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The Fifth Day of Peace

The Fifth Day of Peace (original Italian title: Gott mit uns, German for "God With Us") is a 1970 war drama film directed and co-written by Giuliano Montaldo, and starring Richard Johnson, Franco Nero, Helmuth Schneider, Michael Goodliffe and Bud Spencer. It is dramatizes the May 1945 German deserter execution, in which two German prisoners-of-war in a Canadian-run camp were executed by their comrades for cowardice.[1] The film was an international co-production between Italian and Yugoslavian companies, filmed at Jadran Studios in Zagreb.

The Fifth Day of Peace
English DVD cover
Directed byGiuliano Montaldo
Written byAndrea Barbato
Lucio Battistrada
Ottavio Jemma
Giuliano Montaldo
Produced bySilvio Clementelli
Starring
CinematographySilvano Ippoliti
Edited byFranco Fraticelli
Music byEnnio Morricone
Production
companies
Clesi Cinematografica[1]
Jadran Film[1]
Distributed byEuro International Films (Italy)[1]
Release date
  • 17 April 1970 (1970-04-17) (Italy)
Running time
113 minutes
CountriesItaly
Yugoslavia

Plot

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Two German deserters, Kriegsmarine Ensign Bruno Grauber and Army Corporal Reiner Schultz are captured by the Canadian Army at the end of World War II. They are interned in a Canadian-run POW camp in the Netherlands, where the senior German officer, Colonel von Bleicher, is a career officer. Their fellow German prisoners of war, led by Von Bleicher, discover that they are deserters. They are put through a formal military court martial organised by Von Bleicher and charged with cowardice. They are sentenced to death and are to be executed on the "fifth day of peace". Von Bleicher pressures the Canadian camp commandant, Captain Miller, to allow the execution to be carried out and requests rifles and ammunition to carry out the sentence.

Captain Miller's superior officer, General Snow, persuades (but does not order) him to allow the execution to be carried out for the higher purpose of preserving military discipline. He also motivates Miller with a promotion to major.

Cast

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Sources:[1][3]

Historical background

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This movie is based on the true story of two Kriegsmarine sailors, leading seaman Bruno Dorfer and machinist's mate Rainer Beck, both executed for desertion on 13 May 1945, after being found guilty of cowardice by fellow POWs. The sentence was carried out by German POWs who were under Canadian custody.[4]

Production

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The film was shot at Jadran Film Studios in Zagreb, Croatia (then a part of Yugoslavia). Ronald Brittain was the film's military advisor.

The original title of the film, "Gott mit uns", is a Prussian phrase traditionally associated with the German armed forces. During the Second World War, Wehrmacht soldiers wore this slogan on their belt buckles.[5]

Release and reception

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The film premiered in Milan on 17 April 1970. At the 1970 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, the film was nominated for the Crystal Globe, but lost to Kes.

In Canada, where it was released under the title Firing Squad, the film was met with controversy.[4]

Accolades

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Institution Year Category Nominee Result
Nastro d'Argento 1971 Best Director Giuliano Montaldo Nominated
Best Producer Silvio Clementelli Won
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 1970 Crystal Globe Giuliano Montaldo Nominated

References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "GOTT MIT UNS". cinematografo.it (in Italian). Retrieved 14 June 2026.
  2. ↑ Vagg, Stephen (2 February 2026). "Not Quite Movie Star and Forgotten British Mogul: Richard Johnson". Filmink. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
  3. ↑ "Gott mit uns (1970)". www.archiviodelcinemaitaliano.it. Retrieved 14 June 2026.
  4. 1 2 https://scholars.wlu.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1121&context=cmh
  5. ↑ Armbrüster, Thomas (2005). Management and Organization in Germany. Ashgate Publishing. p. 64. ISBN 978-0-7546-3880-3.
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