Lee Marvin guest stars as a sergeant in command of a small demolition team that Saunders and his squad is ordered to take behind German lines to destroy a bridge. Lee Marvin does not believe the squad is large enough to handle the job of getting him to the bridge and back alive. He requests a platoon but is refused by Lieutenant Hanley. Marvin submits but has a huge chip on his shoulder due to a close friend being killed while on a similar mission. He has no confidence in Saunders or his men to get the job done and frequently ridicules them during the mission.