love the little wry smile and shake of the head ..a little vindication for himself and probably a little nod for Ike for taking him total by surprise for taking such a gamble..great scene from a classic movie

If there’s one thing war movies have taught me, it’s always to trust the eccentric old officer with a cane.

Macks' little smile at the end pretty much says, "Eisenhower you mad dog, you actually went through with what I thought you would if I believed you were crazy enough".

Using the dialogue in native German, these scenes have been so much natural. It is just mind blowing. I watch these clips over and over again. Peter Munch is a terrific actor (played Eric Marks)

I like how he surmises about how a diversion is created for a reason, he KNOWS something big’s going on

Marcks was one of the true strategic thinkers that the German's had in 1944. He was a fantastic Offensive general, but defense was not his area of expertise. He was smart though, he figured it out very quickly. He was the one who's arguments got the tanks freed up, but he died before he could see the result. His quick thinking kept the American's and British penned up for almost a month. But in the end, material won out. When you can throw unlimited resources at a project, you can't lose.

The detail of having Marcks have a limp and a mechanical sound when he walked was brilliant. Marcks had lost a leg on the Eastern front.

Marcks was the toughest and most brilliant German corps commander in the Normandy campaign.

I wnt to St Lô in 2004,I liked very much to be in Normandy,we visited all the beaches where the allies landed.It was great to see all those places.

At the end, as he looked at the map, you could just see Marcks saying to himself, "Eisenhower, you magnificent b*****d!"

The Birthday Cake was Beautifully Decorated.

I was 8 years old when my Dad took me to see this movie when it came out. It was the most exciting thing I had ever seen. Which in retrospect in later years was strange as he was a Koren War First Cav war vet and never said one single word about his war experience. Not a word to me or my older brother.I leaned later as I grew up vets don't like talking about there war experience. My wife's Dad a real big tough guy was in the Anzio Invasion in WW2. Not a word.

Love that little look of satisfaction at 4:26. Even though it meant bad news for the Germans, Marcks had to feel at least a small bit of smug satisfaction knowing his tactics were working.

Clever General, he knew his stuff.

One my favorite scenes in the movie.

Erich Marcks was a brilliant strategist. Too bad for the Germans that he died in a air attack less than one week after the invasion.

There is a bit of foreshadowing at 4:06 . Six days later Marcks was indeed killed when his car came under aerial attack.

Those guys throwing stuff in the fireplace always reminds me of William Shatner deciding to abandon the moon base in Airplane 2 lol!

Great Authority and Screen Presence.

Marcks has enough discipline in his manner to fill 3 Germans...

The actor playing Marcks would play Col. General Jodl, Hitler's chief of staff in six years later in PATTON.

One of my favorite movies. I like how the directors show things from various perspective. We are lucky Hitler was going crazy and micro-managing by this point. His failure to release the reserve tanks (and his staff being unwilling to wake him because of his screaming fits) was a big factor. If the many competent, astute commanders had bern allowed to do as they thought best, they may have fought us to a standstill in June and July of 1944. That would have meant prolonged bombing until we could muster the men and resources for a new land campaign. Also, nuclear weapons may have been used, resulting in more death and destruction. The war likely would have dragged on until 1946, with even more loss of life. The Holocaust would have continued that whole time too.

30 Sherman tanks were suppose to float to the Normandy beaches. Only one tank made it through the rough sea. 29 Sherman tanks with 5 man crews sank drowning the men (145 men). If those tanks had made it to the beaches then USA casualties could have been reduced from 5,000 to half or even less.

The only guy who predicted correctly. Too bad he can't show it in the war games.

I'm reading the book now, have never seen the movie...I'll rent it after I'm done with the book, looking forward to it ! the book is excellent

Bernhard Wicki, the director of The Bridge, directed all the German language scenes in this film. The studios used that same idea in Tora Tora Tora by having Japanese directors (including Akira Kurosawa) handle the Japanese POV scenes. Different times!

At 3:19 mark, the soldier holding the parachute is also in the movie, The Train, another too often overlooked WW2 film. He played an underground person who played the role of a German soldier who had to keep guard of Bert Lancaster at one of the fake RR stations. I highly recommend the film and for the performance of Wolfgang Priess as Major Herein.

