Cross of Iron — Russia
A cynical German sergeant fights the grinding war of the Kuban bridgehead in 1943 — Peckinpah's brutal deconstruction of war heroism.
The Kuban bridgehead was Germany's last toehold east of Crimea, held from early 1943 until October 1943. The Wehrmacht conducted 16 large defensive operations against Soviet attacks in the Kuban. The eventual evacuation (Operation Blue Shield) successfully withdrew 240,000 troops across the Kerch Strait — one of Germany's most skilful strategic retreats.