As a historical aside, about 25 years ago I read an article in an obscure catalog/newsletter that touched on the problem of deserters in France (as the front line moved north and west), circa 1944.

Working from memory, Allied military police/JAG types estimated that @10,000 US, UK and German deserters* were loose and working the black market - up to and including hijacking Red Ball Express shipments.

By extrapolation, this makes you wonder if the script to KELLY'S HEROES wasn't born from a stereotypical bar-room tale.

I'd be interested to see if anyone came across primary source documents on the deserter/black market issue.

nb: * Would think this figure includes both temporary and permanent deserters. My High School French (language) teacher (rifleman in an Infantry BN, son of an expatriated Hungarian household cavalry officer, spoke French to native fluency and was overused as a translator) confessed to going AWOL 13 times between Normandy and Berlin.

Also makes you wonder how many MIAs were actually guys who decided to 'disappear' for whatever reason.