Fixed Bayonets!

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Hey, did you hear

what happened?

The general went up in the line companies.

A shell got his jeep.

He's in the C.P.

getting patched up.

I had a general like that in the last war,

General McNair. Remember him?

Got hit in Africa

and killed in France.

Top brass is supposed to

use their brains.

They got too much responsibility taking

chances getting their tails shot off.

When you've been in this outfit

a little longer, Buster...

you'll find out it takes more

than brains to be a general.

You got to have

the guts to lead.

- Hello, General.

- Helpyourself.

- Hi, General.

- Hello, Colonel.

What happened to

the 16th Infantry?

The line was out, sir. Finally made contact.

Colonel Taylor will be here any minute.

What kind of shape

is the 18th in?

We're understrength, sir.

Morale's high, but the ammo's low.

Twenty-sixth?

We're chewed up too, sir.

Danger Forward.

General Allen, sir.

Yes, sir.

This is Danger 6.

Soon as Colonel Taylor gets

here, we're in business, sir.

Yes, sir.

They're getting jumpy back at army.

- Hello, Taylor. - Hello, General.

Got pinned down on the road.

- Sniper got my driver.

- Bad?

Dead.

How's the arm, sir?

Still on.

All right, we've been

ordered to withdraw.

The boys upstairs want the whole division

pulled back right away.

What do you think our chances

are of ever getting back to this area?

It'll be rough, sir.

It means getting across this river.

There's a bridge right there at

that point. It's the only exit open.

Then we got to get to that bridge, cross

it and blow it up to give us a breather.

Once we're reinforced, we'll come back and

hit 'em like they've never been hit before.

John, how's the enemy

picture look?

Very strong, General.

If I were the enemy...

and became aware of your withdrawal from

here to there, I'd start a full-scale attack.

The Reds have got

two armored divisions here...

a field division here and elements

of a regiment behind this hill.

Now, once we start moving

along this road to the river...

the Reds are going to form an iron triangle

that'll trap us and smash us in the gut...

unless they didn't know

we were withdrawing.

Well, in that case...

we'll have to withdraw without the Reds

knowing about it.

You should be evacuated, sir.

You're liable to lose your arm.

I'm more worried about losing my division.

Now clean it, dress it, tape it and forget it.

Will you hold that, sir?

There's only one way we can pull this off.

That's rearguard action.

We'll have to put up a front

and fool them.

We'll have to make them think

our rearguard is not a delaying action...

but a forward outpost

to this division's bivouac.

General, the spot is there.

Now, I looked over this terrain yesterday.

The hills are steep

on both sides of this pass...

and the road narrows down so that

only one tank at a time can get through.

All right, if we move down

that road, around that bend...

and set up a roadblock

right here at Bayonet Pass...

we stand a chance.

I suggest we leave

a full regiment to hold the pass...

so the enemy won't suspect that

we're pulling back the division.

Yes, but what happens to the regiment

after the division is across the river?

That might be just as costly for a regi ment

to try to pull back as a division.

We can do it with

a battalion or a company.

It should be a small, specially selected

unit of platoon strength.

Forty-eight of our toughest,

most experienced combat men.

It would mean sacrificing

less men in a gamble...

and an easier withdrawal

for the group if successful.

In other words,

what you're saying is...

if we can make a platoon sound

and look like a regiment, it'll work.

Yes, sir.

Well, that's it. Order the division

to move out right away.

Get me the threes-

Dagwood, Decoy and Dextrose.

Chuck?

This is Vic. Hold on.

Pete? Hold on.

We're waiting for Dagwood.

Carl? Vic.

We're pulling out right away.

Dagwood line of departure-

3-9-5-2-3-7.

Decoy- 4-9-8-3-2-8.

Dextrose- 6-2-7-3-8-4.

Yep. They're here now.

Nope. No time.

Get them on the road.

Somebody's got to get left behind

to get their bayonets wet.

It's tough picking out an outfit,

but it's got to be picked.

- Colonel Taylor.

- Sir?

Pick a platoon

out of your regiment.

I know there's nothing dirtier

than a rearguard action...

especially at

platoon strength.

But in this case, it's 48 men-

unlucky men, maybe-

giving 15,000 men a break.

- Get going.

- Yes, sir.

All right, let me know

if you need any more ammo.

Cover that gun.

Dig those mines in deep.

Charlie, plant a.50 over there.

To your right!

What I don't understand

is why we're on a patrol.

I know the enemy is here. I don't need

any proof. I ain't from Missouri.

- You're from Missouri?

- Ramirez, you don't know

what's going on half the time.

And right now, I don't know what's

going on all the time. Hey, Denno.

The sarge likes you.

Fix it up for us to go back to the pass and help

the platoon throw up the roadblock, huh?

We got to use our heads and make

these Reds think regiment's behind us.

They won't fall

for that kind of mishmash.

Hey, Rock, what if they find out

that the regiment ain't sitting behind us?

What if they hit us with a lot of guys?

Who's going to hold them back, the platoon?

They ain't gonna hit us

with a lot of guys.

They're gonna smell us out first,

try and find out our strength.

We'll run into some small patrols.

Maybe one joker, maybe two, maybe three.

But whatever happens,

we don't want them to find out...

we're just a small rearguard

holding a delaying action.

- Rearguard? That's us?

- Yep.

What is this rearguard?

The object of the rearguard is to

check enemy pursuit and harassment...

and thus allow the main body

to retire unmolested.

- Hey, what did he say?

- He said rearguard.

That how you got those two stripes,

Denno, memorizing the book?

All right, you guys,

knock it off..

Remember, the man on his belly

out here looks like snow.

A man standing up

looks like a man.

Easy.

The minute they spot us, they'll hit us and run.

They won't take any chances hanging around.

We got to make a lot of noise.

We got to sound like a regiment.

Hey, look what I found-

dry socks.

I smell more people,

real close.

Fix bayonets.

You heard the man.

Fix your knife.

Okay, you guys,

spread out and dig for money.

If you don't see anything,

shoot anyway.

Denno, that'll be

your hole. Dig.

A little to the right.

Hold on. Not yet.

That's it. You've got him

balled in the center.

Squeeze the trigger.

Take up the slack.

You've gotta shoot him.

Now, Denno. In the head.

Shoot, Denno.

Shoot him. Shoot.

Why can't I kill a man? What's the matter

with me? Why do I freeze at a single target?

I can fire at a lot of them. I can do

anything the rest of the platoon can do.

I'm not chicken.

I've got plenty of guts.

But why can't I shoot a man?

What's wrong with me?

I've got to shoot him.

Squeeze, Denno, squeeze.

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