A Bridge Too Far Page #5

want to destroy my bridges?

Come, Ludwig.

We'll have dinner.

Dinner?

But what about these plans?

These plans?

They are false.

Just a trick.

We were supposed to find them.

White wine or red?

We're still getting nothing from Colonel

Frost's battalion on the river road.

- Thank you, Cole.

- Dog-Charlie-Fox. Over.

Let's hope Johnny's meeting

less resistance than we are.

- We must break through to the bridge.

- We're completely blocked ahead of us.

There's a good deal more resistance

than we've been led to expect.

I must see for myself how he's doing.

All right, Cole.

- What is their strength?

- I can't estimate yet.

Some Dutch Underground people were here

earlier trying to explain the situation.

I'm not sure how much they know.

Stretcher bearer, bring that stretcher

over here to these men!

- What about Brown?

- They've both had it.

Christ Almighty!

They've gone round behind us.

I think it might be safer

if you spent the night with us.

- I've got to get back to H. Q.

- Yes, but alive, sir.

If we can reach them,

there are some houses in that direction.

We can get ourselves organized

and try and find out what's happening.

Pull him out!

- Right.

- Sergeant Major.

Come on, lads.

Get a move on.

- Something just occurred to me.

- What's that, sir?

We're wearing the wrong camouflage.

It's all very well for the country,

but we won't fool anyone in the towns.

Come on.

I'm awfully sorry, but I'm afraid we're

going to have to occupy your house.

- All right, chaps, we're in here.

- The house on the other side.

- Section Two, over here.

- Dick.

Now, take your men,

occupy that house across the road.

Make sure you can cover the bridge

from your side.

Sergeant, follow me.

Hello, Dog-Charlie-Fox.

Rip down those curtains,

pile this furniture against the window.

We've reached our objective.

What is your position? Over.

There's nothing.

I can't contact Brigade

at all, sir.

Tried the other battalions?

Any luck?

Keep trying.

- Order them out.

- Please, Mother.

- This is my house.

- Perhaps by tomorrow.

Tomorrow?

Yes, Mother.

Shall we have a go

at the far end now, sir?

"Having a go" is hardly

textbook terminology, Harry.

But you'll let us try, sir?

Down! Take cover!

Cover fire! Quick!

Smoke!

Come on, lads!

Come on. Keep going.

Give us a hand.

Roll back!

Hurry.

- Are you all right?

- Yes, I'm fine.

We'll deal with them later...

when it gets dark.

- Made it so far, Doddsie?

- Aye.

Better hit that slit first time.

Hey, Corp, I said you'd better

hit that slit first time or...

I heard you, boyo.

Oh, great.

After you, Corp.

Come on.

Let's get on with it.

Now!

Now we're in trouble.

You bloody missed it!

You knocked my arm,

you clumsy bastard.

Now we'll never get out of here.

We've hit an ammunition dump,

a bloody ammo dump. Sh*t!

Fool's courage.

She says you are much too noisy.

She does realize there is something

of a war going on, doesn't she?

She has never liked noise.

She hates it.

They're coming.

Excuse me.

Many of them?

Can't tell, sir.

We can only hear them at the moment.

Hold your fire!

Hold your fire!

Fire!

Command. Wait for the command.

Over there with it.

Look after that man.

Open fire! Fire!

Keep firing. Come on.

Cease firing.

Sorry, ma'am.

Try and rustle up

some more bandages, will you?

Lad, you'll be all right.

See you later.

Get him patched up, Doc.

I'm terribly sorry about all this.

- Wicks.

- Sir.

Right, off you go.

Get that bloody stretcher inside!

All right. Here we go.

Good morning. Mr. Cornish

is straight through there.

Right. Thank you.

Hello, Dick.

It's all right. Sit down.

- You all right?

- Fine. It's only a flesh wound.

- How are things?

- Not too bad, sir.

What is bad is this.

- Careful.

- Sorry.

We hold the north end of the bridge.

The Germans hold the south.

But now they probably control

most of the town...

including the church tower.

What you're saying is

that we're surrounded.

Yes, something like that.

- What else?

- Sir.

I was a bit surprised to find

Bittrich's panzer troops here, sir.

Yes, well, surely you didn't believe

all that nonsense they told us.

I mean, about the enemy being

made up of old men, children.

We'll have to risk it.

It's halfway through the morning,

and things aren't getting any better.

- Sergeant, how is it?

- Sir.

We can't clear the streets.

Enemy strength keeps increasing. It's

impossible to get through to the bridge.

Thanks, Sergeant.

It's imperative I get back to H. Q.

before the situation gets out of hand.

If it's all right with you, Cleminson

and I will come part of the way.

- All right, Jimmy?

- Let's move.

End house,

bottom window, sir.

Cleminson, get over here.

Hang on, Gerald.

In here. Come on.

Can't you move your legs?

Must be the spine.

Can you help us?

- How?

- Don't you know a doctor nearby?

We can take him to the hospital.

You go. He will be fine.

Go, sir.

You go.

Go up.

They're certainly at the back.

What's it like at the front?

We're surrounded.

Yes. Quite.

I was rather expecting to see you

again, General Sosabowski.

Do please sit down.

The Polish drop has been cancelled

again. I would like an explanation.

Well, I expect the fog has

a certain amount to do with it.

I'm told there are aircraft flying

Explain to me why my men and equipment

cannot be moved from here to there...

and then fly to Arnhem.

That's a very reasonable question.

I don't want to bother you with

a lot of meteorological mumbo jumbo...

but the fact is, you see,

whether we like it or not...

fog... it moves.

Of course it moves. Where?

That's very difficult

to say, General.

It's very slippery stuff, fog.

You think you've got it,

then it reverses itself...

and leaves you behind.

Won't you please sit down?

What I'm trying to say, General...

is even if we move your troops

the 50 miles...

I grant you,

now the sun is shining...

the chances are that

by the time we get there...

the fog could quite easily

have preceded us.

- So we simply have to wait.

- And do nothing.

I think that puts it rather well.

Hey, you! You Vandeleur?

- Yeah.

- I'm Bobby Stout.

How do you do?

Hell of a day, huh?

Look at 'em... wild.

Have you ever been liberated?

- I got divorced twice. Does that count?

- Yes, that counts.

Hey, that Bailey crap.

You got it amongst this stuff?

When you refer to Bailey crap...

I take it you mean that glorious

precision-made British-built bridge...

which is the envy

of the civilized world.

- Yeah.

- The trucks are down there somewhere.

But how you're going to get them

through this crowd, I don't know.

No problem. I got a side road

pegged out that'll avoid all this.

- American ingenuity.

- Oh, really?

Actually I was born in Yugoslavia,

but what the hell.

Yes.

Okay, I'll take it, sir.

- Where the hell have you been?

- With some Dutch friends at Nijmegen.

Look. This is why

we can't take the bridge.

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