A Midnight Clear

On December 1944, a twelve-men intelligence squad formed by youths' soldiers of high IQ (above 150) is sent to a reconnaissance mission and only half of them survives: Sgt. Will Knott, who has been just promoted; Cpl. Mel Avakian, who is the most experienced in the group; Bud Miller; the Jew Stan Shutzer; Paul 'Father' Mundy, who wanted to be a priest; and Vance 'Mother' Wilkins, who is disturbed since he recently lost his baby. They are assigned by Major Griffin and Lieutenant War to head to the Ardennes Forest to a house to serve as their outpost to observe the movement of the German Army in that spot. Knott recalls their first sexual intercourse with Janice, who lost her fiance in the war and now intends to work as a prostitute. While heading to the house, they find the frozen corpses of an American and a German soldier embracing each other in a sick joke. While patrolling the area, Knott, Stan and Miller see three German soldiers in a nearby house. Then they are ambushed by them, but they do not shoot and disappear. During the Christmas night, the German begin a snowball war and they sing together and exchange gifts. Stan concludes that they intend to surrender to the American and begins a negotiation with the Germans. They explain to Stan that they believe the war is ending and they do not intend to go to the front to be killed since they are youths or old soldiers. They schedule a shooting to the air to justify the imprisonment of the seven German soldiers. But out of the blue, Mother, who is not aware of the deal since he is unstable, shoots and kills two German, initiating a tragic shooting with many dead.