Why Tom Cruise thought it would be a good idea to make a movie about Nazis is anyone's guess.

But the latest bad news to hit the production of that Nazi picture is a $12 mil lawsuit filed against United Artists and Cruise by a group of extras who were injured when a side panel of a Nazi-era truck gave way -- and spilled them all onto the street. They all had to go the hospital, one with possible internal injuries.

Cruise was not on set at the time of the accident.