Lincoln Hoppe's grandfather fought in the German army in Russia during World War II. He refused to join the Nazi party, or let his son (Hoppe's father) join the Hitler Youth. When Hoppe's character holds a photo of his son, it's actually a photo of Hoppe's father as a small boy.
When the three soldiers come across the two soldiers in the Jeep, there are at least three clues indicating that the soldiers in the Jeep are not US troops which the American troops don't notice. The first clue is that Lt. Woodward says he is from the Ordnance Department Reclamation, a unit that doesn't exist. The second clue is that Stewart, the driver, uses an idiom incorrectly, saying he feels like "the short man on the totem pole." Rossi corrects him, saying "low man," and Stewart is unaware of his gaffe. Only after Sgt Rossi notices officer's insignia on the Lt.'s uniform that aren't normally worn in the field, and then sees the German binoculars in the Jeep, does he finally start asking questions about the Lt.'s background.
The two men in the Jeep are wearing the arrowhead insignia of the 36th Infantry Division, which Rossi knows fought at Civitavecchia, Italy. When Lt. Woodward says his unit wasn't there and can't state where the 36th ID landed in Italy, Rossi figures out the two soldiers are Germans in US uniforms.
Under Article 23(f) of the 1907 Hague Regulations that governed combat in World War II, "It is especially forbidden ... to make improper use ... of the national flag or of the military insignia and uniform of the enemy." If captured out of uniform, soldiers are at risk of being treated as spies or unlawful combatants and may not fall within the rules of the Geneva Convention that governed treatment of prisoners of war. As a result, Lt. Woodward would not have been so cocky about how the US troops would treat him as a prisoner of war.
Finally, as the US troops and partisans walk away with the captured Lt. Woodward, Cpl. Curtis tells Sgt Rossi that he noticed Lt. Woodward was riding in the back of the Jeep, which was highly unusual and the third clue that the men were not US troops. Sgt. Rossi should have immediately noticed that inconsistency. When riding in Jeeps with a driver, US officers rode in the front passenger seat because the suspension made for an awful ride in the back.
The two men in the Jeep are wearing the arrowhead insignia of the 36th Infantry Division, which Rossi knows fought at Civitavecchia, Italy. When Lt. Woodward says his unit wasn't there and can't state where the 36th ID landed in Italy, Rossi figures out the two soldiers are Germans in US uniforms.
Under Article 23(f) of the 1907 Hague Regulations that governed combat in World War II, "It is especially forbidden ... to make improper use ... of the national flag or of the military insignia and uniform of the enemy." If captured out of uniform, soldiers are at risk of being treated as spies or unlawful combatants and may not fall within the rules of the Geneva Convention that governed treatment of prisoners of war. As a result, Lt. Woodward would not have been so cocky about how the US troops would treat him as a prisoner of war.
Finally, as the US troops and partisans walk away with the captured Lt. Woodward, Cpl. Curtis tells Sgt Rossi that he noticed Lt. Woodward was riding in the back of the Jeep, which was highly unusual and the third clue that the men were not US troops. Sgt. Rossi should have immediately noticed that inconsistency. When riding in Jeeps with a driver, US officers rode in the front passenger seat because the suspension made for an awful ride in the back.