- Captain Stransky: A world without women. It's an old theory of mine. Men can get along without women easily. Easily. I tell you a man's true destiny is not just breeding children, all this childbirth and chocolate, but to be free. To rule and to fight. In other words: to lead a man's existence. Women are no more than a nuisance. Sometimes necessary.
- Captain Stransky: What of your platoon?
- Sargeant Steiner: Two killed, one missing.
- Captain Stransky: Two killed, how?
- Sargeant Steiner: Bullets. Mortar fire, artillery, heavy salvos, bad luck, terminal syphilis. The usual things, Captain.
- Captain Kiesel: They're rolling up both flanks. It's chaos.
- Colonel Brandt: That need no longer concern you. You are to report at once to General Headquarters. You're being evacuated.
- Captain Kiesel: I can't leave the command, sir.
- Colonel Brandt: While I am still in a condition to issue orders those orders will be obeyed.
- Captain Kiesel: I'm prepared to disobey that order, sir.
- Colonel Brandt: You've been around Steiner too long. Come, listen to me for a moment... For many of us Germans the exterminator is long overdue, but I have decided that you are worth saving.
- Captain Kiesel: But I'm part of all this. There are better people than me. Most of them are being killed out there.
- Colonel Brandt: There's nothing wrong with you, except that you smoke too much. You're a brave man, braver than you think you are. One of these days there will be a need for brave civilians, had you thought of that? In the new Germany, if such a thing is allowed to exist, there will be need for builders, for thinkers, for poets. I begin to see now what your job is to be. I will make this my final order to you; you will search out and contact all of these, um... better people, you call them, and together you will take on the responsibility that goes with survival. Now you must leave. Please leave.
- Kern: Do you believe in God, Sergeant?
- Sargeant Steiner: I believe God is a sadist, but probably doesn't even know it.
- Unteroffizier Krüger: I stay dirty for a reason. If you've been in the field as long as I've been, you'd know why.
- Sargeant Steiner: Explain.
- Unteroffizier Krüger: Natural body oils, combined with dirt, can keep you waterproof.
- Sargeant Steiner: [Steiner releasing the Russian prisoner boy] It's all an accident... an accident of hands mine, others... all without mind... one extreme to another... and neither works... nor will ever! and we stand in the middle... in no mans land you and I... go home.
- Sargeant Steiner: Didn't your Fuhrer say that all class distinctions were to be abolished?
- Captain Stransky: I'm an officer of the Wehrmacht. I've never been a party member. I'm a Prussian aristocrat and I don't want to be put into the same category.
- Sargeant Steiner: So we agree for once. Good.
- Captain Stransky: But he is till our Fuhrer
- Sargeant Steiner: Unfortunately.
- Captain Stransky: This is a different question sergeant. That's not up to us to judge.
- Sargeant Steiner: Why do you want it so badly? It's just a worthless piece of metal. Look!
- Captain Stransky: It's not worthless to me.
- Sargeant Steiner: Why is it so important to you. Tell me captain, why?
- Captain Stransky: Sergeant,if i go back without the iron Cross, I couldn't face my family.
- Sargeant Steiner: [BOMB EXPLODING] Personally, sir, I don't feel you deserve the Iron Cross.
- Captain Kiesel: Steiner... is a myth. Men like him are our last hope... and in that sense, he is a truly dangerous man.
- Colonel Brandt: Why did you ask to be relieved of duty in France?
- Captain Stransky: I want to get the Iron Cross.
- Colonel Brandt: [reaching into his pockets] We can give you one of mine.
- Unteroffizier (Cpl.) Schnurrbart ('Private Mustache'): ...and von Clausewitz said, "War is a continuation of state policy by other means.'
- [looking into the trenches]
- Sargeant Steiner: Yes... by other means.
- Sargeant Steiner: Do you think that they will ever forgive us for what we've done?
- Sargeant Steiner: Or forget us?
- Sargeant Steiner: Your Triebig is dead. It didn't work, Captain. I live. You are dead.
- Captain Stransky: Lieutenant Triebig has not been under my command for several hours. He has been transferred.
- Sargeant Steiner: You aristocratic man of Prussian pigshit!
- [Fires his submachine gun over the captain's head as Stransky turns to leave]
- Sargeant Steiner: Leaving without your Iron Cross, Captain? Just a matter of time.
- Captain Stransky: [puts a steel helmet on] Where is the rest of your platoon? I said: where is the rest of your platoon, Sergeant Steiner?
- Sargeant Steiner: You are, Captain Stransky. You are the rest of my platoon.
- [Hands him a machine gun]
- Sargeant Steiner: Know how to use it?
- Captain Stransky: Yes, of course
- [cocks the gun and points it at Steiner... Steiner looks at him. Stransky lowers the gun and smiles]
- Captain Stransky: Fine. I accept. I'll show you how a Prussian officer can fight.
- Sargeant Steiner: And I will show you where the Iron Crosses grow.
- Captain Stransky: Who is this?
- Sargeant Steiner: Corporal Schnurrbart, sir.
- Captain Stransky: And the other one?
- Sargeant Steiner: That is a Russian prisoner, sir.
- Sargeant Steiner: To tell you the truth I'm beginning to enjoy it.
- Sargeant Steiner: What do you want?
- Sargeant Steiner: Sitting in some mudhole someplace waiting for the top of your head to be blown off?
- Sargeant Steiner: At least here we're free.
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