Deep in the heart of the Aegean lies the island of Navarone.
In 1943, it stood like a thorn in the Allied side.
Newly designed radar-controlled guns set in the heart of the ancient rock...
... gave the German High Command total strategic dominance.
Air strikes and naval attacks had proven costly and ineffective.
In desperation, the Allies turned to infiltration.
On the night of September the 24th, a specially trained commando group...
... succeeded in penetrating the very heart of the gun complex...
... planted explosives at the base of the giant shell hoists...
... then withdrew to await rescue by ships of the Royal Navy.
- Reduce speed, number one. - Aye, aye, sir. Down 50 reps.
Fire!
Move! Move!
Come on, move it!
Move it!
Move it, move it, move it, move it!
Regulations state, sir, that in the absence of bacon, ham, et cetera...
...the acting catering officer, that's you, sir...
...shall authorize once per week, the issue of offal.
- Offal? - Offal, sir...
...is kidneys, liver, tongue, brains...
Well, I'll be damned!
- Milly, how nice to see you! - Hello, sir.
- Whatever are you doing here? - I've no idea.
I'm reporting to Cmdr. Jensen.
I gather you've been hurling yourself over the white cliffs. How's the leg?
It's in the same place. I thought they pensioned you off for good.
You still peddling those whiz-bangs of yours?
Yes, we've got things that go boom for all occasions.
I'm working with a new detonator. It's interesting...
Excuse me, sir. We can't keep Cmdr. Jensen waiting.
- We'll have a quiet pint later on. - He'd like to see you too, together.
Corporal, put that in my office, will you?
Mallory.
Take a pew. How's the leg?
- And Miller, isn't it? - Yes, sir.
Hear you've been attached to Winston's toy shop.
"Department of Dirty Tricks" as the Whitehall chaps call it.
Well, they speak very well of you.
Right. We need you chaps for something rather special.
I'm afraid it's not exactly a masterpiece...
...but I wonder if you can identify this fellow.
Think back to Navarone.
I'd rather not, sir.
Nicolai?
Yes. Let you down a bit, didn't he?
But what about him?
Andrea's people had him shot as a traitor, didn't they?
Yes, so we were told.
In fact, he escaped.
He wasn't a traitor. He was a German agent...
...who we believe is operating now in Yugoslavia with the Partisans...
...posing as one Capt. Lescovar.
Now, you both knew Nicolai.
In fact, you're the only people we know of can make a positive identification.
So I'd like you to go out there and cope.
Cope, sir?
Kill him.
Discreetly, if possible.
But I'm a civilian now, sir.
Yes, we thought about that.
So you've been recalled to the current and promoted.
Staff sergeant.
Awfully generous, sir.
Exactly how do we get there?
We're tacking you onto Force 10.
The code name for an operation for the Allied mission in Yugoslavia.
Excuse me, sir. What's their objective?
It's being treated on a need-to-know basis.
And you don't need to know.
Barnsby, come in.
- Sir? - Colonel.
Force 10 flies out tonight.
Oh, that's all right. Taking these boys with you.
I beg your pardon, sir?
It's a matter of transportation. You've got passengers.
Just a sideshow. This is Maj. Mallory, Sgt. Miller.
Lt. Col. Barnsby.
Sir, my mission is all set. It's been planned down to the last detail.
The last thing we need are a couple of passengers.
Maj. Mallory does have a certain amount of experience.
I wouldn't doubt it.
We're talking about some hard traveling, sir.
We've gotta move fast. My men are young, in top physical shape.
- They're specially trained for this. - I'm aware of that.
Sir, I am concerned about the safety of my command.
Well, these chaps have got a job to do as well.
And it's up to you to deliver them safely to the Partisans.
And you leave for Italy at 2300 hours...
...and you take off for Yugoslavia the following night.
Very well, sir.
Thank you. That's all, gentlemen.
Well, we'll do our best not to make a nuisance of ourselves, colonel.
All right, enough!
- Thought we were going to an airfield. - From what I've observed of Barnsby...
...we might be going to Yugoslavia by walking on water.
All right, it's right along here. Slow down, Nolan.
Stop it.
