To the right...trees...trees...trees...

     To the left...A MOVEMENT!

                                       WILDMAN
                        HIT IT!

     WILDMAN dives flat into the snow behind a tree, aims at a blur of 
     movement between two trees...CRACK! he fires.

                                       WILDMAN
                        On the left, ten o'clock.

     Everybody's down in the snow looking for a target, sweating in the 
     cold.  All they can see are trees.

     BIGELOW is trying to keep an eye on the woods, a hand on his rifle and 
     still get a lifesaver with his other hand.  He drops the lifesavers in 
     the snow.  Panic!

     WILDMAN pans his rifle from a prone position, looking for a target...

     Nothing.  Then...

                                       RETREAD'S VOICE/WOODS
                        Hey, Rock, that you?

     ROCK breathes a sigh of relief and grins at GORYL, then he calls out...

                                       ROCK
                        Who's got good legs?

                                       RETREAD'S VOICE/WOODS
                        Betty Grable.  Who got the big tits?

                                       KLUZEWSKI, TEXAS, WILDMAN
                        Lana Turner!

                                       WHIPSNAKE'S VOICE (O.S.)
                        Who's a big asshole?

                                       EVERYBODY
                        Adolph Hitler!

     RETREAD and WHIPSNAKE are appearing from the trees fifty yards away as 
     we...

                                                           CUT TO

     WOOD/MINUTES LATER

     RETREAD and WHIPSNAKE are reporting to ROCK and GORYL while BIGELOW and
     TEXAS keep watch and the others listen...

                                       RETREAD
                        ...so we can't see shit in the snow,
                        can't find Rock, can't find our marks,
                        an' all of a sudden we're surrounded...

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        ...Not by krauts, by colored guys...

                                       RETREAD
                        Baker Company, about ten of 'em...

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        That's all that's left of their first
                        platoon...

                                       RETREAD
                        They're as beat up as us...they got
                        this sergeant...

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        As big as Sergeant Rock an' black as
                        coal...

                                       RETREAD
                             (imitating Southern black
                              dialect)
                        "You gennlemen see any nazzies?  We
                        lookin' for nazzies."

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        "Bet your ass," we say.  "About eight
                        tanks."

                                       RETREAD
                        This Sergeant just grins like he likes
                        tanks...

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        They got a bazooka and a light
                        machinegun...

                                       RETREAD
                        So we hear the engines, then we see
                        the tanks going after you guys...

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        They're almost on top of you!  "That's
                        our outfit," we say...

                                       RETREAD
                        This sergeant goes, "Siiiilk."

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        That's the name of his bazooka
                        man...Silk!

                                       RETREAD
                        He takes his time, he aims, he aims,
                        he aims...

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        BAM! Two hundred yards!  Bullseye!

                                       RETREAD
                        Right in the treads!  Coolest
                        sonofabitch I ever seen!  Impossible
                        shot!

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        ...Silk says "Lightning..."

                                       RETREAD
                        ...that's his loader's name,
                        "Lightning!"...

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        ...smoothest loader you ever saw, and
                        fastest...

                                       RETREAD
                        ...just like lightning...

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        ...and BAM!  Another bullseye, right
                        in the turret this time.

                                       ROCK
                        We were there.

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        So when the krauts turn...and start
                        at the colored guys, the colored guys
                        fall back.

                                       RETREAD
                        This Sergeant says, "We ain't gonna
                        fight 'em here, we gonna fight 'em in
                        de pass."

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        Me an' Retread hid out under a log...

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                        "Fight 'em."  Ten guys are gonna
                        "fight" a buncha tanks?

     In the distance comes the rattle of a machinegun and the dull thud of 
     flat trajectory shells...

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                             (suddenly)
                        Hey!  Where's Pardee?

     Everybody looks grim, nobody answers and we...

                                                           CUT TO

     WOODS/LATER

     The snow has stopped falling.  The ten men of Easy are moving single 
     file through the snowy woods, RETREAD in front, WILDMAN watching the 
     rear, walking backward much of the time.

                                       BEEF
                             (to Whipsnake)
                        The thing about the colored is they're
                        quitters, when things get tough they
                        run.

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        Well, at least they didn't quit before
                        they saved your ass, huh, Beef?

                                       BEEF
                        I'm just saying what I heard is all.
                        I never met no colored people.

     ROCK, just ahead of the Lieutenant, is scanning the terrain to the 
     right and left.  He spots something and, looking back, indicates what 
     he sees to GORYL.

     GORYL follows the look and sees broken trees fifty yards to the left.

                                       ROCK
                        They're going to the pass.  We should
                        move up on the slope to avoid them.

     GORYL is nodding agreement when ROCK stiffens.  Up ahead, RETREAD is
     signalling.

     Everybody halts.

     RETREAD makes a hand signal, indicating for ROCK to come forward as 
     we...

                                                           CUT TO

     A RAVINE/SECONDS LATER

     An overturned Panzer lies blackened and smoldering in the ravine. 
     Several GERMAN SOLDIERS lie face down in the snow.

     ROCK, GORYL, and RETREAD are on the lip of the ravine, looking down at 
     the ruined tank in awe.

                                       RETREAD
                             (a black voice)
                        "Siiiilk"...

     ROCK looks impressed as we...

                                                           CUT TO

     FARMHOUSE/RIDGE

     Huge white letters on the wall of the farmhouse say...

                             KRAUTS LIKE WEINIES

                               USA ALL THE WAY

     and incomplete...

                              EAT SHIT, ADOL...

     The FIRST, SECOND, and THIRD GIS are working on the P and H for Adolph, 
     buckets of white paint at hand.

                                       FIRST GI
                        This is nuts!

                                       SECOND GI
                        You're telling me it's nuts?

     A shell screams overhead and explodes 500 yards beyond.

                                       FIRST GI
                        If it was just the Major, I'd tell him
                        to blow it out his ass...

                                       THIRD GI
                        Suuuure you would.

                                       FIRST GI
                        ...but that fucking General!  I'm not
                        crossing that General.

                                       THIRD GI
                        General Bare Ass!

     Thirty yards away COOK lowers the binoculars and starts back to the 
     farmhouse as another shell explodes a thousand yards away.

     The GIS are considering the completed "EAT SHIT ADOLPH" as COOK strides 
     past.

                                       COOK
                        Looks good, men.

                                       FIRST GI
                        Uh, what should we write next, sir?

                                       COOK
                        Think of a good one.  How about
                        "Mussolini is a cocksucker"?

     As COOK continues to the farmhouse door, the three GIS exchange 
     glances...

                                       FIRST GI
                        Who can spell "Mussolini"?

                                       SECOND GI
                        Who can spell "cocksucker"?

     INSIDE THE FARMHOUSE

     PRITCHARD and the RADIO OPERATOR, hovering over the radio, look up as 
     COOK enters, scowling...

                                       COOK
                        Tanks.

                                       PRITCHARD
                             (alarmed)
                        Tanks!

                                       COOK
                        I saw at least two of them, just
                        glimpsed them...

                                       PRITCHARD
                        We can't fight tanks, General...

                                       COOK
                        There was some kind of skirmish, the
                        men must be taking them on...

                                       PRITCHARD
                        General!  It's just a handful of
                        colored boys and what's left of Easy.
                        They can't --

                                       COOK
                        Brave bastards!  Real fighters!  Did
                        you request artillery?

                                       PRITCHARD
                        Yessir...

                                       COOK
                        You said "General Cook wants full air
                        support, General Cook wants arty
                        including twenty howitzers and Long
                        Toms, General Cook wants -- "

                                       PRITCHARD
                        -- six rifle companies and armored
                        support.  I requested everything per
                        your instructions, but, General...even
                        if they come through with the support,
                        it'll be too late, we'll be overrun by --

     COOK looms very close to PRITCHARD, cutting him off in a heavy 
     whisper...

                                       COOK
                        Shut up, Pritchard, you'll rattle the
                        men.

     With a meaningful glance, COOK indicates the RADIO OPERATOR to 
     PRITCHARD, then he turns and starts for the door, grabbing a bucket of 
     paint from the floor and pointing out a second bucket to PRITCHARD...

                                       COOK
                        Come on, Major, let's help with the
                        painting.

     PRITCHARD hoists the bucket of paint and starts after COOK, 
     complaining...

                                       PRITCHARD
                        I don't understand the point of the
                        painting, General...

                                       COOK
                             (exiting)
                        Morale, Major.  It's not good to sit
                        around on your ass, thinking about
                        dying.  Much better to be standing on
                        your feet, saying "Fuck you!"

     Paint bucket in hand, PRITCHARD follows COOK out the door with a weary 
     "Right, sir, of course" as another shell hits in the woods, shaking the 
     farmhouse...

     SLOPING WOODS/DAY

     ROCK and the men from Easy are warily making their way through woods 
     that slope steeply forming part of the west wall of the pass. 
     Exhausted, they move cautiously, haunted by the threat of demon 
     snipers.

     POP! POP!  Everybody stiffens at the sound of distant shots.

     The sounds come from below in the pass.  The men move lower on the 
     slope where the woods give way to steep boulder walls that line the 
     pass the to the floor.

     Looking down from the steep rocky slope, ROCK and GORYL see six tanks 
     growling into the throat of the pass below with fifty GERMAM 
     FOOTSOLDIERS moving in their wake...

     BLAAAAAM!  The lead tank fires its cannon and its machineguns clatter.

                                       GORYL
                        Who're they shooting at?

     ROCK spots an AMERICAN SOLDIER, far below, scampering among the rocks 
     near the foot of the slope ahead of the tank.  Then ANOTHER SOLDIER 
     appears and disappears just as quickly between boulders.

     RETREAD, BEEF, and the others are gathered behind ROCK and GORYL, 
     watching.  Nobody says anything, nobody answers GORYL as the drama 
     below unfolds.

     BLAAAM!  The lead tank fires another round as it growls toward the edge 
     of the slope where ROCK glimpsed the two GIS.

     WHOOOOOOMP!  The moving tank suddenly shudders and grinds to a halt.

                                       RETREAD
                        Yeah!  Siiiiilk!

                                       BEEF
                             (impressed)
                        Sonofabitch!

     WHOOOOOMP!  A second bazooka shell slams into the Panzer and smoke 
     pours from the wounded, immobilized beast.

     CHATTA CHATTA CHATTA.  The patter of a machinegun sends GERMAN
     FOOTSOLDIERS diving for cover.

                                       TEXAS
                        What the fuck are they doing?

                                       GORYL
                             (to Rock)
                        It's Baker?  The same men?

                                       ROCK
                        Yeah.  It must be.

     ROCK'S eyes never leave the action below.  He's impressed.

     CHATTA CHATTA CHATTA.  The GERMANS are pinned down, but they're up to 
     something.

     ROCK watches two squads of GERMAN SOLDIERS assembling out of sight of 
     the BAKER SOLDIERS.

     A sudden huge noise focusses everybody's attention on the opposite wall 
     of the pass where a landslide of massive boulders surges down the 
     slope.  ROCK and the others watch in astonishment as the big rocks, 
     together with the ruined tank, form a "string of beads" across the 
     throat of the pass, making the pass impassable for the other tanks.

                                       TEXAS
                        They blocked it!  They blocked the
                        pass.

                                       BIGELOW
                        Sonofabitch!

     ROCK'S jaw is set like stone, his eyes glowing with admiration as all
     around him his comrades speak in awed tones...

                                       WILDMAN
                        Those sonofabitches!

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                        God damn!

                                       RETREAD
                        Tough outfit.  I could see that.

                                       BEEF
                        The krauts'll just blow those rocks
                        out with some charges.

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        Maybe so, but those colored took out
                        three tanks so far and they're slowing
                        'em down to put charges in.  All we're
                        doin' is runnin'.

     TEXAS sees what ROCK sees, two SQUADS of GERMAN SOLDIERS moving up the 
     rocky slope of the pass to get above and behind the BAKER SOLDIERS who 
     are low on the slope in the neck of the pass.

                                       TEXAS
                        They better start runnin' pretty
                        quick.

     ROCK hesitates, then makes up his mind and makes a head movement
     indicating he wants to talk to GORYL privately.

     As the two men move away, RETREAD sees them go and shakes his head 
     sardonically...

                                       RETREAD
                        Christ Almighty!  Whaddaya wanna bet
                        Rock's talking the Lieutenant "Girl"
                        into taking a couple volunteers and
                        shooting up that kraut ambush unit?
                        It's hero time again.

