It tells the story of a squad of U.S. soldiers from the 95th Infantry Division who, in the fall of 1944, must hold off an entire German company for approximately 48 hours along the Siegfried Line until reinforcements reach them.

Montigny, Meurthe-et-Moselle, 1944: Squad leader Sergeant Larkin and his men are taking a well-deserved rest behind the lines after conducting front-line combat operations for several weeks.

The company commander, Captain Loomis, is worried because Reese, although already having won a Distinguished Service Cross, acts irresponsibly when there is no fighting, but Pike comments that he is a good soldier in combat.

The remaining members of 2nd Squad include con-man and scavenger Corby; Corporal Henshaw, a mechanic who can fix anything; the easy-going, somewhat-naive kid, Cumberly; and family man, Kolinsky.

The morning after they arrive at their appointed post and dig in, the men realize that an unannounced overnight withdrawal of the main American force has left them spread dangerously thin.

Finally, Pike arrives to explain the situation, which only heightens everyone's awareness that any reconnaissance by the Germans across the valley will quickly reveal how weak the American defenses are there.

Larkin quickly puts Driscoll's Jeep to use by having Henshaw drive it back and forth behind their lines after rigging it to backfire and sound like a tank, in an attempt to fool the Germans.

Driscoll himself is put to use by improvising misleading radio messages for a hidden microphone discovered by Corby and left by the Germans in an abandoned pillbox.

The squad's attack fails when Henshaw accidentally sets off an undetected S-mine, fatally burning with the exploding flamethrower tanks he carries, as well as illuminating the battlefield.

A furious Captain Loomis berates Reese and promises him a court-martial for defying orders to hold the line, but only after the American assault at dawn.

When the unexploded satchel charge is tossed out by the alert defenders, the wounded Reese retrieves it and carries it back through the pillbox opening, blowing up the fortification's occupants and himself.

Corby, at Pike's command, directs his flamethrower at the blown-out pillbox window until it is engulfed with fire, as the Americans continue to advance, and fall, to other unseen German weapons.

Pirosh based some of the events in his film on his unit being withdrawn from the Vosges area to move towards the Battle of the Bulge, with their former positions in the line held by a small force in a then-classified deception operation.

[citation needed] McQueen was reportedly furious with his agent for having induced him to sign onto the film and not securing up front the fee that he had been promised, and for passing on another movie he wanted.