Original subtitles

MERC DAVENPORT: This was the map they showed us after we volunteered for the job.

Looking at Burma and the Malay Peninsula

and Indonesia this way, without seeing all the Japs behind the trees,

the jumps we were going to make into Burma

seemed like we'd volunteered for a Sunday school picnic.

February 17th, 1944,

that's the day we took off from the American Air Commando Base at Lohagad.

Over Burma, the jungle looked a lot different than I had pictured it.

My name's Merc Davenport.

The only reason I made corporal I guess

is because they had nobody else to promote.

Thinking about what we had to do,

I guess all of us felt like we'd swallowed a mortar shell.

Just about when I was ready to tell the lieutenant

I'd changed my mind about wanting to be a hero,

the warning light began to jump.

Ready signal.

Look up.

Let's go.

MERC: Somewhere in that Burma jungle below us

was a sharp curving section of road we had to blow up.

Because of those curves, the brass called this section, The Bottleneck.

The drop was supposed to bring us close to it.

The only thing we didn't know was how close it might bring us to the Japs

who controlled the area.

There's no turning back now. We were flying through the air.

A deal strictly for the birds.

We hit the ground okay. All except the lieutenant.

He hit a rock first.

Here we were loaded down with the right weapons and supplies

to make our job a success.

And it had to be a rock that loused us up.

Okay. Marty, take Merc and another man and pick up the equipment.

Yes, sir. Let's move out, Merc.

Tom, you come too.

Okay, the rest of you, take out those spades

and bury these chutes on the double.

Bury this chute.

Got everything in the drop, Marty?

All but one case of K-rations.

Well, we'll just have to do without it, that's all.

Want to be long gone from here by morning.

Right.

Okay, coolies, sling those bails.

- Supply detail's coming back, Lieutenant. - All right.

That's a mighty mean ankle you got there, sir.

Yeah. Wouldn't you know.

Fifty jumps in practice and never a scratch.

It can't be helped now, guess you just have to live with it.

(RATTLING)

Supplies are all buried safe, Lieutenant.

There's a nice pool of fresh water back up the trail

- so, there's no worry on that score. - Good. Good.

What did you bring the radio for?

Wouldn't check out. It got jolted around in the drop, I guess.

Oh, boy. Oh, well, that's all right.

We're not supposed to use it unless we really have to anyway.

I'll carry it down later.

All right.

The first thing we have to do is contact that Englishman.

Manders?

But you can't travel on that ankle, Lieutenant.

We still got two weeks before the Jap offensive.

Corporal, there's no such as having too much time.

VOSS: We'll probably need every minute we've got.

So, what we'll do is split up the party, Marty.

Now, can you find this shrine from this photo map.

MARTY: Right here. Shouldn't be too hard?

All right.

A kachin woman will be at that shrine at 08:00 every morning

until we make contact with her.

And you want me to go... Alone?

No. No. You better take Merc here with you.

He's our demo expert, he's gonna place the charges

and maybe Manders can give you a little dope on that bottleneck.

Okay.

I'll give you three days, Marty.

If you're not back by then, I'll send somebody after you.

Let's go.

MERC: We had no trouble getting to the shrine

where we were supposed to make our contact with the kachin woman.

But waiting under that tree, we felt like a couple of sitting ducks

for any Japs who might be patrolling the area.

It's after eight o'clock, is she going to show?

If she doesn't, we'll come back tomorrow.

Do me a favor, wake me when it's time for lunch, huh?

What's that?

Is that her?

Wait until we see what's in the basket, what she does with it.

MERC: Hey, how can we be sure, this gook gal is on the level?

MARTY: Relax. She was where she was supposed to be

and did what she was supposed to do.

MERC: Hey, we've been hiking over an hour.

How do you know she's not leading us right into a Jap bivouac?

Not far now, just up there.

- MERC: You never said she could speak English. - You didn't ask.

MERC: The gal seemed to know every tree and bush in the jungle.

And even when we got to where she was taking us,

the entrance was so well hidden, we didn't know we were there.

