This is the thrilling and exciting true-life story of America's most decorated . The authentic WWII story of Audie Murphy , the most decorated soldier in U.S . history . Based on the autobiography of Audie Murphy who stars as himself in the film from his up-bringing as the son of Texas sharecroppers , as his mother dies and he remains orphan and caring his kiddies brothers . He , then , applied for service with the Navy , the Marines and the Army he was turned down by all three branches . However , when he joined his combat unit, one of his superiors considered transferring him out of the company for being unfit for combat . As Audie wages war in Casablanca , Tunez ; he and his detachment (formed by Marshall Thompson , Charles Drake , Jack Kelly , among others) go to Sicily , Palermo until Messina . Later on , they land at Salerno , Naples , Anzio and MountCassino . After that , Murphy and his III Infantry Division formed by valiant ¨Dogfaces¨ (it was a term used during World War II to describe US Army combat infantrymen) disembark in France where take place other bloody battles . As Audie takes on hundreds of enemy soldiers with a machine gun mounted on a tank and he fought in seven major campaigns during World War II . Acceptable picture based on actual events about about Audie Murphy who plays himself following his Army career in WWII . Murphy won more tan 20 medals , being the most decorated American soldier , including the Congressional Medal of Honor and he was also awarded five decorations by France and Belgium . Features impressive as well as realistic battle scenes punctuated with great heroics sequences . This rendition of Murphy autobiography was professionally directed by Jesse Hibbs and it was a box-office hit for Universal Pictures and its record was apparently not broken until Jaws (1975). Hibbs was an American director of second features , primarily westerns , at Universal in the 1950's . Being especially known for TV series as ¨Perry Mason¨ (1957) , ¨Gunsmoke¨ , ¨Laramie¨ and ¨F.B.I.¨ (1965) as well as Westerns and Thrillers . He directed various Audie Murphy vehicles such as : this ¨To hell and Back¨ (1955) , ¨World in My Corner¨ (1956) , ¨Ride a Crooked Trail¨ (1958) and ¨Medal of Honor¨ .Based on facts , these are the following ones : The film describes especially the Italian campaign , when Eisenhower and the Allied command is convinced by Winston Chuchill and his General Brook to carry out the Italian invasion . Then , there takes place the ¨Husky Operation¨ (July , 1943) , but it didn't coordinate Montgomery's 8ª Army and Clark's 5ª Army against German General FeldMarschall, Albert Kesselring , and it resulted in a disaster . Kesselring designs the impregnable ¨Gustav line¨ in South Rome and the main bastion : Montecassino . Then , there happens the famous disaster of Anzio and Nettuno under command of General John Lucas . The Allied army formed by 28 Divisions have a hard and complex mission to their destination .

Probably unique amongst the plethora of World War 2 films in that not only is it a true story but actually acted out by the man who was there. If this was fiction you'd think it was cheesy and unbelievable, knowing it is fact and having read his autobiography makes it all the more remarkable. This must be one of the few films which actually tones down some of the hero's actions because they're just so unbelievable. It isn't perfect by any means, it's clearly all shot in army training grounds in the US. The tanks are all wrong and some of the special effects pretty weak but you have to forgive that for the time and the budget. Having read Murphy's book the film very much sanitises many of the events, no lines of GI's queueing up at Sicilian brothels, no three wounded German soldiers left to die slowly in a quarry because there's nothing they can do to help them. No drunken officer ordering Murphy to make an ill-advised patrol which he ignores or platoon Sergeant becoming unglued in the face of a horrendous bombardment and suffering a breakdown in front of his men. In the movie Murphy's first combat is destroying a machine-gun post, an event which does happen but actually much later. In real life it's when a soldier in his platoon is killed by a random shell whilst marching to the front and his first kills are a pair of Italian officers shot in the back whilst they attempt to flee. One story I've heard is that General Eisenhower liked the film but disapproved of the choice of leading man saying he was too small for the role, unaware that actually Murphy was playing himself although that may be a myth.