                                       TEXAS
                             (looking down)
                        Shit, they gotta be crazy, they ain't
                        backin' up.

     TEN YARDS AWAY

     ROCK and GORYL are deep in conversation...

                                       GORYL
                        We're supposed to be pulling back,
                        we're heavily outnumbered...

                                       ROCK
                        Myself and two men only at risk.  We
                        slip fifty yards down the slope, snipe
                        at that outfit, make 'em dig in and
                        hide.  Maybe we wound a couple, slow
                        them down.  That alerts Baker and
                        gives them some time to get the hell
                        out.

                                       GORYL
                             (struggling)
                        Sergeant, you and I have a
                        responsibility to get our men out of
                        here.  These colored guys are being
                        very...heroic.  Maybe foolhardy.
                        Maybe foolishly heroic.

                                       ROCK
                        So let's give them a chance to save
                        their ass, like they did for us.  Give
                        them some running room.  Three of us,
                        sir.

     BACK TO THE OTHERS

     BEEF and WHIPSNAKE are heavily into a dialogue.

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        Bullshit!

                                       BEEF
                        It happened to a guy.  He was in this
                        car accident, they take him to the
                        hospital, they give him colored blood
                        by accident...

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                        An' his kids come out colored?

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        How do ya know it was from the blood?

                                       BEEF
                        How else is he gonna get a colored
                        kid?

     The question is so profoundly stupid everybody's too dumbfounded to 
     answer.  And then GORYL appears...

                                       GORYL
                        The Sergeant wants volunteers...

                                       RETREAD
                        What'd I tell ya?

                                       GORYL
                        He wants to attack the Germans below
                        us and withdraw immediately.

                                       WILDMAN
                             (a shrug)
                        I'm on.

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                             (ultra casual)
                        I'll go.

                                       PASCALANO
                        Me too.

                                                           CUT TO

     THE STEEP SLOPE/MOMENTS LATER

     ROCK is in the lead, WILDMAN behind him, then KLUZEWSKI and PASCALANO,
     all of them struggling among boulders, trying not to dislodge loose 
     rocks that could tip off the GERMANS below and to their left...

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                        How come?  I thought you were against
                        this?

                                       PASCALANO
                        I am.  I just figure I'm better off
                        attackin' Rome with Rock than walking
                        through the fucking woods with
                        Wonder-Goryl.

     ROCK stops.

                                       ROCK
                        Hold it.  Right here.  They'll pass
                        between those two boulders down there,
                        see?  When I say fire, we open up, we
                        might hit as many as four men.

                                       WILDMAN
                        Then what?

                                       ROCK
                        We fire a few rounds, keep 'em honest,
                        then we withdraw.

     ABOVE, THE RIM

     GORYL and the others are looking down.  They can just barely see ROCK's
     position...and they can catch brief glimpses of GERMANS scrambling
     between boulders, intent on encircling BAKER, unaware they're moving 
     into an ambush themselves.

     Gunfire from the pass below and to the right causes them to look and 
     see a GERMAN SOLDIER, tiny in the distance, sprawled face down while 
     two other tiny GERMANS scurry for cover.

                                       RETREAD
                        Demolition team, trying to get to the
                        rocks and blow 'em up...

                                       TEXAS
                        And Baker ain't lettin' 'em do it.

                                       BIGELOW
                        Those bastards, they really hang
                        tough.

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        That's how we were at Kassarene.

     BUDDA BUDDA BUDDA BUDDA!  Sudden fire right below them.  They all look 
     down and see GERMAN SOLDIERS being cut down between two boulders.

     AMONG THE BOULDERS BELOW

     ROCK, PASCALANO, WILDMAN, and KLUZEWSKI are firing in a fury as GERMAN 
     SOLDIERS scream and dive bloodily for cover.  One bloody GERMAN is 
     facing down and motionless, another is crawling desperately to get 
     behind a boulder.  Another, out of view, is screaming.

                                       ROCK
                        We hit three for sure.

                                       WILDMAN
                        Five I think.

     CRACK!  KLUZEWSKI fires a single shot into the crawling GERMAN.

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                        For Pardee, ya kraut pig!

     Below them, GERMAN VOICES are shouting urgently.  Someone cries out in 
     pain.

                                       PASCALANO
                        What're they saying, Sarge?

                                       ROCK
                             (deadpan)
                        They're unhappy.

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                        No shit.

     More urgent GERMAN VOICES below...

                                       ROCK
                        They don't like us...

                                       PASCALANO
                        Aaaawwww...

                                       ROCK
                             (still deadpan)
                        Or our mothers.

                                       PASCALANO
                        Shit!  Our mothers!  Really, they
                        said...?

     A sudden angry profane burst of GERMAN below directed right at Easy. 
     Everybody looks at ROCK...

                                       ROCK
                             (again deadpan)
                        Or our nigger Jew friends.

     A moment of silence, then WILDMAN points to a slab of rock ten yards 
     below jutting out of the steep face of the slope.

                                       WILDMAN
                        Listen, Sarge...see that rock over
                        there...jutting out?  If someone got
                        out there, they could drop a grenade
                        right on top of those guys.

                                       ROCK
                        "Someone"...?

     WILDMAN grins, then indicates the pass off to the right.

                                       WILDMAN
                        Baker's still taking 'em on...

                                       ROCK
                        Go ahead.  Here.

     ROCK hands WILDMAN a grenade.

                                       WILDMAN
                        Mama...pleeeeease.  Could I have two
                        cookies, mama?

     ABOVE, THE RIM/MOMENTS LATER

     GORYL frowns as he and the others see WILDMAN slipping among the 
     boulders...

                                       TEXAS
                        Wildman.  Where's he goin'?

     WILDMAN reaches the flat rock that juts out a little like a very wide 
     and long diving board.  They watch him go down on his belly and squirm 
     out toward the lip...

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        Gonna deliver some fruit...

                                       BEEF
                        That well known dessert, pineapple
                        pie!

     They all watch tensely as WILDMAN squirms out on the rock.

     WILDMAN/THE OVERHANGING ROCK

     WILDMAN holds a grenade in his hand and peeks over the lip of the rock.

     FROM HIS POINT OF VIEW, WILDMAN sees GERMANS directly below him in
     disarray.  Some are trying to squirm into position to return ROCK'S
     fire, another is setting up a machinegun, others attend two very badly 
     WOUNDED SOLDIERS, and an OFFICER and RADIOMAN are huddled over a 
     portable radio, speaking excitedly.

     WILDMAN pulls the pin on the grenade, looks up, and shouts toward the
     sky...

                                       WILDMAN
                        HEY, FARRACCI, YOU WOP BASTARD!
                        FARRACCI, UP IN HEAVEN, WATCH THIS!

     WILDMAN looks down now at the startled faces of GERMANS below looking 
     up at him...and drops the grenade among them.

                                       WILDMAN
                        THAT'S FOR FARRACCI, YOU DIRTY HUNS,
                        THAT'S FOR THE DARING DAGO, EAT IT,
                        YOU NAZZEY ASSHOLES!

     BOOOOOOOOOM!

     ABOVE, ON THE RIM

     The blast and the screams drift upward as GORYL'S attention is diverted 
     by RETREAD who taps his arm and points off to the left.

     Following RETREAD'S look, GORYL spots movement among the boulders far 
     to the left.  Some members of the GERMAN SQUAD are moving to outflank 
     ROCK'S position.

                                       RETREAD
                        Getting behind Rock.

     GORYL looks back toward ROCK'S position in time to see WILDMAN yanking 
     the pin on the next grenade as he shouts...

                                       WILDMAN
                        YOU ASSHOLES DON'T LIKE COLORED GUYS,
                        HUH?  HERE'S ONE FOR THE COLORED G...

     BAWHOOOOOOOM!  GORYL and the others are horrified to see WILDMAN 
     suddenly rolling and writhing, covered with blood, his hands to his 
     face...

                                       WILDMAN
                        OH, GOD!  OH, CHRIST!  OH MY GOD,
                        CHRIST ALMIGHTY, I'M HIT, OH SHIT!
                        I'M HIT BAD, OH CHRIST!

                                       GORYL
                             (stunned)
                        Wha...what...?

                                       RETREAD
                        Goddamn short fuse!  Fuck!

     GORYL can see WILDMAN in agony on the promontory while ROCK and 
     PASCALANO move hastily toward him.  GORYL then quickly looks to the 
     left where again he spots UNIFORMS moving among the boulders out of 
     ROCK'S sight, encircling ROCK'S position.

     GORYL is in an agony of indecision realizing the mess they're suddenly 
     in...

     THE PROMONTORY BELOW

     WILDMAN is screaming as ROCK and PASCALANO try to move him back off the
     promontory.  GERMANS shout swearwords from below in response to 
     WILDMAN'S screams.

     ABOVE ON THE RIM

     As WILDMAN screams below, RETREAD is looking to GORYL who's watching 
     the boulders where GERMAN SOLDIERS are moving up the slope out of 
     ROCK'S sight.

                                       RETREAD
                        We better warn Rock, Lieutenant.

     GORYL looks to RETREAD and finds all of them looking at him.  They've
     all seen the GERMANS.

                                       GORYL
                        No.

     Stone faces watch GORYL who's trembling, sweating...

                                       GORYL
                        If we warn him, we give away our
                        position and we leave Rock surrounded
                        anyway.

                                       BEEF
                             (hostile)
                        Yeah?  So whadda we gonna do,
                        Lieutenant?

     GORYL doesn't even try to hide the fact that he's scared.

                                       GORYL
                        We m-move down, w-we get p-position
                        on the krauts and wh-when they t-try
                        to ambush R-rock, we b-beat the shit
                        outta them.  Let's go, Retread,
                        take the rear...f-f-follow me, fellas.

     Turning his back on them to avoid any challenge to his authority, GORYL 
     moves immediately.

     BEEF rolls his eyes as he starts to follow.

                                       BEEF
                        If this is what it's like to "fall
                        back," I don't wanna know what's an
                        attack.

                                       RETREAD
                        The bullshit is, Rock gets us into
                        this, then if we get out alive,
                        Pascalano's gonna tell me how Rock
                        saved our ass an' as long as we
                        soldier with Rock we live forever, we
                        got charmed lives.

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        I got serious doubts about living
                        forever, Retread.  Serious doubts.

                                       GORYL
                             (a loud whisper)
                        Sssssssst.  Keep quiet.

     They're all moving cautiously down the steep slope among boulders now, 
     all of them scared as shells boom in the distance and WILDMAN screams 
     not very far away.

     AMONG THE BOULDERS

     WILDMAN is sedated, in shock.  ROCK is bandaging him.

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                        How the fuck do we get him back up,
                        Sarge?

                                       ROCK
                        Carry him.  Gimme another bandage.

     PASCALANO is the lookout, he's looking down where GERMANS are hidden 
     below, catches sight of a flash of uniform and squeezes off a single 
     shot.

     CRACK! CRACK! Ping!  The GERMANS answer from below with two shots that 
     spang harmlessly off the boulders.

                                       ROCK
                        Okay, let's go.  Klu, you give me a
                        hand with Wildman...Pascalano, watch
                        our ass,

     ROCK shoulders WILDMAN while KLUZEWSKI helps balance the load.  Then
     they start to struggle up the slope, PASCALANO keeping an eye on the 
     rear.

     Suddenly KLUZEWSKI glimpses movement ahead.  He shouts and shoves ROCK 
     violently forward.

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                        Hit it, Sarge, they're above us.

     RATTA RATTA RATTA TATTA TATTAA...automatic fire splatters around them 
     from above.

     ROCK shoves WILDMAN against the face of a boulder and squeezes against 
     him, trying to "melt" the two of them right into the stone.

     KLUZEWSKI is pressed under an overhang with about an inch of cover to 
     spare, like ROCK.

     And PASCALANO is similarly pinned as bullets zing off the stone 
     surfaces inches away.

                                       ROCK
                        Klu!  You okay?

     KLUZEWSKI is squeezing his body away from bullets...

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                        S-so far.

                                       ROCK
                        Pascalano?

                                       PASCALANO
                        I'm o...

     PASCALANO is replying when a German grenade, the potato masher style, 
     plops among the boulders two feet away.  For a quarter second he stares
     at certain death...then his foot shoots out and he kicks the grenade 
     down the slope.

     BOOOOOOOOM!

                                       PASCALANO
                             (shaking)
                        ...kay, S-sergeant.

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                        What the hell are we gonna do, Sarge?
                        I can't move, I'm pinned.

