It is 1943, and the German army—ravaged and demoralised—is hastily retreating from the Russian front. In the midst of the madness, conflict brews between the aristocratic yet ultimately pusillanimous Captain Stransky and the courageous Corporal Steiner. Stransky is the only man who believes that the Third Reich is still vastly superior to the Russian army. However, within his pompous persona lies a quivering coward who longs for the Iron Cross so that he can return to Berlin a hero. Steiner, on the other hand is cynical, defiantly non-conformist and more concerned with the safety of his own men rather than the horde of military decorations offered to him by his superiors.

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Cast

James Coburn

Unteroffizier / Feldwebel Rolf Steiner

Maximilian Schell

Hauptmann Stransky

James Mason

Oberst Brandt

David Warner

Hauptmann Kiesel

Klaus Löwitsch

Unteroffizier Krüger

Vadim Glowna

Gefreiter Kern

Roger Fritz

Leutnant Treibig

Dieter Schidor

Anselm

Burkhard Driest

Schütze Maag

Fred Stillkrauth

Unteroffizier Schnurrbart

James Coburn — Unteroffizier / Feldwebel Rolf Steiner

James Harrison Coburn III (August 31, 1928 – November 18, 2002) was an American film and television actor. Coburn appeared in nearly 70 films and made over 100 television appearances during his 45-year career, and played a wide range of roles and won an Academy Award for his supporting role as Glen Whitehouse in Affliction.

Maximilian Schell — Hauptmann Stransky

Maximilian Schell (8 December 1930 – 1 February 2014) was a Swiss actor. Born in Austria, his parents were involved in the arts and he grew up surrounded by performance and literature. While he was still a child, his family fled to Switzerland in 1938 when Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany, and they settled in Zürich. After World War II ended, Schell took up acting and directing full-time.

James Mason — Oberst Brandt

James Neville Mason (known as James Mason; May 15, 1909 – July 27, 1984) was an English actor who made a significant impact on both British and American cinema. His acting career began in the 1930s, where he initially gained recognition for his stage performances in London's West End. He made his film debut in 1935 with the British film "Late Extra," marking the start of his illustrious on-screen