EXT. FRENCH VILLAGE - MORNING.
A deserted, bomb damaged, roadside village in rural Normandy.
Two story and single story brick or stone buildings line the roads.
A few bomb holes mar the cobblestone street.
A large, beautiful house has one of its sides gashed open, with elegant furnishings spilling out into the yard.
A dog meanders among the abandoned tables of an outdoor cafe looking for meals.
Suddenly the dog stops and looks up.
He cocks his head to listen.
An Engine suddenly REVs and tank tracks CLANK onto the cobblestone.
A SHERMAN TANK enters the village along the main road.
The Tank rolls down the road slowly, its TANK COMMANDER standing in his hatch looking at the buildings around him with a pair of binocculars.
EASY SIX
(Off Screen)
Easy One, do you see anything in the ville, over?
TANK COMMANDER
Nothing so far. No Krauts and no civilians, over.
EASY SIX
(O. S.)
Roger that, hold in place, while I send Easy three
and five to join you, over.
TANK COMMANDER
Understood, over.
Easy one's Tank Commander continues to study the buildings with his binos.
The streets are empty.
A dog wanders near by, sniffing the ground, the Tank commander puts down the binos and watches it.
The dog suddenly stops. Again he cocks his ears.
ENGINES can be heard nearing the village.
A deeper, HUMMING can also just barely be heard
The Tank Commander digs into his pocket and pulls out a half-eaten chocolate bar.
He pulls the foil of a huge chunk and holds it out in the direction of the dog.
TANK COMMANDER
Here ya go boy.
The dog looks at the morsel, but hesitates.
TANK COMMANDER
Its okay, come here.
The Engines are getting closer, and the humming becomes a steady THROB.
The dog runs off.
TANK COMMANDER
What the hell?
He looks down one street, but sees nothing but an empty, silent road.
The road in front of them is the same.
A THROBBING GROWL echoes among the buildings.
TANK COMMANDER
Kill the engine! I hear something.
He bangs on the turret top.
TANK COMMANDER
Kill it!
the Sherman STUTTERS to a halt.
The other two Sherman engines can be heard Off Screen, but there is also a third, engine. One that is
GROWLING with great effort.
Suddenly one of the stone and wood buildings down the street shatters into flying debri.
A TIGER TANK enters in a cloud of dust and stone through its remains.
TANK COMMANDER
Holy Shit!!!
The Tiger grinds into a turn as it crunches through the ruble onto the road.
TANK COMMANDER
Tiger!
The Tank Commander drops down into his turret.
INT. EASY ONE'S TURRET.
A normal, Sherman Tanks turret as The Tank Commander drops onto his seat.
TANK COMMANDER
Fire this thing up, now!
The Turret has begun to move with an electronic whine.
TANK COMMANDER
Armor piercing!
The LOADER has already grabbed the correct round and slams it into the open breech.
The breech closes automaticly.
LOADER
Loaded!
The GUNNER'S face is burried in the rubber rim of the gunner's sight.
EXT. FRENCH VILLAGE - MORNING.
As before.
The Tiger's treads chew into the cobblestone as it pivots towards the American tank.
The Sherman belches smoke as its engine roars to life.
Its Turret whizzes towards the Tiger.
INT. EASY ONE'S TURRET.
As before.
The Gunner's foot lifts off the turret traversing pad.
Gunners POV: The slowly pivoting Tiger in his sight reticle.
GUNNER
Target aquired!
TANK COMMANDER
Kill that son-of-a-bitch!
The Gunners hand squeezes the trigger grip.
EXT. FRENCH VILLAGE - MORNING.
As before.
BAM! The Sherman rocks backwards slightly as it fires.
A White hot streak slams into the front of the Tiger's turret.
CHING! The round ricochet's skyward and arc's off screen.
There is only a slight gouge in the Tiger's gun mantlet.
With a final Growl, the Tiger finishes its turn, aligning its 88 with the hapless Sherman.
INT. EASY ONE'S TURRET.
As before.
The gunner leans back slightly from his sight, and looks at the Tank commander.
TANK COMMANDER
Damn....
EXT. FRENCH VILLAGE - MORNING.
As before.
The entire street rocks as the Tiger fires its 88.
Its Tracks and suspension creak with the recoil.
the shot instantly caves in the front of the Sherman with a devastating BOOM! that sends the turret flying off.