MANDERS: It really is rather ridiculous I supposed

attempting to preserve modicum with the civilized amenities

whilst living during a war and existing in a jungle cave.

But then you see gentlemen, one of these days I expect to walk out of the jungle

back into a peaceful world.

And when that time comes I really would rather like to greet my friend

with some remnants of refinement rather than as a...

A grubby jungle creature.

Now, what's the matter, gentlemen?

Is there something wrong with the whiskey?

MANDERS: Of course, it tastes all right to me but then I've been...

No. No. There's nothing wrong with the scotch, Mr. Manders.

It's just that...

Well, Merc and I, we didn't expect this.

I quite understand.

And what bothers me is if you had time enough

to build this bomb shelter then why didn't you get out of here ahead of the Japs?

I could have indeed.

It was known for several months

that the Japs would over-run all of Burma,

there was nothing to stop them.

But you see I have been Colonial Officer here in Tamil Village

for some 22 years.

All my roots were here.

So by running away, what could I accomplish beyond saving my own life?

By remaining,

by keeping my radio in operation,

I thought I might be of some small service.

How do you happen to have it?

I made it... Myself.

MANDERS: As a hobby.

Well, it sure came in handy as you say for us.

Yes.

I'm not quite sure why you are here.

I received a message to expect a small guerilla party but...

We are a demolition party. With just one target.

Oh?

MARTY: Here's where we are

and right along here is the Kohima Road into India.

I guess you know the Japs are planning an offensive.

There has been some talk in the village but as to time or place...

Time 0700,

date, 8th March. Place...

MERC: Right here.

- Our people know all of this? - And more.

They know that the Japs want Imphal. That's our strong point.

If they take it, they can cut the railroad supplying China.

And see this small point in the road right here?

MARTY: From the air photos, that seemed like a bottleneck.

Headquarters figured if a small demo party could get in there,

wait until just an hour or two before the offensive and blow it up.

It might take them days to get it open again,

louse up their whole timetable.

(CLEARING THROAT) I see, yes.

Well, certainly, supply is the key to any success in jungle operations.

And all Japanese supplies must go up the Kohima Road.

Well, what do you think?

Well, is it practical or are we off base?

Yes, it's practical, chaps

except for one thing...

Yourselves.

Now, I think you have a very good chance of blowing up the...

This bottleneck as you call it.

But as to your chances of getting away yourselves,

I put them at practically nil.

Um... Zero.

I guess we knew it would be something like that

when we stuck our necks out, sir.

(WHISPERING INDISTINCTLY)

You're sure of this, Atsi?

Word was sent from the village.

This is bad.

- The Jap knows you're here. - How do you know?

From Atsi's daughter.

I don't get it. How could a girl know what the Japs are up to?

- She is their prisoner in their teahouse. - What teahouse?

Well, actually it's my old, colonial residence in Tamil Village

but now it's a sort of...

Informal Japanese headquarters.

Informal?

Yes. They've seized the most attractive girls in the village

and they keep them there under guard

for the... Entertainment of the officers.

- That's cozy. - And your daughter is one of them?

At least she is alive.

And from time to time she slips out with information.

The most important of which I have sent back to our headquarters via my radio.

- We better get back and warn the others. - MANDERS: No.

No, it will be dark soon and you could never

find your party in the jungle at night.

And neither can the enemy.

In the morning will be much more sensitive.

How about another drink? Hmm?

Okay. Well, it's going to be a long night.

MERC: I don't know whether the Japs were hungry or not

but it sure didn't take them long to sniff out

those K-rations we'd lost in the trees.

Hold your fire, Tom!

- Jap patrol, Lieutenant. - All right. Spread out. Hide. Quick.

- Come on. - Go ahead. I'll cover you.

Let me help you. Come on.

Do you really think they found the rest of the guys?

Why else would they be firing?

I knew we should have started back last night.

It wouldn't have helped.

Where are the guys?

Cover me.

Who is it?

It's Tom.

Where are the rest?

Hold it.

Benjy!

It's Marty and Merc.

Any idea how they found you?

How did they find Pearl Harbor.

Where's lieutenant?

Japs got him... Alive.

