Von Ryan's Express Page #4

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when we boarded this train.

- Still, you have no choice.

- And nothing to lose by trying to make one.

(reads in fluent German)

Von Klement's identification papers and

railroad priority, good as far as Florence.

- You do very well with German, Padre.

- I studied in Germany.

I went to Breslau after Oxford.

Would the dispatcher in Florence

recognise the major by sight?

(laughs)

- He'd be an Italian, wouldn't he?

- Of course! Under German supervision.

- And I think you're lying.

- I'd say, with the country in such a flap...

...the chances that the dispatcher

will ask for identification is pretty small.

Will ask whom? I mean,

you just said just now...

- Yes. It'll just have to be the chance we take.

- You are extremely foolish!

- Quite right.

- Oh, no. But I...

But... look at this picture!

I don't look remotely like this chap.

No, no. I won't do it.

I won't do it. Absolutely not.

- Heil Hitler!

- That's better. Now let's see you walk.

- It won't work, you know.

- Yes, it will. Let's see you walk.

Put some style into it. Hand on your hip.

The Boche have style.

Slap your gloves against your leg.

(speaks in German)

(German)

- Heil Hitler!

- Heil Hitler.

Gut. Sehr gut.

I think you had him goin' there, vicar.

You all set?

Yes, sir. I came over the tops of the cars to

check. 14 of our guys are stationed as guards.

The rest of the uniforms were too bloody.

- Did you get rid of the bodies?

- While we were passing over the last bridge.

(train whistle)

(Italian)

(shouts in German)

(train approaching)

(officer shouts in German)

The lieutenant wants our men down

from the top of the train, to be fed first.

If they get down, we're dead.

They can't speak German.

We've had it.

Crikey! Ain't that our vicar?

(officer shouts in German)

(German)

(German)

(German)

(shouts order in German)

Better check our lovebirds.

(glass smashes)

(man speaking in German)

- Heil Hitler.

- Heil Hitler.

(German)

(German)

(German)

Heil Hitler!

Heil Hitler.

(German)

- (Orde) Here they come!

- (Stein) My God, they've done it!

Well done, Padre. You've done it.

My God, you've done it.

Believe it or not, the poor devil's fainted.

They must be moving

a couple of divisions south.

From the map, we'll be away

from the main roads by dark.

The men could be gone in ten minutes.

How do we get ten minutes

with that troop train only five behind us?

- It could turn off at Bologna.

- Or follow us straight to Berlin.

Escaped? We haven't escaped. All we're

doing is this bastard's job for him.

Exactly. And in Verona, which is marked by

an X on the map, I will be properly grateful.

At Verona, both the train crew and

guard detail is scheduled to be changed.

That's if we go to Verona.

Look here.

Suppose, when we get to Bologna, we...

...we could pass it and go

to the left into Milano.

(laughs) And you go, hm?

Perhaps on American railroads, yes?

But this train is under the orders

of the German high command.

Such things are not possible.

To reroute a military train...

...requires a written order signed by

a member of the general staff, Colonel.

Major, yours is not the only army

that works in triplicate forms.

Obergruppenfhrer Wilhelm von Kleist.

- Does that mean general staff?

- It does indeed.

Well, now. We've got a pad full of blank

forms and we've got a typewriter.

- I say! Wizard!

- We can't be any worse off than we are now.

Quite.

Let's say we type an order to Klement here.

Upon arriving in Bologna,

he's told to go to Milan...

...where he is given confidential

instructions from Gruppenfhrer...

- Give me a good Aryan name.

- Um... Ottfried. Johann Heinrich.

Gruppenfhrer Heinrich, who is in charge

of a trainload of sealed boxcars...

...to be delivered to somebody...

big, important.

- Fatso Goering.

- Der dicke Hermann. Brilliant!

- Loot for the Reichsmarschall.

- Major?

It might do. It's got enough nerve -

I'll give you that.

And we have it signed by our good friend

from general staff, Wilhelm von Kleist.

(Costanzo says date in German)

(arguing in Italian)

(speaks Italian)

(heated argument in Italian)

- Amerikanisch, nicht?

- Ja.

(German)

(German)

(German)

Hauptmann Joseph Sonneberg, Herr Major.

Danke sehr.

- Heil Hitler.

- Heil Hitler.

Give this to the engineer.

(Ryan whispers) Gestapo.

- How long is it now?

- Ten minutes, and my pulse is up 12 points.

(knocking)

- How'd it go?

- Piece of cake.

Leave it. Everybody stay low.

Gestapo. Get those blinds up.

Gestapo.

(speaks German)

(German)

(German)

(German)

(German)

Nylon.

(German)

Amerikanische Zigaretten.

Ja.

That chap ought to be

reported to his superiors.

That's the end of ruddy that.

Colonnello.

- We have found it.

- Found what?

We have found a place to leave the train.

An abandoned branch line halfway to Milano.

Come on. Let's have a look.

Looks to be about...

...90 miles.

- We'll get there by 2100 hours.

- Add half an hour, to stop for water.

- That's better still. It'll be good and dark.

- By morning, 90% of your men will be dead.

We don't need him any more. Or her either.

Don't flinch. If you haven't

the stomach for it, it'll be my pleasure.

- I'll decide that.

- Like with Battaglia?

- That was different.

- I intend it to be.

- You'll take your orders, Major!

- I'm afraid not.

- For God's sake! These are people!

- People don't shoot wounded!

But they do commit murder in cold blood?

Are you that far gone?

May I go to my compartment now?

Yes, of course.

You haven't had any food

since we took over the train.

- I'm not hungry.

- Of course you are. Here, take it. Relax.

You cannot hide it. I know you will do

what the British major wants.

You mean to kill you both?

It is the right thing.

In your place, I would do it.

No, you wouldn't. You're not that tough.

- Then what do you want?

- Nothing.

Not to help me?

If I can, yes.

That is what all men say.

How old are you?

The first was the same man

who helped my mother.

I was not yet confirmed then.

Such things do not happen in America?

- Why are you with this German?

- For food, for clothing. To stay alive.

- Is that all?

- There is a war, you know.

Yeah.

How did you say it?

Relax?

You think my legs are too thin?

Why don't you close the door?

I will.

On the way out.

(crowd shouts abuse)

- (soldier) We need water! We're hungry too!

- Knock it off in there!

- If they knew what was going on, they would.

- They'll just have to sweat it out.

(shouts abuse in Italian)

What the hell are we waiting for now?

(gunshots)

Come on!

They're gone. They're not here.

He's dead.

Back! Back! Get up on top!

- We can't leave them behind to talk.

- Cover that side. Work up toward the engine.

- (speaks Italian)

- (pulls whistle)

(screaming)

(engineer pulls whistle)

Get back!

All right. Let's move.

Get this train moving now!

Don't run away!

Get your hands off me

or I'll blow your head off!

(speaks German)

(phone rings)

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