It crashes across the street destroying the cafe.
Secondary explosions rock the skeleton of the tank. machinegun rounds fire off wildly. Tracers flying in every direction.
Fire licks the sky, and an Oil black cloud of smoke envelopes the wreck.
Bits and pieces of the American tank clatter to the ground here and there.
The Tiger waits, idling, as other Shermans Enter the village.
EXT. A SMALL SIDE STREET - MORNING.
Same village, but a narrower street.
A black smoke column can be seen rising above the next row of buildings.
Easy Three and Easy Five roll to a stop.
Both Tank Commanders are standing in their hatches.
Easy Three's commander Waves over to Easy five, then presses his microphone.
EASY THREE
Easy one just got clobbered by something!
EASY FIVE
You see anything?
Easy three's commander shakes his head and shrugs his shoulders.
Both men scan up ahead.
They can't see the main road from where they are.
EASY THREE
I'm going to head up to the main road and see
what I can see. You cut right and come up
another way.
Easy five nodds in agreement.
the wave good luck and the tanks roll off.
EXT. MAIN ROAD - MORNING.
As before, but shrouded in black smoke.
Easy Three rolls onto the main road behind the burning Easy one.
EASY THREE
Hold up.
The Tank grinds to an idle.
Easy Three's Tank Commander checks the wreck and the road out with his binocculars.
Nothing beyond the wreck can be seen through the smoke.
EASY THREE
(Into throat mike)
Easy Five, this is Easy three, can't see anything.
Can't tell if it was a Tank or anti-tank gun that
got him.
Easy Three's Tank Commander raps on the turret, and the tank rolls forward slowly.
EASY THREE
Load a HEAt round! Don't wait for me to tell you
to shoot!
Easy Three begins rolling through the oily, smoke.
The Tank Commander covers his mouth from the choking fumes.
They pass the wreck which is burning fiercly.
A body as black as charcoal can be seen roasting inside.
EASY THREE
Lets just poke her out an inch driver!
The Sherman creeps forward into the clear.
The dissappearing smoke reveals a lurking Tiger, with its deadly 88 already pointing at them.
EASY THREE
Back up! Back up! Now, now, now!
The Sherman crunches to a halt.
Gears grind.
Easy Three
(into mike)
Tiger! Easy Five, you got him in the flank!
Hurry!
The sherman clanks backwards.
CRACK! The 88 roars again, shaking the Tiger.
A White hot streak Blasts through the Sherman's Transmission housing and sends the tanks oily, smoking engine crashing out the back end and skidding along the road.
An internal explosion blows open all hatches and flame and smoke belch out.
bits and pieces of the tank clatter to the street.
The Tiger sits idling.
The last Sherman can be heard via its Engine whining in high gear as it nears from another direction.
The Tiger begins to back up down the main road.
Its Massive turret begins to slowly traverse in the direction of the oncoming engine noise.
EXT. FRENCH VILLAGE, SIDE ROAD - MORNING.
Same village, from another side road.
Easy Five is moving up the road in a hurry.
Up ahead can be seen a juncture with the main road.
EASY FIVE
Easy three? Easy three? Damn.
The Tiger emerges at the juncture, driving in reverse.
LOADER
(Off Screen)
Heat round loaded!
EASY FIVE
Get rid of it, load Armor Piercing, and hurry
God damn it!
INT. EASY FIVE'S TURRET.
Similar to Easy One's.
The Loader curses and reaches down into the ammo racks.
The Gunner squeezes the trigger grip.
FIVE'S GUNNER
Out!
The Sherman rocks and the roar inside is defeaning.
A spent shell ejects from the breech.
EXT. FRENCH VILLAGE, SIDE STREET - MORNING.
As before.
The shot whines above the Tiger and blows apart the upper floor of a roadside building.
Ruble cascades onto the street, and some lands on the Tiger.
The Tiger continues to reverse while its Turret slowly traverses towards the sherman.
INT. EASY FIVE'S TURRET.
As before.
The Loader slams home an Armor Piercing round.
The breech closes automaticly.
LOADER
Loaded!
The gunner presses the trigger grip again.
The turret rocks again with the same defeaning roar and an ejecting brass shell.
EXT. FRENCH VILLAGE, SIDE STREET - MORNING.