Nolan, kill the lights. All right, out.
Oberstein, Reynolds, the fence.
You're gonna miss your plane unless you join us now, major.
Remarkable way of getting on an aircraft, don't you think so?
Oh, well, nothing's ever easy, is it?
It's not easy if you insist on climbing through fences in the dark...
...when there's a perfectly good gate half a mile up the road.
Anything we can do to help?
Yeah, you can keep quiet and out of the way, major.
I don't have a lot of time for explanations.
One thing that you don't know...
...is the last three Allied missions into Yugoslavia...
...were blown right here in Italy.
So this time when we fly out, we're not advertising the fact to anybody.
Holy cow, will you look at those guys!
They're stealing half the field.
All right, hold it.
Wait for me.
Okay, men, let's go!
- Blake, take care of Rastus there. - Yes, sir.
Okay, fellas, freeze.
Back off. Come on, get back.
And you, back, back!
Bill, Eddie, fetch those other guys out of there.
What's your name, kid?
Walter.
What's yours?
Well, it sure in the hell ain't Rastus.
Walter.
Good evening.
Major, move!
- You two guys officers? - More or less, yes.
We're very much obliged to you, sergeant.
- Weaver. - Oh, Sgt. Weaver. Thank you.
U.S. Army Medical Corps.
- But, sir! - All set, colonel.
- Still stuff outside? - Yeah.
- Okay, Oberstein? - Fine.
Hey, sir!
Where's Nolan?
I think you can take it he won't be joining us.
Okay, let's go.
You son of a bitch! I saved your asses back there...
...and you run out on me.
Hey, who is this guy? Get out of here.
Hey, man, don't push! Don't push me!
- Look, you! - I think it's a bit late for that now.
Look, you just shouldn't have left me there. I saved you bums.
Well, we didn't think you'd like where we're going.
You let me worry about that, huh?
That guy's gonna melt into the landscape.
Yeah, them Partisans are gonna think they've been invaded by Zulus.
Well, you are one man short.
Well, Nolan can handle a chute, at least.
- Can you handle a chute? - I can learn on the job.
That's right, you learn on the way down.
I'd better go tell the colonel we got us another passenger.
I think the colonel's got enough on his plate for the moment, don't you?
So sorry.
I was rather hoping we'd lost that.
You never know. It might come in useful.
Hey, hey, what do you got in there?
My pajamas.
Looks like high-explosive pajamas to me.
Not to worry, old boy.
Been handling this since I blew up the nursery with my first chemistry set.
Poor old nanny.
We got company.
Cut two!
Reynolds, bail out!
Jump!
Go!
Come on, move it!
Come on, get out!
Come on, move!
Come on!
Mallory.
Okay.
- Seen any of the others? - Not yet. Get down!
Come on.
- Okay, Reynolds? - Yeah.
Where's your Sgt. Miller?
How the hell did he get here?
You let him on the plane?
I think he more or less invited himself.
- Where did you learn to use a knife? - Harvard University, man.
You don't call him man. You call him sir, and you call me sir.
And as long as you're here, you do as you're told. Understood, soldier?
Yes, sir.
We've gotta get out of here before that patrol comes back.
Lt. Reynolds, take point. Sgt. Weaver, bring up the rear.
And everybody keep up. All right, let's go.
Organized young gentleman, isn't he?
- Any idea where we are, colonel? - Not a hell of a lot, no.
If we keep going east, we'll end up where we're supposed to.
How did we get stuck with those two clowns?
I don't know, Doug. Some idiot at British HQ.
Come along, gentlemen. It's not teatime yet.
Do you think that young man has any idea where we are, Milly?
- No, I shouldn't think so. - I shouldn't think so, either.
I'll go and try and find out.
Yes, why don't you do that.
Excuse me, colonel.
Do you have any idea where we are?
I've got a good idea where we are.
And how long it's gonna take to get there, if you two can't keep up.
All right, let's move it.
- This is really beautiful country. - Yes, marvelous.
Rather like the Scottish Highlands.
- Do you know Scotland? - No.
Yes.
I've often thought that I'd rather like to settle down there some day.
Looks like you're gonna have to change your plans.
