"A Midnight Clear" by William Wharton Quiz

Answer: WWII

What's left of a squad which is part of the I and R platoon (Intelligence and Reconnaissance), is sent to set up an observation post at a chateau near the German lines in the Ardennes Forest. With the exception of Mundy and Wilkins, everyone who is, and was, in the squad had been part of an Army program called ASTPR (Army Specialized Training Program Reserve), made up of young men who had scored high on the Army's intelligence test.

When the men joined the program, they were too young to enlist, and were to attend universities both before and after basic training.

When the program was disbanded, the men were split up into various infantry divisions.

Answer: Knott

Will Knott has recently turned nineteen and is also the narrator of the story. Mel Gordon became the squad corporal the same time Will made sergeant. As Will puts it, "It wasn't for much we did except stay alive". They've lost half of their squad with only Shutzer, Mundy, Miller, Gordon, Wilkins and Knott remaining. Will Knott was nicknamed 'Won't' by his men.

The men are split on whether the apostrophe should be used or not. Knott has yet to sew on his sergeant's stripes, mostly because he doesn't feel he's qualified for the job.

He has such good men under him he often remarks that the squad seems to run itself. On losing half of their squad, Knott remarks, "Our division took a mauling outside Saarbruecken. We gained a few miles of European real estate and lost the beginnings to untolled (much more than untold) generations of very bright people. I think the US Army considered this a good deal".

Answer: Wilkins

The story opens with Knott and Wilkins on watch. Wilkins freaks out and runs through the woods stripping off his clothing and equipment. He is the only married man in their squad and recently found out that his baby was stillborn. Vance Wilkins is a nervous person and the death of his child has put his mental health in a precarious position. Knott hasn't told any of the other guys about Wilkins's mad dash through the woods. Wilkins is known as 'Mother' because of his neatness, and because he does a lot of the cooking when they're away from headquarters.

Answer: Yes

Paul Mundy is known as 'Father'. He had formerly been going to the seminary, but dropped out the second to the last year before ordination. Mundy was always talking to Knott about why he didn't go to church anymore. When Mundy and Shutzer went on watch together, Knott would wonder if they would try to convert each other.

Answer: Bridge

They lost their decks of cards when they lost half of their squad, so Knott makes up the hands on the backs of K ration boxes. They also play chess and crossword puzzles which Miller makes up.

Answer: an American is taken prisoner

The Germans make contact with the Americans first. The Germans call out to them 'schlaf gut' (sleep well) and laugh. Later, Knott, Gordon and Shutzer go on a patrol to find where the Germans are. After discovering where the Germans are staying, the three are on their way back to the chateau when they see a German with a rifle pointed at them.

He lowers his rifle, waves and walks away from them. Knott drops the scope and the map when they run for cover, but they head back to the chateau. Later, Shutzer goes back to look for the items and returns to talk to Knott. Shutzer didn't find them, but says he built a snowman for the Germans which looked like Hitler. That night, the Germans build a scarecrow near the guardpost at the chateau and leave the scope and the map.

They also begin a snowball fight with Knott and Mundy, who are on watch. The Germans have marked the map and put a time when the Americans should meet them. They have the meeting and the Germans say that they have recently returned from the Russian front and are tired of fighting.

They want to surrender. That night, the Germans set up a Christmas tree outside of the chateau and bring presents for the Americans. Everyone sings Christmas carols and Mundy brings presents for the Germans.

Answer: No

Knott and the others think that they can manage the surrender so that Wilkins will get the credit and maybe a medal for heroism so his spirits will be lifted. They contemplate telling Mother about their plan, but feel he wouldn't go along with it. The Germans fear that if it appears that they gave up too easily, their relatives will be punished by the Nazis.

They insist on a fake firefight before the surrender.

Answer: Miller

Shutzer can sort of speak with the Germans since he knows Yiddish, but they can't believe he would be in charge, and Knott doesn't look the type either (especially since he doesn't have his stripes sewn on). Since Miller is blond and blue-eyed, the guys figure he looks Aryan enough for the Germans to believe he'd be in charge.

They combine a bunch of stripes (creating a new rank) and put their cleanest uniform on Miller so he looks like he'd be an officer.

Answer: It turns into a real firefight

Wilkins was left at the chateau, but the rest of the squad went to the lodge to meet the Germans. The plan is for both sides to fire a few rounds to make it sound like a real firefight. Then the Germans will surrender. All of a sudden, one of the Germans goes down. Knott tells his men to cease firing.

After a moment of quiet, another German goes down. The Germans, thinking the Americans have changed their minds, begin firing at them. Mundy realizes that Mother has arrived and thinks the battle is for real.

He thinks he's helping his friends. Mundy begins running towards Wilkins to tell him not to shoot anymore, but he gets shot by one of the Germans. After the shooting is over, all but one of the Germans are dead, Mundy is dead and Shutzer has been wounded. On the way back to the chateau, Wilkins explains that Lt. Ware and Major Love arrived at the chateau for a prisoner and sent him out to find them.

He then heard the shots and thought the squad was in trouble. Before he died, Mundy made Knott promise not to tell Mother what was really happening. Knott tells Ware and Love that the squad was pinned down and Wilkins saved them so he'll at least still get a medal.

Answer: Yes

Ware and Love left with Shutzer and the wounded German. What's left of the squad, Knott, Miller, Gordon and Wilkins, leave a day or so later, making it away from the chateau in their two jeeps as the Germans are attacking. They end up losing one of the jeeps and eventually have to abandon the other when it gets damaged. Masquerading as medics carrying Mundy, they eventually make it back to regimental headquarters. Ware tells Knott that he put in for a Bronze Star for Wilkins, but Shutzer and the wounded German died on the way back.