Battle of the Bulge is a war film released in 1965. It was directed by Ken Annakin. It starred Henry Fonda, Robert Shaw, Telly Savalas, Robert Ryan, Dana Andrews and Charles Bronson.
Battle of the Bulge had its world premiere on 16 December 1965, the 21st anniversary of the battle, at the Pacific Cinerama Dome Theater in Hollywood, California. The feature was filmed in Ultra Panavision 70 and exhibited in 70 mm Cinerama.
The original VHS release of the film for home video use was heavily edited and used a full screen "pan and scan" technique often employed in network telecasts of widescreen motion pictures. The DVD (released in 2005), however, is uncut and uses a "letterbox" format that includes the proper aspect ratio of the original film; it also includes some special features.
The film makers attempt to condense a battle that stretched across parts of Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg and lasted nearly a month into under 3 hours. This left them open to criticism for lack of historical accuracy, but they claim in the end credits that they have 're-organised' the chronological order of events to maximise the dramatic story.
Plot summary
A German tank force led by a fictional Colonel Hessler (Shaw) leads a last-ditch attack through the Allied front. An American intelligence officer Lt. Colonel Kiley (Fonda) tries in vain to persuade his superiors of enemy intentions, but to no avail.
The film opens with Kiley and his pilot, Joe, flying recon over the Ardennes forest. while Joe goes on about the war being just about over, Kiley responds with the facts: even old men and Hitler youth can carry guns. Joe jokingly responds when he spots a single German staff car on an empty road.
Kiley's continued photo passes forces the driver, known only as Conrad (Hans Christian Blech), to drive into a ditch and scramble for cover. Hessler, by contrast, maintains his cool, and chews Conrad out for leaving the motor running. As the two walk back to the car, they discuss the state of affairs. Even Hessler believes "the world is going to get rid of both of us."
Meanwhile, Kiley and Joe are on their way back, when Kiley spots something below. Joe doesn't see it, but lets Kiley take a picture anyway. As the plane flies away, the camera pans down...to reveal a group of camouflaged massive German tanks.
Conrad and Hessler arrive in the ruins of a unnamed German town, while Conrad parks the car, Hessler enters an underground bunker and is escorted to see General Kohler (Werner Peters). Hessler and the general go over plans and models of Jets, V-2 rockets, and a King Tiger tank. To which Hessler comments that Germany is still the worlds best toymaker.
The general counters by taking Hessler to a massive command center, on the way they are captured by a squad of American soldiers. Only for it to turn out that these 'Americans' led by Lieutenant Schumacher (Hardin), are German soldiers in disguise sent to capture the vital bridges and sow confusion. A map of the Ardennes hangs from the wall of the centre, while another one sits on a giant table, with models representing American and German tanks available. The General then shows Hessler a clock representing 50 hours. That is how much time, and more importantly, how much fuel is available. Finally, Hessler is presented with a massive yard full of King Tiger tanks. With all this available, Hessler proudly proclaims it can be done.
Meanwhile, Kiley has returned to US HQ in the town Ambleve, which was celebrating the Christmas spirit, and presented his findings to General Grey (Ryan) and Colonel Pritchard (Andrews). The General and more so, Col. Pritchard promptly discount his findings and are unconvinced by the photo of the Tiger tank. During the meeting Gen. Grey receives news that Patton's 3rd Army is about to launch an attack, with this news, they are sure that the U.S. Army high command don't believe an attack is imminent.
Hessler, at first not overly confident of his forces, is convinced of his chances of success when his Tank Commanders, mostly teenagers, suddenly break into a striking rendition of Panzerlied. In an attempt to find more evidence of an impending German attack, Col. Kiley visits a bunker on the Siegfried Line held by a group of laid-back GI's. Major Wolinski (Bronson), the commander of the bunker, volunteers a patrol led by Lieutenant Weaver (James MacArthur) and Sergeant Duquesne (George Montgomery) to go out and capture some Germans. On their return Kiley is joined by Col. Pritchard as Kiley interrogates the prisoners, all who turn out to be teenagers. Kiley believes that the experienced troops have been withdrawn for an attack, but Pritchard dismisses this out of hand and reprimands his subordinate.
