| Director | Anatole Litvak |
|---|---|
| Box office | $1.6 million |
By late 1944, as the Allies march toward the Rhine, it is obvious that Germany will lose the war. American Colonel Devlin leads a military intelligence unit that enlists German POWs to cross into German territory and spy on their former comrades. The recruits include "Tiger", a cynical mercenary, and "Happy", a young, idealistic medical student. Monique, a former resistance operative, trains Happy and others in espionage techniques.
Devlin learns that a Wehrmacht general wants to negotiate the surrender of his entire command, and a mission is organized. Devlin selects Lieutenant Rennick to lead it, who Rennick hates turncoats on both sides of the war. Both Tiger and Happy are chosen for the mission: Tiger knows the area well, and Happy is tasked with locating the XI Panzer Corps, which might oppose any mass surrender. The three men parachute into Germany and then separate.
During his search for the XI Panzer, Happy encounters Germans with differing attitudes about the war. On buses and trains, in guest houses and taverns, he meets those who are still defiant, such as SS courier Scholtz, and those who are now resigned to defeat, such as Hilde, a war widow turned prostitute. Eventually, Happy locates the XI Panzer, posing as a medic. He is selected to treat its ailing commander, Oberst von Ecker, at his castle headquarters. Happy narrowly escapes capture by the Gestapo. He finds a safe house in the ruins of heavily bombed Mannheim, where Rennick and Tiger hide as well. They have learned that the German commander whom they were to contact has been injured and hospitalized under SS guard. Without him, the other German officers cannot and will not surrender to the Allies.
Happy, Tiger and Rennick reach the banks of the Rhine, where they plan to swim across to American lines. At the last moment, Tiger loses his nerve and flees, forcing Rennick to kill him to preserve the mission. As Rennick and Happy are about to swim for the opposite shore, they are spotted. Facing torture and execution if caught, Happy draws the Germans' attention away from Rennick by surrendering. His sacrifice enables the lieutenant to reach safety. Rennick survives, with a changed attitude about some Germans.