The Boxcar

Synopsis

The Frame: 1985 The story begins in 1985 at Ballistic Defense Systems in California. Bill Williams, a stoic and efficient Level 4 Manager, calmly resolves a crisis on the manufacturing floor, impressing a young engineer named Mike Workmon. Later, in the break room, Mike asks Bill about his service record, specifically his time with the 492nd Bomb Group. Bill begins to recount his time as a "Carpetbagger"—an airman who flew black-painted B-24 Liberators (nicknamed "Boxcars") on secret night missions to drop supplies to the Resistance. The War: 1944 In 1944, young Bill is a waist gunner/flight engineer stationed at RAF Harrington in England. He flies with a close-knit crew, including his best friend Tom Flannery, the baseball-pitching tail gunner Davis, the ball turret gunner Miller, and top turret gunner "Ski" (Kowalski). The crew is sent on a "Maximum Effort" daylight raid to Kiel, Germany—a suicide run for black-painted planes designed for night stealth. Their formation is decimated by the Luftwaffe. Their plane, Miss Fortune, is shot down. In the chaos of the spin, Bill saves Tom’s life, pushing him out of the plane before jumping himself. They land in a swamp in France. Tom breaks his leg, but Bill refuses to leave him. They are captured by a weary German officer who, rather than executing them, simply gives them a ride to a holding area because he is "cold" and "tired. After a brief stint as POWs, the Germans retreated in the middle of the night, leaving the prisoners behind. Bill and Tom are rescued by a Red Cross truck and returned to England. Although offered a ticket home, Bill refuses. Fueled by anger and a desire to finish the job, he signs a waiver to return to combat duty. He is reunited with Eve, a local British barmaid he loves, and is surprised when Tom also returns to the squadron, refusing to let Bill fly alone. The Second Crash: Poland In August 1944, the crew is shot down again, this time over Poland. The survival situation is dire. Ski is killed almost immediately by a landmine. The surviving crew—Bill, Tom, Davis, and Miller—are forced to fight on the ground. They ambush a German patrol using rocks and improvised weapons. In a moment of desperate ingenuity, Davis uses his baseball skills to shoot the pilot of a low-flying German spotter plane with a captured Mauser rifle, causing it to crash. They are hunted by Hauptsturmführer Schmidt, a ruthless SS officer determined to eradicate them. The crew makes contact with the Polish Resistance (the Home Army/AK), hiding in a cafe cellar and later a meat processing plant. Schmidt calls in the Dirlewanger Brigade—a unit of convicts and butchers—to burn the town down to find them.

The Climax As the Red Army tanks approach, the Resistance tries to smuggle the Americans out. A firefight erupts at a construction site. Schmidt corners Bill, shooting him in the shoulder and buttocks. As Schmidt moves in for the kill, Bill draws a concealed .45 and kills the SS officer. Davis laughs hysterically upon realizing Bill has received a "Million Dollar Wound" that will send him home.

Resolution The crew is liberated by the Russians and returned to England. Bill receives the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Purple Heart. In front of his commanding officers, he asks for permission to marry Eve.

Back in 1985, Bill finished his story at a backyard BBQ. He reveals that he and Eve built a life together in California. Mike asks what happened to Tom. In the final reveal, an older Tom Flannery walks out of the house, still limping but alive. The men raise a beer "To the Boxcar".