Marcks knew they were not ready, but it didn't matter. Eisenhower's plan was not based on brilliant tactics but basic planning and logistics that created an unstoppable machine. Nothing was going to stop the invasion from succeeding. The uncertainty was nerve wracking on an individual basis but the invasion implementation was sound. The Allies had Air Superiority and an overwhelming force. Had the Germans stopped one beach the others would have still succeeded. The fact that the allies were delayed for only one day on one beach shows how overwhelming the force was and how weak the Germans were. At no time in the allied offensive were the Germans able to retake contested ground. They slowed the allies down for a short while in the bocage country, but at the cost of losing virtually all their armor in the West while the allies just got stronger.

brilliant commander. Imagine no micromanage of entire German armies to the brigade level from a corporal.

That last scene includes 'the roads are under aerial attack.' Marcks died due to an aerial attack while travelling by car. Rommel nearly died the same way. The aerial bombardment of areas in front of US troops resulted in the death of at least one American General, so there's that. Blunt instruments. Later US Generals stayed away from the front, and fighting ability dropped dramatically late in the war.

Man the Germans had good looking uniforms.

A GREAT movie

visited his grave on my Normandy trip...said eh wouldnt eat cake untiel they won the war, lost a leg in Russia...

When one believes you have the enemy’s plan distilled and predicted. That is when you should be wary as should always expect the enemy to be unpredictable and surprise you. As allies did by making use if he keys that they would never invade in such weather and via Normandy.

Amusing how some of these German field officers were smarter than the high command. Marcks called it, time of day, weather and location.

“Eisenhower would never take the gamble. Never!” 😈

Well, the victory went to the allies but the award for the most stylish generals uniforms went to the Germans.... :-b

My favoritest, scariest, movie.

The most important battle everywhere

I have always said if you want real history lesson watch The Battle of Britain and the Longest Day

Curiously, Eric Marcks birthday was June 6. As was that of Rommel's wife.

The way he cuts the cake.... :( rip

Like now...with bad weather...How right he was with that.

he would be a great victorious General if he was an American

Este nem sabia como estava certo,:-)).

Denise Pettet. Sge was born on June 4 1960.

4:03 A little Easter Egg....Six days after the invasion on June sixth. General Marks was killed while driving in daylight on a road near St. Lo by a strafing attack from an American P47 .

General Marcks resembles an older 'Herr Flick'. I don't suppose Richard Gibson (the actor who portrayed Flick) was related to the actor here ?

Erich Marcks actually died near St. Lo only a few days after the invasion.

There is something about the German uniforms that makes them look well tailored.

Killed 6 days later in an air raid

General Klink .. Chief of Staff.

75 years ago next 6 June. If German General's would have reacted to situation on ground, instead of waiting for orders, the outcome might have been different.

Why do we always look forward to the german scenes in war movies or is that just me I think like Darth vader we like the bad guys knowing they loose in the end.

Marckes was using the walking stick on the wrong side of his body. A stick is almost always used to support the good leg not the bad one.

a little irony his birthday was on june 6

@IJNAkagi1942 Yes I have considered it. The war would have taken up to two more years to win. The allied giant would have been slowed down; but not beaten. As in WW1, Germany was starving for food, men and materiel. Even more death and destruction if atomic weapons were used in late '45 or '46.

Erich Marcks lost a leg on the eastern front and was killed in an air raid 6 days after D-Day.

One minute it’s birthday cake, next it’s burning documents and heading for the border.

Sothese "war-games"aremoreinthe styleofthe japanese-a testofan operational concept!?

That Birthday Cake Looked Good To Eat.

Erich Marcks; Party Animal! 1:38

And to think ... "the war games in Rennes" became the story line for ":The Dirty Dozen"!! How many of the upper ranking German generals really knew the writings of Von Klauswitz, and were not propped up "yes men" to "The Bohemian Corporal"?

John has a long mustache.....It wounds my heart with a monotonous langer......

Who made this film? I’ve never seen it. So, Marcks was commanding officer at St Lo. Bad weather in May-June in the Channel?

Pas de chance pour son anniversaire 😂

Never overload a BBQ

Killed in an air raid attack six days after the invasion.