Of course this movie "sanitizes" WWII, look at the year it was made, the Hollywood censors would NEVER have allowed a "Saving Private Ryan" film to be released. That said, this is a true story, starring the man who actually lived through everything it shows and much, much more besides. I knew Audie personally and I can tell you that he was, and could really do, anything you saw him do on the screen. He actually did kill 283 German soldiers, not as a unit action, but he, himself, with his own guns! If anything, this movie down plays his real life heroics to a large extent. Audie's book tells a lot more detail about what happened during the War. When I knew him, Audie suffered from severe PTSD, but the VA had not recognized that as a real medical problem, so he never got treatment for it. He did sleep with a pistol under his pillow every night of his life, and he carried a loaded gun on his person everywhere he went, every day of his life (I do the same thing btw...and the VA treated me for PTSD after 'Nam). Finally, this is a wonderful movie about all the brave heroes who fought in those campaigns, dying, maimed, or just lucky enough to come home at the end. Audie was a much better actor than he was ever allowed to be by Universal Studios. His Westerns made money, and that was the studio's bottom line. BTW...To Hell and Back was the BIGGEST money maker for Universal until Jaws was released...that's not a bad record for Hollywood...20 yrs. worth of Dollars in the bank.

I cannot understand why a man like Audie, certainly a man with character, let it happen that he was misused for this propaganda film. This film is of the same indescribable, ridiculous stupidity as most war films that were produced as long as the Germans and the Japanese were the bad guys. I watched it horrible 60 minutes long, still waiting for something positive. In vain. It is remarkable that - the longer the time runs since WWII - war films are becoming more realistic and "fair" with the former enemies. Compare this Audie film with the last film of Clint Eastwood or even Soldier Ryan (which has still a lot of unbearable patriotism).I am bored to look these films in which the US-boys are always: 1. outnumbered by the red-Indians, Huns, Japanese, Spanish whereas the historical record has it that more often it was vice versa 2. the enemy always has the bigger weapons, the better equipment, the better support etc, whereas in reality it was more often vice versa 3. the US heroes are mostly shot from behind, there is no other way to overcome them! They are always character better. Believe me, if you have two armies with 100 thousand young men between 18 and 30 the percentage of good guys and bad guys is on both side the same, as well as the percentage of mothers who swear an oath that their boys are good boys - right so as well as wrong so! All of these 3 typical Hollywood-war-film-points are displayed in this film. Audie played it like that because the film-makers ordered him to do so. This was his earnings. He died young. Maybe he could not live very long with these lies or he became sick of being a hero that felt to be useless for normal peace-time-life. Maybe his biographical war-time-story was a total fake. America needed a hero like that, because America lacked of true heroes. The American soldiers had hardly any chances to become heroes as it was looked for it that they got as often as possible their exchange at front. Air fighters for example had ten times less service at the front than Germans. The care the Americans took for their men should be hailed, where lives counted much contrary to totalitarian systems where human lives count nothing. So, if the story of Audie was true, it was not a typical story of an American soldier in the last war. Anyway human acts should be hailed as heroism, not exterminating humans which is always a multiplication of human tragedies (think of all the mothers and fathers, wives, children). If You want to know how the war was ask one of those who were really at the front and whom you know as reliable and honest people. If you believe in these propaganda Hollywood movies you fall in the same pit as so many of Your nation. You will have to pay the bill. Trust in God and You will thrive, not in Your own weakness! He can win Your wars for You, if You leave him, no more.... I know that the readers do not like to read this comment, which is so hostile to their liking, but soldiers who fought at the front mostly do not like glorifying films either. There is no room in reality to glorify people for killing others. Following orders might be a necessary act to survive and to fight against evil (which Nazi-terrorism or Stalin-terrorism were) and banish it from the face of Earth. But this is nothing heroistic. Germans or Japanese who fought against the overwhelming powers of the Allies committed also "heroic" acts (and wasteful as well!), but for what good? In our days it is only acceptable to show films which demonstrate the necessity to fight against injustice and evil, but at the same time the barbarism and cruelty of war. I do not understand the reason for that kind of American film-making. It must be an exaggeration of patriotism as I do not believe that Americans have a minority complex, which is often the reason for hubris. This exaggeration is self-deceit and also very dangerous, because it blindens oneself for reality which in the long run has very negative effects.