The Bridge at Remagen Page #4

Commandeer every able-bodied soldier.

Commandeer?

What about our reinforcements?

- They were sent elsewhere.

- Von Brock promised...

They were sent elsewhere.

- And the explosives?

- I gave you an order.

Yes, Herr Major.

(phone rings)

Ja?

Herr Major, the explosives have arrived.

We are placing the charges.

- Have you enough men?

- Yes, Herr Major.

Good.

- The explosives?

- They are here.

Thank God.

Herr Hauptmann!

Sergeant, double the amount.

Crucial points only.

- Double amount. Crucial points only.

- (artillery fire)

Are you ready, Corporal?

- All ready, Herr Major.

- Get machine guns. Man those towers.

- Yes, Herr Major.

- You.

The white flags are out, Herr Holzgang.

Anything else?

Yes. Pray.

Come, into the cellar.

Greta, come on!

Come on, quickly.

- Column of twos. Get 'em outta here.

- Grebs! Jellicoe!

(shouting)

Come on, move.

Come on.

Come on. You can rob him later.

Come on, damn it. Move.

Line up over here.

You, come here.

Surrender, huh? Surrender.

Please, we are unarmed civilians.

We have done nothing.

Who was the boy upstairs

who killed one of my men?

- Your hotel covered with surrender flags.

- Who was that boy? Who was he?

- Rudi. Where is he?

- He's dead.

- I ordered him not to resist.

- You're a dirty, lyin' bastard.

If you ordered him not to resist,

how come he resisted?

But how could I stop him?

They were trained to kill.

Hitler made animals of them.

So you hate Hitler, huh?

A tragedy for Germany.

But we were helpless.

I hate this terrible war.

I'm a man of peace.

I'm an innkeeper.

Good. When they blow the bridge,

my men'll be back,

and they're used to the very best.

Anything you wish.

We will cooperate in every way.

Listen, if you're so anxious to show us

how much you hate this terrible war...

Come here. Come here.

Come here.

Yes, sir.

File this among your souvenirs.

Come on.

Blow the approach to the bridge,

Herr Major!

Enemy tanks are at the river.

(explosions)

(train whistle)

Keep the bridge open!

The munitions train is coming across.

Five minutes, Herr Major.

Give me five minutes.

We don't have one minute.

Prepare to fire the ramp charge.

- Wait!

- Fire!

Everyone to the tunnel.

Get into the tunnel.

Good to see you, sir. I think

you've arrived just in time for the kill.

- Tell the tanks to cease fire!

- Sir?

Stop all artillery.

Tell 'em to hit the far side with smoke.

Yes, sir.

Barnes, where's your lead unit?

They're right on the bridge approach, sir.

We're not gonna blow that bridge, Barnes.

We're gonna take it.

Take it?

As long as it's still standing, we've got

a chance. Cut every wire and cable.

Dent, alert HQ. Ask them to give us

every available unit on the double.

I'd hate to think of our men in the middle

of the bridge when they blow it.

It's a crapshoot, Major.

Take that bridge and we shorten the war.

We're risking 100 men,

but we may save 10,000, even 50,000.

It's your chance to make history, Major.

What you've gotta do is throw

your men across. Now, Major.

Yes, sir.

(machine-gun fire)

Give the order, Schmidt.

If you are afraid to act, I am not.

Prepare to fire.

No! Wait!

I think he's hurt.

Blow, you son of a b*tch. Blow!

Relax. 20 minutes from now there ain't

gonna be nothing out there but water.

- How about 15?

- How about 30?

Now, now, boys.

This here calls for a pool.

What do you say?

Ten bucks each, winner takes all.

- You're on.

- Name it.

- 30 minutes.

- 30.

I'll take a piece of that action

at 20 minutes.

Hartman, I gotta talk to you.

There's been a change of signals.

Well, get down here.

- Yes, sir?

- We gotta take the bridge.

- Who says?

- Shinner.

- He's crazy. They're gonna blow it.

- No, not if we rush it, cut all the cables.

Let 'em blow it.

That's not a bridge - it's a deathtrap.

We are wasting time, Hartman.

I got time to waste.

What makes that bridge

so goddamn valuable?

- If we take it, maybe it'll shorten the war.

- Maybe?

Dying's a lot more definite than that.

So I've heard. Now, would you move it,

get your men out there.

Why don't you "maybe" boys

take on some of the dirty chores?

Why don't you take us across, Barnes?

Because I'm orderin' you!

Now, get going.

Hartman, that is an order.

Move.

(c*cks rifle)

That's a court martial for you, Sergeant.

You're dead.

You goddamn idiot. Do you think

we ever had any choice? Come on.

- Come on.

- No!

You want me, you know where to find me.

Come on! Come on, let's go. Come on.

(whine of bomb)

We're not giving them enough cover!

Hit the bridge with more smoke!

16th Field Artillery.

More smoke, more smoke!

Hold your fire!

Give the order, Herr Major!

For God's sake, give the order to blow!

We are about to explode the bridge.

I want everyone to lie down,

open your mouths and cover your ears.

Cease fire!

Take cover!

Fire!

Fire!

The cable is broken.

A shell hit.

The emergency charge. At once!

- Send a man to light the fuse.

- If he can get to it.

- Where is it?

- I can show him, Herr Major.

Well, keep to the right side of the bridge.

Give covering fire to the left!

Fire only to the left!

They're blowing the bridge!

Get outta there!

Somebody lit the fuse! It's gonna blow!

Come on. Come on!

Get outta here! Come on!

Come on!

Angel.

Come on! Come on, get back!

It's gonna blow!

Come on, back!

We're alive.

They blew it, and we're alive.

Jesus loves me.

The army promised us

first-grade military explosives.

Look. Donarit -

cheap industrial explosives.

Get me General von Brock

at headquarters.

It's these damned Poles.

We should kill them all.

Herr Leutnant,

I must give you one more order.

Get to General von Brock at any cost.

Tell him to bomb the bridge at once,

and send reinforcements before morning.

- Otherwise...

- Yes, Herr Major.

He'll never get through.

Move forward!

Spread out! Keep moving!

It's not much of a bridgehead. Don't

you think we oughta spread out a little?

With what? We don't even have

enough men to hold what we've got.

- We'd better do something.

- Sure.

Sit here and pray Barnes

sends help across in a hurry.

Medic!

We'll never fill up this goddamn hole.

Like hell we won't.

I'll put tanks across here by morning.

- They're back on the river.

- Must be the barge.

You stay here, Pattison.

You're in charge of the bridgehead.

- Where we goin'?

- You stay with him, Grebs.

What now?

Move out there and attack.

The Americans will have tanks

across the bridge before daylight.

It's a farce! Where are the bombers?

Our reinforcements?

The most important place in Germany,

and what do we have to fight with?

Old men, riffraff,

the sweepings from the road.

And you, Baumann,

will you fight as hard as you talk?

You will find out when we attack.

Tell Captain Schmidt

to assemble the men.

Hartman!

Hartman!

Hartman!

- Schmidt. Where are the others?

- Gone, Herr Major.

- Where?

- God knows.

Tell the truth. They ran away,

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