Early the next day as the G.I.'s sleep in their bunker, Hessler launches his attack. Woken by the noise of hundreds of German tanks, Wolenski leads his men into the wooded area of the Schnee Eifel. Faced with daunting odds, Wolenski withdraws his men back to the bunker and then back to the Belgian town. Out in the woods two American tanks engage the King Tiger's, the tanks are quickly destroyed. Only two men escape, one is Sergeant Guffy (Savalas) the tank commander and his gunner Colin. News of the attack then reaches Gen Grey in Ambleve, who dispatches the recently returned Kiley to get more information on the German attack. Also at that time Schumacher and his men have captured the only bridge over the river Our that heavy tanks can cross. With his route secured, Hessler continues with his spearhead towards Ambleve, only to be spied on by Kiley. At the Our river bridge, Schumacher has taken control of a small crossroads which is the intersection of 3 roads - one from Ambleve, one from Malmedy and one from the Siegfried Line. With the signs turned around, the rear echelon of Wolinski's troops are diverted not to Ambleve but to Malmedy and an SS Division in waiting. In the last group is Lt. Weaver and Sgt. Duquesne who bicker about the route that they're taking, but they then break down in the remote Ardennes and are captured by the Germans. Weaver and Duquesne are taken with all the other captured Americans around Malmedy, into a small field where there is two trucks parked. As the POW's settle down the trucks reverse up to the soldiers and open fire with machine-guns. The Americans scatter but nearly all are mowed down by the Germans who are now revealed to be S.S. Weaver is one of the lucky ones who manage to escape, bitter with the sight of Duquesne murdered, he makes his way west towards the Meuse river.
One insight that Lt. Col. Kiley observed as he spies the Germans is evident when he fires at one of the trucks and the fuel drums fell on the river: He notes that the drums are empty since they float. He also observes that they carry rubber hoses. He surmises right away that they need fuel badly.
Returning with the knowledge that the German attack is more than just a weak counter-attack, Kiley receives an apology from Pritchard as Gen. Grey organizes the defense of Ambleve. With Hessler's forces now surrounding the town, Grey summons heavy artillery from higher authority and a full train of artillery races to Ambleve. As the train races towards Ambleve, a lone German Tank blows the engine up at a tunnel and denies Gen. Grey with the tools to defend against heavy armour. (Note: This scene was shortened in some later theatrical and TV releases.) The Germans then attempted to assault Ambleve but it fails. Hessler is ordered by Gen. Kohler to by-pass the town and proceed with the plan. Hessler argues that not only will they be eliminating a thorn in their sides, but they will be destroying the morale of the Americans by capturing Ambleve. (He cites as an example a captured piece of chocolate cake from Boston as proof.) As nightfall draws, Hessler's tanks and infantry storm Ambleve, finally taking the town around dawn. (Note: In some theatrical releases, the Ambleve evening assault was not shown.) Although many Americans are captured, Grey, Pritchard, Kiley and many of their soldiers have escaped capture and head for the river Meuse. Wolinski is not so fortunate, captured by Hessler's men he demands of Hessler that his troops will not be murdered like those at Malmady. Deeply angered by both the accusation and the knowledge that with the massacre at Malmedy will "turn a disorganised rabble into avenging soldiers", Hessler complains to Gen. Kohler only to be told the Army has no control over S.S. units.
One scene (also edited out in some theatrical releases) shows a youthful franc-tireur trying to shoot Hessler. He misses but he is captured. The father pleads for his life. Eventually, the boy is spared, but Hessler instead decides to execute his father. The scene was observed by Conrad, which may have an effect on him.
During the retreat, an incident is played when Sgt. Guffy is piqued as he is urged to get his fuel by himself as the fuel drum was dropped without assistance. The supply officer boxes him and gives him a rubber hose to sip the fuel out from the drum. Lt. Col. Kiley, observing the scene with Col. Pritchard, surmises to Gen. Grey that the Germans need fuel badly—hence the rubber hoses he observed earlier. Gen. Grey then orders a research of the fuel capacity and range of the Tiger Tank. Meanwhile, in the darkness in another scene, Lt. Weaver spots a group of American soldiers and decides to overcome their fears and act as a group.
During a foggy night, Col. Kiley goes on a reconnaissance run and almost crashes a cliff. But as the fog lifts, he spots the jackpot: A swarm of Tiger Tanks heading their way. Kiley gives the coordinates, but was hit by German fire and crashes near an American fuel depot. He survives, but Joe is killed. Unknown to Kiley, the depot was captured by Lt. Schumacher's men, who rescues him.
During a talk in the morning of the attack, Conrad asks Hessler as to when the war will end so he can finally see his family. "It will go on and on," he replies. Conrad then makes a request to transfer to another unit to leave, which he reluctantly obliges. In a final fit of pique, in which Hessler calls Conrad a quitter, Conrad claims Hessler is a Fanatic who "would murder my sons, murder my country, murder the whole world, to stay in that Uniform."
