The Lost Battalion: A Review
A&E Brings World War I and Rick Shroder to the TV Screen
The A&E original movie, The Lost Battalion, stars Rick Shroder as US Army Major Charles Whittlesey, commander of one of the most heroic military units in US history.
Trapped behind enemy lines, cut off from all supplies, and surrounded, a battalion of ethnically diverse Americans fought desperately in one of the most inspiring stories of military history.
On October 2, 1918, the men of the US Army’s 308th Battalion of the 77th Division advanced deep into German lines as part of a general attack that, but for them, faltered. With their flanks exposed and unaware that the other American and French units had withdrawn, the 308th was soon surrounded and cut off from supplies. Defying repeated German attacks and even a devastating barrage from their own artillery, they stubbornly held on until rescued five days later. Having lost over half their number, they were by the time of their rescue but a shadow of their former selves.
A&E Brings World War I to the Small Screen
Several years ago, the A&E Television Network aired their dramatic story, with Rick Shroder portraying Major Whittlesey, who would win the Medal of Honor for his exploits in the Argonne Forest, and yet be haunted by guilt and nightmares until his tragic suicide in 1921.
The Lost Battalion was directed by Russel Mulcahy (Highlander, Ricochet), written by Jim Carabatsos, and executive produced by David Gerber. It debuted on A&E in 2001 and has since been rerun on A&E and the History Channel. It is now available on DVD.
The A&E production is the second time the story of The Lost Battalion has been told in film. The first production was brought to the Big Screen in 1919, just a year after the actual events the film portrayed. That early production was directed by Burton King.
Shroder is best known for his childhood stint with the sitcom Silver Spoons and a later twenty-something role with the critically-acclaimed NYPD Blue. He is convincing as New York lawyer-turned American army officer Charles Whittlesey.
Hollywood & History
The movie does not include all the historical facts of the actual five-day drama. It deemphasizes, for example, the air supply the unit received during its harrowing ordeal, although it does show an air pilot sacrificing himself to spot the beleaguered unit and get their position back to friendly lines.
The movie also glosses over the possibility that Whittlesey may have sent the wrong coordinates back to headquarters, which resulted in the friendly fire deaths of over sixty American soldiers. This is an understandable decision, however, since Whittlesey may not have committed such an error. Nevertheless, it is possible such a mistake was made, and it has been forwarded as a potentially motivating factor of his tragic decision to take his own life in 1921.
Others have suggested that Whittlesey was overcome by guilt and second-guessing. The Great War ended only five weeks after his heroic stand in the Argonne Forest. Had he simply surrendered, he could’ve saved more lives and the war still would have turned in America’s favor. This second-guessing serves no purpose, since Whittlesey’s courageous stand may have very well contributed to the war’s ending five weeks later. This is something the movie shows very well.
The movie pretty accurately captures the grime and horror of World War I trench warfare. When the soldiers did emerge from the trench lines, the fighting was brutal and vicious. The technology had far outpaced the tactics, thus accounting for the staggering casualties of the conflict. Consider that the U.S. was actively engaged in World War I for less than a full year, and yet suffered nearly 120,000 casualties. Compare that to 3,700 dead in Iraq over a period of several years.
Recommendation: Rent or Buy The Lost Battalion on DVD
The DVD of The Lost Battalion comes with very few bonus features. There is an interesting bonus program from The History Channel titled Dear Home: Letters from World War I, but that's about it. I really don't count the filmography and biography of Rick Shroder. I like Shroder, but the DVD producers were really stretching with useless, filler information.
It is a shame that Hollywood didn’t bring The Lost Battalion to the Big Screen. It is certainly worthy of Big Screen treatment, but historical movies seem more apt to succeed on the small screen before niche audiences. Hence, we aren’t likely to see movies like The Lost Battalion in the local theater anytime soon.
