Fury Page #9

The Baker Company Soldiers move between the foxholes,

finishing off the Germans --Bayonetting, machine gunning,

hacking with shovels.

SERGEANT MILES:

First Platoon get this trash policed up!

Second Platoon pass through and dig in

along that ditch. I want an outpost on

that hill.

Gordo unplugs and opens his hatch. Coon-Ass and Bible join

Wardaddy in the turret to watch the clean-up.

The firing slackens. And stops. Just the occasional burst

from a machine gun. Gordo, Coon-Ass and Bible climb off the

Fury. Other tankers emerge from their steel wombs. Wardaddy

sees the packs on Love 1-4 are smoldering.

WARDADDY:

One-Four. You better take care of that

fire.

The TANKERS of Love 1-4 douse their burning packs with fire

extinguishers. Then cut them off.

Wardaddy looks behind them and SEES the pinned Platoon from

Baker Company rise to their feet like ghosts. These are the

men the tanks have just rescued. There is no celebration.

(CONTINUED)

Pink Revision - 30th Oct 37.

37 CONTINUED:
37

No back slapping. They know that only more hard fighting

awaits them.

WARDADDY (CONT’D)

Love One-Six for Baker Six. We cleared

out the machine guns and the anti-tank.

You're fine to roll up your vehicles.

CAPTAIN WAGGONER (V.O.)

Baker Six copies. We're gonna catch up

and then we'll push into town.

WARDADDY:

Love One-Six copies.

The Soldiers search the dead. Taking watches and rings.

Anything of value. 2nd Platoon (the soldiers that Wardaddy

just rescued) stand and move forward to establish a new

defensive line. Some don't get up. MEDICS search for

injured among the dead.

POW! -- A Soldier finishes off a wounded German -- The

German's body is missing from the waist down.

Wardaddy slips inside the Fury...

A37 INT. FURY - DAY A37

Wardaddy pulls off his gloves. Rubs his forehead. Drained.

Combat shakes him up more than he would ever let anyone know.

He SEES Norman still in his seat. Shoulders hunched.

Broken. Wardaddy grabs the turret slew grip. Turns the

turret to bring him nearly face to face with Norman.

WARDADDY:

I had the best Assistant Driver in the

entire Ninth Army in that seat. Now I

got you. I promised my crew a long time

ago I'd keep them alive. You're getting

in the way of that. It ain't like the

newsreels up front.

NORMAN:

I'm sorry. Okay? I'm trained to type 60

words a minute, not machine gun dead

bodies. I'm trying my best. Maybe

you've never been scared, but I'm so damn

scared I can't breathe. I got three

hours in a tank. Three. How many do you

got?

Backtalk!? From this peachfuzzy teenager? Wardaddy is

incredulous. He could really hurt this kid. Instead he

climbs out of the Fury.

B37 EXT. BEET FIELD - GERMAN FOXHOLES - DAY B37

A feral, dirt-shiny redneck, SGT. DILLARD, hauls a middle-

aged GERMAN CORPORAL out of a foxhole.

(CONTINUED)

Pink Revision - 30th Oct 38.

B37 CONTINUED:
B37

SERGEANT DILLARD

Hey lookit here we got a live one. Get

the f*** outta there.

The man is terrified. The last German alive -- He's

surrounded by a dozen pissed off American troops. Eyes

burning with fever and exhaustion from Dark unshaven faces.

Dillard grabs the collar of the AMERICAN RAINCOAT the German

wears. A cardinal sin...

SERGEANT DILLARD (CONT’D)

Where'd you get that coat, boy?

Sergeant Miles makes a throat cutting motion. Sgt. Dillard

about to shoot the German Corporal...

Norman opens his hatch. Wardaddy gets a dark idea...

WARDADDY:

Hang on.

Wardaddy turns to Norman. Makes the "come here" gesture with

his finger.

Norman exits the Fury. Wardaddy grabs him by the neck and

frogmarches him over to the German Corporal. Who has

pictures of his wife and kids in his hand...

GERMAN CORPORAL:

Meine kinder! Meine frau!

WARDADDY:

Halt die Fresse!

Wardaddy slaps the pictures from the man's hands. He pulls

the .45 from his shoulder holster and hands it to Norman.

Wardaddy spins the prisoner and kicks him to the dirt.

Norman looking at the big pistol.

Bible, Gordo and Coon-Ass join the circle of soldiers to

watch.

WARDADDY (CONT’D)

You're no goddamned good to me if you

can't kill Krauts. Put a big fat hole in

his back.

There is simply no way Norman can shoot this sobbing father

in the back. He looks at Wardaddy with defiance...

NORMAN:

No. I'm not doing it.

WARDADDY:

Why the hell not?

NORMAN:

It's not right.

He hands the pistol back. Wardaddy looks like he's going to

hit Norman with it. Instead he holsters it. And walks away.

(CONTINUED)

Pink Revision - 30th Oct 39.

B37 CONTINUED:
(2) B37

Then Wardaddy pauses -- Thinks to himself: "F*** this, I'm

winning this round." He strides back to Norman, shoves him

to his knees and holds his revolver to Norman's head.

WARDADDY:

We ain't here for right and wrong. We're

here to kill these people.

More Soldiers gather to watch --This is getting interesting.

Wardaddy c*cks the hammer...

WARDADDY (CONT’D)

You or him. Your pick. You or him.

NORMAN:

Do it. Kill me.

Norman has called his bluff. Enraged, Wardaddy forces the

gun into Norman's hand --Then wrestles the pistol against

the German Corporal's back. Who is falling apart sobbing...

GERMAN CORPORAL:

Nicht shiessen! Bitte! Nicht shiessen!

Wardaddy crams Norman's finger into the trigger guard and

mashes it against the trigger...

BAM! -- The pistol fires into the German's spine. Killing

him instantly. Norman sags in defeated horror. Wardaddy

holsters his pistol. And walks away. Leaving Norman on his

knees in the mud.

A HUGE DIRTY SOLDIER steps in and rolls the dead German

Corporal over -- He takes his watch and wedding ring. Bible

walks over to Norman. He helps the kid up.

BIBLE:

C'mon.

C37 EXT. BEET FIELD - GERMAN FOXHOLES - DAY C37

At the Fury. Minutes later. Coon-Ass hands Norman a hot cup

of coffee. Norman accepts it gratefully. Gordo and Bible

are with him. Wardaddy by himself smoking a cigarette.

Maybe feeling a little guilty.

NORMAN:

That was a sh*t show. Was that supposed

to make a man out of me? My conscience

is clean. I'm keeping it that way.

The Fury crew trades looks. They've all been there. Gordo

puts a brotherly arm around Norman.

GORDO:

Don's crazy as a shithouse rat. But he's

solid. We've been together since before

Africa. I won't fight with nobody else.

(CONTINUED)

Pink Revision - 30th Oct 40.

C37 CONTINUED:
C37

NORMAN:

He's the biggest a**hole I ever met, and

I've met a couple.

BIBLE:

Ain't no crew stayed together like we

have. And it's cause of him. Look, you

did alright. You spotted that 75 when no

one else did.

A kind word -- Norman needed it. The crew is starting to

accept him.

COON-ASS

First time we got shot at in North Africa

Don sh*t his drawers. Stunk the tank up

real good.

Norman looks at Wardaddy. Unable to imagine him ever afraid.

38 EXT. ROAD INTO TOWN - DAY 38

Wardaddy's four tanks lead the men and vehicles of Baker

Company to their next objective. Infantry Soldiers ride on

the tanks, ten or more on each. They are followed by several

HALF-TRACKS.

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