Nice plot change! I look forward to see it your way.

I figured the first fanedit would be to remove the castle scene. Too much focus on the male hero, the gala is too implausible so close to the front lines and to the armistice, it shaves 10+ minutes off an overly long movie.

My estimate for cuts would be:
1:22:29-1:24:09 cut phone conversation of the gala
1:24:14-1:24:20 cut reference to gala
1:25:22-1:25:40 cut reference to gala
1:29:28-1:30:17 cut reference to gala
1:31:02-1:41:03 cut gala

I haven’t figured a solution for two issues:

we jump from morning to evening without feeling any passage of time. Perhaps there is a way to make the ride in the woods seem longer?
Trevor’s german uniform is visible, but he no longer has reason to wear it.

I don’t have the expertise to make this edit look smooth. If anyone likes the idea, please run with it and improve on it!