The Young Lions Page #9

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Look, when you get through the Germans...

Well, I wish I could tell you

where our lines are.

But... don't expose yourself

till it's absolutely necessary.

- You don't wanna get shot by your own men.

- (gunfiire)

Somebody better go now.

- All right.

- Yeah.

I'll go too.

Ohhh!

What's... what's the matter?

lt's all right. lt's all right.

OK?

(gunfiire)

- What you doin'?

- What do you mean? Get your stuff off.

- Not me. I can't swim.

- Well I can't swim either.

- lt can't be too deep.

- There's Krauts all around us.

- We'll sit here and wait for 'em.

- Those are our guys across there.

The minute we hit that water,

they'll spray us like sittin' ducks.

- Shut up and get outta your gear.

- I'm takin' off nothin'.

- You can't stay...

- I don't know what you're doin',

but I'm not doin' it with you.

You're nuts. I can't swim!

- Shut up!

- Get outta here.

- I'm ready.

- Let's go. I'll go first.

lt's gettin' deep.

Wait... wait a second. Wait a second.

Just dog-paddle. Take it easy. OK?

Hold on to me.

Just hold on.

Hey! Not here. Not here.

Hey! Hey! Here.

(gunfiire)

ls it bad?

- No?

- No.

Don't try to move.

- Hey!

- (gunfiire)

Hey, you guys!

Cut it out! Cut it out!

Hey! Will you quit shootin'?!

We're Company C - Charlie Company.

There's only two of us.

And he's wounded.

Gimme a hand!

Gimme a hand, will ya?!

- You got dog tags?

- Sure I got dog tags!

- Your name?

- Ackerman. 3974287.

OK?

All right, keep your shirt on. We're coming.

Take it easy, now. Be careful.

Easy. Easy.

Thanks.

This here's Red Dog Four. Yeah, a couple

of guys from C Company just come up.

Ackerman and, uh...

- Burnecker.

- Burnecker. Burnecker's wounded.

Ackerman ain't got no clothes.

Better get some up here.

Ask him if, uh, Lieutenant Green showed up.

What about Green?

Uh-huh.

Yeah, I got ya.

Yeah, they're all OK. They just barely made it.

How was it out there?

- They're sendin' up some dry clothes for you.

- I found some schnapps. Get you warm.

Hm.

Huh?

Oh, Michael.

How'd you get here?

I have a friend that's a general. I'm pretty big

behind the lines, you know. Put these on.

What's the matter?

They're still, uh... Hey, uh...

Could one of you, uh...

pass the word down the line

to hold fire for, like, ten, fifteen minutes?

What gives?

There's a guy over there

that we left over there.

Vernon, go down the line

and tell those trigger-happy Joes

if they see a derrire in the canal,

it's one of ours.

- Who's out there?

- Cowley.

Oh, Cowley. Good.

- Yeah. Except he can't swim.

- Even better.

Look, you don't owe him anything. Nothing.

No, I don't.

You've just been out there.

There are plenty of other guys.

How about you, son? You look fat and sassy.

Wait a minute. I just got here.

Besides, I'm a coward.

(gunfiire)

(whispers) Cowley?

Cowley?

What do you want?

- Come on, let's go.

- Will you leave me alone?!

Cowley, it's not deep.

Damn you, it's not deep!

The guys are waiting for us. Now come on!

No. No, I'm not goin'.

- OK.

- Wait.

All right, Noah?

(aeroplane)

(gunfiire)

- I'd like to speak with your commandant.

- Ja, Kapitn.

Enter, Kapitn.

- Yes?

- I was wondering if you had some food, sir.

We have no food. We have already

been cleaned out by deserters.

I am not a deserter.

My company has defected, I am without

command, and I have not eaten in two days.

Forgive me, Captain. Sit down,

pour yourself some coffee.

lt's a relief to find someone who still

has some sense of discipline left.

How close are the Americans?

Well, I think they are - I don't know -

five minutes or five hours.

- I'm sorry, that's all that's left.

- Thank you.

Everything is gone.

Colonels and generals... passing by,

snatching the food out of my hands.

Throwing away their uniforms.

Unbelievable. My men are running, too.

This organisation is falling apart

in front of my eyes.

I'm sorry.

Are you hurt?

No.

I can see you had a bad time.

Well, so did I.

I have my wounds, too,

even if you don't see them.

Running a concentration camp is not a picnic.

With all the gas chambers, target ranges,

doctors with their experiments.

I had an extermination quota

of 1500 people a day.

Jews, Poles, Russians, French.

Political prisoners.

And I had only 260 men to do it.

I managed it. Then they sent memorandums,

inspectors - running, shouting.

ln Auschwitz, they kill 20,000 a day.

(phone rings)

I know who it is. lt's Berlin again.

For the fourth time today.

Yes?

Yes.

Very near. A few miles.

I told you. All right, I didn't tell you.

I told whoever it was that called.

I have ten men left.

How can I kill everybody in the camp?

Don't you understand? The equipment

is not working. Nothing is working.

I don't care what they did in Buchenwald!

I am here alone, and I have no personnel left!

You know what this is, this phone call? They

want me to kill every man, woman and child

in the camp before the Americans get here.

And the man who asked me to do this...

this same man will walk the streets, free.

And they will come to him, the Americans,

the Russians, and he will say

''I never heard of concentration camps.''

He will say there never was a national policy

to kill 12 million people - the SS invented it.

Nobody in the government ever heard of it.

I'll be here, trying to explain to the Americans.

You know, the Americans may not

understand what they see here.

They may not know that a German officer -

our kind of officer -

does what he's ordered to do.

Well...

We at least know... what is important.

The courage to stay and face the enemy,

and the honour to be able to say

''I have done my duty for the fatherland.''

What's the matter?

My God...

Captain, this is the mayor of the town

we came through on our way up here.

He says he can send

a gang of civilians in to help us.

As I was telling the sergeant, we have heard

that some of your most important generals

and newspapermen are on the way up here.

I can provide you with my townspeople,

who will help you to clean up this place so...

Yes?

Excuse me.

My name is Joseph Silverson. I am a rabbi.

Yes?

I do not wish to annoy the officer,

but I have a request to make.

Yes, what is it?

Thousands have died here.

More will die tonight, tomorrow.

I'm sorry, Rabbi, we're doing all we can.

Of course. I know that.

There's nothing to be done for them.

Nothing material. We understand that.

All efforts must be for the living.

What I am asking for is a... luxury.

Yes?

I ask to be permitted to collect all of us -

the living and... those without hope -

and hold a religious service. A service for

the dead, who have come to their end here.

There has never been

a religious service for us in this place.

Captain, I don't like to intrude. I understand

why the rabbi has made this request,

but this is not the time for it.

I'm a European. I understand things

perhaps the captain doesn't understand.

lf you allow this gentleman to hold

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