As before.
The Tiger is hit in the side from the new shot.
It Explodes with a shower of sparks and a little smoke.
The Tiger rocks on its suspension momentarily.
Shell fragments slice through walls, wood, and windows of nearby buildings.
An ugly metal gouge is evident in the Tigers armour, but it continues to move.
Its turret lines up on the Sherman.
Easy Five's Tank Commander Slams his Bino's onto the turret.
EASY FIVE
God Damn piece of shit! Reverse now! We're
not sticking around here!
The Sherman stops its forward movement so suddenly the Tank commander is slammed forward in his hatch and drops into the turret in pain.
The Tigers Turret reverses onto the Sherman.
It is lined up perfectly, until the sherman suddenly roars backwards.
It reverses into a stone wall, crashing upwards and shuttering to a halt.
The Tiger begins to crank its 88 towards its prey.
INT. EASY FIVE'S TURRET.
A cloud of debri dust has formed in the turret along with chunks of stone.
The Tank Commander is in his chair covered in dust and chunks of rubble, head bleeding slightly.
EASY FIVE
Okay kid! Get us out of here, Give her all she
can take!
INT. EASY FIVE'S DRIVER COMPARTMENT.
The youthful driver Slams the gears forward.
Through his visor can be seen the Tiger as its gun lines up on them.
EXT. FRENCH VILLAGE, SIDE STREET - MORNING.
As before with the Sherman crashed into a stone wall and the Tiger's 88 pointing at it.
The American's engine SCREAMS and it shudders out of the stone mess.
The Tiger trembles with another shot of its 88.
BOOM! The wall where the Sherman had crashed, vanishes in a geyser of dust and stone bits.
Easy Five has escaped, running at full tilt down the road to safety.
The Tiger begins to traverse again, not giving up on Easy five.
INT. EASY FIVE'S DRIVERS COMPARTMENT.
The driver is holding on to the steering levers and slamming his whole body onto the accelerator.
The Engine noise is a scream.
The engine dial rides higher, towards the red.
DRIVER
We're going to burn this engine up!
INT. EASY FIVE'S TURRET.
Everyone is holding on tightly as Easy five rumbles and shakes violently.
TANK COMMANDER
Melt that son-of-a-bitch, just get us out of here!
The Tank Commander struggles to stand out of his turret.
EXT. FRENCH VILLAGE, SIDE STREET - MORNING.
The Tiger has Easy five again in its sights.
Easy's engine is beginning to smoke noticably.
Her Tank Commander peers out of the turret.
The Tiger has lowered its 88 and the barrel is pointing at Easy five's backside.
TANK COMMANDER
This is it. Driver, Hard Right! Now, Now God damn it, Now!!!
INT. EASY FIVE'S DRIVER COMPARTMENT.
The Driver grabs the right steering lever with both hands and pulls it hard back.
EXT. FRENCH VILLAGE, SIDE STREET - MORNING.
Easy Five careens right, almost tipping over onto one track.
The cobblestones crumble to dust.
Again the prey has veered away from the tigers line of sight.
Easy Five pops over a small brick wall and blasts into a two storey brick house.
ruble cascades about the tank like a waterfall.
A cloud of dust arises as the Sherman shudders to a halt.
INT. EASY FIVE'S TURRET.
It is dark and smokey inside.
DRIVER
(Off Screen)
Thats it, she's had it, Engines gone.
EASY FIVE
Yeah, but we're not! Everyone out!
A light appears from down below, as a metal hatch Thuds into brick debri.
five shadowy, coughing figures scramble out.
EXT. FRENCH VILLAGE, MAIN STREET - MORNING.
As before, but the Tiger is facing down the side street.
Its 88 pointed at a destroyed house, with the hulk of a Sherman tank in it.
The Sherman's engine deck is billowing white smoke as its Engine burns up.
The Tiger Traverses its turret forward, and continues its reverse.
Suddenly it pivot steers noisily and reverses into the house it had originally crashed through.
Soon it is out of sight.
The village streets are deserted.
The dog is back, he picks up the piece of chocolate dropped by the commander of Easy one, and runs off.
Easy One belches more smoke.
Easy Three rattles with exploding small arms.
Easy Five lies in a stone heap.
The Tigers engine stutters then becomes silent, deathly silent.