We are now beginning our World War 2 unit. So far in we have never discussed World War 2 in any history class leading up to this year’s. I don’t know a whole lot of information about the war that should never have been. The class has been assigned to break into groups and watch a movie pertaining to World War 2.
There are many movies based on accounts and actual stories from both sides of the War. There are some great movies such as “Saving Private Ryan”, “Valkyrie”, and “Inglorious Bastards” to name a few. Kyle, Cuddie, and I got together and tried to find a movie that we had both never heard of, and could watch without fearing that someone else would watch it. That such movie was called “Saints and Soldiers”.
“Saints and Soldiers” is an award winning film that was released in 2003, and was directed by Ryan Little. This story was written by Claudio Carvalho and was based on the true story of the fight for survival and friendship that brought four Americans and a British man together.
The movie starts after the Battle of the Bulge. American troops are captured and are being searched by
Nazis. A struggle breaks out and the German troops begin to open fire on the helpless American soldiers. Dozens of young men are mercilessly slaughtered and are left in the cold morning snow in the Ardennes Forest in Belgium. The date was December 17, 1944. This event would be forever known as the Malmedy Massacre and would spark outrage to all allied forces.
Despite the annihilation, a handful of men are able to escape into the woods, and a few are able to play dead until the German soldiers depart. In reality, there were 113 captured Americans and 21 of them were able to escape. This is not too dissimilar to the movie. The Germans then walked among the bodies and shot anyone who appeared to be alive at point blank range.
In the movie, four men escaped into the woods with only one rifle. They each exchanged names and set off in search of safety back in their own territory. The men were Corporal Nathan Greer (known as ‘Deacon’), Medic Steven Gould, Private Shirley Kendrick, and Sergeant Gordon Gunderson. These men were all sleep deprived, freezing in the harsh winter cold, and on edge for whether or not they could truly trust one another.
Deacon was the only man with a gun. Deacon and Gunderson were part of the same battalion and had already formed a tight bond. The Kendrick was easy to get along with, but Gould seemed wary of the three other men and didn’t trust Deacon with the gun, but Gunderson assured him that Deacon was the best marksman he had ever seen.
As the men were trekking, Deacon began to see hallucinations of dead women and children and he freaks out. Gunderson later tells the others that Deacon had mistakenly killed two women and six children while under fire from an unseen enemy. The tragedy had messed with Deacon’s mind and he began to break down.
The other men helped Deacon and they found a small shack to camp in for the night. That night, a small track of German troops comes and sets up a small base in the shack. The Americans escape detection by hiding under the floorboards. Deacon can speak German and was able to translate some of the information that the Germans were radioing to other bases.
After the Germans leave, the Americans flee into the woods and soon come across a British man who is stuck in a tree with his parachute. The men cut him down and he is immediately distrustful. After a quick interrogation is he satisfied that they are Americans and he introduces himself as Flight Sergeant Oberon Winley.
Winley is a bit crazy but he tells the Americans that he has crucial information about the German advance forces that he must get back to the American forces. This information could save thousands of Allied lives and could change the course of the war. With a new objective, these five men set off with renewed urgency.
Along the way, the men begin to discuss their lives before the war and tell each other secrets and dreams. Despite only being around each other for a few days, the men build a fairly strong bond. I wont give away all of the movie so I will cut the end. Gunderson and Kendrick die. The remaining men highjack a jeep and steal the uniforms off of dead Germans. The plan is to go straight through the German camp in order to get on the road towards the American encampment. Deacon is able to get them by with his German, but at the last minute the Germans realize that something is wrong.
The Germans open fire on the jeep and a chase ensues. The chase goes right up to the American camp and luckily the Americans can see that Deacon, Gould, and Winley are the good guys. A big firefight breaks out and one of the men gets killed but I wont tell who. In the final scenes, the important information is gotten to the Americans and they are able to prevent the unexpected German advance.
I really enjoyed the movie. It almost seemed like a documentary. Those five men endured some very harsh days deep in enemy territory. It really makes you wonder how they could accomplish those feats, but you hear about stories like that with nearly every war. Luckily for this story the good guys ended up winning. I recommend the “Saints and Soldiers” to anyone who is looking for a good film and a history lesson.
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