Gen. Grey's forces, now with the river Meuse at their backs, turn and await to take on Hessler for one last time, with data on the Tiger Tank fuel range received, and Kiley's coordinates. His tactic: To tire out the tanks until he "runs out of gas." With his fuel supplies running low, Hessler tries to capture a huge American fuel depot ahead, but engages an American tank phalanx which include Sgt. Guffy and his new tank. Despite heavy casualties, the Americans retreat slowly and make the Germans use up their precious fuel. Hessler then leads a small detachment towards the American fuel depot, captured earlier by Lt. Schumacher's men. At the same time Sgt. Guffy, reinforced by Lt. Weaver and his stragglers, arrives at the depot for fuel. But Lt. Weaver, remembering the Our river bridge incident, surmises that these are the fake Americans. So he quizzes as to whether they were at the Our River Bridge where "there is a road to Ambleve still leading to Malmedy." With it, Lt. Schumacher attempts to overpower them, but Guffy and Weaver's men eventually prevailed. Hessler's luck thus runs out when his unit attempts the seizure of the stubbornly-held fuel depot, now defended by Lt. Weaver, Sgt. Guffy and Lt. Col. Kiley. Hessler and his tanks gets incinerated in the process through gallons of burning gasoline.
With no fuel left the Germans abandoned their tanks and with Conrad lagging behind, "head for Germany". In disgust, Conrad leaves his gun and just carries his pack back to Germany.
Vignettes from the actual battle are included the film, including General McAuliffe's reply of "Nuts" to a surrender demand at Bastogne.
Cast
Historical accuracy
The final tank battle is a rough depiction of the Battle of Celles on December 26, 1944 where the U.S. 2nd Armored Division smashed the German 2nd Panzer Division. The film creates the false impression that large numbers of American tanks sacrificed themselves against the heavy Tiger IIs and in the process lured the enemy off course which caused him to run out of gas. In reality, they were already stranded. As a matter of fact, the tanks used (despite the claims of the producer in an interview which is one of the DVD extras) are not even accurate German or American tanks. The German tanks are American M-47 Pattons painted grey, not Tigers. The American tanks are not Sherman M-4s, but M-24 Chaffees, a tank that was present in extremely limited numbers at the time.
Aside from the initial American encounters with the German offensive, there is little sign of the cold weather and snow, which were the conditions in which the real battle was fought. There is no trace of snow at all in the film's major tank battle scene. Nor were some battle scenes fought in flat and bare territory, considering the mountainous, and forested and grassy nature of the Ardennes.
The role of Lt. Schumacher and his men was based on Operation Grief, the plan to parachute English speaking Germans using American equipment behind American lines to sow confusion and capture the bridges.
Absent from this movie is the response by General George Patton whose Third Army relieved the siege of Bastogne. There is no reference to British forces in the area which were strategically important, although only one British brigade (29th Armored) engaged in actual combat during the battle. Also not mentioned is General Eisenhower's decision to split the Bulge front into two, ceding temporary command of two American armies to Field Marshall Montgomery in the northern half of the Bulge. Neither there was mention of the role of Allied air power hitting the Germans hard at the first sign of clear weather.
The film's opening narration, by William Conrad, does mention both Montgomery and Patton, but is inaccurate, saying:
to the north, stood Montgomery's Eighth Army. To the south, Patton's Third.
In fact, Montgomery's northern command was actually the 21st Army Group. The Eighth Army, Montgomery's previous command, was actually in Italy at the time of the Battle of the Bulge. Although Patton was in charge of 3rd Army during the battle, this army was part of a much larger Amercian force in the south. Third Army was one of four American armies that constituted the 12th Army Group under General Omar Bradley. It was Bradley - not mentioned in the film - and not Patton who was Montgomery's American counterpart on the Western Front.
There is some speculation that the fictional German character, Hessler, was modeled after Colonel Joachim Peiper whose unit carried out the Malmedy massacre. However, this is not evident in the film where Hessler is openly critical of the Malmedy incident, pointing out such things turn a defeated rabble into an avenging army.
References in popular culture
John McClane references the film in Die Hard with a Vengeance. Simon Gruber's (Jeremy Irons) use of English-speaking Germans to steal gold parallels Hitler's Operation Greif, depicted in The Battle of the Bulge.
References
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