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Ski Troop Attack was produced by Roger Corman, under very entertaining circumstances. It was filmed in less than two weeks in the mountains of South Dakota during the breaks of filming his bigger budget production, Beast from Haunted Cave. Even with these strict time constraints, Ski Troop Attack managed to be a fairly entertaining watch. Despite the small budget, the action sequences were fairly realistic. The cast for the movie is comically small, with only six people assigned any speaking roles. This means that all the supporting roles that involve no speech are either portrayed by stock footage or random extras.
The film centers around the activities of a five man ski patrol unit of the US Army during World War II. This platoon remains stationed deep within in enemy territories in Germany during the cold winter months of 1944 when the allies invade deep into Nazi Germany. With no immediate support available, this unit is forced to defend itself and complete the assignment solo. Sounds like a hit, right?
The film begins with the recon unit setting an ambush trap for a small German patrol they identified stationed in the wooded areas. The GIs race down the slope on their skis and begin hurling like maniacs while they fire their modified M1 Garand carbines. Once the Germans are completely caught off guard, the Americans finish everything civilians style using bayonets, knives and fists. From enjoying my fair share of Advanced Squad Leader as a kid, I will divulge his combat methods are not privy to small unit tactics, bayonets, fists and knives do do the job at an end, and that is what matters. The shoulder patches on the Germans indicate they belong to the “7th Wafflen SS Division” which they proceed to relay back to their headquarters using their radio.
As this part of the movie draws to a close, we get the first hints of tension between the old and experienced Sergeant and the young trooper Lieutenant commanding the troop. Such antagonism is terribly common in every era and quality of war movie, and just like in our movie, it follows those same old cliche story flaws. Two guess how this ends. The other three men are soldiers, mainly privates who, generally, are of the type to obey.
They put up camp for the night in a copes of trees (though their rucksacks are so small, it is clear they do not have any tents or sleeping bags, so I assume they just crashed in the snow with their clothes on?). Over the course of this scene, we get a bit more acquainted with the soldiers. Not a whole lot, mind you, but just enough rough character sketches so that we care a smidgen about them for the duration of the film.
In the following day they are hunted away from a road by a stock footage German armored column! The actors act over the top while looking off-screen as stock footage soldiers and tracked assault guns clank by. They seem astonished by the fact that this sized enemy force is moving west towards the battlefront as no such German unit was meant to be here.
They radio it in to their HQ, only to find out that at this very moment the fabled “Battle of the Bulge” is raging across the entire front. As Historians know, this was Hitler’s last attempt during the last month of 1944 to try and stem the loyalist allies from capturing Germany. The offensive was always doomed to fail. However, it did cause a large amount of death and destruction on both sides triaged to being apocalypse the misunderstanding.
While the world around them was exploding, the GIs decided to stay in the field and report on the German border, all the while discussing the matter at hand. The extremely enthusiastic sergeant votes to go back and fight along with the Division, but the lieutenant is smart and decides to stick with the recon mission. If there is an overwhelming general offensive underway, they could lend their friends a much-needed advantage.
Time for a stock footage celebration! German archives had all the tape and it shows a few Wehrmacht troops walking around in winter camouflage. GIs concernedly report over the radio while simultaneously watching the footage. In the footage, there are tank clips where numerous self propelled artillery guns are displayed, a Mark III tank, and a bunch of StG-IV assault guns (one with an ultra-cool anti-bazooka armor skirt g).
An average patrolling of 5 German soldiers gets interrupted (albeit ambushed on their part). In this altercation that captured a German battalion, they are however, forced to lose one of their men in the explosion caused from the potato masher grenade. Nevertheless, the outcome is in their favor as Germans are slaughtered. Given that there are so few tears shed for the American’s loss, it is safe to assume that the Sergeant’s death was heartbreaking to him his own words would serve as evidence for this as it was just an opportunity for the Sergeant to poke fun at his LT. During 1944 when America struggled with nearly 9000 casualties on a monthly basis in Europe, one more death sounded more like status quo than it did a reason to grieve.