                                       ROCK
                        Hang tight, the Lieutenant'll support
                        us.

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                        He's a kid, he'll shit his pants.

     BRATTA BRATTA BRATTA!  A sudden increase in fire.  GERMAN shouts.

                                       ROCK
                        That's him now.

     UP THE SLOPE

     Nestled among the boulders, GORYL is flipping a grenade down on
     startled GERMAN SOLDIERS while RETREAD fires the second BAR and BIGELOW 
     hands him magazines.  WHIPSNAKE and TEXAS are blazing away with their 
     rifles, ambushing the shit out of the six GERMAN SOLDIERS.

     BAWHOOOOM!  GORYL'S grenade goes off and GORYL picks up his rifle and 
     aims at a WOUNDED GERMAN staggering for cover.

     CRACK!  THE WOUNDED GERMAN goes down and lies motionless.

                                       GORYL
                        Hold your fire, I think we got 'em.

     GORYL looks down among the boulders.

     He can see parts of three different GERMAN UNIFORMS...motionless.

     GORYL turns to RETREAD.

                                       GORYL
                        Cover me, Retread.

     GORYL has his pistol out and he's crawling cautiously down to where the 
     GERMAN BODIES lie.

     FURTHER DOWN THE SLOPE

     ROCK is checking WILDMAN who's unconscious now as PASCALANO and 
     KLUZEWSKI crouch around him among the boulders.

                                       PASCALANO
                        How'd joo know, Sarge?  About the
                        Lieutenant...

                                       ROCK
                        You remember that time in Kassarene
                        with that armored car?

                                       PASCALANO
                        "Remember"!  I shit my pants!

                                       ROCK
                        Yeah, but after you shit your pants,
                        you took out the armored car, you
                        remember that?

                                       PASCALANO
                        And you knew I would?

                                       ROCK
                        Keep those guys pinned down.

     AMONG THE BOULDERS

     GORYL is creeping down to where the ambushed GERMANS were.  Six feet 
     ahead of him is a motionless leg.  The rest of the GERMAN'S body is 
     hidden from view behind the boulder.  And anything else that might be 
     waiting.  A wounded German with a pistol perhaps...

     Terrified, GORYL sweats like a pig as he creeps around a boulder, 
     pistol in hand.

     Then he pauses.  His hand feels wet.

     Looking at the hand, he sees it's soaked with blood.

     A pool of blood lies on the rock.

     GORYL, scarcely breathing, moves around the boulder.

     A GERMAN lies face down only two feet in front of him.

     GORYL gulps.

     Putting the gun to the GERMAN'S head he pushes the limp body, exposing 
     the face.

     Lifeless.  Blonde.  Dead.  Young.

     GORYL crawls over the body and around the next boulder.

     A GERMAN sits slumped against a rock, his chest soaked with blood, his 
     eyes staring lifelessly at nothing.

     A few feet away another GERMAN is face down in a pool of blood.

     Pointing the pistol, GORYL crawls cautiously toward him and moves his 
     head.

     The man's features are gone, his face a mass of bloody pulp.

     GORYL is gagging when he hears RETREAD'S VOICE calling out.

                                       RETREAD'S VOICE (O.S.)
                        Lieutenant?  You okay?

                                       GORYL
                             (recovering)
                        Yeah.

                                                           CUT TO

     BOULDERS/MOMENTS LATER

     They're all together among the boulders, PASCALANO and BIGELOW
     watching, the others bunched around ROCK and WILDMAN.

     WILDMAN looks bad.

                                       BEEF
                        It's bad enough when the krauts get
                        you...but when your own fucking weapon
                        gets you...

                                       ROCK
                        Where's the Lieutenant?

     BEHIND A BOULDER

     GORYL is separated from the others behind a boulder, squirming
     around, half in and half out of his pants, when he looks up and
     sees RETREAD crawl around the rock.  GORYL looks embarrassed.

                                       GORYL
                        Uh, I, uh...taking, uh, a crap.

                                       RETREAD
                             (knowingly)
                        Want some clean underwear?  I got one
                        pair.

                                       GORYL
                             (very embarrassed)
                        Yeah?

                                       RETREAD
                        We all done it.  It don't matter.
                             (pulling underwear from
                              pack)
                        Listen, it ain't the load in your
                        pants that matters, Lieutenant...
                        It's how you carry the load.

                                       GORYL
                        Oh.

                                       RETREAD
                             (handing over the pants)
                        You didn't smell too bad there, sir.

     AMONG THE BOULDERS

     WILDMAN is moaning, semi-conscious, as ROCK tends to him while
     PASCALANO and KLUZEWSKI look on.

                                       PASCALANO
                        Christ, he looks bad, Sarge.

                                       ROCK
                        Shock.  He needs blood, he needs a
                        medic.

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                        More like he needs a miracle!

     ROCK glares at KLUZEWSKI who drops his eyes hastily...

     TEN YARDS AWAY

     Crouched among the boulders, BIGELOW, TEXAS, WHIPSNAKE, and BEEF are 
     looking down into the valley as RETREAD joins them.

     Below, in the pass, tiny figures, GERMAN SOLDIERS are hovering beside
     a six foot boulder, one of many blocking the pass.

     The GERMAN SOLDIERS suddenly sprint away.

     BA WHOOOOOM!  The boulder explodes.

                                       RETREAD
                        Demolition team.  They're gonna clear
                        the pass.

     BEEF looks along the barrel of his rifle as he watches the two GERMAN
     SOLDIERS hurrying toward another boulder.

                                       BEEF
                        Wish I had the range...

                                       RETREAD
                        Don't waste a round.

     POP!  A rifle shot in the distance.  One of the GERMAN SOLDIERS goes 
     down.  The other hesitates.  POP! POP!  The other GERMAN SOLDIER 
     sprints for cover.  POP! POP!  He almost makes it before he goes down.

     For a moment BEEF and the others just stare in stunned silence. 
     Then...

                                       TEXAS
                        The colored guys are still there!

                                       BEEF
                        The bastards didn't get out...

     POP! POP!  More shots in the pass.

                                       RETREAD
                             (impressed)
                        They're not gonna let the krauts clear
                        the pass.

                                       BEEF
                        They're crazy!  We gave 'em a goddamn
                        chance to get out.  They're nuts!
                        They're stupid!

                                       TEXAS
                        All a that.  And balls of pure steel!

                                                           CUT TO

     AMONG THE BOULDERS

     GORYL and ROCK are huddled together hear the unconscious WILDMAN.  ROCK 
     indicates the pale winter sun smearing the western horizon.

                                       ROCK
                        Be dark soon, sir.  We could slip out
                        then.

                                       GORYL
                             (nodding)
                        That must be what Baker's gonna do
                        too.  Wait for dark.

     ROCK glances at WILDMAN, then he looks at GORYL, struggling with 
     something, something that's hard to say...

                                       ROCK
                        Listen, sir, I know this is my
                        fault.  It was my idea to --

                                       GORYL
                             (sharply)
                        It was your idea, but it was my
                        decision.  I'm the officer,
                        Sergeant...

                                       ROCK
                        Yes, sir, but I kind of talked you
                        into --

                                       GORYL
                             (looking him hard in the
                              eye)
                        I could have said "no," Sergeant.

     ROCK finds GORYL looking him right in the eye.  GORYL'S face is 
     stubbled, he looks older.  He's a peer now.

                                       ROCK
                        Right, sir.

     VAN ROCKLIN HOUSE/AKRON/DAY

     The MAILMAN puts the mail in the box, then hurries off down the 
     sidewalk as VAN ROCKLIN opens the door.

                                       MAILMAN
                             (nervous)
                        Somethin' from the Government, Mister
                        Van Rocklin.

     VAN ROCKLIN frowns as he opens the mailbox.

                                       MAILMAN
                        Hope it ain't bad news or anythin'.

     VAN ROCKLIN stares at the envelope addressed to him from the War 
     Department.  His fingers tremble as he starts to open it.

     INSIDE THE HOUSE

     MRS. VAN ROCKLIN, a white haired woman in her sixties, looks with alarm
     as VAN ROCKLIN enters, completely absorbed in the letter.

                                       MRS. VAN ROCKLIN
                        Fritz...what is it?
                             (he's reading, he doesn't
                              respond)
                        Fritz!

     VAN ROCKLIN looks like a ghost, pale and shaken, but he breathes a sigh 
     of relief.

                                       VAN ROCKLIN
                        It's all right.  He was injured, but
                        he's all right.

                                       MRS. VAN ROCKLIN
                             (horrified)
                        Injured!

                                       VAN ROCKLIN
                        But it's all right now.  It's not
                        serious anymore.  He's in a hospital,
                        they're going to send him home.

     MRS. VAN ROCKLIN collapses in his comforting arms and they hold each 
     other.

                                       MRS. VAN ROCKLIN
                        Oh my God!  I was so afraid...the way
                        you looked.  I thought...I thought...

                                       VAN ROCKLIN
                        Hush now, it's all right.  He's safe.

                                                           CUT TO

     AMONG THE BOULDERS/NIGHT

     It's pitch black as Easy prepares to move out.  Invisible in the 
     darkness, they are sounds...shoes scuffing...harsh grunts...urgent 
     whispering...

                                       VOICES/DARKNESS
                        Ready?  Go ahead.  You got him?  Lift.
                        Unnnhh.  Okay, let's go.  Ready,
                        Sergeant?  All set, sir.  Texas,
                        point.  Retread, rear.  Retread?
                        Retread?

     MOON, CLOUDS/NIGHT

     The clouds clear the moon, illuminating the night.

     AMONG THE BOULDERS

     Moonlight reveals RETREAD as he looks upward, listening intently.  A 
     very faint droning sound comes from above the cloud cover.

     Something crosses the moon, glimpsed briefly, the silhouette of a 
     PARATROOPER.  Then the clouds cover the moon and all is blackness 
     again.

                                       RETREAD'S VOICE/DARKNESS
                        Aw shit.  Sarge!  Sssssst, Sarge.

     TEN YARDS AWAY/MOMENTS LATER

     ROCK and GORYL are having an urgent conversation in the darkness...

                                       GORYL
                        If he only saw one man...

                                       ROCK
                        He heard two planes.  That means at
                        least two squads.  It could be a whole
                        company.

                                       GORYL
                        Then we're...surrounded.  Cut off.
                        They're behind us.

                                       ROCK
                        The question is...do we proceed or do
                        we stay put?

                                       GORYL
                        If we proceed, we'll run into them up
                        there in the woods...

                                       ROCK
                        ...and they'll have the advantage,
                        they're hunting us, we've got a
                        wounded man...

                                       GORYL
                        If we stay, we've got a solid
                        defensive position, they'll have a
                        tough time getting at us, but...

                                       ROCK
                        ...but we'll be stuck here in the
                        morning.  Probably pinned down.

                                       GORYL
                        Between the devil and the deep blue
                        sea.

                                       ROCK
                        Between the rock and the hard place...
                        There isn't any right answer,
                        Lieutenant...

                                       GORYL
                        But there's probably a wrong one...

                                       ROCK
                        I'm not gonna second guess you no
                        matter how it turns out...

                                       GORYL
                             (making up his mind)
                        We'll dig in.  Position the men in
                        twos, take turns awake, tell them to
                        be very alert...It might not be
                        mortars and machineguns...these could
                        be commandos.

                                       ROCK
                        Right, sir.

     ROCK starts to move off, but GORYL stops him.

                                       GORYL
                        Also, Sergeant...

     ROCK stops and looks back.

                                       GORYL
                             (continuing)
                        Send a man off on the flank about
                        fifty yards...

                                       ROCK
                             (confounded)
                        Sir?

                                       GORYL
                        So he doesn't give our position away.
                        I want him to yell a warning to Baker.
                        About the paratroopers.  They may not
                        have seen them.

                                       ROCK
                             (impressed)
                        Good idea, sir.

                                                           CUT TO

     ALONG THE SLOPE/MINUTES LATER

     WHIPSNAKE stands among the boulders and shouts at the top of his 
     lungs...

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        HEY, BAKER!  HEY, BAKER, THIS IS EASY!
                        THE DEGENERATE MINDLESS PIG GERMANS
                        DROPPED AN AIRBORNE COMPANY BEHIND US.
                        WATCH YOUR AMERICAN ASS!  WATCH --

     BANG! BANG!  Ping! Ping!  WHIPSNAKE breaks off as bullets pierce the 
     night, singing off the rocks around him...