And what do we do now, sergeant?

Ask me something easy.

Far be it for a corporal to tell a sergeant what to do.

What are you getting at?

The nips are going to be wanting to know what a little

- cub pack is doing in their playground. - So?

So they just got the guy who can tell them.

You mean the lieutenant?

And they got all kinds of little mean tricks,

skewed ways for making conversations out of strong silent types.

Yeah, they've used torture before.

The lieutenant would open up

and I for one wouldn't blame him too much

where would that leave operation bottleneck?

Nowhere.

He wouldn't let us within 10 miles in it.

If it makes you happy I'll agree you've got a point.

But would you mind telling me what we'd do about it?

Even if we knew where they took him.

Why don't you leave that up to the high brass?

- Huh? - Call him on a radio.

No good. It got busted up in a drop.

Manders still has his hand set.

That's right.

Just about time to make it back there by dark.

Want me to go with you?

There's no need for two. I'll make it quicker alone.

You stay with the rest.

I'll see you in the morning.

MERC: Just like Manders said,

the Jap officers had set themselves up real good in Manders' house.

I'd seen plenty of co-ed schools

but this was the first co-ed company headquarters I'd ever heard of.

(PEOPLE CHUCKLING)

Come in, Lieutenant. Come in.

Here, you see our distinguished prisoner.

Brave man, the Lieutenant.

Sake.

Sit down, Lieutenant.

Sake, Lieutenant?

If it were drug that are poisoned

we would all be affected too.

Go ahead drink.

OFFICER: It will strengthen you.

Rulan H. Voss, 0373601.

Second Lieutenant, United States Army Air Force.

And that's all you're going to get from me, captain.

Sake or no sake.

Thank you.

So what happens now?

You are a brave man, Lieutenant.

For a Yank.

We Japanese admire bravery.

Thanks a lot.

To resist capture so cleverly and so strongly.

Such fighting skill comes only from training and practice?

You see, captain, I did a little boxing in college.

I was sure of it.

That is why I decided

we must have a match.

A match?

To see which is superior.

Your style of fighting...

Or ours?

That won't be much of a test, captain.

I'm a little beat up and I got a bad ankle.

You are saying you are afraid?

I'm just facing facts. Test is supposed to prove something.

This one won't.

Then perhaps

you would rather answer some questions.

I'm just a lieutenant.

Ask any G.I., lieutenants, they don't know anything.

Perhaps... Perhaps not.

Anyway we shall see.

This is Koji, the best we have

in our style of self-defense.

Begin please.

Please stop! Stop. Oh, stop! Please, stop it!

Perhaps now the American will be ready to tell us what he knows.

What's the idea?

I am Ari.

I wish to care for you.

Why? How'd you get in here?

I was ordered here by the captain.

Oh?

So you speak English and you're supposed to take care of me, huh?

Anything to keep me alive and get me to talk.

It won't work, Missy, so pick up your bandages and get out of here.

But I can't go.

I'm ordered to spend the night here.

Oh...

Now, may I ask what for?

Whatever you wish.

Hmm.

And you really think that you can get some information out of me, huh?

I do not know, Lieutenant.

I only do what I'm told. That's all.

Hmm.

So it just doesn't matter whether I cooperate or not, is that it?

It matters very much.

If I knew you would talk to them

I would poison you.

I don't get this.

I don't get this at all.

A girl like you?

A girl like me?

What kind of girl am I, Lieutenant?

What do you mean what kind of a girl are you?

You live here, don't you? Upstairs with them?

Naturally you would think that, of course.

That we had a choice.

Before the war came my mother worked

for a British colonial officer here in Tamil.

For Manders?

He arranged for me to go to medical school in Rangoon.

I love helping people and caring for them.

But then the Japanese came and since then...

Oh...

Yeah.

Well, haven't you ever tried to escape?

Two girls tried when we are first seized

and they were hunted down and shot.

I'm sorry I've added my trouble to you.

- If you wish me to go... - Go where? Back up to them?

No. No way. I don't want you to go. Not yet anyway.

- Sit down. - As you wish, Lieutenant.

