Bill Rogers

First Lieutenant **Bill Rogers** was a pilot of the U.S Army Air Force. He was shot down and captured and then held in a P.O.W. camp. He managed to escape the camp with Mario "Pazilbo" Espozi, an Italian and Blitz, an Austrian defector. The three of them managed to hide in a church in Yugoslavia and the priest there told a young boy to take them to the Partisans in the mountains.

In the mountains they met the group's leader Milan Kovic, Vanya and the rest of his group. He asks them who they are what what their plans are. When he learned Blitz was a Heer soldier he told his men to take him away and be shot, as he didn't care if he was Austrian or German, they were both Nazis to him. Luckily for Blitz, Rogers and Mario spoke up for him and told Milan how he had saved Mario by insulting an SS Captain, and how he was going to be sent to a discipline company on the Russian front but deserted so he could stay with Rogers and Mario. When Milan learns that Blitz also has a pilot's license he is more than happy to put Blitz and Rogers to use as he has two planes but no pilots to fly them. He sends them on a mission to bomb a German position that the Partisans are planning to attack. The mission is a success but Blitz's plane's engine is damaged and the plane can't be used again. Rogers later takes another mission to destroy a German train carrying ammunition but Milan doesn't tell him about the Luftwaffe fighter escort that the train has. Rogers and Mario manage to destroy the train, shoot down some planes before been chased off by two fighters. Rogers flies into a canon followed by the Germans. One Luftwaffe plane crashes in the canon and Rogers pulls off a daring move that sends the other German into the side of the canon.

Back at base Milan finally agrees to help them on their way and also lets Vanya lead them to the coast so the can escape Yugoslavia to Southern Italy where the Americans are. After Mario learns of some valuable gold chalices that are worth five million dollars, protected by nuns. He tells Rogers and Blitz and they agree to go and steal them, though it is kept a secret from Vanya, who told them about them as she was a novice at the convent before leaving to join the Partisans.

On the way to the coast they meet a another group of Partisans but they are attacked by German planes with many killed and wounded. Rogers' group continue on their way and at one point loose Blitz and then Rogers, Mario and Vanya were captured and an SS Lieutenant and his men, who take them away to be executed. Luckily for them just as the are about to be shot by firing squad, Blitz reappears and guns down all of the Germans with an MG42 saving his friends.

After making it to the convent they finally get to see the treasure and learn from the nuns that the Germans are coming to take it from them. Rogers and his group tell the nuns that they won't let that happen and when the Germans arrive, they manage to kill them all with ease.

After that Rogers and the other convince Vanya and the nuns to gather all of the treasure and put it in a create together so it can be hidden in a safe place. In the early hours of the next morning, Rogers, Mario and Blitz, attempt to sneak away, having stolen the treasure. But Vanya hears them and comes chasing after them. They pretend that they were just testing the trucks engine and letting her have a longer sleep. They continue on their way again and later try to ditch the ex-nun by pretending the truck has engine trouble. Mario trick her into stripping to her underpants and bathing in a river while they pretend to take care of engine trouble. Vanya thinks that Mario just wants to see her out of her clothes but he promises that he doesn't and that he won't look. After he gets back to the truck the three men leave once more, leaving Vanya behind. They don't get far down the road before they see a German convoy heading their way so turn around and got the other way. Once again they pretend to Vanya that they were just testing the engine after they had fixed it.

They are then faced with no other option but to cross a German held bridge. They come up with a plan to steal some explosives and rig the bridge to blow once they cross it so that the German convoy can't follow them. Disguised as Germans they manage to get into one of the bunkers at the bridge and take the guards there prisoner. But as Mario and Rogers tie them up the phone rings. They ignore it and continue to tie up the prisoners but a German soldier outside hears the phone and enters the bunker. Rogers shoots him and Mario is forced to shoot the prisoners as one of them pulled the alarm. Vanya shoots a group of Germans heading towards the bunker. Blitz and Rogers set off to rig the bridge whilst Mario and Vanya fought off a group of Germans who came, trying to retake the bunker.

Blitz abseiled down the bridge and Rogers lowered the explosives down to him. All was going well until Blitz was climbing back up bridge and he was shot and then fell to his death. Rogers, Mario and Vanya managed to get to the other side of the bridge and as the were been followed by German soldiers the bridge was blown.

Back on their way to the coast they are stopped by another group of Partisans. Vanya decides she wants to stay with them and Rogers and Mario continue on by themselves, feeling pleased that they have finally got rid of Vanya and they have the hidden treasure all to themselves. As the have a smoke and decide to check the treasure they discover that they have been tricked and that Vanya had left them a note, saying that she and the nuns had taken the treasure and replaced it with rocks as she knew that they had planned to steal it. With no treasure, Rogers and Mario decide to make their way to a Luftwaffe base posing as local workers, so they can steal a plane and fly to Italy. They manage to steal a plane and get away even though the base is put on alert and the Luftwaffe pilot's are scrambled. As they are flying away they are shot at by some planes and Rogers decides to take them on, shooting down two of them before his plane is hit and he is forced to flee. He later crash lands the plane as it ran out of fuel. Rogers and Mario set off into the countryside and are found once again by Milan, Vanya and their group. They both decided that they might as well try and win this war as that way they can get to Berlin and steal of that Nazi treasure.

## Gallery

Rogers, Mario and Blitz.Rogers, Mario and Blitz.