Plot
The film begins in black and white at the end of World War I. A Private (Marvin), using his trench knife, kills a German soldier who was approaching with his arms raised and muttering in German. In the background stands a wooden crucifix, the wood infested with termites.
When he returns to his company's headquarters, the private is told that the war ended "about four hours ago." The 1st Division patch is shown in color.
The film then transitions to a Sergeant (also Marvin) as he leads his squad of infantrymen through North Africa, Sicily, and then on to Omaha Beach at the start of the Battle of Normandy.
The squad crosses the same field where the sergeant killed the surrendering German decades before, where a memorial now stands. The following short conversation takes place:
- Johnson: Would you look at how fast they put the names of all our guys who got killed?
- The Sergeant: That's a World War One memorial.
- Johnson: But the names are the same.
- The Sergeant: They always are.
The squad then treks though Europe, ending up at the liberation of Falkenau concentration camp in Czechoslovakia.
At the end of the film, the sergeant is in a forest, at night, having just buried a young boy he had befriended after liberating a concentration camp. A German soldier approaches, attempting to surrender, and the sergeant stabs him. His squad then arrives and informs him that the war ended "about four hours ago." This time, as the squad walks away, Pvt. Griff(Mark Hamill) notices that the German is still alive; the sergeant and his men work frantically to save his life as they return to their encampment.
Read more about this topic: The Big Red One
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—Charles Dickens (1812–1870)