The first draft of Barbarossa was his. A good general. Pity that most of his divisions were crapy ones (exept the 352) and his superior (General Speidel of Heersesgruppe B in absence of Rommel who was in Germany being member of the conspiracy did nothing to repel the invasion and if decisions were to be made he referred his interlocutor to OB West)

Zwei seiner drei Söhne sind in Rußland gefallen. Er wenige Tage später auch.

I love how it starts to occur to him that maybe Eisenhower might not be so predictable on this occasion.

Erich Marcks was also the General that was selected to plan Barbarossa for Hitler.

Dah Dah....Dah Dah.....

I don't speak German practically at all. But I do know a little and I know quite a few words. Maybe someone can help me with this...at 0:50 when he is talking about where the Allies are "expected" the caption reads; "We expect them to cross at the narrowest part of the channel..." but he uses the word "attack" in his speaking. So why was the captioning not reflective of what he actually said?

They feared the allies troops.

Good thing it's only theoretical, the allies would never dare. ..?

the war never would have happened

If Marcks had been in charge instead of the idiots it would have come a different story but then again Marcks would have never overextended....

They should do a remake from this movie , with directors Christopher Nolan , Kenneth Branagh , Tom Tykwer ,Nicolas Winding Refn , Jacques Audiard ! Produced : Steven Spielberg/Tom Hanks / James Cameron /Ali Baba aka : Jack Ma , acting : Jake Gyllenhaal , Tom Cruise , Tom Hardy , Joaquin Phoenix , Daniel Graig , Tom Hanks , Leonardo DiCaprio , Marion Cottiard , Tobey Jones , Gary Oldman , Colin Firth , Kathy Burke , Benedict Cumberbatch , Dakota Fanning , Casey Affleck , Michele Williams , Carey mulligan , Mark Strong , Tobey , Story telling , Gene Hackman

“Gummi puppen?”

1:37 Don't you just love German birthday parties? Sex 'n' drugs 'n' rock 'n' roll.

What did the Germans expect? They invaded France, so not everyone is going to welcome them with open arms. Rest in Peace to all the brave French Resistance who helped to free their country from the Nazi tyranny.

Maybe Hitler would have done better to dismiss Rommel and Von Rundstedt and put Marcks in charge.

his birthday june 6 oh shit bad day for the german military

If the studio had quite shoving money into that black hole known as Cleopatra, and put a few more millions into the longest day, it would have been twice the film. The longest Day made money for the studio and won awards. Cleopatra was cinematic dud.

he died in his car by strafing

Road to Valor 2 players laughing

SLUGWORTH😬

When it came to the military, the Germans were the best soldiers, man for man, in both World Wars.

How did he say Happy Birthday? I am pretty sure it wasn't Herzlichen Gluckwunsch zum Geburtstag

SECURE AND CONTAIN

A mulher do Rommel também fazia anos no dia 6 e ele foi para a Alemanha na vespéra do dia D e quando o avisaram do ataque estava demasiado longe da Normandia e arrependeu-se de tetr ido para a Alemanha nesse dia,e chamou estupido a si mesmo por se ter enganado pelos aliados,deu oredm para estas tropas não pisarem as praias,mas isos não serviu de nada porque embora com muitos mortos os aliados conseguiram sair das praias e avançar em território francês e lutar contra os alemães e ir avançando em território francês eliminando os exercitos nazis e fazendo prisioneiros Rommel e outros generais não foram muito espertos,outros foram para Rennes para "jogos de guerra",mover bandeiras em quadros com mapas de territórios ocupados pela Alemanha e que foram pouco a pouco libertados pelas tropas aliadas.

Marks Brother?

Would have loved to have had him on our side

With comments talking about "Socialists" it's ironic that this general's name was Marcks. You know, different spelling for Marx.

Gummipuppen?

the only thing wrong with this movie is that john wayne is in it . Visiting the nazi bunkers at Point du Hoc is an amazing site . the church at Sainte Mere- Eglise where the paratrooper was hanging from is still there .

kzfaq.info/get/bejne/jZyJobCSs7rcY2Q.htmlm30s Gummi Puppen! XD

Its a shame... military legends like hime should have lived on to see the world free of zionisim and zionists....

thanks for chopping it into pieces and leaving scenes out. Are you the one that copied the bible, too?