Post by sir veilance on May 1, 2010 20:23:54 GMT -5
Decision Before Dawn is a 1951 war film which tells the story of the American Army using potentially unreliable German prisoners of war to gather intelligence in the closing days of World War II. It starred Richard Basehart ( Who played Admiral Nelson, in the 1960's TV show, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea), Oskar Werner (He was Montag, the book loving Fireman, in Fahrenheit 451), and Hans Christian Blech. Blech played in several WW2 movies including The Longest Day and The Battle of the Bulge. In real life, Blech actually fought on the Eastern Front in World War II, where he got his facial scars.
I remember seeing this film when I was kid and watched it again recently. I had forgotten how accurate the uniforms, weapons, vehicles and even the aircraft were! Especially for a film made in 1951. Unlike many films about WW2 made at the time and later for that matter, the Germans aren't wearing WW1 Helmets and carrying Thompsons with 30 round magazines. The movie was filmed in an unrebuilt Germany, the ruined buildings are real, the vehicle are mostly correct. Kubels, Opel Blitz's, Sdkfz. 251 and other German halftracks. Only the Panzers are post war American built, and probably belong to French Occupation Forces. The uniforms are all probably original and seam correct in every detail. They fit each soldier who wears them in the film so well, that I bet most of guys just dug their original uniforms out of their closet when they heard about the casting call for the film. The weapons are mostly correct too. In one scene, "Happy" played by Oskar Werner is chased by an SS police unit all carrying MP44's. Even the aircraft are a good representation of what would have been seen at the time. In one sequence "Happy" is in a convoy and has to dismount to cross a river, just as the column is strafed by several P-47's.
Here is the trailer from the film...
I remember seeing this film when I was kid and watched it again recently. I had forgotten how accurate the uniforms, weapons, vehicles and even the aircraft were! Especially for a film made in 1951. Unlike many films about WW2 made at the time and later for that matter, the Germans aren't wearing WW1 Helmets and carrying Thompsons with 30 round magazines. The movie was filmed in an unrebuilt Germany, the ruined buildings are real, the vehicle are mostly correct. Kubels, Opel Blitz's, Sdkfz. 251 and other German halftracks. Only the Panzers are post war American built, and probably belong to French Occupation Forces. The uniforms are all probably original and seam correct in every detail. They fit each soldier who wears them in the film so well, that I bet most of guys just dug their original uniforms out of their closet when they heard about the casting call for the film. The weapons are mostly correct too. In one scene, "Happy" played by Oskar Werner is chased by an SS police unit all carrying MP44's. Even the aircraft are a good representation of what would have been seen at the time. In one sequence "Happy" is in a convoy and has to dismount to cross a river, just as the column is strafed by several P-47's.
Here is the trailer from the film...