Uh, that's enough of that stuff.

There's only one reason you're going to stay here...

And that's to keep you away from them. Nothing else. Is that clear?

Clear, Lieutenant.

But we are being watched.

We must make them think what they wish to think.

Pretend to sleep. Then they will not bother us.

(SIGHS)

I just can't do it, sergeant.

It just is not worth it.

Do I have to force you?

Sergeant, understand that it's not that I don't want to help.

But one must weigh a comparative value.

This mission is mighty important.

Then how would one final message help you to accomplish it?

Final message?

Sergeant, why do you think I've been able to exist here for so long alone?

Simply because the Japanese do not have

enough monitoring stations in this area.

Now, with this offensive coming up that is no longer true.

They've been setting up more monitors?

One minute after I turn on that set,

the Japanese will have our position here cross-plotted exactly.

You've got a point.

Besides, what could your headquarters do

even if they were informed of the situation?

No, sergeant, it seems to me

that it's up to you now.

- I guess. - Come on.

Sit down and have a drink.

We'll all be able to think much more clearly

when Atsi gives us some dinner.

Neat, I would say, under the circumstances, hmm?

The neater the better.

- Mr. Mander. - What is it, Atsi?

- The American lieutenant... - What about him?

Ari has sent word he is prisoner at the teahouse.

The teahouse? That's where you said they had the girls?

Yes. Now, it's also the headquarters

of the Japanese guard company that controls this stretch of the road.

Only a company? Then there shouldn't be too many guards.

Precisely what I was thinking myself.

- How many of there are you? - Five.

- Hmm, are they well-armed? - Submachine guns, BARs, grenades,

plus the carbines.

Unless that's possible, you might be able to get through the wire

but you'd never get inside the house unless you...

Unless...

Atsi, get me that file of capsules, the prescription from my doctor.

Hmm?

Come here. I'll give you a rough layout of the house.

MANDERS: Here is the building, here.

The road is here with trees, this place. Hmm?

MERC: Ari had the drug capsules that Manders gave her.

All she had to do now was slip it into the sake the Japs were guzzling.

Sit down, Lieutenant, please.

Hey, don't faint.

I will serve.

MERC: Believe me, this was a kid who could use her head.

She fixed the glasses so that the lieutenant would get plain water

and the Jap officers would get the Mickey Finn.

OFFICER: Well, Lieutenant, what do you think of our situation here?

VOSS: (SIGHING) I think you're doing all right.

And last night in your cell,

it was not... Too unpleasant.

Well, let's just say that it beats the Geneva Convention.

It's warm, captain. Just as you like it.

Shall we get down to the cases, Lieutenant?

I have a choice?

I could promise you another night

with this delicate flower.

You merely tell me what you and the other yanks were doing in the jungle?

Well, that's fair enough.

We were in a transport flying to home

and we got blown off our course in the storm

and ran out of gas, so we had to bail out.

You take me for a fool, Lieutenant!

You bailed out in greater surprise, bailed out with you.

Well then, you explain it, captain,

because you're not...

I've got a...

I'll take care of him, captain.

And when I help him to recover, then he'll talk to you.

Guard, take him downstairs.

The girl will help you.

Make it quick.

I have wasted too much time on him already.

Shh.

Be silent and listen.

I had to talk to you.

- Your friends are coming here tonight to free you. - What?

- They don't even know where I am. - I informed them.

Manders?

Oh...

But even if they get the guards outside, these jokers upstairs...

I've taken care of them. Some capsules Mr. Manders sent,

I put it into their drinks.

But not in mine?

Oh, you're all right, Ari.

The guard's outside.

Yeah.

Oh, look, can you get him in here?

All right. Then you leave him to me.

ARI: Guard, quickly over here.

Guard, quickly, over here.

Guard, come quickly.

Guard, over here, over here.

Looks quiet enough.

You're all set?

Can we get any better?

MERC: Breaking the lieutenant out of his bamboo jail wasn't going to be easy.

One piece of luck was the jungle

coming right up to the clearing around the headquarters.

Allowing us to get close.

