Hurry up. Come on. This way.
Hurry up.
This will do. Now which one are you gonna have?
- I'll have... - No, that's mine.
Alley-oop!
How far are the trees, Danny?
Over 200 feet.
I'd say 300.
Long ways to digging.
We'll get Cavendish to make a survey.
I wish Big X were here.
Willie, you think X got away?
No, he'd have sent us word somehow if he had.
Gestapo, you think?
Either that or he's dead.
- Group Captain Ramsey? - Yes?
I am Strachwitz.
Will you accompany me, please?
- I'll look after your gear, sir. - Right.
Group Commander Ramsey.
Good morning, Group Captain.
I am Captain Posen, Von Luger's adjutant.
As senior British officer, you are to be liaison...
between the prisoners and the colonel.
We wish to make clear to you certain matters of...
The word is "policy"?
- Yes. - Thank you.
Group Commander Ramsey.
I am Colonel Von Luger. Please sit down.
Group Captain Ramsey, in the past four years...
the Reich has been forced to spend an enormous amount of time...
energy, manpower and equipment hunting down escaping prisoner-of-war officers.
At least it's rather nice to know you're wanted, isn't it?
For us it's not a matter for levity.
There will be no escapes from this camp.
Colonel Von Luger, it is the sworn duty of all officers to try to escape.
If they can't, it is their sworn duty to cause the enemy...
to use an inordinate number of troops to guard them...
and their sworn duty to harass the enemy to the best of their ability.
Yes, I know.
The men under your authority have been most successful.
This man, Ashley-Pitt, for example.
Caught, escaped, recaptured, escaped, recaptured.
Archibald "Archie" Ives.
Eleven escape attempts.
Even tried to jump out of the truck coming here.
Dickes, William.
Known to have participated in digging of 11 escape tunnels.
Flight Lieutenant Willinski, four escapes.
MacDonald, nine. Hendley, an American, five.
Haynes, four. Sedgwick, seven.
The list is almost endless.
One man here has made 17 attempted escapes.
Group Captain, this is close to insanity.
- Quite. - And it must stop!
Colonel, do you expect officers to forget their duty?
It is because we expect the opposite that we have brought you here.
This is a new camp.
It has been built to hold you and your men.
It is organized to incorporate all we have learned of security measures.
And in me, you will not be dealing with a common jailer...
but with a staff officer personally selected for the task...
by the Luftwaffe High Command.
We have, in effect, put all our rotten eggs in one basket...
and we intend to watch this basket carefully.
Very wise.
You will not be denied the use of facilities.
Sports, the library...
the recreation hall...
and for gardening, we will give you tools.
We trust you to use them for gardening.
Devote your energies to these things.
Give up your hopeless attempts to escape...
and, with intelligent cooperation...
we may all sit out the war...
as comfortably as possible.
- What do you do here by the truck? - I'm stealing tools.
- For stealing tools, cooler. - I was only kidding.
- You are American. - Yes, and you're a German.
Of course. Why do you come to Germany?
Why fight for England, your enemy?
"Enemy"? What are you talking about?
In 1812, they burned your capitol.
- That's propaganda. - It's in the history books.
- It's pure propaganda. - I read it.
Now go away from here. If you steal tools, cooler.
Yeah, no tools.
Hey, Virgil.
Did you see the cooler?
Boy, is it ever a big one.
I think they expect a lot of business.
Those two guys who were with us in the old camp in hut 14...
I can't find them.
- You think the goons left them behind? - I guess.
What were their names? Jackson and...
- And Dexter. - Dexter. That's right.
I'm gonna see who else I can find. I'll see ya later.
Danny, who are they?
Russian prisoners. They cut down trees.
- They keep them here? - No, they take them out.
Willie, cigarettes.
Danny and I have a blitz in mind. Could you put on a show for the goons?
Sure, mate. What will it be? An all-out go?
- Mad prisoner? - Choir practice.
- Knuckles, eh? - Knuckles would be fine.
Give him the coat.
What are you doing with my coat, mate?
It's mine!
Are you pushing me, you common Canadian?
It's mine, you illiterate Aussie...
I'll send you back to the Commonwealth!
Stop it! Stop this nonsense!
It's all right, mate.
We're just having a friendly little argument.
- No more fighting. No more! - All right.
