- Masquerading as German workers, Hogan and the crew have made elaborate and foolproof plans to blow a German cannon factory sky-high - but their plan backfires when Newkirk winds up being drafted into the German army.
- At the start, LeBeau, Carter, Newkirk, Kinchloe, and Schultz are outside walking to the barracks. LeBeau is telling a story about an incident that happened between him and his 'girlfriend'. As it turned out, the drink she gave him was spiked, he passed out, and she stole his wallet. Just then, General Burkhalter comes into camp in his staff car; he brings with him a civilian who has not been here before.
Kinch goes to Hogan's office and tells Hogan about Burkhalter's arrival. Hogan plugs in the coffee pot to listen in to the conversation in Klink's office. Burkhalter is talking to Klink about his guest, Doctor Speer. Speer refers to an auto factory a mile from Hammelburg; this has been turned into a war plant to make cannons. He wants this plant to be the most efficient in Germany. The factory will be run 24 hours a day. Until he gets some guards of his own, he needs Klink to supply some guards. Klink at first hesitates, but Burkhalter gets Klink to change his mind. Hogan tells Kinch to send a message to London to bomb the place.
Kinch gets a message back that they are on the reservation list. It will be at least 6 weeks before they can send a mission to bomb the plant; there are higher priority targets, including submarine pens and a pharmacy. Hogan wants to do something sooner. He has the men dress in civilian gear and they will walk into the plant like they work there.
At the factory building entrance. Speer is talking to Schultz. Schultz is checking the identifications of the men who enter for work, looking at their badges. Speer tells Schultz that security must be the highest. While Speer and Schultz are talking, Schultz lets Hogan, Newkirk, Carter, and LeBeau into the factory. Schultz then double checks the badge of the man following them. Once they are in the factory, they look around at the set up. Newkirk has the clipboard, and is a foreman of operations. He looks at the equipment, and tells Hogan how it works. A machine that drills holes in the gun barrels is set at 100. After the hole is drilled, the gun comes out and it goes to another station where they are checked by an inspector, and then stamped. Hogan says that if the setting is turned down to 50, that should speed things up a bit. The next barrel comes off the line. Hogan sticks a screwdriver down the barrel, and a 'tink' is heard when it hits the part that has not been drilled. The hole does not go all the way through.
Schultz then comes by, and sees Hogan, Carter, and LeBeau. He stops and says 'Hello' and then starts to leave. He is surprised that they are here. Schultz wants to report the incident; Hogan talks him out of it. He was the guard at the camp that they sneaked out of, he was the guard at the factory that they sneaked in to. What are they going to do? Hogan says that he won't tell; Schultz says that he will tell. Newkirk comes up and says 'Hello' to Schultz, and tells Hogan to get to work. Hogan says that he has to obey him, Newkirk is the foreman. Hogan walks away and leaves Schultz with his mouth open.
Later, Carter tells Hogan that he was poking around the store room in the basement. He says that it is loaded with gunpowder, enough to blow up the place several times. Carter wants to set some charges, and graphically describes what he wants to do. Hogan calls Carter one of the great pyromaniacs.
Speer and an infantry sergeant arrive in the room. A bell rings, work stops, and the workers gather by Sper to hear what he has to say. Speer asks for Muller. Newkirk, having that name on his badge, steps forward. Speer says that his enlistment has come through, and tomorrow, he will be Private Speer of the German Army. Newkirk is worried, but walks away with Speer and the sergeant. LeBeau and Carter ask Hogan what to do; Hogan does not know what to do yet. Schultz comes to Hogan and asks if what he heard is true: that Newkirk enlisted in the German Army. Hogan admits that it is true. Schultz says that it is against the rules to be in two armies in the same war. LeBeau asks Hogan what if Newkirk does not pass the physical. Newkirk could do it. Schultz asks the chance of that; Hogan tells Schultz that Schultz passed a physical.
At the induction center, Newkirk and 5 other inductees are let into the waiting room. Newkirk keeps talking about his 'bad back'. The medical sergeant sitting at the desk tells an inductee to go into the room to see the doctor; another inductee, Kraus, comes out and sits next to Newkirk. Kraus starts talking to Newkirk, not knowing who he is. Kraus says that the doctor told him that he was not qualified for the infantry or the artillery, so they put him in the paratroops. The medical sergeant then tells 'Muller' to go into the room. Newkirk ignores him, like he can't hear. The sergeant calls Muller 2 more times, and then walks over to Newkirk, and yells at him to get into the exam room. Newkirk goes into the room, and sees the doctor and an assistant. The doctor tells him to sit in the brown chair; Newkirk goes to the other one. The doctor says that color vision is excellent. The doctor then fires a shot from a pistol; Newkirk shakes wildly. The doctor says that reflexes are excellent. The doctor then asks him if he has had any operations; Newkirk hesitates. The doctor then says 'in the last 3 days'. Newkirk shakes his head. The doctor then congratulates him, he is now in the German Army.
After Newkirk goes back to the waiting room, an infantry major brings Klink into the room. Klink wants some guards; the major offers him his pick of the new inductees. Klink does not like what he sees, but he says that he will take them all. Newkirk, not wanting to be seen and recognized by Klink, sneezes a couple of times into a handkerchief. Klink sees this, somewhat recognizes him, but still unsure. The major tells the desk sergeant to get them all uniforms.
Back in the factory, LeBeau distracts the inspector stamping the guns. While distracted, Hogan replaces a good barrel with a bad one, and the inspector stamps it as approved. Speer comes into the room. Hogan takes the approved bad gun and shows it to Speer. He tells Speer that this would not have happened if Muller were here. He says that Speer has high connections and can get Muller back. He convinces Speer to get Muller/Newkirk back to the factory.
Back at the induction center, the inductees (including Newkirk) are now in German Army uniforms. While they, and the major and Klink are still in the room, a phone call comes in. General Burkhalter wants to talk to the major. After the conversation, Muller is discharged from the army, and is to take off that uniform and go back to the factory.
Back at the factory, Muller/Newkirk come in the door, and meets Speer. Speer talks to Newkirk/Muller, and says that he is sorry that he could not join the army, but is glad to have him back, and there will be something extra in his next paycheck.
Newkirk then goes to Hogan and the others; he is back. He tells them that Klink was at the induction center, looking for replacement guards. Just then, a bell rings; end of shift. Carter tells Hogan that the place is set to blow up when the whistle blows at the end of the next shift. Hogan, Newkirk, Carter, and LeBeau then walk out the door, each handing Schultz their time card on the way out. Schultz just stands there, dumbfounded.
Later, in Klink's office, Speer is talking to Klink, thanking him for the use of his guards. They walk outside. Speer says that at the end of the next shift, 1000 cannons will have been produced. Klink says 'Thanks for a job well done'. Klink and Speer shake hands. The end of shift whistle blows, and an explosion is heard. Hogan tells the men 'Thanks for a job well done.'
At the end, at a night roll call in the compound, Klink is giving a 'no one has ever escaped from STALAG 13' speech to the prisoners. He says that when his guards were at the factory, nothing happened. When his guards left, there was sabotage. Newkirk then sneezes. Klink looks at him like he saw this before.
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