It appears that the people had begun to run low on supplies as they discover a log cabin buried in pinery woods that were covered in snow. Critically speaking there was enough left inside for a single woman the woman being representative of every over zealous German that is depicted in a war movie. She was foolish enough to believe that they would be in Moscow very soon as her husband was stationed in the Eastern Front. She thought the allies would be sent back into the sea therefore siding 100% with Hitler. Lastly, during an attempt to poison the soldiers followed by the drawing of a Luger, she gets shot instead.
Then they do some more scouting and settle down for Christmas in a railroad tunnel, drinking alcohol and eating c ration sets. They choose to recon an additional section to further monitor the activities of the Germans (who are getting chewed up in the Ardennes, but this troop does not know this).
They quickly locate a bridge for a single-track train in the saddle of a snowy mountain. The LT makes the call that this is the route where the Germans are advancing, and also states that the bridge would be “nearly impossible” to bomb from the air (what? Why not, it looks like a perfect target for the USAAF). Thus, the LT decides that they must blow it up themselves.
How strange it is that some mortar set-up is stationed in the vicinity (what? Somewhere in the countryside?). The Lieutenant sketches the outline, planning to set an ambush for the mortar squad hoping to retrieve the mortar shells and use them to craft the explosives needed for demolishing the bridge. It sounds absurd, but it just might work. So, they dive onto the mortar crew, repelling down from above onto the unsuspecting foes and repeatedly stabbing until they are out of reach. One of the privates insists he’s an experienced demolisher and it’s comforting to believe that he and his like-minded friends will figure out a way to make the explosives work. The bonus includes the landmine they conveniently found lying around, which can be used as the switch.
Now they need to scale the side of a mountain in order to get to the hilltop where the bridge supports are. It’s an uphill task, but somehow they manage to do it while trying to odor the icy chill and frozen rocky ledges. By the way the climb is a bit complicated, don’t you think? Ice picks are a handy tool to have, but I hadn’t noticed them before and it’s odd they didn’t pack it up. Forget it, just sit back and relish the climbing action scenes, which actually appear very photo-realistic. These pretend scenarios make the film appealing.
Other players are joining in our GIs are being pursued by a seven-man German ski troop, astonishingly led by Roger Corman himself in a fairly wild cameo. The Germans have been in pursuit since the saga at the log cabin, and they have succeeded in tracking them down. The German troop seems to have no trouble overpowering the undermanned Americans who are significantly lacking in artillery armed with Mauser carbines, MP-40 submachine guns, and grenades.
As the Germans hunt down the Americans, a prolonged but intense running gunfight ensues across a rocky ledge layered with snow. Two Germans lose their lives during this encounter while members from both sides empty a considerable amount of ammunition. Even though this entire movie contains no glimpses of actual reloading, the need for fake gun powers along with ejected cartridges is a smart move from the prop department.
With one of their number providing covering fire, the other three GIs advance towards the base of the bridge. They get some mortar shell charges and climb the stairs to the steel trestles for support. The Sergeant and the Lieutenant go to assist the soldier who is holding off the Germans, while the final soldier works his way up to the top of the bridge to place his mine. There is a wire that runs back to the mortar, which, instead of the mortar, should be connected to the base. I believe that is what is supposed to carry a charge back down to the mortar bombs that are far below on the trestles (did I miss something?).
A German supply train just so happens to be barreling down the tracks at that same time! When the mine slips out of her position, the GI in order to try to get in a better position, exposes himself. Still, when it is all said and done, everything gives him the signal that it is time to say goodbye, due to the fact that he is the only one left alive on board. Bravo to that man! The mine goes off as the train plows through it along with the rest of empty flying containers and craters! After the charges are set off, everything is blown into the air alongside the only remaining survivor of the bridge, commencing the magical shroud of smoke.
After completing their mission, the three surviving Americans engage in a fierce battle while descending the mountain. Although the five Germans that still remain are shooting off rounds towards them, they are not quite skilled enough to land proper hits. It is impressive that they managed to get themselves in a high-ground position. Here, two more Germans get hit and fall down.
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