To Hell and Back (1955)

Lt. Manning: At 0500 we'll open up with small arms fire. The 7th will move across at the same time. I'm sure the Jerries will throw some entertainment our way.
Audie Murphy: I think you can count on it, Lieutenant.

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Audie Murphy originally declined the opportunity to portray himself in the movie, not wanting people to think that he was attempting to cash in on his role as a war hero. Murphy initially suggested his friend Tony Curtis to play him. They had worked together on three Westerns, Sierra, Kansas Raiders and The Cimarron Kid.
One of the combat sequences in this movie centered around a fight to capture a German position hold up in an Italian farmhouse. This included a scene where two German soldiers, manning a MG42 machine gun, are filmed firing belts of ammunition at the attacking Americans. Apparently when the first takes of this action were made, using blank ammunition, it didn't look 'real' enough. This perceived flaw was eventually resolved by filming two GIs from Fort Lewis, dressed as German troops, firing live ammunition from the machine gun. It was the only way that they could think of to get the impressive muzzle flash when the weapon was fired.
Audie Murphy is known as the most decorated US soldier of World War II. According to this film, when he applied for service with the Navy, the Marines and the Paratroopers, Audie Murphy was turned-down by all three military arms. Moreover, when he joined his combat unit, one of his superiors considered transferring him out of the company for being unfit for combat.
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