Take it easy.
Welcome.
Capt. Drazak.
Seventeenth Partisan Regiment.
- Good morning, captain. - Welcome, welcome!
Thank you, Capt. Drazak.
They frightened you with bandages, huh?
Without bandages you...
German, how you say:
You say, "flamethrower. "
Yeah, yeah, flamethrower.
Hello! Hello!
How do you do?
This is Maritza, good soldier comrade.
How do you do, good soldier comrade?
Hello, blackie.
Maybe it comes off now, Maritza.
Back off, soldier.
I make big joke...
...but joke on me.
Good, blackie. Come, we go. We eat with our comrades.
We make friends and drink. Then we fight the Germans.
Come.
Come, we go.
Where did you learn to punch like that? Harvard?
No, Harlem. Colonel?
I'm not trying to get anybody killed, least of all me.
- But that big idiot back there started it. - Just watch yourself, soldier.
- How's the leg today? - It's much better, thank you.
Good, good. Well, it looks like things may work out after all, huh?
Well, perhaps Miller and I can still carry out our little sideshow.
Sorry about Force 10.
You're down to two men, aren't you?
Of course, I don't know what your mission was...
...but obviously it just isn't on now, is it, colonel?
Looks rather like your own youngster, doesn't he?
Do you really think so?
Please, come.
Come, eat.
We are Chetniks...
...not stinking Partisans.
We hunt Allied commandos like wild pigs!
We work with Germans. They are our friends!
Good evening, gentlemen.
Maj. Schroeder, 11th army corps.
How do you do, major? Delighted to meet you.
We thought these people were Partisans.
- Of all the luck, eh, Barnsby? - Sure.
Chetniks? Who would have believed that?
The other three Allied missions that fell into our hands...
...were not quite so happy about it as you appear to be.
I'm not surprised, sir.
But, you see, we're not commandos. We're deserters.
Deserters?
Give them to me, major. We kill them now.
You see, we were in a prison camp in Termoli.
We escaped.
Managed to steal a plane. Flew here, RAF Lancaster.
Were attacked, hit, bailed out and landed in your territory, thank God.
Fascinating.
Tell me, why exactly did you desert?
Now, I'm glad you asked that.
Yes.
Well, I am afraid that is rather a long story.
Oh, please, you must not be afraid of boring me.
Have you ever heard of penicillin?
No.
Well, I'm not surprised. It's new.
It's a drug that prevents wounds from becoming infected.
It cures a whole range of infections...
...including some of the nastier social diseases.
It's become one of the most sought-after items on the black market.
Our friend here, Sgt. Weaver of the American Medical Corps...
...was our supplier.
You are saying you stole these drugs from the Army to sell to civilians?
Not just to civilians, major. We'd sell it back to the Army.
Any army.
I see.
Tell me, what has all this to do with that suitcase you keep looking at?
Well, that suitcase is full of our penicillin.
Oh, indeed. Perhaps I could see some of it?
Certainly, major.
Open it, Miller.
You can't do that here, you'd ruin the lot.
You know perfectly well that any contamination will destroy it.
It must be opened under laboratory conditions.
There's nearly half a million pounds worth of stuff here.
I know all that, but the major is not interested in our penicillin.
He only wants to know the truth.
What's the use of a half a million pounds to you out here?
Yes, well, that's beside the point, sir, but I'm not going to open it.
Our story doesn't seem to convince you.
No, it does not.
That's up to you, but every word he's told you is true.
If you don't believe it, check with your intelligence.
They'll verify the entire story.
Oh, I shall certainly verify your story.
Every word of it.
Get in!
Cute story, major, very cute.
Now, what happens when they open the suitcase?
I should think we'll all get shot. Don't you, colonel?
Headquarters acknowledges your signal.
Thank you, Bauer.
Maritza...
...what do you think?
They're lying.
What does it matter, anyway?
Kill them.
Yeah, you are probably right.
Do you know what I was thinking?
After the war, $1 million.
You, a simple peasant girl from where?
I can never pronounce the name of the place you come from.
With so much money, we could...
They're lying.
Kill them.
Out! Get out.
What did I tell you?
Well, at least we got a good night's sleep.