Being the demolition expert, I had the job of setting up the Bangalore torpedo

that would blow a hole in the barbed wire.

Let's go!

Sergeant, sergeant?

Marty?

ARI: Ahhh!

Where are the others?

They're all dead.

All dead?

- Marty too? - Marty too.

- Come on, Lieutenant, or we'll join them. - Wait a minute.

What happens now to you?

- Does it matter? - Yeah, to me it does. You're as good as dead here.

Please, he's right, you must go.

- Not without you. Come on. - No, I won't go, not alone.

Not without them.

What, all of them?

The Japanese will treat all alike after what happened.

Do something, Lieutenant. Let's get out of here.

All right. All right. The four of you, come on.

Well, come on.

There won't be any picnic going through this jungle at night.

You'll have to keep up. Now, come on.

MERC: It wasn't beer and it wasn't liquor.

But man, where else could you get this kind of service

and a floorshow along with it?

Quartermaster should hand out girls like this to every G.I.

when they give him his uniform.

What will you do now, Lieutenant?

I don't know, Ari.

Radio is broken and just two of us left.

I don't know.

I like you, corporal.

I like you very much.

And now, let's forget that corporal and call me Merc, huh?

Funny name, Merc.

Well, that's sort of a nickname,

but my real name is Lester Davenport, that Merc,

that's... It comes from fulminate of mercury, dynamite fuses.

You see, I handle explosives. Heh...

Hmm, Merc, huh?

Hey, it's just like Sunday in the park, is it?

Mmm.

Oh, hi, Lieutenant. Having a ball.

This is great, just two guys alone in the jungle.

Five beautiful...

You know if the guys back home thought war was anything like this.

You'd have to fight them to keep them away from the recruiting officers.

I think they'd have to fight me anyway.

Nothing bothers you, does it, Merc? Not even last night, huh?

What do you mean? The other guys?

Oh, they got it, sure. But it could just as easy been you and me.

Look, if it hadn't been for them, where would you be?

Right where I should be, corporal. A Japanese prisoner.

And there'd be six of us alive now, instead of just two.

- Oh, wait a minute... - What do you think, Merc?

I'd inform on you to the Japs?

- You out of your mind, going in like that? - Oh, don't look at me.

Now, there's just two of us left, just two.

So, you tell me what happens to our mission,

to the bottleneck, answer me that!

But, Lieutenant, it wasn't my idea.

I wouldn't have gone after you.

I'm just a poor listed slob.

If somebody with bars on his shoulders

or a stripes on his sleeves tells me what to do, and I do it.

- Now, you wanted it... - What are you talking about?

Marty...

Yeah.

All right, all right.

It's no good blaming anybody now.

Did what he thought he had to, I guess.

Question is just where do we go from here?

Our mission is just as important as it ever was.

Lieutenant, we ain't got chance in a million to pull this thing off alone.

I know it. I know that. It's not what I was thinking about.

We got to get some help from headquarters, that's what.

Our radio is broken, there's still Manders.

Well, we can't just leave these girls alone here in the jungle.

Relax, Merc. You're going to be staying here.

Ari can take me.

I will fill the canteen.

And don't you move away from this spot, Merc.

I want you right here when I get back.

I'll get along, Lieutenant. Don't worry about me.

No. No, I wasn't.

Not really.

Ari, wait a minute.

Oh, your ankle.

I forgot. I'm so sorry. Perhaps if I...

Look, maybe if we just sat down and rested a few minutes, huh?

As you wish.

You first.

You hungry?

You know, Ari,

Merc wasn't all wrong.

I don't understand.

Well, I can think of...

A lot of worse ways to fight a war.

That's because you're far from home and your wife.

Uh-uh. No wife.

But there is a girl?

A special girl?

Well, there was one, yes. She was pretty special, I guess.

But it's funny

I haven't thought much about her for a long time.

And that's because I'm here and she is not.

That's not true, Ari. Believe me, it isn't.

Then it must be because danger makes people very close.

You're right, very close.

Like in that Jap cell. I'm glad we had that.

I am too.

But one must use your eyes as well as their head

and also your heart.

With you, Ari, I...

