The Real-Life D-Day Commandos Who Inspired Hollywood's 'Dirty Dozen'
"Filthy Thirteen" member Clarence Ware applies war paint to Charles Plauda, June 5, 1944. The idea was McNiece's, to honor his Native American heritage and to energize the men for the danger ahead. (National Archives)
Military.com | By Blake Stilwell
Published May 31, 2024 at 10:26am ET
"The Dirty Dozen" had everything anyone could hope for in a war movie. Convicts, trained as commandos and portrayed by Hollywood's best tough guys of the time, are dropped into Normandy on a suicide mission. Their aim is to kill the Nazi officers responsible for coordinating the German defense of France during a massive upcoming Allied amphibious invasion that would become known as "D-Day." If the commandos survive, they get a full pardon.
Critics and audiences alike loved it. Starring Lee Marvin, Charles Bronson and John Cassavetes, "The Dirty Dozen" became one of the fastest-grossing movies of all time, meaning people couldn't get their tickets for the movie fast enough -- although those numbers have been dwarfed in recent decades. The only real criticism of the movie was its wanton violence (which has also been dwarfed in recent years).
But Americans loved the story of the Dirty Dozen not just because of its on-screen adaptation, but because they first fell in love with the real-life inspiration for the movie: "The Filthy Thirteen."
https://www.military.com/off-duty/movies/2024/05/31/real-life-d-day-commandos-who-inspired-hollywoods-dirty-dozen.html
