Battle of the Bulge



"Von Diepel: General Kohler says we are behind schedule. He wants to know what's holding us up. Col. Martin Hessler: Tell the general the Americans are learning how to retreat."

Battle of the Bulge is a 1965 war movie about the famous World War II battle of the same name, starring Henry Fonda as a maverick American intelligence officer and Robert Shaw as his ruthless Nazi opponent. Also stars Charles Bronson, Telly Savalas, and Robert Ryan. The feature was filmed in Ultra Panavision 70 and exhibited in 70 mm Cinerama. Unlike most World War II epics, "Battle of the Bulge" contains virtually no portrayals of actual senior Allied leaders, civilian or military. This is presumably because of controversies surrounding the battle, both during the war and after. Though Allied forces ultimately won the battle, the initial Nazi counteroffensive caught them by surprise and caused high casualties. Frequently broadcast on American television in The Seventies. The film itself is completely made up, and doesn't match any of the actual Battle of the Bulge in Dec 1944 though Jan 1945, with the sole exception of the Malmedy Massacre.

Associated Tropes:

 * Colonel Badass: Hessler
 * General Failure: Colonel Pritchett.
 * Hollywood History
 * It's Raining Men
 * Military Maverick
 * Plunger Detonator
 * Road Sign Reversal: During the attack, German infiltrators switch the road signs around, making it appear that the road to Malmedy leads to Ambleve. The U.S. troops going to Ambleve follow the sign and are captured by the Germans, leading to the Malmedy Massacre.
 * Tanks, But No Tanks
 * World War II