- Get back in your huts. - Yes, sir.
You too!
Get away! Get back in your huts!
Go on!
Hey, Hilts!
Looks like there's only one other American.
Some guy named Hendley in the RAF Eagle squadron.
You got something going already?
See the way the goons got those towers placed?
- Yeah. - Got a blind spot in the middle.
A blind spot?
Guy could stand at that wire and not be seen by that tower or that tower.
The one on the end is too far. They'd never see me, especially at night.
- You're crazy. - You think so?
Let's find out. Right now.
Now, the next step's a little tricky.
- You're not going out there? - While they're looking I'm not.
I think I'll take a little walk.
March!
- Danny, do you speak Russian? - A little, but only one sentence.
Let me have it.
- What's it mean? - I love you.
"Love you. " What bloody good is that?
I don't know. I wasn't going to use it myself.
Halt!
Out. Out!
Your friend?
And who vouches for you, Lieutenant Willinski?
Get out, Sedgwick.
Hold it!
- Your name? - Ives.
Oh, yes. Archibald Ives. Scot.
The photograph doesn't do justice.
I'd like to see one of you under similar circumstances.
I will not take action against you now.
This is the first day here, and there has been much stupidity and...
carelessness on both sides.
Hey! Get out!
Don't shoot!
You fool! You cross the wire of death!
- What wire? - This wire! The warning wire!
It's absolutely forbidden to cross it! You know that!
Yeah, but my baseball rolled over there. How am I gonna get my baseball?
You first ask permission.
- Get my baseball! - Stop this nonsense! Get over the wire!
- Immediately! - You, stay there!
Out of the way.
What were you doing over here?
Like I told Max, I was trying to get my...
- What were you doing by the wire? - Like I told Max...
I was trying to cut my way through your wire because I wanna get out.
You speak German?
Wire cutters.
I have had the pleasure of knowing many British officers in this war...
and I flatter myself that we understand one another.
You are the first American officer I've met. Hilts, isn't it?
Captain Hilts, actually.
- Seventeen escape attempts. - Eighteen, sir.
Tunnel man. Engineer.
Flier.
I suppose what's called in the American army, a "hotshot pilot. "
Unfortunately, you got shot down anyway.
So we are both grounded for the duration of the war.
You speak for yourself, Colonel.
You have other plans?
I haven't seen Berlin from the ground or air.
I plan on doing both before the war is over.
Are all American officers so ill-mannered?
About 99%.
Perhaps while you are with us, you will learn some.
Ten days' isolation, Hilts.
- Captain Hilts. - Twenty days.
Right.
You'll still be here when I get out?
Cooler.
- Name? - Ives.
Flying Officer Ives.
Cooler, twenty days.
- Cooler, Ives. - Pleasure.
What did you do in the States? Play baseball?
I was in college.
Say, Ives. How many escapes have you tried?
Four over, seven under.
- Tunnel man, huh? - Sure, I'm not.
How tall are you?
Five-feet-four. Why?
Just wondering.
What did you do in college? Study physical education?
Chemical engineering. Did a little bike riding, though.
Bicycles?
Motorcycles. You know, flat tracks, county fairs.
Picked up a buck here and there. Helped pay my tuition.
I did a wee bit racing myself.
- In Scotland. - Bikes?
No, horse racing. Jockey.
Jockey?
Are you there, Hilts?
- I'm here. - Do you have jockeys in the States?
- Sure. - They were the days.
Saturday nights in towns like Mussoboro and Hamilton.
You could pay off the "birds. "
You know, "birds. "
Girls, man.
You know of them in the States?
Are you there, Hilts?
What?
You know the kind of clay and gravel we've got here in the compound?
Aye.
How many feet you think you can get through in, say, eight hours?
I could cut through this stuff here...
like the bit on an end of an auger.
But you know, it's not the digging.
It's the shoring up with wood...
and getting the dirt out.
That's what you have to worry about.
No, it isn't, Ives. You don't have to worry about that.
How you going to get the dirt out?
What do they call a mole in Scotland?
A mole.
Aye.
Well, what do you think, Navy?
I must say, it's an interesting first 20 minutes.
I'd say we made fools of ourselves.
You know what this is? This is only the first day.
Don't take too much notice. The goons may not know who he is.
- I'll pass the word. - I'll tell the old man.