I'd rather just use my heart.

Yeah. The fact that there's been no word from the...

From the villagers, is reassuring, I think.

Atsi, we have a saying, bad news travels fast.

VOSS: Commander, anyone in there?

MANDERS: Identify yourself.

Lt. Voss, US Army Air Force.

- Mama? - Ari!

MANDERS: Oh, splendid my boy.

You managed to get here all right.

A little worse for wear, I see.

Well, we wanted to get here by dark, sir, but I have a bad ankle.

Yes, I understand. What you need is a drink.

- No sake. - Pre-war scotch.

Mama, this is American lieutenant.

He rescued us from the Japanese.

Let's put that straight. Your daughter saved me.

Ari's mother is grateful for her daughter's life.

- Oh, thank you, sir. - No. Please sit down.

I understand that some of your chaps boarded last night.

Yes, sir, four of them.

Sergeant Regan?

Marty was one.

I'm sorry about that.

I liked that young man.

Yes, sir.

Well, that's why I came here, sir. I need your help.

Oh... Um...

- Do you smoke, Lieutenant? - Yes, sir.

Try one of these Burma cigars.

They, uh...

They're a whacking right white cheroot if you remember your Kipling.

Oh, yes, sir. That he seen her at first,

smoking on the road to Mandalay, isn't it?

- That's right. - I remember it.

One acquires a taste for them.

Clearly, quite a good cigar.

Now, how can I help you?

Your radio, sir.

You see, our mission is still vital but there's only two of us left.

And we have to contact the headquarters to get us the help we need.

- What band? - 12.6.

You had better encode your message, Lieutenant.

VOSS: Over three hours.

You think they could find somebody to wake up?

Coming in now.

Oh, that's great.

That's just great.

Not good?

"Message received, new Jap offensive launched at Chittagong,

"all planes involved in Arakan.

"No help available.

"Must make do with what you have.

"Signed headquarters."

Make do. Oh, well...

Make do with just two men.

So it was all useless. Worth nothing.

I'm sorry.

Just what do they think they're doing?

They're going to hand over Imphal and maybe all of India

to the Japs on a silver platter.

That's what they're going to do.

With that Kohima Road open, the Japs will have a cake walk right down to the railroad.

They must be quite well aware of that

at your headquarters too, Lieutenant.

I don't know what I'm going to do.

Go back to your camp at once.

- Now, that is one thing that I can't do. - Yes, this minute.

And you take Ari with you.

Take Ari?

No, no, she'll be better right here with her mother.

That's questionable, Lieutenant.

Besides, you might not be able to find your way back in the dark.

Oh, no, no. I don't want to risk her life.

And you're prepared to risk mine, is that it?

What do you mean by that, sir?

If they find the girl here,

they'll not only kill her mother but myself.

I'm not prepared to risk that.

Ari goes with you or she goes alone.

But she cannot stop here.

I sure had you pegged different, Manders,

but I guess I was wrong.

All right, Ari, you'll go with me.

And I hope you rot in your snug little hole in the ground.

We're done.

But have a look around before you go outside.

You love him, don't you, my daughter?

I know.

It's in your eyes whenever you look at him.

I love him.

You know he's different.

A white man, it can lead to nothing

except your heart must be broken.

Then it must be broken.

But I will be happy for so little.

As long as you understand, it is good.

I wish you both well.

The lieutenant is waiting outside.

Ari.

Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you for Ari.

It was all I could do.

Poor child...

Wait, wait. I got to catch my breath.

Boy!

How could a man slip right in among the Japs for over two years

suddenly turn yellow, thinking about nothing but his own skin?

But Mr. Manders has always been a brave and kind man.

Kicked us out like that right in the middle of the night.

Well that doesn't make sense.

(FIRING IN THE DISTANCE)

Small arms fire.

Who'd they be shooting out back there?

The cave.

At the cave.

VOSS: Jap patrol.

Okay.

Look!

Ari, wait.

ARI: Mama, mama.

For just two years, how'd they find the cave now?

They couldn't have followed us.

That radio. He knew it.

It pinpointed his radio.

