Decision Before Dawn (1951)
"A woman's kiss . . . A lighted cigarette - Each had Its meaning! An exciting and realistic story of war . . . of German Prisoners Sent Back Behind Their Own Lines as Agents of the Allies!"

Title: Decision Before Dawn
Original Title: Decision Before Dawn
Release Date: 1951-12-21
Status: Released
Rating: 6.7/10 (from 44 votes)
Language: EN
Genres: War, Action, Thriller
Production Companies: 20th Century Fox
WWII is entering its last phase: Germany is in ruins, but does not yield. The US army lacks crucial knowledge about the German units operating on the opposite side of the Rhine, and decides to send two German prisoners to gather information. The scheme is risky: the Gestapo retains a terribly efficient network to identify and capture spies and deserters. Moreover, it is not clear that "Tiger", who does not mind any dirty work as long as the price is right, and war-weary "Happy", who might be easily betrayed by his feelings, are dependable agents. After Tiger and another American agent are successfully infiltrated, Happy is parachuted in Bavaria. His duty: find out the whereabouts of a powerful German armored unit moving towards the western front.
Cast

Richard Basehart
Lt. Dick Rennick

Gary Merrill
Col. Devlin

Oskar Werner
Cpl. Karl Maurer - aka Happy

Hildegard Knef
Hilde

Dominique Blanchar
Monique

O.E. Hasse
Col. Oberst von Ecker

Wilfried Seyferth
Heinz Scholtz, SS-Mann

Hans Christian Blech
Sgt. Rudolf Barth - aka Tiger

Helene Thimig
Fräulein Schneide

George Tyne
Sgt. Griffin