Good morning, gentlemen.
Our intelligence confirms your escape from Italy.
You and you, follow me, please.
Your escape from Italy is one thing.
The rest of your story is something else.
I had time to sleep on it.
So this morning, you know what I did?
I opened the suitcase.
Maritza!
And what do you think I found?
Firewood.
What did you expect? We buried it before your Chetniks picked us up.
We're not stupid. It's the only thing we've got to bargain with.
That is what I thought you would say. I think you're lying.
You know they're lying. Why don't you let Drazak get rid of them?
Gently, Maritza.
I don't believe your so-called penicillin exists, but it just might.
So I will let you go and dig it up for me.
And if we do, you'll shoot us and bury us in the same hole.
I shall certainly shoot you if you don't.
Well, gentlemen, the choice is yours.
What I can't figure is how the firewood got in the case.
Neither can I.
Don't know where we're going to find any spare penicillin here, do you?
What are we going to do, keep walking until we reach the Adriatic?
I don't think the iron maiden will let us get that far.
Halt!
What did I tell you?
We are three miles past the spot where you were picked up.
Well, where is this wonderful treasure?
In your imagination?
No, ma'am, it's not in our imagination.
I think it's a bit further on, don't you?
Yes, it is. Well, I mean, it's not much further than this.
It's hard to tell, the whole country looks alike.
You will start digging within five minutes.
What if we haven't found it in five minutes?
Then you will be digging your graves.
Hey, colonel.
Wait a minute, now this looks familiar.
Isn't this our little hollow down here?
Yes, I think it is.
I remember this knoll over here. Ma'am, this is it.
I think this is it.
- This knoll over here? - Right.
You see, comrade, we lined it up between them...
There you are! There's our pile of stones.
Gotta get them closer and we use the spades.
You take the two that are closest to you...
...and I'll take the other one and the broad.
I'm gonna get them closer now, okay?
Fritz. Fritz, come! It's here.
- Ready? - All right.
You can get up now. They're dead.
I put firewood in people's cases and hide their high explosives.
Don't sit there gawping.
Get out of here. Keep moving in that direction.
Try to find Petrovitch's Partisans.
Now, go.
Excuse me, good comrade soldier...
...but exactly what story are you gonna tell Schroeder about all this?
You took us by surprise.
You got away.
Here, hit me.
Did you expect me to go back there with my hair combed?
Hit me!
Well, all right. I'm sorry.
Harder!
Come on, colonel.
I hope that man Schroeder believes that girl's story.
If he doesn't believe her, he'd better think twice about calling her a liar.
What about Miller and Reynolds?
What about them, colonel?
Yes.
I suppose they...
Let's move it.
Do you have the feeling we're being followed?
About the last 10 minutes.
Next time you can play the corpse.
Yeah, you seem pretty good with that thing, though.
Could have been luck.
- Germans? - Yes, or Drazak, I suppose.
Partisans, thank God!
Good morning.
What's the matter with him? We've been looking for you.
Be quiet.
You will make your report to Maj. Petrovitch.
I think we've run into bad company, colonel.
Yes, the leader.
- What about him? - Afraid I know him.
- Nicolai. - Who the hell is Nicolai?
It's Nicolai Lescovar.
The man I was sent to kill.
Dam, if it's the one I think it is. I know where we are.
So do I. Right in it.
Do you think he's recognized you?
Yes, I think so.
Lt. Col. Barnsby, United States Rangers.
Maj. Mallory, sir.
You got away from the Germans.
How?
We escaped.
Capt. Lescovar has his doubts about that.
If you escaped, why were the Germans not pursuing you?
We observed you for five miles before we picked you up.
You should've observed that we killed two Chetniks that were following us.
- The men with the bandaged faces. - Exactly.
Hardly a cause for congratulation. Those two men were Partisans.
Comrades of ours whom we had infiltrated into the Chetnik camp...
...so now all links with our agent there are broken, thanks to you.
I'm sorry.
The fact remains that we're Allied officers.
There's no reason we should be treated this way.
I'm in command of Force 10. I insist that we be allowed...
...to contact the Allied mission. I'm sure London informed you.
