The Misfit Brigade
The Misfit Brigade is a 1987 American television film loosely based on Sven Hassel's novel Wheels of Terror. The film was released in some markets under that title.[1]
Plot[edit]
Germany 1943, a German tank is driving through the burning ruins of an unnamed city. The crew of the tank come across a hysterical woman, crying for her "baby" trapped in a partially demolished building. Ignoring an air raid warden, Porta, Tiny, Stege, Old Man and Sven rescue the woman's "baby" only for it to turn out to be her cat. More wildly improbable situations follow, including Little Legionnaire beating Tiny in a fight, before they are sent to the Russian Front. In their assault guns, Bertha I and Bertha II, they launch an attack on Soviet T-34s. Bertha I, commanded by Wilhelm "Old Man" Beier, successfully knocks out a T-34. Meanwhile, Bertha II manage to knock out another T-34 before being knocked out themselves, by a self-propelled gun (SPG) hidden in a nearby wood. Bertha I is immobilized but still manages to knock out the Soviet SPG. They escape back to German lines on foot, losing only young Pvt. "Freckles" Fredericks.
Back at the German lines the platoon witness enemy propaganda before having a wild escapade at a field brothel, returning to their bunker only to find out they're being ordered on a suicide mission.
Cast[edit]
- Bruce Davison as Corporal Joseph Porta
- D. W. Moffett as Captain Erich von Barring
- Keith Szarabajka as Sergeant Wilhelm "Old Man" Beier
- David Patrick Kelly as Corporal Alfred "Little Legionnaire" Kalb
- Jay O. Sanders as Lance Corporal Wolfgang "Tiny" Creutzfeldt
- Branko Vidakovic as Lance Corporal Hugo Stege
- Slavko Štimac as Sven Hassel
- David Carradine as Colonel von Weisshagen
- Oliver Reed as General von Grathwohl
Production[edit]
The film was produced under the working title Wheels of Terror and was shot in Yugoslavia. In Australia the DVD was released under the title Wheels of Terror.
Reception[edit]
The film has been described as "a German Dirty Dozen",[2] due to its story of military prisoners forced on a suicide mission deep behind enemy lines.
References[edit]
- ^ "Wheels of Terror (1987)". Cinema Paradiso. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
- ^ Christiansen, Richard (1989-08-21). "Szarabajka pours energy into film, TV". Chicago Tribune.
External links[edit]
- The Misfit Brigade at Letterbox DVD
- The Misfit Brigade at IMDb
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- 1987 television films
- 1987 films
- American television films
- Films set in Germany
- Eastern Front of World War II films
- Films directed by Gordon Hessler
- World War II television films
- Western Front of World War II films
- Yugoslav World War II films
- British World War II films
- Danish war drama films
- American war drama films
- British war drama films
- Action film stubs