     AMONG THE BOULDERS

     Barely visible in the moonlight ROCK crouches with the others, 
     listening as the shots cease and a sudden eerie silence begins.

                                       BEEF
                        Nothing.  No acknowledgement.

                                       ROCK
                        They're not gonna give their position
                        away.

                                       TEXAS
                        Could be they fell back already, got
                        away...

                                       BEEF
                        Or maybe the paratroopers already got
                        'em...cut their throats...

                                       ROCK
                        All right, knock it off.  Split up in
                        twos, take turns watching, stay
                        alert...

                                       BEEF
                        We're fucked, you know that?  Stuck
                        here!  We really got our tit in a
                        ringer this --

                                       ROCK
                             (sharply)
                        That's enough, Beef.  Listen up, all
                        of you.  Beef's right, we're in a pile
                        of shit.  it's my fault, I got us into
                        this because I thought we should back
                        up Baker...

     In the moonlight, hardened faces look solemnly at ROCK, listening to 
     his apology.  But ROCK'S voice is suddenly a cold snarl, his eyes are 
     like flint...

                                       ROCK
                             (continuing)
                        Well, that's tough, ladies...this is
                        a war, we're supposed to fight.

     BEEF, WHIPSNAKE, and the others gasp at the word "ladies"...

                                       ROCK
                             (continuing)
                        Now those guys in Baker, they might
                        have a little more ammo than us, they
                        might have a bazooka...but there's
                        about ten of them and about ten of
                        us.  They're just as beat up as us,
                        just as tired as us, and they're not
                        getting pussy any more than we are.
                        In fact the krauts are pounding them
                        a lot worse than us.  And every time
                        the krauts give those colored guys
                        some shit, those colored guys dish
                        some shit out.  They wrecked three
                        tanks today and they've held up a
                        German column more than six hours.
                        You think they fell back?  You think
                        they're dead?  Or you think they got
                        pissed off and they're on their way
                        to Berlin, all ragged ass ten of 'em,
                        gonna string up the Fuhrer by his
                        dick?
                             (he pauses, glaring,
                              then... )
                        All right, take your positions and
                        let's hope we acquit ourselves half
                        as good as those guys.

     Before anyone can move, there's a popping sound from below in the pass.

     Peering over a boulder, RETREAD sees a bright flare hanging over the 
     blocked pass...and GERMAN SOLDIERS hastily dashing for cover.

                                       RETREAD
                        I don't think the colored guys left
                        for Berlin yet, Sergeant.

     CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!  The GERMAN SOLDIERS are shot down as the flare 
     fades.

     AMONG THE BOULDERS/LATER

     PASCALANO is alert, weapon ready behind a boulder while close by TEXAS
     is settling down to sleep, still shaking his head in disbelief...

                                       TEXAS
                        He never called us nothin' like that
                        before..."ladies"...!

                                       PASCALANO
                        I never seen him so upset...this is
                        the worst...worse than when Weller
                        fell asleep that time...

                                       BEEF
                        It's causa the Wildman.  They go way
                        back...an' he knows Wildman ain't
                        gonna make it.

     TEN YARDS AWAY/BOULDERS

     It's spooky quiet now as BIGELOW peers into the darkness while TEXAS
     sleeps curled up behind him against a boulder.

     Something touches BIGELOW'S hand.  He considers it.  Then he feels it 
     on his face.

     Snow.  It's drifting down silently as the moon shines intermittently 
     through the clouds and we...

                                                           CUT TO

     A MONTAGE

     Snow falling on the moonlit "duos."

     PASCALANO watching, BEEF sleeping...

     ROCK watching, turns and checks the unconscious WILDMAN, wipes snow
     from his face.

     KLUZEWSKI watches while WHIPSNAKE stirs in his sleep...

     GORYL watches while RETREAD sleeps and we...

                                                           CUT TO

     BOULDERS/MUCH LATER

     The snow has stopped falling and the spooky silence continues.  TEXAS,
     his helmet covered with snow, is watching the darkness while BIGELOW,
     his blanket covered with three hours of snow, is sleeping.

     Studying the darkness intently, TEXAS adjusts his hands on his rifle, 
     stiffens.  Did he hear something?  Without taking his eyes off the 
     darkness he kicks BIGELOW awake.

                                       TEXAS
                             (a whisper)
                        I think there's someone out there.

     BIGELOW searches desperately for his lifesavers as he looks into the 
     darkness too.

     TEN YARDS AWAY

     It's KLUZEWSKI'S turn to sleep.  He's curled up in his blanket, also 
     covered with snow.

     A grunt in the darkness!  Violent!  Urgent!

     KLUZEWSKI stirs slightly.

     A moan, like somebody had their throat slit and they're dying quietly.

     KLUZEWSKI stirs.

     Unnnnnh.  Another groan.

     KLUSEWSKI'S eyes open.

     Silhouetted in the gloom three feet away WHIPSNAKE is struggling 
     desperately with a shadowy figure.  A strangled grunt of effort and the 
     scuffling of clothes on the rock surface are the only sounds in the 
     spooky moonlit darkness.

     Pulling his knife, KLUZEWSKI lunges and grabs the GERMAN from behind. 
     He's just about to plunge his knife deep in the enemy soldier when he
     freezes mid-motion and stares in stunned disbelief...The GERMAN
     SOLDIER'S helmet has fallen off...and the GERMAN SOLDIER is ANGIE
     dressed in a Nazi uniform that's too big for her.  Her face is smudged 
     with dirt, her eyes glazed with lust, her fatigues open, exposing firm 
     breasts, one leg of her pants off as she frantically humps WHIPSNAKE 
     while speaking to the amazed KLUZEWSKI...

                                       ANGIE
                        Klu...honey...please, not now, I
                        unnnh I unnnh I'm gonna come...
                        don't...please...unnnnhh...unnnhh...

     KLUZEWSKI recovers and struggles to separate the two of them...

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                        Angie, you fucking bitch, that's my
                        partner.  You're fucking my partner,
                        you whore...

                                       ANGIE
                        Klu...I couldn't find you...I got hot
                        pants, Klu...it was you I wanted...

     A shocked WHIPSNAKE pulls away, hastily buttoning his pants as he looks 
     from one to the other of them, amazed and apologetic...

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        Jesus, Klu, she's your wife?...Hey,
                        I'm sorry, I didn't know she was your
                        wife, I --

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                        Who the fuck did you think she was,
                        you stupid shit?

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        I dunno.  I was asleep, I was thinking
                        about my...girlfriend.  All of a
                        sudden I'm getting a blow job.  My
                        girlfriend never did that, she
                        wouldn't --

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                             (turning on Angie,
                              incredulous)
                        You gave him a blow job?

                                       ANGIE
                        Klu, I told you, I got hot pants, I
                        wanted a man, I looked for you, but
                        I couldn't find --

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        Hey, Klu, take it easy, don't be so
                        hard on her, she's no different than
                        us, she gets horny and...

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                        She gets horny and she fucks anything
                        that moves.  We don't got no women,
                        but she's around men.  How about it,
                        Ange, how many times you had the
                        postman, huh?

                                       ANGIE
                        Once!  Only one time, Klu...

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                             (leaping up)
                        YOU FUCKED THE POSTMAN!

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        Klu, easy, buddy, there's Nazis all
                        over, keep it down.

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                             (bellowing)
                        FUCK THE NAZIS!  DID YOU HEAR WHAT SHE
                        SAID, YOU ASSHOLE?  SHE FUCKED THE
                        POSTMAN!  PROBABLY WHILE THE KIDS WERE
                        WATCHING!  WERE THE KIDS WATCHING, YOU
                        B...?

     KLUZEWSKI is turning to ANGIE, but WHIPSNAKE grabs him...

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        Goddamnit, Klu, pull yourself together.

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                        WHIP!  IT'S NAZIS!  FUCKIN' NAZIS!

     WHIPSNAKE turns and sees what KLUZEWSKI'S seeing...

     Four very blonde, very Aryan GERMAN SOLDIERS are looming in the 
     moonlight.  Their cruel and youthful faces smirk with self assurance 
     as ANGIE, naked now, kneels in front of the one named HANS and unzips 
     his pants.  HANS unholsters his luger and puts the muzzle close to 
     ANGIE'S face, his finger on the trigger...

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                        NO!

     ANGIE leers and takes the barrel in her mouth, mouthing it 
     lasciviously, licking, sucking, licking, as BANS gives KLUZEWSKI a 
     smile and a wink.

     KLUZEWSKI suddenly realizes another German, FRITZ, is kneeling behind 
     her, humping like a dog as she responds.

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                        ANGIE!  YOU GODDAMN SLUT!

                                       ANGIE
                        But, honey, you just said "fuck the
                        Nazis"...oooooooh...uuunnh!

                                       WHIPSNAKE'S VOICE (O.S.)
                             (urgent)
                        Klu!  Help me!  Klu!

     WHIPSNAKE'S VOICE is very present and urgent, very real, unlike the
     dreamy events transpiring in the moonlight.

     BUT KLUZEWSKI IGNORES WHIPSNAKE'S REPEATED, DESPERATE PLEAS AS HE
     LUNGES AT THE SMIRKING NAZIS...

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                        DIRTY KRAUT BASTARD, I'LL KILL YOU,
                        YOU PIG!

                                       WHIPSNAKE'S VOICE (O.S.)
                             (strangled)
                        Ughhhh.  KLU!  HELP!

     ANGIE looks startled as KLUZEWSKI hurls FRITZ aside and grapples 
     furiously with HANS.  The sounds of the violent struggle are very
     real...

     ROCK/BOULDERS

     ROCK has his weapon ready as he listens to cursing in the darkness and 
     the sound of a struggle...

     RETREAD AND GORYL/BOULDERS

     GORYL is shaking himself awake, seeing RETREAD crouched tensely, weapon 
     ready...

                                       GORYL
                        What...

                                       RETREAD
                        Ssshhh.  I dunno.

     BEEF AND PASCALANO/BOULDERS

     Peering nervously into the darkness, BEEF and PASCALANO listen to 
     grunts and scuffling sounds twenty yards away.

     TEXAS AND BIGELOW/BOULDERS

     TEXAS is listening to the scuffling, his rifle raised and ready as he 
     peers into the darkness while, behind him, BIGELOW is muttering and 
     shifting.

                                       TEXAS
                             (whisper)
                        What the fuck're you doing?

                                       BIGELOW
                        Can't find my lifesavers.

     SERGEANT ROCK/BOULDERS

     ROCK swings the muzzle of his gun around urgently aiming at a sound in 
     the darkness.

                                       ROCK
                        Who is it?

                                       VOICE
                        Max Schmelling.

                                       ROCK
                             (relaxing)
                        Joe Louis.  Come in.

     Moonlight illuminates WHIPSNAKE as he crawls around a boulder into 
     view, his nose bloody, his fatigues soaked with blood.  His voice is 
     trembling from exertion and fear...

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        Couple of krauts jumped us, tried to
                        kill us quietly, slit our throats...

                                       ROCK
                        Is Kluzewski okay?

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                             (nodding)
                        He killed both guys with his bare
                        fucking hands.  This guy was choking
                        me, trying to cut my throat, Klu
                        grabbed him, beat his head against a
                        rock...
                             (shaken, he indicates his
                              shirt)
                        Th-these...these are...brains all over
                        my shirt.  A German guy's brains...

                                       ROCK
                        Pull yourself together and go back to
                        your position.

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        I should tell the Lieutenant.  I was
                        looking...

                                       ROCK
                        I'll tell the Lieutenant, I'll alert
                        everyone, go back.

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        Right.  Thanks, Sarge.

     BOULDERS/TWENTY YARDS AWAY

     HANS' remaining eye stares sightlessly at the moon, his skull horribly 
     crushed.  FRITZ'S corpse next to him doesn't look much better. 
     KLUZEWSKI is crouched close by, glaring into the darkness, panning his 
     rifle, still fuming under his breath...

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                        Fucking perverts...

     Suddenly a sound behind him causes KLUZEWSKI to whirl, pointing his 
     rifle into the shadows beyond the boulder...

                                       VOICE/DARKNESS
                        Max Schmelling.

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                        Joe Fucking Lewis.  That you, Whip?

     WHIPSNAKE crawls around the boulder.

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        I told Rock.
                             (then...)
                        I see you're playing with your rifle
                        instead of your dick for a change.

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                        Fuck you.

     FIFTEEN YARDS AWAY

     RETREAD stiffens, points his rifle into the moonlit shadows as GORYL
     raises his weapon too...

