The Rapido River was the last natural barrier between General Mark W. Clark's Fifth U.S. Army and Rome. Ignoring intelligence reports that the Germans had significant forces protecting the opposite side of the river, Clark ordered the 36th Division to make a nighttime crossing on January 20,1944. The division, already coming through some of the heaviest fighting in Italy, knew they could not succeed. Soldiers died by the hundreds: of the 4,000 men who attempted the crossing, more than half did not return.

Prologue: "But the way was cruel" -- "You are not welcome here" -- "America's dream hero" -- "On what beach shall we put our dead?" -- "We're in a bad way" -- "One man for every two yards" -- "I sure am sorry, Sir" -- "They were my boys" -- "Without risk there is no honour" -- "Only God can save us" -- "The attack is on" -- "It was a bloody disaster" -- "My last day on earth" -- "I was never the same person again" -- "I guess this is it" -- We never heard from him again" -- "You had better get through" -- Epilogue: "We only did what we had to do."