When it comes to made-for-television films, you will not find many of them covered on The Legionnaire.  The one exception would be the Christmas extravaganza I put myself through every year.  Many of those are produced for the Hallmark Channel, though Lifetime does make a significant contribution to the genre.  They would be more palatable if they spoke to Christianity, but you can read any one of my reviews of those movies for a larger rendering of that complaint.  Beyond this, there is no specific reason why I avoid this type of film.  My criteria for making a selection is random, not scientific by any means other than steering clear of horror and anything pornographic.  As a historian, when it comes to broadcast cinema, they usually fail to capture the scope of the times.  All this made for quite the surprise when I viewed The Lost Battalion (2001).  Not only did it have some quality production value, but it also seems to have gotten the history correct.  I know this may not be the most exciting watch for some, despite its violence, but it is a solid piece that deserves recognition.

It is 1918, the last months of World War I, and The Lost Battalion is very much known by its position among the Allied trenches along the infamous Western Front.  They are near the Argonne Forrest, and their leader, Major Charles W. Whittlesey (Rick Schroder), is revered by his men for the care he displays for them.  He is different from them, being a well-respected New York lawyer amongst soldiers of the humblest immigrant backgrounds.  It is that latter quality that has Major General Robert Alexander (Michael Brandon) calling upon Major Whittlesey’s men to be a part of the next major offensive designed to break the German’s line.  Upon reporting to General Alexander and hearing the plan, Major Whittlesey points out that the point on the map he is being ordered to attack is not as lightly defended as is presumed.  Nonetheless, General Alexander orders the attack, citing the fact that they will be joined by the French.  This should be a reason to expect success.  Major Whittlesey pushes back, saying that many will die as a result of this maneuver, to which Major Alexander replies that they will be “acceptable losses.”  I will be expanding on that idea in the next paragraph from a Catholic perspective, but keep this in your mind as you read the rest of the synopsis.  With that, Major Whittlesey goes on to carry out his orders, and his unit is the only one to achieve its objective.  This means a couple things: first, the expected French help on their flanks is not there, and they lose a number of lives in trying to establish contact with their non-existent comrades; secondly, they quickly become surrounded by the German counterattack.  Being in such a predicament, Major Whittlesey sticks to the original plan and stays put.  However, it also means his quickest lines of communication via telephone wires are cut.  The Germans sense their difficulty and launch repeated raids on their lines, each one being repulsed with rising casualties on each side.  In order to overcome the communication problem, the Americans rely on a centuries’ old practice: carrier pigeons.  This decidedly non-twentieth century solution is a recurring theme, though it should be pointed out that they were used by the Germans as well.  At any rate, General Alexander is made aware of the situation, but does not know their precise location.  He has ordered a general retreat when other elements of the original thrust are defeated, but falling back is impossible for Major Whittlesey.  Thus, the surrounded battalion needs to be relieved.  Major Whittlesey believes this is happening when a detachment under the command of Captain Nelson M. Holderman (Adam James) stumbles upon Major Whittlesey’s temporary positions.  Unfortunately, despite their usefulness, they are not the hoped for reinforcements, but  a group trying to find their way to friendly lines.  Things are about to get worse for the trapped Americans.  General Alexander commences an artillery bombardment that, at first, is welcomed by Major Whittlesey’s men because it initially falls on the Germans.  However, the shells soon start exploding amongst their comrades, a barrage that is only relieved by another avian delivered message.  What this means is that Major Whittlesey’s position needs to be more exactly fixed, so an airplane is sent to do the job.  While the pilot is able to establish contact, but he is shot by the Germans and dies while landing.  All the same, General Alexander’s staff is able to get the needed information.  The Germans, too, are looking for information.  In questioning prisoners taken during their many assaults, they get contradictory information from defiant American soldiers.  Even though the deaths continue to mount, and many among both sides of the conflict call for surrender, Major Whittlesey refuses to budge.  Eventually, the Germans send in specialized troops wielding flame throwers, but Major Whittlesey’s men mount one more desperate defense.  Not long thereafter, General Alexander’s relief force gets to the eponymous unit’s area.  The commander is pleased with Major Whittlesey’s actions, and reiterates the “acceptable losses” line, while pointing out that it had eventually helped the planned breakthrough.  Major Whittlesey remains defiant, refusing the general’s offer to leave by car and preferring to stay with those under his command.  With that, he is able to march out of those woods and to a Congressional Medal of Honor, as we are told in a postscript.

Major Whittlesey’s citation was one of many for The Lost Battalion.  That same postscript also discusses how among the over 500 soldiers that went into combat in the Argonne, only around 200 marched out after days of fighting.  Though religion is not mentioned much in relation to this multiethnic unit, many of them would have belonged to the Catholic Faith given their stated nationalities.  They are also immigrants, or the children of immigrants, willing to defend their adopted country with their lives if need be.  Like Catholicism, they are all as American as anything else, and we need to remember this fact today.  While this is a theme of the movie, the aspect I want to focus more on is this notion of “acceptable losses.”  General Alexander is putting these men into a dangerous situation because he believes them to be a mongrel, or inferior, set.  It would be inaccurate to say that he sees their sacrifice as insignificant, but neither is he willing to properly recognize their contribution.  It is Major Whittlesey who sees what he and those under his command are doing in a context that is more Catholic in nature.  He is not seeking glory, but potentially laying down lives for the sake of a great cause.  This sentiment is echoed a number of times throughout the proceedings.  A Christian is called to do the same, not necessarily in terms of giving up one’s life, but doing it all for the sake of the biggest cause, that of God.  Major Whittlesey elaborates on this when he says that life would be easier if we could choose our duties and obligations.  He adds that this is impossible, and this is how it should be.  In the same way, we are not given an option when it comes to God’s will for our lives.  We could decide to not follow it, but that rarely works well.  Instead, the glory comes from recognizing the part we play in the bigger picture and doing our best to fill that need.  This is far more “acceptable” than meaninglessly ordering others to die for you.

And there is a lot of dying in The Lost Battalion.  In reading the synopsis, you might have noticed a significant lack of side characters.  This is because so many of them are killed that it is almost useless to discuss them.  Still, this should not detract from what is a pretty incredible cinematic experience.