                                       RETREAD
                        Spit it out.

                                       VOICE (O.S.)
                        Max Schmelling.

                                       RETREAD
                        Joe Louis.

     RETREAD lowers the weapon and ROCK appears.

                                       ROCK
                        They're trying to commando us, take
                        us in twos.  I'm gonna alert the men.

     BOULDERS/ANOTHER FIFTEEN YARDS AWAY

     TEXAS hears something and nudges BIGELOW as he points his rifle...

                                       TEXAS
                        You hear that?

     BIGELOW listens, raising his own rifle.

     There's a scuffling noise in the darkness, somebody moving, then a 
     VOICE muttering...

                                       VOICE/DARKNESS
                        Oh, fuck!

                                       TEXAS
                        Whozzat?  Spit it out.

                                       VOICE/DARKNESS
                        Ow, goddamnit.

                                       BIGELOW
                        Izzat you, Retread?

     Silence.  Then movement again.  BIGELOW points his rifle, trembling.

                                       BIGELOW
                        Say it!  Say "Schmelling," you
                        asshole!

     TEXAS does a take, looking at BIGELOW in amazement.

                                       VOICE/DARKNESS
                        Fuck.

                                       BIGELOW
                        Say it!

                                       VOICE/DARKNESS
                        Schmelling.

     BIGELOW relaxes and lowers his rifle.

                                       BIGELOW
                        Joe Louis.  Is that you, Re...urrrgh!

     The GERMAN SOLDIER comes around the boulder so fast he slits BIGELOW'S
     throat before TEXAS can raise his rifle and fire.  Even as TEXAS aims,
     a SECOND GERMAN gets TEXAS from behind and slits hit throat.

     Three more GERMANS crawl into view as the FIRST GERMAN crouches over 
     BIGELOW, cupping a lit match in one hand while he fishes BIGELOW'S dog 
     tag from the blood at BIGELOW'S neck and wipes it off.

                                       FIRST GERMAN
                             (reading)
                        Biggle-oww.  Bigga-low.  Bigelow.
                        Fuck.

                                       SECOND GERMAN
                        Fuck.  Fuck.  Fuck.

     The dying light of the match the FIRST GERMAN notices a half pack of 
     lifesavers in the snow beside BIGELOW'S body.  Picking them up he eats 
     a couple and offers the rest to the SECOND GERMAN.

                                       FIRST GERMAN
                        Sussigkeiten.

     The SECOND GERMAN accepts the "sweets" and gulps them down.

                                       SECOND GERMAN
                        Fuck.  Shit.

     BOULDERS/TEN YARDS AWAY

     BEEF and PASCALANO are staring at the darkness alertly when someone 
     hisses among the boulders...

                                       VOICE/DARKNESS
                        Ssssssst.

     Both men point their rifles...

                                       BEEF
                        Who goes?

                                       VOICE/DARKNESS
                        Schmelling, who's that?

                                       BEEF
                             (relaxing)
                        Joe Louis.  That you, Sarge?

     ROCK scrambles around the boulder.

                                       PASCALANO
                        What happened, Sarge, what's going on?

     GORYL AND RETREAD/BOULDERS

     RETREAD looks down into the pass where explosions blossom in the night 
     like flowers of fire.

                                       RETREAD
                        The krauts are blowing up all those
                        boulders, clearing the pass.

                                       GORYL
                        Helluvan outfit, those colored guys.

                                       RETREAD
                        Yeah, but the tanks are gonna go
                        through.  They're heroes, but it don't
                        mean anything.  They're like the
                        Sergeant...

                                       GORYL
                        Why do you hate Rock?

                                       RETREAD
                        I don't hate him, he's okay...for an
                        asshole.  It's just his style pisses
                        me off, he's too much of a hero.

                                       GORYL
                        Meaning he takes risks?

                                       RETREAD
                        For nothing.  Soldiers don't win wars.
                        Planes win, big guns win, ships.
                        Soldiers are so much fodder.  You
                        think we wanted this pass?  If we
                        wanted this pass, they woulda put in
                        an armored outfit with air support,
                        heavy artillery, long toms...

                                       GORYL
                        Sssssh!

     GORYL is raising his rifle, looking into the darkness.  RETREAD follows 
     suit and for a long moment both men are silent, listening.  Then...

                                       VOICE/DARKNESS
                        Fuck.

                                       GORYL
                        Identify yourself.

                                       VOICE/DARKNESS
                        Shit.

                                       GORYL
                        Say the password or I shoot.

                                       VOICE/DARKNESS
                        Schmelling.  Fuck.

     RETREAD frowns suspicious as GORYL lowers his rifle.

                                       RETREAD
                        Joe Lewis.  Who is it?

                                       VOICE/DARKNESS
                        Bigelow.

     That does it.  RETREAD relaxes too and suddenly...

     CHATTA CHATTA CHATTA CEATTA CHATTA CHATTA...

     The night is alive with muzzle flashes and the furious stutter of 
     automatic fire as men SCREAM in the dark and the weapon pans burst 
     after burst into the agony.

     Sudden silence.

     Clutching their rifles and staring stupidly into the night, GORYL and 
     RETREAD see ROCK loom from behind a boulder, cradling the BAR...

                                       ROCK
                        They got Texas and Bigelow, I found
                        them with their throats cut.

     GORYL and RETREAD stand up and see five GERMANS sprawled among the 
     boulders, their blood staining the snow.  One of them groans.

                                       GORYL
                        They...they knew the password.  One
                        of them said "Bigelow."

     CRACK!  ROCK squeezes off a single shot, silencing the groaning man...

                                       ROCK
                        They won't use it anymore.  Better
                        collect their potato mashers, Retread.
                        I'm gonna see to the Wildman.  I left
                        him alone.

     ROCK disappears, leaving GORYL still amazed and RETREAD grimly 
     considering the carnage.

                                       RETREAD
                        I said he was an asshole...I didn't
                        say he wasn't a good soldier.

     RIDGE/OUTSIDE FARMHOUSE/MOONLIGHT

     Walking the perimeter on watch, the three GIS are again sharing a 
     cigarette and hiding the glow in a helmet.  Below in the pass
     there's a sudden lonely burst of automatic weapons fire, then
     silence.

                                       FIRST GI
                        What the fuck's goin' on down there?

                                       SECOND GI
                        The krauts are taking a long time to
                        get through fifteen or twenty guys...

                                       THIRD GI
                        I heard that Easy outfit was tough,
                        they were at Kassarene, they got that
                        big Sergeant...

                                       FIRST GI
                        The one with the medals...

                                       SECOND GI
                        Baker's down there too, colored
                        guys...

                                       THIRD GI
                        Colored guys aren't gonna fight like
                        that, not when they're outnumbered,
                        colored guys are quitters.

                                       FIRST GI
                        Horseshit!  What about Joe Louis?

                                       THIRD GI
                        Hey, this ain't a boxing match, this
                        is a fucking war.  I got nothing
                        against Negroes, but they're scareda guns.

                                       SECOND GI
                        Me too.  I'm scareda guns.

                                       FIRST GI
                        Yeah, now that you mention it...

                                       FIRST GI
                        Uh-oh.

     The FIRST GI is seeing GENERAL COOK emerge from the farmhouse in the
     moonlight, carrying a pail.

                                       COOK
                        Sign and countersign, soldier, you
                        have to challenge everyone.

                                       FIRST GI
                        Right, sir...spit it out, General.

                                       COOK
                        Red Grange.

                                       FIRST GI
                        Number seventy-seven.

     They all watch as COOK hurries past them with the pail and heads over 
     the ridge down into the woods.

                                       SECOND GI
                        Where the hell is he going?

                                       FIRST GI
                        Must be gonna take a crap.

                                       THIRD GI
                        And bring it back in a bucket?

                                       PRITCHARD'S VOICE (O.S.)
                        At ease!

     The three GIS turn in horror to find PRITCHARD looming behind them.

                                       FIRST GI
                        Uh, sorry, sir, we, uh, didn't see
                        you...

                                       PRITCHARD
                        Where did the General go?

                                       SECOND GI
                             (pointing)
                        Down there, sir.

                                       PRITCHARD
                        Stick with him, all three of you.
                        I'll post a new watch.

                                       FIRST GI
                        Uh, "stick with him," sir?

                                       PRITCHARD
                        Protect your fucking pants.

     PRITCHARD turns on his heels and heads for the farmhouse as we...

                                                           CUT TO

     CATHEDRAL HOSPITAL/NIGHT

     In the confusion of suffering and misery a gaunt looking man with a 
     heavily bandaged head lies in a cot, listening to the DOCTOR standing 
     over him.

                                       DOCTOR
                        Some confusion, even some memory loss,
                        is normal with a concussion, General.
                        You're very lucky that's all you
                        suffered under the circumstances.

     The man in the cot is GENERAL DUGAN.  We recognize his voice...

                                       DUGAN
                        There was a Captain Sloan with me.
                        Is he...did he...?

                                       DOCTOR
                        Sloan was killed in the explosion, you
                        were thrown clear.  Apparently a shell
                        hit a truck close to you...

                                       DUGAN
                             (shaken, remembering)
                        A truck, yeah, I remember.  Cooks.
                        They were killed too?

                                       DOCTOR
                        Two were killed, one seriously
                        injured, another is missing.  Listen,
                        General, Colonel Cronkite wondered if
                        you were feeling well enough to talk
                        with him...?

     CRONKITE pushes forward on cue, usurping the DOCTOR'S place.

                                       CRONKITE
                        Hullo, General.  We're all glad you
                        made it.

                                       DUGAN
                        Hell of a thing about Captain Sloan.
                        And the others.  Sonofabitch!  I
                        assume we've pulled back, I assume
                        you...

                                       CRONKITE
                             (uncomfortable)
                        Uh, not...exactly, sir.  The krauts
                        seemed to have, uh, launched an
                        armored assault and, uh, we, uh, seem
                        to be...seem to be...holding them,
                        sir.

                                       DUGAN
                        "Holding them"!  With what?  How?

                                       CRONKITE
                        I can't explain it, sir.  It's all
                        very confused, we've lost radio
                        contact with Battalion HQ.  But our
                        spotter plane reported a dozen Panzers
                        tied up in the throat of the pass...

                                       DUGAN
                        A dozen Panzers!  We gotta get the
                        hell outta there, you can't fight
                        Panzers with a rear guard...

                                       CRONKITE
                        Well, uh, General, before we lost
                        communication with Battalion, we
                        relayed a message from General Cook
                        to Regimental requesting air and
                        artillery support for --

                                       DUGAN
                             (sitting up)
                        General Cook!  Who the fuck is General
                        Cook?

     CRONKITE looks harassed and worried as DUGAN glares at him indignantly 
     and we...

                                                           CUT TO

     PAINTED WORDS/ROCK FACE/DAWN

     Huge letters in white paint are smeared on a rock face overlooking the 
     pass.  They spell out loud and clear...

                                 FUCK HITLER

     WOODS/DAWN

     A head appears from behind a tree.  It's WHIPSNAKE staring in wide-eyed 
     wonder at the words on the rock.  What the fuck, he can't believe it. 
     Shaking his head, he looks around furtively, then moves cautiously off 
     through the woods, apparently alone.

     BOULDERS/SLOPE/LATER

     ROCK and GORYL are crouched among the boulders facing WHIPSNAKE while
     RETREAD keeps watch behind them and WILDMAN lies unconscious.

                                       GORYL
                        "Fuck Hitler"?

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        That's what it said.  Huge letters.

     GORYL looks to ROCK who shrugs.  Behind them RETREAD speaks up...

                                       RETREAD
                        Baker maybe.  They musta done it,
                        those guys are crazy.

                                       GORYL
                        But no Germans?

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        No, sir.  Didn't see any an' I went
                        about half a mile into the woods.

     GORYL looks to ROCK.

                                       ROCK
                        Baker musta taken the heat for us
                        again.  Seven guys on us, Baker gets
                        the rest.

     BOOOOOM!  Another explosion in the pass.  RETREAD is watching the 
     action below.

                                       RETREAD
                        That's it, they got it cleared.

     The others join RETREAD peering down into the pass where they see the 
     column of eight tanks begin to wind through the debris of boulders in
     the pass, squeezing past the disabled tank still partially blocking the 
     narrowest section.

     ROCK, GORYL, and the others watch grimly, their faces gaunt and weary,
     their eyes dull with defeat.

                                       RETREAD
                        Bastards.