The prisoner Bartlett is discharged into your custody, Colonel Von Luger.
I suggest this prisoner Bartlett to be kept...
under the strictest security confinement permanently.
Make a note of Herr Kuhn's suggestion.
We have reason to believe that this prisoner...
is the leader of numerous criminal escape attempts.
Squadron Leader Bartlett has been three months in your care...
and the Gestapo has only "reason to believe"?
If he once more falls into our hands...
he will not be so lucky.
Air Force officer prisoners...
are the responsibility of the Luftwaffe, not the S.S.!
Or the Gestapo.
At present, yes.
That is why he's returned, for the moment...
to your care.
Of course...
if the Luftwaffe is not up to the task...
the prisoner will find themselves totally in our charge.
We regretfully are not so professionally understanding.
Squadron Leader Bartlett.
If you escape again and be caught, you will be shot.
- Eric. - Hello, Roger.
- They dumped you in here too. - Yes. What's this one like?
Well, it's new.
Here. Let's find you a bed.
Thanks.
Come in.
- Hello, Roger. - Hello, sir.
I'll put your bag in your room.
Thanks, Eric.
- How are you? - As well as could be expected.
The fellows wanted to put up a welcome committee for you, but that's for later.
Yes, I saw Willie and Willinski with Mac.
Lot of old friends here.
- How long have you been here? - Arrived today.
New camp, expert guards. The elite.
You met the commandant?
Yes, I did.
What were the Gestapo and the S.S. Doing with you?
They wanted to find out who had helped me to the border.
Who else is here? Have we got Cavendish?
- Nimmo and Sorren? - Griffith, Haynes.
- Blythe? - Yes.
Almost the whole X organization.
Almost.
They cleaned out all the other camps and dumped us in this one.
As Von Luger put it...
"all the rotten eggs in one basket. "
There's madness in their method. What about Tommy Bristol?
No, but there's an American. Hendley.
Is he a scrounger? Blackmailer?
MacDonald says he's the best.
Good.
Last of the tea until the Red Cross gets through again.
I scrounged this from Sedgwick.
Did the Gestapo give you a rough time?
Not nearly as rough as I now intend to give them.
Personal revenge...
must be kept out of what we have to do here.
Too many lives are at stake.
What my personal feelings are is of no importance.
You appointed me Big X.
It's my duty to harass, confound and confuse the enemy...
to the best of my ability.
- That's true. - That's what I intend to do.
I'm gonna cause such a terrible stink in this Third Reich of theirs...
that thousands of troops that could be employed at the front...
will be tied up here looking after us.
How?
By putting more men out of this...
perfect camp of theirs than have ever escaped before.
Not blitzing out two or three or a dozen...
but 200, 300. Scatter them all over Germany.
- Do you think that's possible? - The men are here to do it.
The goons have put every escape artist in Germany in this camp.
Have you thought of what it might cost?
I've thought of the humiliation if we just tamely submit...
knuckle under and crawl.
You don't advocate that, do you, sir?
I have to point out one thing to you, Roger.
No matter how unsatisfactory this camp may be...
the high command have still left us in the hands of the Luftwaffe...
not the Gestapo and the S.S.
Look, sir, you talk about the high command and the Luftwaffe...
and then the S.S. And the Gestapo.
To me, they're the same. We're fighting the bloody lot.
There's only one way to put it, sir.
They are the common enemies of everyone who believes in freedom.
If the high command didn't approve of Hitler, why didn't they throw him out?
I have no argument with you, Roger.
As senior officer...
I'm merely pointing out a pertinent fact.
When are you calling a meeting, X?
Tonight.
Gentlemen, no doubt you've heard...
the immortal words of our new commandant.
"Devote your energies to things other than escape...
and sit out the war as comfortably as possible. "
That's exactly what we're going to do.
We're gonna devote our energies to sports and gardening.
All the cultural pursuits, as far as they're concerned.
In fact, we're gonna put the goons to sleep.
Meanwhile, we dig.
Now, even a superficial look at the compound...
shows us that huts 104 and 105 are closest to the woods.
The first tunnel goes out from 105 directly east...
under the cooler and the wire.
That's over 300 feet.
- Did you make a survey, Dennis? - Only a temporary one, sir.
I make it just over 335 feet.
Let me know when you've got an exact one. Willie.
