Saints and Soldiers: Airborne Creed
In August 1944, the Allies have invaded German-occupied France. Nazi Captain Erich Neumann (Lincoln Hoppe) speaks over the phone, comforting his family as he is concerned for their safety. Afterwards, he executes two French men. On the early morning of August 15, paratroopers from the 517th Parachute Regimental Combat Team land in Provence, France under heavy fire from the Germans. Two soldiers, Corporals Harland 'Bud' Curtis (Jasen Wade) and James Rossi (Corbin Allred) land separately and alone. Curtis is pursued by Germans after a flare exposes his location, but he manages to escape.
Hours later, Curtis tries to hide from a passing German patrol, but is spotted. Seeing himself outnumbered, he quickly surrenders. As he is restrained and searched, however, a grenade is thrown into the patrol, distracting the Germans. Rossi, who had snuck up on them, kills the entire patrol and rescues Curtis. Rossi determines using a map and a compass that the two are still miles away from their intended landing zone in Les Arcs, a French village. The two set off before finding an abandoned shelter where they are followed by Curtis's commander Sergeant Caleb Jones (David Nibley).
Jones explains that the trio must head for Les Arcs as soon as they can as the Germans may send patrols after them. The three travel through the French country, eventually stopping at a road. They encounter Neumann, who is meeting with fellow officers and troops. The three try to hide in the grass but Rossi inadvertently alerts them to his position, and is forced to open fire and kill a German. The two groups engage in a brief firefight, which ends in all of Neumann's troops being killed. Seeing this, he tries to flee and is pursued by Jones. Neumann trips and Jones catches up to him, but is reluctant to shoot him, being religious. He apparently kills Neumann anyway.
The three soldiers continue making their way to Les Arcs when they find a woman named Emilie, who is a member of the French Resistance. She explains that her fellow Resistance members are being held prisoner by Germans not too far away, and she needs help rescuing them. Rossi is against this, suspicious of her motives, but Jones agrees to help. The group is briefly attacked by a German plane after it shot down an Allied plane. They find a dead American paratrooper and bury him. The soldiers find where the French are being held, so Jones and Rossi separate to clear the building while Curtis and Emilie cover for them. Jones is attacked by Germans, but they are soon shot by Curtis and Emilie, while Rossi kills guards on the other side. They find three prisoners; Philippe, Gustave and Jacques, but they learn one other was apparently tortured. Rossi goes to rescue the other, but discovers he is dead. He is then attacked by two Germans. Rossi shoots and kills one and engages in hand-to-hand combat with the other. Before Jones and Curtis can intervene, Rossi overcomes an intense fight and brutally beats the German to death. Jones is shocked by Rossi's brutality.
Jones, who speaks French, plans with Philippe to travel to Les Arcs, where Germans have overtaken the town. Along the way, they encounter two American troops; Lieutenant Woodard (Curt Doussett) and Private Stewart. Their vehicle has broken down, and Curtis begins to fix it. Rossi and Emilie have a shooting contest, where Rossi bets a kiss and Emilie bets a whistle. Emilie surprisingly wins but kisses Rossi anyway, bewildering him. After Curtis fixes the vehicle, Jones notices Woodard has German binoculars and wears brass on his uniform, something U.S. troops don't do in combat. He realizes the two are Germans posing as Americans and captures them. Jones tries to get info from them, and Woodard admits they were assigned to kill a high-up German officer to prevent his capture after Gustave kills Stewart. Jacques takes Woodard away and returns with two more French soldiers.
The group arrives at Les Arcs and Jones spots a Panzer division where a tank and a vehicle full of German troops are about to leave, intending to attack the rest of the paratroopers. Jones decides to ambush the Germans, and the group splits up into two. Curtis fires a missile at the tank, briefly stopping it, but the German troops disembark the truck and start firing. The Allied group starts firing back at them, resulting in high German casualties. Jones and Curtis both start pursuing the tank, which apparently fled earlier but now is firing at the group. All French troops except for Emilie are killed. Rossi covers for Jones and Curtis while they go after the tank. More German soldiers are killed as the skirmish ends with Jones disabling the tank. However, he is seriously wounded when a German shoots him in the chest. Curtis tries to flee but is shot in the back. Rossi is also seriously wounded after being shot. As all three lay dying, they have recollections of their previous lives.
Curtis tries to recite the Airborne Creed, something that had been said multiple times throughout the film. Before he can finish, he has a hallucination of his girlfriend, but in reality is Emilie trying to tend to his wounds, but he ends up dying in her arms. Rossi regains consciousness and is approached by Neumann, who Jones spared earlier. Rossi gets up to fight but collapses due to his wounds. Neumann does not kill him, honoring Jones' example. He takes Rossi to an abandoned farm, where he bandages his wounds and makes him a meal. Neumann tries to befriend Rossi, but Rossi cannot understand why a German is treating him well
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