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                        We're officially behind enemy lines
                        now I guess.

     BOOOOOOM!  Another explosion.

     ROCK frowns.  They're all looking at the lead tank, suddenly canted at 
     an angle, motionless.  The column of tanks behind grinds to an abrupt 
     halt.

                                       RETREAD
                        A mine!  They musta mined it.

     Rrrrrrr.  The lead tank engines grind as the wounded machine tries to 
     move out of the way, then...

     KA-BLAM!  The whole tank shudders from a bazooka shell and smoke pours 
     from torn armor.

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                             (incredulous)
                        They're there!  They're still fucking
                        there!

     ROCK is staring in disbelief as he watches the second tank moving 
     forward, turret turning, attacking the bazooka position, firing.  KA 
     BOOOOOM!  The shell explodes against the boulders.

     KA-BLAM!  The second tank takes a bazooka hit in the turret that 
     crumples armor and slams the gun aside, bent at a useless angle...

                                       RETREAD
                             (jubilant)
                        Siiiiiiilk!

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                             (awed)
                        Those bastards.  God damn!

     ROCK is stunned, shaken.  He can't believe what he's seeing..

                                       GORYL
                        I guess we better move.  Baker's
                        giving us another chance.

                                                           CUT TO

     BOULDERS/MINUTES LATER

     KLUZEWSKI and WHIPSNAKE are carrying WILDMAN up the slope in a poncho 
     while RETREAD walks point and ROCK brings up the rear.  ROCK glances 
     back down at the pass.

     Far below he can see the tanks stalled in a line while tiny GERMAN 
     FOOTSOLDIERS slink among the boulders, trying to get position.

     Chatta chatta chatta.  The sound of machinegun fire drifts upward from 
     the firefight.

     ROCK is turning back to the climb when something catches his eye to the 
     north.

     Five "birds" are clearing the mountains to the north, tiny silhouettes 
     in the dawn sky.

     For a moment ROCK stares as dawn sunlight suddenly gleams off a 
     "bird's" wing.  Then he gives a sharp command...

                                       ROCK
                        Planes!  Let's go for the woods, sir!

     PILOT'S POINT OF VIEW/COCKPIT

     It's a beautiful dawn seen from the Stuka cockpit as sun glitters off 
     the snowy slopes and the PILOT watches the valley unfold before him 
     while his radio crackles with urgent German voices.  Ahead and below
     he can see the narrow pass and the column of stalled tanks and a rock 
     face featuring "FUCK HITLER" in big white letters.

     Responding to radio commands, the PILOT veers to the right and the sky 
     pans by in a blur of blue as he separates from his companions and aims 
     his nose at the rocky slope on the west wall of the pass.

     Far below he can see tiny GERMAN SOLDIERS waving and pointing up the 
     slope.

     Near the top of the slope he can just glimpse tiny figures, the EASY 
     SOLDIERS scrambling up the slope and into the woods at the top.

     Now he's diving at the woods, his dive-activated sirens coming rapidly 
     up to full scream as the woods loom larger in the windscreen and tiny 
     figures disappear among the trees.

     Now his wing-mounted machineguns begin to chatter mercilessly...

     IN THE WOODS

     ROCK is helping haul WILDMAN behind a tree as the Stuka bears down on 
     them.  The thunder of the engines is deafening, bullets chew up trees.

     KLUZEWSKI hugs the earth...

     WHIPSNAKE presses against a tree...

     Just as the sound reaches unbearable volume it suddenly drops off as
     the Stuka pulls abruptly out of its dive and climbs up again into the 
     sky.

     ROCK peers out and spots the underwing load.

                                       ROCK
                        Stay down.  He's got bombs, he's
                        coming back.

     Fear.  It shows in their faces as they crouch or lie in their 
     positions, waiting.

     The Stuka comes screaming down out of the sky again, cannons flashing, 
     machineguns nattering.  Wood chips fly as bullets tear into trees and 
     the screaming engines get louder and louder and louder and...

     BOOOOOOOM!  BAH-DOOOOOODOM!  The woods shake with the thunder of the 
     bombs, heat and fire fill the air.

     There's a moment of quiet then, followed by KLUZEWSKI'S shout of
     enthusiasm...

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                        Missed us!  Dumb bastard missed us!
                        Fuck you, kraut!

     Shaking like a leaf, GORYL watches the plane climbing back into the 
     sky.

     ROCK is looking off into the pass beyond the fringe of woods.

     The other four Stukas are wheeling in the sky like angry hornets, 
     taking turns diving at Baker's position.

     KLUZEWSKI'S watching too.  Suddenly he sees a figure dart out from 
     among the boulders in the pass and scamper toward a new position.

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                        No!  No!  No!  Don't show yourself,
                        idiot!  No!

     ROCK, RETREAD, and the others are all watching now, seeing a diving 
     STUKA adjust its dive, heading right for the boulders where the figure 
     disappeared, machineguns firing.

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                        He gave away their position, he...

     WHUMP!  At the bottom of its dive the STUKA suddenly shudders in the 
     air, smoke pours from the fuselage.  The plane struggles out of its 
     dive, wobbles along at low altitude billowing smoke, then plunges into 
     the rocky wall of the pass and explodes.

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        No!  No, they couldn't...

                                       RETREAD
                             (jumping up)
                        AWRIGHT, SILK!  YEAH LIGHTNING!  YEAH
                        BAKER!  STUKA BAZOOKA!

     CRACK!  Retread is dropped by a rifle shot.

     ROCK spins, spots movement, and opens up with the BAR.

     Everybody's covering up again...bullets are flying.

     Wriggling on his stomach, WHIPSNAKE is the first one to reach RETREAD 
     who's thrashing around in agony in the bloody snow.

                                       RETREAD
                        Aaaaaah!  Aaaah, shit!  Stay away from
                        me, it's nothin', goddamnit, a fucking
                        scratch, what a dumb bastard, I was
                        cheering for Chrissake, I deserve it,
                        aaaaahhhh...Stay the fuck away, stay away...

     RETREAD slaps at WHIPSNAKE who's crouching over him.

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        Where you hit, Retread?  Wh...?

                                       RETREAD
                        I dunno, it hurts, it's okay, lee me
                        alone, I'm just winded, aaaah, it
                        knocked the w-wind...wind outta me
                        aaaaaah.

     CRACK! CRACK!  KLUZEWSKI is firing at GERMAN SOLDIERS he can only 
     glimpse among the trees fifty yards away.

     CRACK! CRACK!  "Invisible" GERMANS fire back.

     BUDDA BUDDA BUDDA!  ROCK squeezes off a burst from the BAR.

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        Just lemme see where...

     RETREAD suddenly stiffens, his eyes bulge sightlessly, he's convulsing 
     and choking on his tongue.

     WHIPSNAKE tries to hold the thrashing RETREAD down and clear his tongue 
     from his throat.

     GORYL pauses to watch RETREAD thrashing and convulsing for half a 
     second before he moves into position close to ROCK and points his rifle 
     at the "invisible" GERMANS.

     RETREAD stiffens mid convulsion, then sags limply in the snow, his eyes 
     open and blind.

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        No, goddamnit, hang on.

     WHIPSNAKE is trying to get RETREAD to breathe, but RETREAD is gone.

     Sprawled beside ROCK behind a tree trunk, GORYL is looking for a good 
     shot as he confers with ROCK...

                                       GORYL
                        How many?

                                       ROCK
                        At least six.  Probably more.

                                       GORYL
                        We're pretty low on ammo.

     WHIPSNAKE wriggles close to them as a couple of shots whistle close by.

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        Retread is dead.

                                       ROCK
                        How about if I cover the rear, sir,
                        while you and the men fall back?

     GORYL looks at ROCK, but ROCK doesn't meet the look, he's looking down 
     the sights, looking for GERMANS...  GORYL hesitates for a moment, then 
     he makes up his mind...

                                       GORYL
                        Okay, give us ten minutes, then
                        follow.

     ROCK reaches in his pack and pulls out a cigar, placing it unlit 
     between his teeth...

                                       ROCK
                        Right, sir.

     ROCK mouthes the cigar and peers into the woods, looking for a target, 
     but the enemy is virtually invisible...

     TEN YARDS AWAY

     GORYL accepts a handful of clips collected by BEEF.  He's turning to 
     take them to ROCK when he sees WILDMAN.

     WILDMAN'S eyes are unfocussed, his mouth open, his jaw slack, his skin 
     grey and waxy.  GORYL feels WILDMAN'S wrist, searching for a pulse.

     ROCK/BEHIND A TREE

     ROCK fires a short burst as a GERMAN scrambles from one tree to 
     another, advancing.  The GERMAN yells a pained oath, wounded.

     GORYL creeps close to ROCK and puts the clips beside him...

                                       GORYL
                        We gotcha another thirty rounds.

                                       ROCK
                        Thanks.

                                       GORYL
                             (with difficulty)
                        Sergeant...we're not taking Wildman.

     ROCK gives GORYL a sharp look...

                                       GORYL
                        He's not gonna make it.

     Rock is looking back at the woods, aiming.

                                       ROCK
                        Yes, sir.  I know.

                                       GORYL
                        And, Sergeant, don't even try to carry
                        him, that's an order.  You're a
                        soldier, not a hero.  We'll wait for
                        you at --

                                       ROCK
                        Don't wait, sir.  I won't play hero,
                        you don't play hero.  If I don't catch
                        up, it's 'cause they got me.

     ROCK isn't looking at GORYL, he's firing into the woods.

     BUDDA BUDDA BUDDA...Two GERMAN SOLDIERS dive for cover.

     For a moment GORYL watches ROCK defend his position, then he moves
     off...

                                       GORYL
                        All right, Sergeant, we're gone.

     OUTSIDE THE FARMHOUSE/DAY

     COOK'S face is pale and dead.  He's lying in the poncho the GIS brought 
     him back in while PRITCHARD stares down at the body in dismay and the 
     GIS stand by.

                                       PRITCHARD
                        "Fell"?  Fell how?

     The GIS exchange uneasy glances between answers...

                                       FIRST GI
                        Off a sorta cliff...

                                       THIRD GI
                        We were painting this sign...at least
                        he was...

                                       SECOND GI
                        We were helping... holding the paint
                        and...

                                       PRITCHARD
                             (disbelief)
                        Painting...a...sign?

                                       FIRST GI
                        "Fuck Hitler."

                                       PRITCHARD
                             (sharply)
                        What?  I beg your pardon...

                                       SECOND GI
                        In big letters...

                                       THIRD GI
                        Huge letters!

                                       PRITCHARD
                        General Cook...was painting "Fuck
                        Hitler" in enemy territory...?

                                       FIRST GI
                        A cook, sir...but not a General...

                                       SECOND GI
                        His name was Cummings...

                                       THIRD GI
                        He was a cook with the Thlrd
                        Infantry...

     PRITCHARD'S jaw is sagging, he's too stunned to speak.

                                       FIRST GI
                        He was conscious for a while after he
                        fell...

                                       SECOND GI
                        He told us everything...

                                       THIRD GI
                        They were on their way up here to give
                        us a "hot," him anna buncha cooks in
                        a four by four...

                                       FIRST GI
                        Booom!  German shell...

                                       SECOND GI
                        Killed his buddies...

                                       THIRD GI
                        And turned over this jeep with a
                        Captain and a General...

                                       FIRST GI
                        He takes this helmet...a General's
                        helmet...

                                       SECOND GI
                        He was pretty confused, he said...

                                       THIRD GI
                        "Crazed."

                                       FIRST GI
                        He wanted us to win the war.

                                       SECOND GI
                        He said the, er, leadership is...weak.

                                       THIRD GI
                        The part about his clothes being
                        soaked with gasoline was true...

     PRITCHARD isn't listening anymore.  He's staring at COOK/CUMMINGS' body 
     and shaking his head in horror...

                                       PRITCHARD
                        A cook!  He ordered up six rifle
                        companies!

     WOODS

     GORYL is leading his weary ragtag group through the woods that rise 
     above the steep walls of the pass.  The men look exhausted, defeated, 
     as they plod hurriedly through the snow, hearing far behind them the 
     brief bursts of gunfire indicating the continuing battle between the 
     Germans and Rock.  In the sky to their left the four remaining STUKAS 
     snarl as they regroup and turn back to the north...

                                       KLUZEWSKI
                        Outta ammo.  There they go.

     WHIPSNAKE is listening to the patter of the BAR far behind them.

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                        Rock shoulda backed off by now.

