Why did Steiner...
Need to have Russian prisoners to come back to home base giving Capt. Stransky added excuse to ambush them. Why couldn't Steiner just come in with his platoon without any cover?
share[deleted]
MovieChat Forums > Cross of Iron (1977) Discussion > Why did Steiner...
By then most of them had given up their German Uniforms for Russian ones. It was just easier for them to play it that way until they got in.
shareThey needed the Russian dressed Germans to escort German 'prisoners' to sneak past the Russian trench. And they needed German dressed Germans to escort 'Russian prisoners' to enter the German trench. As someone else stated they could not risk carrying their old German uniforms to switch back, also, it is doubtfull that they would be able to take the time to change uniforms in the middle of no man's land.
"I Hate Trolls"
Speaking of which: what did the Russian Soldiers see to give away the game & get them to start shooting? I've never been able to figure it out;
NM
One of the Russian soldiers noticed that one of Steiner's men dressed as a Russian was wearing German boots. He was the miserable wretch messaging his foot at the start of the scene so we was paying attention to what they were wearing. Plus, they probably already thought that it was odd that Russians were taking German prisoners towards the front line instead of away from it.
"I Hate Trolls"
"One of the Russian soldiers noticed that one of Steiner's men dressed as a Russian was wearing German boots."
Thanks;
Hmmm...I figured it was something to do with the uniforms/kit; of course to a half blind novice as myself, the boots looked the same to me...
NM
Yeah. I considered that a weak point in the plot. A legitimate Russian soldier could have stolen a German's prisoners boot. Therefore, it would seem rash to open fire without any type of challenge. however, if you watch the movie, the cameral obviously panned their footwear so it is the answer that Peckinpah intended.
I think that the fact that they were marching towards German lines was a much more compelling case for being suspicious.
"I Hate Trolls"
One other point. The scene just after that was really disturbing. Watching Seiner's men get machine gunned by their own troops after getting so far really got to me. Schnurrbart yelling 'demarcation' and pig ears being carried by the last two survivors only to die in their own trenches. That scene was excruciating. It was just so prolonged, machine gun bullets, falling on barbed wire, and the screaming. I couldn't take it.
"I Hate Trolls"
The uniforms were too small. That's what they noticed. They stole women's pants and they weren't long enough to even tuck into the boots, so the Russians could see their bear legs. It was suspicious enough to ask the men to stop, and that's why Steiner's men gave up and opened fire.
share"The uniforms were too small. That's what they noticed. They stole women's pants and they weren't long enough to even tuck into the boots, so the Russians could see their bear legs. It was suspicious enough to ask the men to stop, and that's why Steiner's men gave up and opened fire."
yes this is the right thing
There seemed to also be some echos of Vietnam in the film. One bit was the way
the Germans could admire/use some of the Russians weapons. Submachine gun for
one was lovingly carried. It worked in all conditions.
Vietnam saw the early US rifles jamming in harsh combat conditions due to the tight manufacturing standards. Fine in regular tests and combat. But throw them into swamps, jungles, rainy seasons, etc. and those tight specs were not
forgiving. AK-47 was loosely milled so could drop the thing in a muddy pond and it came out firing.
Over time there were some improvements to US gear but just goes to prove the old saying about plans being ok until first actual event.
Good film, rough yes but worthy of being up there with Attack! and some of the
best war/anti-war grinds. The use of the Russian female forces was one of very
few of those I've seen. Back when filmed mainly only Israel had them in combat roles tho of course WWII saw them in Russian campaigns on into Berlin capture.
That whole male bonding thing sure parallels so much of what was expected of the male, until recent Great Recession where women are suffering a lot less in
layoffs than the males.
Combat, private schools, religions, commerce, sports -- it's all a Cross of Iron to bear in more ways than the one worn on the chest.
Or that his trouser legs were weirdly short and hung above the boots. Wearing German boots wouldn't have been that unusual considering how bad supplies would have been for both sides. Finding a pair of boots on an enemy soldier that didn't have a hole in or had a sole that didn't flap a about was still a good pair of boots.
shareyeah, but we knew they shot russian POWs, so they germans dressed as russians faced being shot by the germans anyways
shareWhat the hell are you all talking about?! It's nothing to do with the boots or the trousers. It just happens that a mortar attack comes in at that same moment giving the officer perfect cover to kill Steiner. If you listen you can hear a soldier saying 'barrage' as the first mortars strike.
shareThe Russian guy say: "Hey, they are Germans" and Steiner's men open fire. It was probably to do with the trousers.
shareObvious troll likes to troll.
shareCalm down - you obviously misread the question - look at the post by nickm2 on Dec 24th 2009. it's not what the OP asked, he is asking what made Steiner's guys open fire on the Russian troops as they walk through the Russian camp whilst dressed as Russians themselves.
The answer was not the 'boots' as one poster suggested, but it was that the trousers Steiner's guys were wearing were too short! the trousers they stole from the female Russian soldiers.
"trousers too short. Hmm that's not right, they must be Germans in disguise" thought the Russian soldier who stared at their legs, shortly before Steiner's guys open fire before being shot at :)
I always thought that they were going to get that bastard Stransky for not warning them about the evacuation like he was supposed to.
SharkattackUK- "Shoot me again, I ain't dead yet!"
This is quite an old thread, but here are my two cents: the sour-faced Russian doing his foot wrappings notices something odd about the Soviet uniform trousers, which are shown in close-up: they are too short, probably as a result of being in a woman's size.
As has also been pointed out, it is odd anyway that they are heading towards the German lines, and this too would arouse suspicion.
The German boots themselves would not be a problem: Soviet troops often took footgear and other items off dead or captured Germans, and the Germans did the same in reverse, especially with Soviet winter clothing which was often superior to what the Germans had.
"Chicken soup - with a *beep* straw."
But what did Kruger say to the Russian soldiers? All I could make out was the Russian with the mustache said, 'no, no.'
There were only two German 'POW's' - Steiner and Kern.
Agreed that the Russians observed that something was wrong with the short trousers and then started to move, then Kruger and (who was the other fake Russiand that shot them?) fired them up. Thanks for any help.
I could only catch the last few words. Kruger says, "...these German pigs." (Russian: "...te nemetskiye svini") Before that he may have been offering to turn the prisoners over to them to allay their suspicions, making the Russians say, "No, no" (but what if they had accepted them? That would have been awkward)
"Chicken soup - with a *beep* straw."
Steve, thanks for the reply. I will have to see this again this weekend. Still one of my favorite movies.
shareI think the other fake Russian was Schnurbart.
"Chicken soup - with a *beep* straw."
Steve, thanks for the reply.
I watch the movie again after a few years and still enjoy it. I watched how other actors reacted that were not part of the main 'action' in several scenes.
I first saw CoI in 1977 after attending ROTC summer camp. Saw several 'events' that must happen in most militaries. When I saw LT Meyer get bayoneted (and then shot) I sure wish Krueger put the whole clip of his P-38 into that Russian.
Emptying his pistol might not have been a good idea in hand-to-hand fighting, as another Russian might have come at him in the same way. Anyway, Meyer was killed because either his machine pistol jammed or it ran out of ammunition.
"Chicken soup - with a *beep* straw."
True about shooting the entire clip, just that some Russki just rammed a bayonet into your platoon (company commander) leader that looks that he has been on the front as much as the other 'stubble-hoppers.'
I believe his MP-40 jammed as it looked that he was trying to pull the cocking handle to clear the stuck round, but too many Russians in the fighting position, and one got through.
Thanks for the responses.