- In 1944, an American Infantry company sets up an artillery observation post, but tensions between Captain Cooney and Lieutenant Costa run high.
- During the closing months of WWII, a National Guard Infantry Company is assigned the task of setting up artillery observation posts in a strategic area. Lieutenant Costa knows that Captain Cooney is in command only because of 'connections' he had made state-side. Costa has serious doubts concerning Cooney's ability to lead the group. When Cooney sends Costa and his men out, and refuses to re-enforce them, Costa swears revenge.—Buxx Banner <buxx572@aol.com> / edited by Rob
- In Belgium in 1944, during World War Two, Fragile Fox is a company of American G.I.s based in a small town near the front line. They are led by Captain Erskine Cooney (Eddie Albert), a man who appears to be better at handling red tape than military strategy. The plain fact is that Cooney is a natural coward who freezes under fire and cannot bring himself to send more men into battle to reinforce those already under attack. The increasing and unnecessary loss of life is causing morale problems among the troops and trying the patience of Lieutenant Joe Costa (Jack Palance), a bold and brave fighter and a natural leader of men.
Lieutenant Harold Woodruff (William Smithers) is the "voice of reason" who tries to keep the peace between Cooney and Costa. Both he and Costa are respected by the regular troops. While Woodruff tries to get Cooney re-assigned to a desk job behind the lines, Costa hints at a more direct solution to the problem.
It's a well-known fact that Cooney owes his position to Lieutenant Colonel Clyde Bartlett (Lee Marvin), a man who has known the Cooney family since he was a 14-year-old clerk in the office of Cooney's father, a top judge. The judge and his influence could be very useful to Bartlett's post-war political ambitions and it all depends on his and Erskine's war records. Neither Captain Erskine Cooney nor Bartlett are liked by the company: as Private Bernstein (Robert Strauss) puts it: "When you salute them two, you have to apologize to your arm."
When the Germans start the counter-attack known as the Battle of the Bulge, Bartlett orders Cooney to seize the town of La Nelle. Since there is no way of knowing if the Germans are there or not, Cooney overrules an all-out attack and decides that Costa should lead a reconnaissance mission. Costa agrees, provided that both Cooney and Woodruff promise him to send in reinforcements if necessary. As he is about to leave, Costa warns Cooney in no uncertain terms of the consequences if he ever plays the "gutless wonder" again: "I'll shove this grenade down your throat and pull the pin!"
As they approach La Nelle, the platoon comes under fire by German SS. Most of them are killed or injured. Costa and a handful of men manage to take refuge in a farmhouse but find themselves under siege. When Costa calls for reinforcements, Cooney snaps, ignores the pressure from Woodruff to go in and turns to drink. A little strategy and deception enables Costa and his men to hold up, but when German tanks appear, he has no choice but to call a retreat. He furiously tells Woodruff over the radio to warn Cooney that he's "coming back!"
The men manage to get back to the main town, though one of them is killed and in the confusion Costa has gone missing in action. There are also plenty of other casualties mowed down by the Germans during the initial move onto La Nelle. The men openly show their contempt for Cooney: Bernstein spits at his feet and Sergeant Tolliver (Buddy Ebsen) rejects his offer of a drink, telling him that, where he comes from, "We don't drink with another man unless we respect him."
Bartlett appears and tells Woodruff and Cooney that they must hold their present position in spite of the Germans who are now moving into the town. Woodruff warns Bartlett that he is going to lodge a complaint with the Colonel's superior, General Parsons, over the handling of the company.
With the pressure building up on him, Cooney breaks down, telling Woodruff about the times he was beaten by his father in order to "make a man" out of him. Bartlett has told him that he is only in command "as a favor to the judge. He's always wanted a son, now I'm trying to give him one."
Feeling sorry for Cooney, Woodruff tells him to sleep it off and is about to assume command when Costa suddenly reappears, determined to kill Cooney once and for all. As they argue the matter out, they are told that the town is now being overrun by Germans. Costa grabs a Bazooka and does wonders, fighting back and disabling a tank, only to be trapped by it.
A handful of men, including Woodruff and Sergeant Tolliver, take refuge in a basement. Their main concern now is Private Bernstein, who is injured and, being a Jew, is unlikely to have his prisoner of war rights respected by the attacking SS. They try to get out, only to find their way blocked by a drunken and erratic Cooney who insists that they are "holding for Clyde [Bartlett]".
As they argue between each other, Costa suddenly appears. Seriously injured and with only minutes of life left, he appeals to God to give him enough to kill Cooney, but he himself collapses and dies while Cooney mockingly kicks the gun away from him.
With Costa dead, Cooney suggests that the rest of them surrender, even though they have not been discovered. At that moment, Woodruff warns him that he will shoot him if he does. When Cooney does make a move, Woodruff kills him.
Woodruff insists that Tolliver place him under arrest, but he and the other GIs reject this view, claiming that "shooting him was just about the most just thing I ever seen" and even take turns shooting the dead Cooney themselves. At that moment the Allied reinforcements arrive and the Germans retreat.
Told by the men that Cooney was killed by the Germans, Bartlett appears to accept this and puts Woodruff in command. When the men ask Woodruff to confirm that he is now the commanding officer, there is some anxiety and hesitation in the room. Bartlett, an expert poker player who knows all about bluffing, seems to suddenly have suspicions as to what really happened and, once the regulars have left, subtly starts to raise them, believing that it was actually Costa who killed Conney.
Bartlett, who has always hated Cooney even if he appeared to be a friend, contemptuously kicks him over, remarking "So the old judge wanted a son, huh? Looks like he had to lose one to get one." He gives Woodruff a field promotion to Captain and suggests that he forget about the complaint he threatened to make to General Parsons; but he then announces that he is going to nominate Cooney for the Distinguished Service Cross.
Outraged that a coward should be honored in this way, Woodruff openly accuses Bartlett of manipulating the whole thing in order to get rid of Cooney, who was a liability, and get favors with his powerful father. He even admits to being the one who really killed Cooney, not Costa, but states "I may have pulled that trigger, but you, [Colonel], aimed the gun. You set this whole thing up so it would happen!"
Bartlett is unconcerned, remarking that Woodruff has too much to lose if he makes the whole affair public. But Woodruff calls his bluff, goes to the radio and calls for General Parsons.
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