                                       BEEF
                        More planes.  Poor Baker.

     They all look and see six dread Messerschmitt ME 109s replacing the 
     STUKAS in the sky over the pass.

     GORYL looks grimly over his shoulder at them as he walks.  The men keep 
     plodding as the thunder of the planes grows louder.  It seems as if 
     there is nothing for them but defeat, defeat, and more defeat as they 
     continue their ignominious retreat.

     Then a ME 109 rages over the woods, as if to pass over them.

                                       GORYL
                        Okay, men, let's take cover, lets...

     Looking up, GORYL breaks off mid-sentence at the sight of a blur of 
     silver above and the sudden bluster of angry cannons and machineguns.

     In half a second the ME 109 is streaming smoke, plummeting into the 
     slope, and exploding like a bomb.

     The swooping blur of silver banks hard and climbs back up, a Republic 
     P-47 Thunderbolt looking for prey, Donald Duck in paint glaring from 
     the silver fuselage.

     The stunned men of Easy stare at the sky where four more THUNDERBOLTS
     are taking on the ME 109s in a fury of speed and gunfire.

     KLUZEWSKI falls to his knees as if in church as another ME 109 tumbles 
     out of the sky, smoking.

     Tears flow unabashedly down WHIPSNAKE'S dirty unshaven cheeks as he 
     sings to himself, privately, in a low voice, out of tune...

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                             (to himself, a song)
                        Oh, beautiful, for spacious skies,
                        For amber waves of grain...

     Another ME 109 explodes in mid-air as a THUNDERBOLT rakes it 
     mercilessly with machinegun fire...  They rule the sky, the 
     THUNDERBOLTS, taking no prisoners, dealing out swift sure death to the 
     outclassed ME 109s.

     BEEF is hugging GORYL, KLUZEWSKI is cheering!

                                       WHIPSNAKE
                             (continuing, very low)
                        For purple mountains' majesty
                        above the fruited plain...

     WOODS/A MILE AWAY

     CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!  Rifle fire.

     ROCK is in trouble, running low through trees, heading for cover behind 
     a modest formation of boulders in the middle of the woods.

     Spang, spang, spang!  Bullets splinter off the boulders as he dives for 
     cover.  Hastily he raises the BAR and runs off a burst at his pursuers. 
     BUDDA BUDDA BUDDA...

     Several GERMAN SOLDIERS dive for cover on the ground.

     The magazine is empty, no more ammo!  ROCK pushes the BAR aside, and 
     unslings an M-1.

     CRACK! SPANG! CRACK! SPANG!  Bullets ricochet close to his head,
     somebody firing from the side.  They've almost got ROCK surrounded.

     CRACK! CRACK!  ROCK returns the fire at just a glimpse of uniform fifty 
     yards away.

     CRACK!  A shot from the other side.  They're flanking him, almost but 
     not quite surrounding him.

     This is bad.  They already know where he is, so he relights the stub of 
     cigar clenched between his teeth and scans the woods carefully for a 
     target.  He hears a GERMAN VOICE...

                                       GERMAN VOICE/WOODS
                             (German, subtitled)
                        Hans!  I think it's only one man.
                        Alone!

     Suddenly a GERMAN SOLDIER rears up only twenty yards away, arm cocked, 
     grenade in hand...

     CRACK!  ROCK pans and fires without hesitation...

     The GERMAN SOLDIER goes down before he can throw the grenade...

                                       GERMAN VOICE/WOODS
                             (German, subtitled)
                        Peter!  Throw it!

     Too late!  The grenade goes off un-thrown.  BOOOOM!

     CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!  Two GERMANS pop up and sprint low between trees 
     and ROCK squeezes off three shots.

     A silence engulfs the woods then.  ROCK, sweating, loads his last clip.

     To his right, movement, a blur of uniforms among the trees.

     CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!  He fires, sending one man sprawling.

     BANG! BANG! BANG!  A GERMAN SOLDIER jumps up, firing only twenty yards 
     away, bullets whiz at ROCK, ROCK swings the rifle, CRACK!  CRACK!  The 
     GERMAN SOLDIER staggers forward, dead, ten yards on the other side of 
     the boulder.

     ROCK glances at his shoulder where a bullet has torn his uniform and 
     his flesh.  He's going to bandage it, but sudden movement again on the 
     right...

     CRACK! CRACK!  ROCK fires twice, and a blur of uniforms disappears 
     among the trees.  ROCK'S clip is empty, no more ammo.  He hastily 
     inspects his wound and relights his cigar.

     The woods are suddenly very quiet.  A VOICE snarls from somewhere 
     straight ahead, disturbingly close but unseen, speaking in heavily 
     accented English...

                                       GERMAN VOICE/WOODS
                             (in accented English)
                        You!  Asshole!  You hear me, nigger
                        Jew?  Dead!  Cut your balls off!

     ROCK is relighting his cigar, his eyes busy surveying the woods, as he 
     responds in a cheery burst of German...

                                       ROCK
                             (German, subtitled)
                        Hans!  Your mother's here!  Your
                        darling mother!  Great tits!  What a
                        woman!

     ANGLE ON TWO GERMANS

     Outside of ROCK'S line of vision, two GERMAN SOLDIERS are flanking 
     ROCK, almost behind him.  They can't see him, but they can hear his 
     voice...and they can see a curl of smoke from his cigar coiling above 
     the boulder he's crouched behind.

                                       ROCK'S VOICE (O.S.)
                             (continuing)
                        Shit, Hans!  Your mother's taking off
                        her pants.  What an ass!  You must
                        love her a lot!

     The two GERMAN SOLDIERS continue their stealthy approach as a GERMAN
     VOICE responds to ROCK, this time in German...

                                       GERMAN VOICE (O.S)
                             (German, subtitled)
                        Hey, American, you got a good accent.
                        Why don't you surrender?  Huh?  We'll
                        treat you good.  Very nice.  Asshole!

     The two GERMAN SOLDIERS don't give ROCK a chance to reply.  They're 
     only six feet from the boulder where he's hidden, they can smell the 
     smoke curling from his cigar, they charge forward, firing point 
     blank...

     RATTA TATTA TATTA, CRACK, CRACK, RATTA TATTA...

     The GERMAN SOLDIERS stop firing abruptly when they see what they're 
     shooting at.

     ROCK'S pack is there on the ground, they've shot the shit out of it, 
     but ROCK'S not there!  Though his cigar butt is smoldering in a 
     crease in the boulder.

     And just then...PLOP!  A grenade lands right at their feet.

     Both GERMAN SOLDIERS stare at it in horror for a quarter second...then 
     they dive aside, flat on their bellies, covering their faces...

     BEHIND A TREE/FIVE YARDS AWAY

     ROCK is pressed against a tree, waiting for the grenade to go off...
     but nothing happens.

     Puzzled, ROCK peers out from behind the tree.

     He sees the grenade lying there...and FREIDRICH and HORST lying on 
     their faces.

     ROCK'S rueful look says it's a dud.  Now what?

     A VOICE calls in German from the woods.

                                       GERMAN VOICE (O.S.)
                             (German, subtitled)
                        Horst!  Freidrich!  Did you get the
                        fucker?

     ANGLE ON FREIDRICH AND HORST

     FREIDRICH looks up, peeks at the grenade.

     It just lies there.

                                       FREIDRICH
                             (in German)
                        A dud!

     He's scrambling to his feet, grabbing his rifle.

     So is HORST...when suddenly ROCK lunges from behind the tree, knife in 
     hand...

                                       ROCK
                        BOOOOOOOOM!

     Sinking his knife deep into the astonished FREIDRICH'S rib cage, he 
     shoves him back into HORST who's trying to raise his rifle.

     FREIDRICH goes down, coughing blood, done for, and HORST stumbles 
     backward, tries to raise his rifle only to find himself wrestling with 
     the powerful ROCK.

     But HORST is no slouch.  A big, muscular man himself, he manages to 
     club ROCK in the face with a rifle butt.

     WOODS/OTHER SIDE OF BOULDER

     A GERMAN SERGEANT is cautiously leading the remaining two GERMAN 
     SOLDIERS toward the boulder.  He calls out...

                                       GERMAN SERGEANT
                        Horst?

                                       HORST'S VOICE (O.S.)
                             (German, subtitled)
                        Help!

     The GERMAN SERGEANT and the two SOLDIERS respond to the strangled cry, 
     rushing toward the boulder, guns ready...

     BEHIND THE BOULDER

     Coming around the boulder, weapons raised, the GERMAN SERGEANT and the 
     two SOLDIERS find FREIDRICH sitting down bleeding to death.

     Fifteen yards away HORST and ROCK are staggering among the trees, 
     grappling furiously, slamming against trunks, engaged in an awkward 
     life or death struggle.

     What the GERMAN SERGEANT and the two SOLDIERS don't see is the dud
     grenade lying on the ground, almost at their feet.

     BA-WHOOOOOOOOOOM!  Just as the GERMAN SERGEANT'S steps place him
     within a foot of the grenade all three of them are ravaged with 
     shrapnel...

     WOODS/THIRTY YARDS AWAY

     Bloody and torn, ROCK and HORST are struggling to the death and it's 
     not pretty, it's not Hollywood punches, it's biting, kicking, kneeing, 
     butting, and biting some more, rolling in the snow, battling to their 
     feet, careening into tree trunks...

     ROCK drives HORST back into a tree, HORST knees ROCK in the groin, 
     they roll on the ground, locked in an embrace while HORST sinks his 
     teeth deeply into ROCK'S cheek and blood flows.  Rolling, they come
     to a stone protruding from the ground and it's there that ROCK, 
     with a supreme effort, manages to smash HORST'S head against the 
     stone until HORST suddenly goes limp and his eyes roll back in his 
     head.

     For a second all ROCK can do is suck air into his lungs.  Then he 
     collapses, rolling off HORST'S body into the snow until his cheek 
     rests against...A COMBAT BOOT!

     For a second ROCK just stares at the leather of the boot close-up. 
     Then he slowly looks up the boot to the leg and follows the leg upward
     with his eyes.

     Looming over him is a tough looking, battle-scarred American SERGEANT,
     six-four, muscular...and black as coal.  The big man reaches a huge 
     black hand down to ROCK...

                                       STEELE
                        Steele.  Baker Company.

     ROCK takes the hand and lets the big man hoist him to his feet.

                                       ROCK
                        Rock.  Easy.

                                       STEELE
                             (impressed)
                        You all alone, Rock?

                                       ROCK
                        Rear guard.  There's krauts all over,
                        they...

     ROCK is looking around with alarm, but STEELE interrupts him, producing
     bandages...

                                       STEELE
                        Not no more, Rock.  There's dead bodies
                        all over the damn woods!  You left a
                        helluva trail, Hitler gonna be mad
                        with you, I swear!  You really raised
                        some hell.

     STEELE keeps talking as he bandages the numerous tears in ROCK'S flesh, 
     his huge black hands very gentle in contradiction to his brutal 
     appearance...

                                       STEELE
                             (continuing)
                        When I come up on you, it was just
                        you and him...
                             (indicates Horst's body)
                        ...and I says to myself, "Big
                        Willie, if you interfere now, you
                        an' that white Sergeant gonna have
                        yourselves a prisoner."  An' then
                        I ax myself, "Do you an' that white
                        Sergeant really want a prisoner?"
                        An' I seen you handle yourself with
                        a certain determination, not
                        unlike myself, an I says to myself
                        again, "I believe that white
                        Sergeant gonna prevail over that
                        kraut bastard," so I didn't
                        interfere...

                                       ROCK
                        We saw you and your men down in the
                        pass...

                                       STEELE
                             (bandaging, pleased)
                        Yeah, we did some good soldier-work
                        ourselves, didn't we...for a buncha
                        country colored boys.  We're a Negro
                        outfit.

     Bandaged now, ROCK considers the proud STEELE'S coal black face...

                                       ROCK
                        That's not an Italian suntan, then?

                                       STEELE
                        Ha ha, where you from, Rock?

     ROCK is heading back toward the boulders and his pack.

                                       ROCK
                        Akron, Ohio.  Where are your men?

                                       STEELE
                             (walking with him)
                        Akron, mmmmm.  Thought I recognized
                        the accent.  My men been thinned out
                        some, like yours.  What's left of 'em
                        fell back, just like yours.  It's juss
                        you an' me, the rear guard.  Think we
                        oughtta attack or what, heh heh?

     STEELE glances up where P-47s snarl overhead, ruling the sky.

