The Fifth Day of Peace

The Fifth day of Peace, Italian title: Gott mit uns (written in German), is an Italo-Yugoslavian war movie from 1970 about the 13 May 1945 German deserter execution in a Canadian-run POW camp in Amsterdam.

The Fifth Day of Peace
English version DVD cover
Directed by	Giuliano Montaldo
Written by	Andrea Barbato Lucio Battistrada Ottavio Jemma Giuliano Montaldo
Starring	Richard Johnson Franco Nero Michael Goodliffe Bud Spencer Helmuth Schneider
Music by	Ennio Morricone
Production companies	Clesi Cinematografica Jadran Film
Distributed by	USA Scotia International France Les Films Jacques Leitienne
Release date	17 April 1970 (1970-04-17)
Running time	English 103 minutes Italian 110 minutes
Countries	Italy Yugoslavia
Languages	English French German Italian

Plot

Two German deserters, Kriegsmarine Ensign Bruno Grauber and Army Corporal Reiner Schultz are captured by the Canadian Army at the end of World War II. They are interned in a Canadian-run POW camp where the senior German officer, Colonel Von Bleicher, is a career officer. Their fellow German prisoners of war, led by Von Bleicher, discover that they are deserters. They are put through a formal military court martial organised by Von Bleicher and charged with cowardice. They are sentenced to death and are to be executed on the "fifth day of peace". Von Bleicher pressures the Canadian camp commandant to allow the execution to be carried out and requests rifles and ammunition to carry out the sentence.

A Canadian general, Snow, persuades (but does not order) the Canadian camp commandant, Captain Miller, to allow the execution to be carried out for the higher purpose of preserving military discipline. He also motivates Miller with a promotion to major.

This movie is based on the true story of two Kriegsmarine sailors, leading seaman Bruno Dorfer and machinist's mate Rainer Beck, both executed for desertion on 13 May 1945, after being found guilty of cowardice by fellow POWs. The sentence was carried out by German POWs who were under Canadian command.

Cast

• Richard Johnson as Capt. John Miller
• Franco Nero as Ens. Bruno Grauber
• Larry Aubrey as Cpl. Reiner Schultz
• Helmuth Schneider as Col. von Bleicher (as Helmut Schneider)
• Bud Spencer as Cpl. Jelinek
• Michael Goodliffe as Gen. Snow
• Relja Bašić as Lt. George Romney
• T. P. McKenna as Nick
• Graham Armitage as Mark
• Emilio Delle Piane as Gleason
• Enrico Osterman as Trevor
• Renato Romano as Canadian Doctor
• Sven Lasta as Capt. Bosch
• Demeter Bitenc Major Brandt
• Oswaldo Ruggeri as Capt. Warner

External links

• The Fifth Day of Peace at IMDb
• "Victims of Circumstance: The Execution of German Deserters by Surrendered German Troops Under Canadian Control in Amsterdam, May 1945 by Chris Madsen"