I'm sorry, Mr. Manders.

I'm sorry for whatever I thought.

VOSS: Merc!

MERC: (CHUCKLING) Oh...

So you're back, huh, Lieutenant?

You stupid sloppy...

Manders and Ari's mother, they're lying dead back in that cave.

- And you, you... - ARI: No, please.

Oh, no, no. Ah...

Hey, Lieutenant...

Look, you got bars on your shoulders.

You shouldn't have done that, Lieutenant.

And you got it coming, you know that.

ARI: Oh, stop. Stop.

ARI: Stop it. Oh!

- ARI: Stop. - Now, wait a minute, wait a minute.

Listen to me.

Now, there's no line to push that I have to like you.

But we're in this too together,

if we're going to get out, we got to stick together.

There's just one thing, Merc.

If we'd been Japs walking in on you,

you wouldn't be worried about a fight, you'd be dead.

That's where you're wrong, Lieutenant.

The Japs would be dead.

Look over in that tree.

There's Tai. She's got a carbine and a pocket full of grenades.

And over there, Sawbu.

And they know how to use those carbines because I taught 'em.

- How about the grenade? - I dummied up a couple.

We had some basic training, creeping, crawling, patrolling the woods.

Those girls worked out all right.

All right.

I guess I owe you an apology, Merc.

Shouldn't have lost my head like that. I'm sorry.

Forget it, Lieutenant.

It was the greatest thing in my life,

knowing my Lieutenant and loving him.

But for him also?

He loves me too.

He has told me so.

But in these times and circumstances,

what else would you expect him to say?

So, they drop us in this dirty, lousy, stinking jungle.

No word, no answer, nothing.

They happen to have a few problems of their own, Merc.

Yeah, well, that helps us, huh?

You know what we're going to do, Lieutenant, we're going to have to walk out of here.

Just like that, huh?

You know how many miles that is, Merc?

I know how many miles it is, but other jokers have made it.

They didn't have to be in our position, that's all.

The girls, just what happens to them, huh?

- We leave them here. They'll get along all right. - How?

Like they did before or maybe worse?

No...

No. I can't do it, Merc.

It just so happens that I'm in love with Ari.

Love?

Oh...

Now, Lieutenant, you got to be kidding, you can't mean that.

And just why can't I?

MERC: Well, Ari is just a gook.

VOSS: Gook?

Well, yeah. I admit they got your good points, Lieutenant.

Well, Lolo, she's a ball of fire but...

Where are you from? You're from Montana, right?

That's right.

Well, can't you imagine you walking into your mom and dad's parlor

and you're saying, "Folks, look here, I brought you home

"a new daughter-in-law, and she may not be

"exactly what you had in mind for me but..."

I brought you some coffee.

Who's there?

- Ari. - Over here.

I didn't expect this, Ari,

but you ought to be sleeping. You have to stay on guard for later.

I couldn't sleep.

Here, sit down.

Lieutenant?

This mission, it means a lot to you?

Yeah.

It's just about everything to me, Ari.

Look at it this way,

because I goofed up, turned my ankle and got caught,

all but two of us are damned, Manders and your mother too.

Because we can't pull it off, maybe thousands of guys will be dead.

Now, that's what I got to live with.

I've been thinking, in China many of the girls fight in Guerrilla Army.

And even in the history of my own country,

many of my own sex die in battle.

So?

It was not difficult for Merc to teach the girls how to shoot and throw a grenade.

And what the men who were killed,

we're supposed to do on the mission,

could five girls not do the job?

What are you talking about, you mean want to...

No... What's the matter with you, Ari?

Why not?

Because it just wouldn't work, that's why not.

You haven't had any training or anything.

There's more than a week, could you not teach us?

No. That wouldn't be enough time anyway.

In a week, you can tell whether we can do it or not.

No. Now, will you forget it?

It could mean saving many of your men's lives.

Yeah, you're right.

It is a possibility.

But, Ari, you know the odds, why do you want to risk it?

This is our country they invaded.

We have all lost our home and families.

Okay. Okay, Ari. We'll give it a try.

Then it's settled.