     ROCK'S PACK/MOMENTS LATER

     ROCK considers his pack lying on the ground near the GERMAN CORPSES.

     It's shot full of holes from FREIDRICH and HORST'S attack.  He lifts
     it gingerly and opens it while STEELE goes over the corpses.

                                       STEELE
                        I love these German binoculars.
                        Zeiss.  I juss keep upgrading my
                        collection.

     ROCK is reaching in the pack and finding his bullet riddled box of 
     cigars.

                                       STEELE
                        Kinda like the lugers too.
                             (pocketing one)
                        They say if you surrender an' the
                        krauts find a luger on you, they
                        torture you and kill you.

     Opening the box ROCK finds a dismal collection of mutilated cigars and
     loose tobacco.

                                       ROCK
                        Not planning on surrendering, huh?

                                       STEELE
                             (suddenly serious)
                        The black man don't surrender,
                        Sergeant.  The krauts figure all men
                        of color got lugers.  They...cut
                        up...summa my men a couple days ago.

     For a moment their eyes meet and nothing is said.  Then ROCK speaks 
     soberly...

                                       ROCK
                        I got a man back there half a mile.
                        I gotta get his tags.

                                       STEELE
                        I'll walk witcha.

     WOODS/SECONDS LATER

     Walking back through the woods, STEELE keeps a wary eye on the woods
     while ROCK continues to fish in the cigar box.  He finally finds a
     cigar and shoves it in his mouth, lights it.

                                       ROCK
                        Wanna cigar?

                                       STEELE
                        Yeah.  You got an extra?

     ROCK reaches in the box and fishes out one more intact cigar, hands it
     to STEELE who hesitates...

                                       STEELE
                        I wouldn't take a man's last smoke.

                                       ROCK
                        Plenty more.

     ROCK closes the box on nothing but loose tobacco, no more cigars.

     As STEELE lights his cigar, they walk past GERMAN SOLDIERS sprawled in 
     the bloody snow and slumped against trees.  ROCK is scanning the woods 
     for landmarks.

                                       ROCK
                        Over there.

     ROCK points as we...

                                                           CUT TO

     WILDMAN/SECONDS LATER

     Propped against a tree, WILDMAN grins weakly from a ghostly pale
     face...

                                       WILDMAN
                        Hiya, Sarge.  Gonna save my ass again?

     ROCK is staring at WILDMAN.  He didn't expect this.  Neither did 
     STEELE...

                                       STEELE
                        Thought you said he was...

                                       ROCK
                        Guess I was premature.

                                       WILDMAN
                        Dead?  You thought I was dead?  Me
                        too.

     ROCK sees something in the snow close to WILDMAN.  Reaching down, he 
     picks up one of the two empty bottles and considers it.  It's a plasma 
     bottle.

                                       WILDMAN
                             (continuing, weakly)
                        I wake up, I dunno where I am, hurt
                        like hell, all I see is this red-
                        haired guy over me, didn't know if
                        he was a nazzey throat cutter or an
                        angel of the Lord in heaven.  Then I
                        see he's shooting blood in me...

                                       ROCK
                             (sharply)
                        Red hair?

                                       WILDMAN
                        He was a goddamn medic.  He gives me
                        medicine, says, "Hang on, soldier, you
                        doan wanna die, think about your
                        girlfriend."  Says he can't carry me
                        himself, but somebody'll come for me,
                        and off he goes, disappears.

     ROCK is staring at a double set of footprints in the snow, coming and 
     going.  He follows the footprints with his eyes, sees them disappear 
     into the ominous woods...in the direction of battle.  Whatever the 
     redhead's doing, he isn't retreating!

                                       ROCK
                             (turning back to Wildman)
                        Well, I guess you thought about your
                        girlfriend, huh?

                                       WILDMAN
                        I'm savin' myself for her.  I guess
                        I'm gonna ride that bus again, the one
                        with no springs...?

     ROCK glances at STEELE who shrugs glumly as we...

                                                           CUT TO

     RIDGE/OUTSIDE FARMHOUSE

     There's an air of confusion as truckloads of fresh troops arrive and 
     unload, creating a chaotic atmosphere.  Big guns are being pulled into 
     position, SARGEANTS are assembling the replacements.  Frightened eyes, 
     young faces, clean uniforms...

     Frowning, PRITCHARD hurries through the turmoil and enters the 
     farmhouse...

     INSIDE THE FARMHOUSE

     Lounging on the floor and slumped up against the walls of the
     farmhouse, the weary men of Easy look up as as PRITCHARD enters.

                                       PRITCHARD
                        At ease, men.  Uh, there's some bad
                        news and I wanted...

                                       GORYL
                             (alarmed)
                        Rock?  The Sergeant?

                                       PRITCHARD
                        No, no, we haven't located Sergeant
                        Rock, nothing like that.  It's just
                        a little...problem.  I know I promised
                        you men the next truck out...you
                        certainly deserve it...but there was
                        a little snafu and somebody let a
                        bunch of colored fellows from Baker,
                        Negroes, into the truck...

     Impassive faces of Easy stare uncomprehendingly at PRITCHARD who goes 
     rattling on...

                                       PRITCHARD
                        I could kick them out...but I kind of
                        hate to do that, they fought like hell
                        and they're as beat up as you.  I
                        mean, there's room in the truck, but
                        you guys'd probably rather wait for
                        the next one...

     The men of Easy look at each other as though PRITCHARD had just
     finished a speech in Greek or classical Latin as we...

                                                           CUT TO

     INSIDE A FOUR BY FOUR/MOMENTS LATER

     Eight bone weary BLACK SOLDIERS are sprawled in the rear of the 4X4 
     troop carrier as the men from Easy start to climb in.

     TIGER COLE, a tough looking Corporal from Baker, is quick to spot GORYL 
     and he snaps at LIGHTNING MULLINS lounging on the right hand bench.

                                       TIGER
                        Lightning!  Officer on board, move
                        your ass.

                                       GORYL
                        At ease, men.

     GORYL scrambles in.  The black men are all moving to the left bench, 
     bunching up, facing the men from Easy who are taking places on the 
     opposite bench facing them.  There's an awkwardness, everybody's 
     exhausted, weary nods are exchanged.  The black soldiers are as 
     bandaged, as gaunt, as unshaven, as young, and as tired as the men from 
     Easy, their uniforms filthy and torn.

                                       LIGHTNING
                        Say, Lieutenant, you didn't see no
                        great big staff sergeant walkin' round
                        out there, didja?

     GORYL and all the men from Easy look up sharply at LIGHTNING...

                                       LIGHTNING
                        Colored man?  Sorta lame?

                                       GORYL
                        No, I'm afraid not.

     TIGER speaks softly to LIGHTNING, reassuring him as the truck lurches 
     forward...

                                       TIGER
                        He be along.  Ain't no nazzies gonna
                        hurt Big Willie, he indestructible.

     The truck is bouncing along now and the two rows of soldiers face each 
     other uncomfortably, a certain tension in the air between them.  BEEF 
     suddenly breaks the silence with a voice full of outrage....

                                       BEEF
                        Hey, Lieutenant...

     The atmosphere is electric as GORYL turns to BEEF and everybody follows 
     the look to see what put the edge in BEEF'S voice.  They see BEEF 
     glaring indignantly at the brown skinned Negro directly across from him 
     who wears a bandage over his left eye (so does Beef) and a sling on his 
     right arm (so does Beef).

                                       GORYL
                             (uneasy)
                        What's up, Beef?

                                       BEEF
                             (pointing)
                        This guy's got my wound!

     Everybody looks.  TIGER breaks the amazed silence...

                                       TIGER
                        Aaaaw shit, Silk!  You got the man's
                        wound.

     SILK considers his wounded arm soberly.

                                       SILK
                        Thought it was mine, it hurts like
                        hell!

                                       BEEF
                        That's it!  That's the one, "hurts
                        like hell," that proves it's mine!

                                       SILK
                        Well, shit, I ain't gonna argue with
                        you, I ain't that partial to it
                        anyhow, you could have it.

     Now BEEF shakes his head, suddenly shifting gears...

                                       BEEF
                        Well, what the hell, we're all
                        fightin' the same war, we got a common
                        enemy.  I ain't gonna be an asshole
                        about it even if it is mine.  I'm
                        gonna share it with you.

                                       SILK
                             (ruefully)
                        Well, I sure do appreciate the
                        generosity.

     Grins and low chuckles.  The ice is broken, the atmosphere is relaxed 
     now as the truck bounces along the road.

     Another black soldier, COLLINS, speaks up now...

                                       COLLINS
                        Say, anybody here know if we winning
                        or losing this war?

     OUTSIDE THE FARMHOUSE

     American guns are thundering from the ridge, hurling shells into the 
     woods to the north as GENERAL DUGAN, COLONEL CRONKITE, AND MAJOR 
     PRITCHARD face a semicircle of WAR CORRESPONDENTS and PHOTOGRAPHERS
     from Life and Look, all wearing fatigues and helmets...

                                       DUGAN
                        You will hear a lot from the Germans
                        about "will" and (pardon my French)
                        all that kind of shit.  Well, lemme
                        tell you fellas something about
                        "will."  The Germans counterattacked
                        down there, they overwhelmed our boys,
                        outnumbered 'em, outgunned 'em, cost
                        them seventy, eighty per cent
                        casualties.
                        They opened the pass and started
                        marching through with an armored
                        column, a couple of rifle companies,
                        air support, heavy artillery barrages,
                        and there wasn't anything we could do
                        about it.  All our fire power at that
                        time was committed east of here, we
                        were spread too thin to hold the pass.
                        But Major Pritchard here and his very
                        brave men decided they were gonna hold
                        anyway and they were gonna test their
                        will against some Nazzey steel.
                             (a beat)
                        And you don't see any nazzies on this
                        side of the pass, do you?

     Flashbulbs pop as PRITCHARD beams modestly and we...

                                                           CUT TO

     WOODED SLOPE/THE PASS

     As they make their weary way along the slope, carrying WILDMAN between 
     them in a poncho, STEELE and ROCK soberly consider the pass far below 
     where scorched and blackened Panzers, immobile and still smoking,
     attest to the fury of American air power.

     STEELE shakes his head at the sight.

                                       STEELE
                        Daaaaamn!  We fight an' fight, day an'
                        night, couple weeks right on the
                        line...an' we doan do half the damage
                        them flyboys do in five minutes.

                                       ROCK
                        Yeah, that's how it is in love and
                        war.

                                       STEELE
                        Ain't it true.  But I will say, when
                        I come over here to sunny Italy an'
                        I seen those nazzies, I about shit in
                        my pants.  I says to myself, "Big
                        Willie, you gonna get killed bad.
                        Those nazzies are soldiers, they
                        raised to kill, they be fighting
                        machines!  Your boys ain't nothin' but
                        farm boys and grocery clerks, you
                        ain't but a damn truckdriver your
                        ownself."  Probably the same with you,
                        huh, Rock?  What you do?

                                       ROCK
                        Ironworker.

                                       STEELE
                        An' your boys be postmen an'
                        cabdrivers an' delivery boys an'
                        plumbers an' carpenters.

                                       ROCK
                        The Wildman here's a piano teacher.

                                       STEELE
                        A piano teacher!  Well, that's what
                        I mean, I figured those nazzies was
                        real soldiers, I figured they was
                        gonna fight real good...and I wasn't
                        wrong, was I?

                                       ROCK
                        Nope.

                                       STEELE
                        What I didn't know then was how good
                        a buncha farm boys an' ironworkers an'
                        such could fight.

     ROCK isn't listening.  He's seen something on the next ridge where
     smoke is blowing from a big gun.

     Silhouetted in the smoke is a LONE FIGURE heading north into enemy 
     territory, his torso draped with plasma bottles, a red cross on his
     arm.  His helmet is cocked back on his head and backlight shines
     through the shock of red hair spilling onto his forehead.

     Almost immediately he's lost in the smoke.

     ROCK keeps moving forward without taking his eyes off the spot where 
     O'HARA disappeared as STEELE continues...

                                       STEELE
                        I mean, if I was a nazzey an' I hadda
                        go up against my men or your men, I'd
                        be scared, you know?

                                       ROCK
                        Yeah.

     ROCK'S attention is on the ridge.

     The smoke clears...but O'HARA is gone.

     BOOOOOM!  The big gun thunders again, belching smoke, hurling furious 
     steel north at the German positions.

                                       STEELE
                        You think we gonna win it, Rock?



                            BEGIN CLOSING CREDITS