Hell Is for Heroes (film)

Hell Is for Heroes is a 1962 American war film directed by Don Siegel and starring Steve McQueen. It tells the story of a squad of U.S. soldiers from the 95th Infantry Division who, in the fall of 1944, must hold off an entire German company for approximately 48 hours along the Siegfried Line until reinforcements reach them.

Pike informs the men that they will shortly be going back on the line rather than home. After much bitter complaining, the men get ready to move out. The remaining members of 2nd Squad include conmanscavenger Corby Bobby Darin Corporal Henshaw James Coburn, a mechanic who can fix anything the easygoing, somewhatnaive kid, Cumberly Bill Mullikin and family man Kolinsky Mike Kellin. The squad has their own mascot, a young Polish displaced person Homer Janeczek Nick Adams, who is not a soldier, but stays with the squad in hopes of accompanying the men upon their return to the United States. The morning after they arrive at their appointed post and dig in, the men realize that an unannounced overnight withdrawal of the main American force has left them spread dangerously thin. Finally, Pike arrives to explain the situation, which only heightens everyones awareness that any reconnaissance by the Germans across the valley will quickly reveal how weak the American defenses are there.One stroke of good luck is the sudden and mistaken arrival of an Army company clerk, Private First Class James Driscoll Bob Newhart in his first film role. Larkin quickly puts Driscolls jeep to use by having Henshaw drive it back and forth behind their lines, after rigging it to backfire and sound like a tank, in an attempt to fool the Germans. Driscoll himself is put to use improvising misleading radio messages for a hidden microphone, discovered by Corby, left by the Germans in an abandoned pillbox Newhart was noted for his telephone conversation skits in his standup comedy routines. Additionally, Larkin has his men run wire to three empty ammo cans, partially filled with rocks and hung from trees, distributed along gaps in their front lines, which they can pull to create noise to make the Germans believe that a much larger American force is present. ........

Source: Wikipedia