We are informed of many things by London...
...very few of them ever seem to materialize.
However, you are right.
I was informed of your mission.
Personally, I doubt if it was ever a practical one...
...but now that you are here without equipment, the question is academic.
And you, major, you came here as an observer, perhaps?
No, sir.
I was charged with a mission of my own.
It's confidential.
Confidential!
Sometimes I get the impression...
...that London looks on this theatre of operations...
...as a convenient place for conducting what they call "war games. "
- May I speak to you personally? - You are speaking to me personally.
- I mean alone. - No.
The People's Army does not conduct military business in secret.
Very well, sir.
I was sent here to identify a German agent, code name Nicolai.
We are reliably informed...
...that he has infiltrated the People's Resistance Army, and is now known...
...as Capt. Lescovar.
And having identified this man, what were your further orders?
I was to eliminate him, sir.
- Eliminate. Don't you mean kill? - Yes, sir. I do mean kill.
Do you hear that, Lescovar?
The gentlemen from London want us to shoot you.
I'm sorry, major.
I must admit you are indeed partly right.
There was an agent named Nicolai...
...operating somewhere south of here and also calling himself Lescovar.
But he was identified many months ago. And eliminated.
The British were informed.
- But London were very specific, sir. - Yes, they frequently are specific...
...and just as frequently wrong!
Lt. Marko, see that these gentlemen...
...give you a full report on their activities in the Chetnik camp.
A specific report.
Well, captain, I guess we owe you a bit of an apology, don't we?
Well, it happens. We all get badly briefed sometimes.
Wish we had been briefed about the men with the bandages.
Replaced them with a couple of your own, that's a good trick.
They were messengers to our agent at Schroeder's headquarters.
Is your agent small, dark, pretty...
...beautiful grey eyes and shoots from the hip?
You mean Maritza? Yes.
She took a big chance for us.
She isn't Petrovitch's daughter for nothing.
We hold this end of the bridge.
Over there, the Germans prepare for the final attack.
We have been ordered to prevent them crossing at all costs.
What exactly do they have over there?
Three divisions, perhaps more. We hold a brigade here.
Soon they will bring up tanks, then...
- Why haven't you blown the bridge? - We have tried several times.
Each time we lost valuable men.
Maj. Petrovitch has decided it is impractical.
Well, he's wrong about that.
There's no bridge in the world that can't be blown.
That's what Force 10 was here to prove.
I told you before, you have no men, you have no equipment.
I can radio London for equipment. Get me an airstrip operational.
Oh, call London, prepare an airstrip for a plane that may never arrive.
- Have you anything else to suggest? - Yes.
Give me 20 men, I can blow that bridge to hell.
You mean you can blow 20 of my men to hell, for nothing!
That bridge is indestructible.
Excuse me, sir, you don't need 20 men.
You need Miller.
- Miller? - He's an expert with explosives, sir.
He's probably the best in England.
- This Miller is in England? - No, sir.
- Prisoner in the Chetnik camp. - Then he's already dead.
Not necessarily, major.
I refuse to mount a full-scale operation just to find out, colonel.
I need every single man I've got here, now!
Sir, we don't need to mount a full-scale operation.
Just give us two men.
These officers are from headquarters. They're here to interrogate you.
You reported five prisoners, major.
Two of them tried to escape. They were shot.
Maj. Schroeder is in the armory, and I have told you before...
...this area is out of bounds to you people, except Capt. Drazak.
Kindly remove yourselves immediately...
...and if you can read, which I doubt, take a look at standing orders.
There. You have made me burn the milk.
So I did.
Let it burn.
Open up.
Prisoners for Maj. Schroeder.
You see, my colleague does not believe you are deserters.
- The prisoners, sir. - What prisoners?
I thought you said these men had been shot.
Right, gentlemen, shall we go?
No!
This is not correct.
Quick. Miller!
Bring him. Open it.
- Go. - Marko.
Partisan bitch!
Always so kind to the men with burns.
But they have no burns.
The three Germans with the prisoners that escaped...
...all shot in the back with machine pistols.
You killed them.
Good. Give me the hat.
Open. Open up.
Open!
Milly.