Cast a Giant Shadow Page #7

---

"... is proud to be the first nation|to recognize the new State of Israel...

"... and welcomes you. "

Did you just hear that?

What's happened to our state department?

Somebody must have given the|White House their phone number.

And now, God help them...

...'cause that's all|the help they'll get from us.

Stop! How about some wine?

Here you are.

Come and get it! Wait a minute.

I'm getting off here to see a friend.

Don't leave me here! I'm anti-Semitic!

Propaganda!

Okay, let me out.

Magda!

Over here!

Mickey!

I heard you were here,|but you're so important now...

...you have only time for cabinet ministers.|Maybe if I get elected...

What are you crying about now?

You came back.

It's only supposed to make|the Arabs unhappy.

I thought all us cowards|would stick together.

You hate me. I was so stupid.

Magda, tonight I love the whole world.

Mickey, I waited so long.|I hoped... I didn't know...

Now, the Egyptian army's|pouring tanks across the desert.

The armies of five other Arab|nations have crossed our borders...

...from four different directions.

We have no tanks, no artillery and|almost no air force to stop them.

We're getting arms soon.

Somehow, for one week,|you must hold them.

Hold them? What are you talking about?

You've all got to stop|thinking like losers. Attack!

Surprise and bluff|are your major weapons.

Attack tanks with what? Noodle soup?

I've been working over that new shipment|of jeeps that came in and I've...

- Jeeps with no antitank weapons.|- We'll improvise!

We'll fix them up with|machine guns, armor plate...

...and there are four antiaircraft guns|nobody knows we have.

But how would you use them?

We're mounting them on half-tracks|so they can fire straight ahead.

In Jerusalem?

Jerusalem?

The city is almost isolated.|You can't hold it.

We should evacuate everyone.

It'll cost us 10 times as much|to hold the city as it's worth.

How much is Jerusalem worth, Asher?

What did it close at|on Wall street today?

What's the market price of a|100-foot frontage on Solomon's temple?

Not much, with the|desert full of tanks...

...while you waste your arms|defending the impossible.

There will be arms for the desert|and arms for Jerusalem!

- Like if you believe in miracles.|- You came back, didn't you?

You and Stone|take the jeeps into the Negev...

...and see what can be done at|night to stop the Egyptian tanks.

You and Ram will move your best|units to the road to Jerusalem.

Find out what it'll take to|break through to the city.

You'll all report to me|on what we have to do...

...and Asher will explain to us|why it cannot be done...

...and then we will do it.

We'll make camp.

We'll sleep here during daylight|and move on after dark.

David!

What's up?

They've picked up Egyptian tank radio.

They don't know, so they're talking freely.

- Well?|- They've moved fast.

A column is heading north to|knock out the Har Safid Kibbutz.

What do they have at Har Safid?

Your old friend Yussuf|with 20 men of the Palmach.

- What else?|- Wire, slit trenches, Molotov cocktails...

...children.

- Radio?|- No communications at all.

- They made a hit without warning.|- How long will it take us to reach them?

Too long. It'll be broad daylight.|The plan was only for night assault.

I'm just an adviser.

Then advise.

You've got no choice.|Hit those tanks with everything.

- Risk the entire force?|- They don't know that. Go for broke.

This has gotta be the biggest bluff|since the invention of falsies.

If we're wiped out,|they'll be in Tel Aviv by Saturday.

If you don't, they'll be there for Friday supper| and they won't even light a candle for you.

This is the only mobile force|in the entire Negev.

There's a mountain over there|called "Masada"?

Masada.

It was the last stronghold of|our revolt against the Romans.

I know. And they had an adviser, too.

After they held out for three years|he advised them to give up.

They didn't have a chance, so 960 of them|committed suicide on top of that mountain.

That's right.

- And you guys are proud of it?|- Of course!

What do you want?

An eloquent philosophical speech|and then you all go and cut your throats?

David, attack!

There have been enough|Masadas in this country.

- The whole air force is at Jerusalem.|- All three planes?

Yes, all they can spare is one Piper Cub.

No pilot, no bomb racks, no bombs.

Tell them to drop anything they can find.|Anything that makes a noise.

Vince told me of a run he made over|New Guinea with half-empty pop bottles.

- What?|- Yeah!

They burst on impact.|Make a hell of an explosion.

Now, don't tell me|they don't have seltzer in Tel Aviv?

- They think we're crazy.|- Good.

Right, now we're|going to split into two columns...

...and attack from opposite directions.

I have orders not to allow you|into combat...

...but will you advise one column?

I was afraid you weren't going to ask.

Mickey.

I've never faced tanks|before. Neither have my men.

David, that's all right. The|Egyptians have never faced seltzer.

You! Change partners!

There's a war on! Come on!

Come on.

What's this for?

A trick we learned from|the Stukas in the other war.

It's like a whistle.|It screams on the way down.

That's great. That'll make two of us.

Put that on the seat there, son.

Where can I get a bet|down on the other side?

Let's run for it. Get|those tanks to chase us.

They're coming along.

I called you back from the desert...

...because things are not going well.

The Egyptian tanks have been stopped.|You've got Jaffa, Haifa, Acre.

Don't worry. Things aren't so bad.

Mickey, there's been a disaster.|Terrible disaster.

The Arab Legion has moved|into the fortress of Latrun...

...and cut the only supply road|to Jerusalem.

The Arab Legion?

Our boys tried to break through yesterday|and were slaughtered like cattle.

The wheat fields|are irrigated with their blood.

That's a real defense minister speech.|Now, what happened?

Hardly any artillery, not enough men...

...but most important,|no centralized leadership.

You're right. We have no high command.|We have a committee.

You know about the cease-fire?

The United Nations requested|a general truce...

...effective the morning of June 11.

Did you accept it?

We don't want to see any|more bloodshed on either side.

I bet the Arabs have accepted.

They know you can't break|through to Jerusalem in that time.

When the cease-fire comes,|the lines will be frozen.

The city will have to surrender|or be starved to death.

We have two weeks.

- Less.|- But we've been over all this.

What the hell's so important|about Jerusalem, militarily?

Half the city's already fallen.

It doesn't make sense to risk everything|you've got to save the other half.

Did it make sense for a fellow|with a job building pyramids...

...to march his friends into the Red Sea?

Mickey, Jerusalem is starving.

Three pieces of bread a week for|the children, almost no water.

Jerusalem was destroyed|once by Nebuchadnezzar...

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes