James Caan in A Bridge Too Far (1977)
Vitals
James Caan as Staff Sergeant Eddie Dohun, determined U.S. Army paratrooper
Holland, Fall 1944
Film: A Bridge Too Far
Release Date: June 15, 1977
Director: Richard Attenborough
Costume Designer: Anthony Mendleson
Background
Established in the United States after the Civil War, Memorial Day honors the memory of American military personnel who died during their service. This year takes on additional poignancy as the 80th anniversary of many pivotal World War II campaigns that cost American lives, from D-Day to the Battle of the Bulge.
My great-uncle, Sergeant Joe Kordas, was among these fallen troops when he was killed in action on October 4, 1944 while serving in Holland with the 82nd Airborne. As I was born 45 years later, I naturally never had the opportunity to meet my uncle, but his memory is among those I honor on Memorial Day.
My understanding is that Uncle Joe was part of the 82nd Airborne Division’s fourth and final combat jump, parachuting into Holland in September 1944 as part of Operation Market Garden. This Allied offensive was designed to create an invasion route into the Netherlands as a combined force of American and British airborne forces (“Market”) would seize nine bridges, which British land forces (“Garden”) would then follow over. The largest airborne operation of the war to that point, Operation Market Garden was not an Allied victory and criticized by one of its planners as attempting to take “a bridge too far,” a phrase borrowed by historian Cornelius Ryan for his 1974 volume of the operation that was subsequently adapted for the screen by William Goldman.
More than a decade after he starred in his own star-studded World War II screen epic, The Great Escape, Richard Attenborough was again behind the camera for A Bridge Too Far, his third directorial feature. Chronicling the operation from the American, British, Polish, Dutch, and German points of view, A Bridge Too Far boasted a talented international cast including—but certainly not limited to—Dirk Bogarde, Michael Caine, Sean Connery, Edward Fox, Elliott Gould, Anthony Hopkins, Gene Hackman, Hardy Krüger, Laurence Olivier, Ryan O’Neal, Robert Redford, Maximilian Schell, and Liv Ullmann.
Most of this cast played real-life figures or composites of them, with one of my favorite performances being James Caan’s portrayal of Staff Sergeant Eddie Dohun, a noncommissioned officer in the 101st Airborne based on the real-life Sergeant Charles J. Dohun, to the extent that A Bridge Too Far was the first of Caan’s films I chose to rewatch after learning of the actor’s death in July 2022. (My affection for this performance may be partly informed by the fact that my aforementioned uncle Joe had also been a sergeant who parachuted into Holland.)
A Bridge Too Far dramatizes the incident in which Dohun held a field surgeon at gunpoint to demand treatment for his severely wounded captain, though the story receives considerable “Hollywood-ization” by adding Dohun’s discovery of his wounded captain in the field and speeding him through panzer-infested woods in a jeep, as well as reversing some aspects of the sergeant and captain’s personalities.
We are introduced to the captain and his runner during a somewhat stereotypical scene of a nervous kid asking the nonchalant veteran for assurance that he won’t die… only for it to be revealed that the “kid” is the higher-ranking Captain Glass (Nicholas Campbell) and the veteran is his lower-ranked but highly experienced runner, Staff Sergeant Dohun. Ryan’s nonfiction book frequently describes Dohun as understandably being “almost numb with worry” going into the jump, while Caan’s characterization depicts him as a battle-hardened stoic whose cigarette never leaves his mouth while cleaning his service pistol.
While the real-life Dohun’s devotion is laudable, this legacy should not come at the expense of the real F Company commanding officer, LeGrand King “Legs” Johnson, a courageous officer who had already received the Silver Star in recognition of his service during the Battle of Normandy.
The newspaper citation announcing LeGrand K. Johnson’s Silver Star and promotion to captain in the summer of 1944, two months before Operation Market Garden.
The scene may understandably bother some concerned with real-life characterizations, but I believe it serves writer Goldman and director Attenborough’s overall thesis around the futility of military leadership, particularly around the armchair-planning operations because something looked appealing to a general on paper without considering the human cost. A Bridge Too Far appropriately saves its affection for the men of action, regardless of their rank, rather than the men who chose to “play the war game,” to paraphrase Hackman’s Major-General Stanisław Sosabowski, one of the warriors whom the film—and history—would qualify as a hero.
The film aligns with reality at the field hospital in Holland where Dohun demands that an Army surgeon (Arthur Hill) treat his badly wounded captain, but the doctor initially declines, believing the captain to be beyond saving. Refusing the doctor’s order to place the captain in the “dead pile”, Dohun then closed the tent drapes and drew his sidearm on the doctor, threatening to shoot him unless he takes a closer look at the captain.
Discovering that the captain was still breathing, the doctor operated on him and saved his life. (The real Captain Johnson woke up deaf and blind in England six weeks later, eventually recovered all of his senses except for a lingering partial blindness, and died in 2005 at the age of 85.)
Recognizing the severity of his actions, Dohun then hands over his pistol to the doctor, who has a military policeman arrest him… for all of ten seconds (though it was a full minute in real life), refusing to more dramatically punish a serviceman whose actions saved the lives of another. Rather than directly answer the doctor’s question of if would have actually shot him, Dohun salutes him and drives away in his jeep. The real Dohun also lived to old age, dying in his home state of North Carolina in 1994 at the age of 81.
What’d He Wear?
Like most of his fellow American troops in A Bridge Too Far, Staff Sergeant Dohun wears the standard M-1943 combat uniform. Prior to the authorization of this uniform in the middle of World War II, paratroopers were issued the M-1942 jump suit specifically designed for their purposes, including a thigh-length jacket with four asymmetrical-flapped bellows pockets and patch-pocket trousers similar to what have since been shorthanded as “cargo pants”.
Issues with the M42 paratrooper uniform and other specialized gear resulted in the Army standardizing the M-1943 combat uniform across all divisions and job functions, rolled out through 1944 with most paratroopers issued their M-1943 uniforms after D-Day in June 1944, though some continued to wear their older uniforms that they reinforced to mitigate the deficiencies of the M42.
The M-1943 combat uniform was anchored by a field jacket and trousers made from windproof cotton sateen cloth in olive drab no. 7 (OD#7), a darker and greener shade considered better camouflage than the lighter khaki OD#3 of earlier uniform pieces like the M-1941 field jacket. The popularity of the jacket maintained it as the basis for the slight redesigns in the early 1950s, until it was reimagined under newer war demands and clothing technology in the 1960s, though the OD#7 shade remained in Army use through the 1980s.
With its thigh-length cut and four outer pockets, the iconic M-1943 field jacket more resembled the M-1942 jump jacket than the M-1941 field jacket. Lined in cotton poplin the same OD#3 as the older jackets, the M-43 features ulster-style lapels with six OD#7 four-hole buttons fastening up a covered-fly front and an internal drawstring cinching the waist. The two bellows pockets over the chest and two larger pockets over the hips are all covered with pointed flaps that each close through a single button covered by the flap’s cloth. The jacket also has shoulder straps (epaulets), and the set-in sleeves are finished with squared cuffs that can be closed through one of two buttons, though Dohun is missing the outermost button on his left cuff—most clearly seen when he salutes the doctor before driving away.
Correctly placed on the middle of each upper sleeve, Dohun wears his staff sergeant (E-6) rank insignia, consisting of the three familiar chevrons denoting a sergeant’s rank with an additional arced “rocker” beneath them. A U.S. flag insignia (with the then-correct 48 stars) is stitched onto his upper right sleeve, while his upper left sleeve features the black, yellow, and white “Screaming Eagle” combat service identification badge of the 101st Airborne Division.
Dohun and his captain wear matching M-1943 combat uniforms.
Dohun is introduced wearing an olive drab cotton crew-neck short-sleeved undershirt, which I don’t believe aligns with any authorized undershirts during World War II, as the only OD undershirts I’ve seen in official uniform regs were either sleeveless tank tops or long-sleeved blends of wool and cotton for winter uniforms.
Dohun’s nonchalant attitude about the upcoming mission suggests that he’s Been There, Done That, Bought the T-shirt… even if said T-shirt doesn’t seem to be factually correct Army issue for the era.
In Holland, Dohun wears the flannel service shirt authorized with the M-1943 combat uniform, specifically the older M-1937 “Coat Style” pattern specified as No. 8-108 made from a mustard-brown woolen flannel. These shirts have seven brown 4-hole buttons up the front placket to the point collar, which can be worn with an optional necktie. The two chest pockets have mitred lower corners and single-button flaps that also have mitred corners. The barrel cuffs each close through a single button.
Intended for enlisted servicemen and non-commissioned officers who were not issued shoulder devices, this lacks the epaulet straps found on officers’ shirts as Dohun’s staff sergeant insignia is sewn onto each upper sleeve, with the 101st Airborne badge also affixed on the upper left sleeve, mirroring his field jacket.
Dohun’s flat-front fatigue pants also defy my recognition of traditional World War II uniform gear, though this may be costume designer Anthony Mendleson reflecting how paratroopers customized the M-1943 field trousers by adding cargo pockets for their specialized purposes. He also follows the 101st Airborne tradition of wearing ¾” OD cotton canvas web ties around his thighs.
Made from the same OD7 cotton sateen cloth as the M-1943 combat uniforms, Dohun’s trousers appear to have slanted front pockets covered by scalloped flap integrated onto the upper body of the trousers, flapped cargo pockets positioned lower on each thigh, and flapped rear pockets.
These are arguably not the 1941-issued herringbone twill (HBT) trousers which only had straight flapped thigh pockets, nor are they the standard M-1943 fatigue trousers styled more like modern chinos with their open-entry side pockets and jetted back pockets, nor are they the M-1942 jump trousers that were essentially the M-1943 with the addition of large asymmetrical-flapped cargo pockets on each thigh. The closest approximation I’ve seen are the USMC’s 1944-issued HBT “monkey pants” that featured high-positioned flapped pockets on the hips as well as a three-button flapped pocket that extended across the seat, though even these aren’t specifically what Caan wears.
Through the trouser belt loops, Dohun wears the standard olive-drab cotton web belt that closes through a tarnished gunmetal-toned box-frame buckle. Stirrup laces extend from the trouser bottoms to be tied under his feet, ensuring that they’ll stay blousoned in place over the tops of his boots.
Rather than the M-1943 combat boots with their double-buckled tops, paratroopers like Dohun continued to wear their leather lace-up jump boots known as “Corcorans”, as they were originally made by the J.F. Corcoran Shoe Company. Made from a russet-brown “spit-shineable” leather, these handsome cap-toe boots’ uppers extended to mid-calf with twelve sets of derby-laced eyelets. More than 80 years after they were designed by the pioneering paratrooper William P. Yarborough in 1941, the original Corcorans are still officially available for purchase from Carolina Boots.
Dohun typically wears a ribbed-knit wool jeep cap, both on its own and inside his helmet. Officially designated the “Cap, wool knit, M1941”, these brown caps—initially made from OD#3 wool—were introduced by the U.S. Army in February 1942 and meant to be an intermediate layer that provided padding underneath heavy “steel pot” helmets with a six-stitch “starfish pattern” atop the hats to coordinate with the webbed helmet linings.
Jeep caps became popular headgear on their own as soldiers would sport them without their helmets (think “Radar” on M*A*S*H), much to the particular consternation of General George S. Patton. Patton, who was borderline obsessive about his and his subordinates’ appearance in uniforms, so despised the unpolished look of jeep caps that he would personally remove them from the heads of soldiers and imposed fines on their wearers. The punctilious general must have been considerably relieved when the jeep cap was phased out of service in favor of the more structured field cap that was issued with the M-1943 uniform.
Once in combat, Dohun wears the standard steel M1 helmet first authorized by the U.S. Army in 1941, covered by netting to prevent the olive steel from shining too much. Some scenes show a white-painted diamond on the left side of Dohun’s helmet, consistent with the 101st Airborne’s practice of painting their helmets with card suits to represent their specific regiment. Diamonds were used by the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR), though I believe the real S/Sgt. Dohun was attached to the 502nd PIR and thus would have actually had a white heart painted on his helmet.
Over his field jacket, Dohun wears the 2¼”-wide eleven-wale khaki OD#3 cotton web M-1936 pistol belt with three rows of grommets equally spaced around the belt with a brass hook closure in the front. He carries his M1911A1 service pistol in a black leather M-1916 holster looped through the belt on his right side, stamped “U.S.” on the flap that closes through a brass-finished stud.
The Guns
It seems a little silly to invoke the “Chekhov’s gun” dramatic principle when describing a soldier’s sidearm in a war movie, but the fact that we’re introduced to Staff Sergeant Dohun while he’s cleaning his M1911A1 service pistol in the tent he shares with Captain Glass may have been the filmmakers foreshadowing that the pistol would be a prominent aspect of his narrative later.
The pistol’s American military heritage dates to March 1911, when John Browning’s new single-action .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol design was formally adopted by the U.S. Army. More than a decade and a World War later, the M1911 received a series of subtle but significant improvements that resulted in the M1911A1, which reigned as the standard American service sidearm until the 1980s when it was phased out in favor of the newer double-action 9mm Beretta 92FS.
Given this background, it makes historical sense to arm Dohun with the venerable M1911A1, but it was reportedly a souvenir Luger pistol that Dohun recovered from a German casualty that he famously used to hold the field surgeon at gunpoint until the captain received treatment.
“Would you look at him please, sir? Right now. Or I’ll blow your fuckin’ head off.”
During the fictionalized jeep ride, Dohun also wields an M1 Carbine, the lightweight semi-automatic carbine that entered service in mid-1942 after a combined multi-year effort that included David Marshall “Carbine” Williams and Winchester designers Fred Humeston and William C. Roemer.
Though its .30 Carbine round was criticized for insufficient stopping power, the M1 Carbine was well-received for its portable size and weight. They were also a favorite among Army brass and government administrators, as the typical M1 Carbine cost approximately half the price of an M1 Garand battle rifle and a fifth the cost of a Thompson submachine gun. In response to reports of the German Army’s development of the fully automatic Sturmgewehr 44, the selective-fire M2 Carbine variant was delivered late in 1944 and saw limited combat use in both the European and Pacific theaters of World War II.
The M1A1 Carbine was introduced later in 1942 with a spring-loaded folding stock that made it even more comfortably portable for airborne troops, though its the fixed-stock M1 Carbine that our paratrooper S/Sgt. Dohun carries in his jeep in A Bridge Too Far.
Spotting enemy soldiers in the woods, Dohun prepares for potential combat by reaching for the M1 Carbine mounted on the front of his jeep.
S/Sgt. Dohun’s Combat Uniform
James Caan in A Bridge Too Far (1977)
Like many paratroopers during World War II, S/Sgt. Eddie Dohun wears the standard M-1943 combat uniform customized for the purposes of his specific combat duties, including more voluminous trouser pockets and the iconic Corcoran boots that
- Olive drab (OD#7) cotton M-1943 field jacket with 6-button covered-fly front, four bellows pockets with covered-button pointed flaps, cinched waist with inside drawcord, and adjustable button cuffs
- Mustard-brown woolen flannel M-1937 No. 8-108 service shirt with point collar, front placket, two button-down flapped chest patch pockets, and button cuffs
- Olive drab cotton crew-neck short-sleeve undershirt/T-shirt
- Olive drab (OD#7) cotton flat front field trousers with belt loops, slanted scallop-flapped front pockets, thigh-positioned cargo pockets, flapped back pockets, and stirrup-laced bottoms
- Olive drab (OD#7) cotton web belt with gunmetal box-framed buckle
- Russet-brown leather 12-eyelet derby-laced mid-calf “Corcoran”-style cap-toe jump boots
- Khaki M-1936 cotton web pistol belt with brass hook-closure and flapped black leather M-1916 right-hand-draw belt holster
- Brown ribbed knit wool M-1941 “Jeep cap”
- Olive drab steel M1 helmet, covered with netting
Do Yourself a Favor and…
Check out the movie and Cornelius Ryan’s source book.
You can also read more about the actual incident regarding Sergeant Dohun’s role in saving the courageous Captain Johnson’s life at Mark Bando’s website 101AirborneWW2.com.
The Quote
You did a fine job yourself, sir, if it makes you feel any better.
Footnote
The depiction of Sergeant Dohun’s dogged grit reminds me of a true story of my wife’s family during the Civil War. Her great-great-great-grandfather, George Hoyt, had joined the Union Army in 1862 and was mustered into the “Iron Hearted Regiment”, the 115th New York Infantry.
Two years later in Florida, Private Hoyt was wounded in the jaw during the Battle of Olustee and was considered by his unit to be too close to death to try to save. Despite his injuries, he pulled himself to his feet and walked several miles to a field hospital. George eventually married one of the nurses who treated him at the hospital, forming the family that would result in my wife’s birth generations later.
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