You're a pretty wonderful girl, Ari.

Would it be hard what we have to learn?

Just depends. Mainly, it's how to kill people.

How would we know if we can kill people?

You never will until you've done it.

Oh...

MERC: We managed to find a lot of our supplies that the Japs hadn't found.

It was a shame covering up these girls in G.I. uniforms

but I guess it made more sense.

It sure gave me a lift to see the chicks

take the boot training like a gang of hard-nosed sergeants.

But like Ari said,

they had their own good reasons for fighting back at the Japs.

♪

You know, Merc?

I think we got a chance, a real chance.

These girls have been working out real well.

Oh, they do all right in the dry run but what about under pressure?

You know something, Lieutenant, that's the trouble with basic training.

By the time night comes, everybody is just too tired.

Oh, yeah.

ARI: Lolo!

Where are you going?

I'm leaving.

Leaving? Why?

Do you think I like this crawling in the ground, falling in the dirt?

I was meant to wear good clothes and entertain.

- But to win the war. - Oh, who would I care wins the war?

It is all the same. Men are men.

But you escaped, the Japanese will kill you.

Not when I tell them about the two yanks in the jungle

and what they're planning.

You... You're going to betray us?

Lolo?

She was going to betray us.

I had to do it. I had to do it.

Well, I guess this answers our question, Lieutenant,

whether they could kill somebody or not.

What a waste.

What a dirty, stinking, lousy, frying waste.

MERC: This was it.

Right on the nose.

The Japs started their big push toward India.

The main target being Imphal.

And the only way they could do it was over the bottleneck on the Kohima Road.

The one we were supposed to blow up.

For two days, we'd been watching the road

and we had a plan set up for breaking through the Jap barricade

that blocked our way to the bottleneck.

Okay, Merc, get ready.

Tai, strip his uniform off, quick.

Tai, get in his uniform quick.

MERC: We'd hidden our explosives wire and detonators

off the side of the road.

Now, we had to load them on the trucks and get them out of there in a hurry.

♪

Okay. Get around the other side. Ari, Ari!

Okay.

MERC: We got away with the first part of our plan.

The next big jolt would come when we try to get past

the Jap barricade and through the bottleneck.

And so far, it's working like a clock.

You and the girls have been great.

What's the matter, Ari? This last week you've been different.

I know it's... I know it's been rugged

or a beat ready to cut our throats.

Look, Ari, listen...

Is it something I've done? If it is, I'll try to make it right.

No. It's nothing you've done or can help.

It's nothing anybody can do.

There it is.

The bottleneck.

(GROANS)

MERC: The Jap army was moving up the road

and we had to get our job done before they got there.

We made it. We're on the bottleneck.

Our plan was to plant three loads of high explosives 30 feet apart.

We figured if we could blow it up the road,

a piece of the hill would landslide down and mess up that road real good.

All we needed was time.

We were working against the clock.

It's all your baby now, Merc. Keep your fingers crossed.

If our luck holds out another couple of minutes, we got to make it.

Yeah. You're all right boy. Lots of luck.

Likewise, Lieutenant.

MERC: And if we could only have known that the Japs

had sent motor patrol units up the road to scout ahead of the main force

it would have made a big difference, big difference to a lot of us.

That's enough for me, Ari.

Get back, quick.

They got Merc.

No.

Lieutenant, what are you doing out there?

- I thought you were hit, Merc. - My feet slipped. Now, get out of there!

No, no can do.

Look, Ari, run. Get out of here. There's still a chance.

I will not leave you now.

Light the fuse.

I can't, not with you there.

What's one gook, more or less? Merc, light the fuse.

MERC: That'd mean if I set off the fuse, both the lieutenant and the girl

would get blown up or buried under tons of dirt.

It was up to me now, to be the stinking slob corporal.

I had to make the decision.

The Japs never did get to India,

and I guess that's something to consider on those nights

when I'll be thinking about the lieutenant and Ari

and Lolo and the rest of the guys and the chicks who are still back there.

It's like I've said before, what a waste.

What a dirty, stinking, crying, lousy waste.

♪