The Fifth Day of Peace

The Fifth Day of Peace
English version DVD cover
Directed by	Giuliano Montaldo
Starring	Richard Johnson Franco Nero Michael Goodliffe Bud Spencer Helmuth Schneider
Music by	Ennio Morricone
Studio	Clesi Cinematografica Jadran Film
Distributed by	USA Scotia International France Les Films Jacques Leitienne
Release date(s)	1969 (1969)
Running time	English 103 minutes Italian 110 minutes
Country	Italy and Yugoslavia

The Fifth day of Peace, Italian title: Dio è con noi, is an Italo-Yugoslavian movie from 1969.

Synopsis

Two German deserters, Ensign Bruno Grauber (Franco Nero) and Corporal Reiner Schultz (Larry Aubrey) are captured by the Canadians at the end of World War 2. 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 German sailors, leading seaman Bruno Dorfer and machinist's mate Rainer Beck, both executed for desertion on May 13, 1945 after being found guilty of cowardice by fellow POWs. The sentence was carried out by German POWs who were under Canadian command.

Casting

• Bud Spencer as Cpl. Jelinek
• 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)
• Michael Goodliffe as Gen. Snow
• Relja Basic as Lt. George Romney
• Emilio Delle Piane as Gleason
• Enrico Osterman as Trevor
• Renato Romano as Canadian Doctor
• Sven Lasta as German Officer
• Demeter Bitenc German Major

External links

• The Fifth Day of Peace at the Internet Movie Database
• "The Execution of German Deserters by Surrendered German Troops Under Canadian Control in Amsterdam, May 1945" Madsen%20-%20Victims%20of%20Circumstance%20-%20the%20Execution%20of%20German%20Deserters%20by%20Surrendered%20German%20Troops%20Under%20Canadian%20Control.pdf