This time we'll dig straight down 30 feet before we go horizontal.
That'll rule out sound detection or probing.
All right, Roger, but did you say the first tunnel?
I did.
There'll be three.
We'll call them Tom, Dick and Harry. Tom goes out directly east from 104.
Dick goes north from the kitchen, and Harry goes parallel to Tom from 105.
If the goons find one, we'll move into the other.
How many men do you plan to take out?
250.
There'll be no half measures this time, gentlemen.
There'll be identification papers and documents for everyone.
Griff, we'll need outfits for the lot.
- 250? - Mostly civilian clothes.
Yes, but, uh...
Okay, Roger.
Mac, maps, blankets, rations, compasses...
for all the walkers and timetables for every train.
Right, Roger.
Sorry I'm late, Roger.
All right, Collin, sit down. We're going to tunnel.
Splendid.
Willie, you and Danny will be tunnel kings.
Danny, you'll be in charge of traps. We'll work out their location tomorrow.
Sedgwick, manufacturer. Griff, as I said, tailor.
Nimmo and Haynes, diversions. Mac will take care of intelligence.
Hendley? We haven't met.
- Scrounger? - Right.
Dennis, maps and surveys.
Collin, you'll take your usual job.
Eric, how are you gonna get rid of this dirt?
The usual places.
Hadn't anticipated three tunnels, but we'll manage.
Who's gonna handle security for all this?
You are.
I want a system of stooges covering this compound from front to back...
checking every goon in and out.
I want a signal system so perfect...
that if a fellow gets near a hut in which we're working...
we can shut down without a sign.
There's no point in discussing more now.
I'll meet each of you on the exercise circuit to pound out the details.
Nothing else, is there, Mac?
I shouldn't think so, Roger.
Oh, hello. My name's Blythe.
For birds.
- I've done a little hunting myself. - Not hunting.
Watching.
Bird-watcher?
Yes, that's right. Watching them and drawing them.
I suppose you have bird-watchers in the States.
Yes, we have some.
Tea?
I only drank tea once, in a hospital.
Where's your kit?
This is it. The rest was confiscated in the last shakedown.
The goons didn't appreciate some of my more personal items.
Such as.
You're the scrounger.
Yes, that's right.
I'll need a camera.
- What kind? - A good one.
A 35-millimeter f2.8...
with a focal plane shutter should do all right.
All right.
And film, of course.
Oh, of course.
Oh, Hendley, I need a pick. Big heavy one.
- Only one? - Two would be better.
Afraid this tea's pathetic.
Must have used these wretched leaves about 20 times.
It's not that I mind so much.
Tea without milk is so uncivilized.
Yeah. I'll get our wood.
Close up.
Splendid.
Blythe, what are you doing here?
I'm in photographic aerial reconnaissance interpretation.
Went for a joyride to see for myself. It's my own silly fault.
The aircraft bought it. Got shot down.
Terrifying.
No, I mean, what do you do here?
Here?
I'm the forger.
The forgers are installing themselves in the recreation hut. Sedgwick?
- I'm in 110. - Griffith?
I'd like to work in 109, Roger.
109? Right.
I'll work in 107. For now, Danny and Willie and their team...
will be in 104.
I want to take a chance on the tunnels and press ahead without shoring up.
We will need timber for the shaft and the entrance chambers.
Hendley figures there are 36 empty bunks.
We can tear up 15 and move men between huts so the goons won't miss them.
The rest will come from the strips off the wall.
- Is Hendley handling this himself? - Not yet.
He's working on some steel for a pick that Danny needs.
What is going on here? Turn the water off!
Get your hand away!
Stop this nonsense!
Get away here! Turn the water off!
Somewhere!
In the stove, we keep fire burning always.
This way the goons will not feel like moving it.
Good.
Two tiles are chipped. We need new ones.
There are some in 113's washroom. Should match perfectly.
It's going to be a bit tricky, Danny.
Not when you're organized, Mac.
- We're ready. - Big enough?
It's perfect. Right through the middle of the foundation.
Good luck to us, Danny.
Why 17?
This is the 17th tunnel Danny's started.
It's good.
It's very good.
Haynes.
Get out! Get out!
Out. Out here.
You are not in your hut.
- What are you doing here? - Mopping up.
- And you? - Shower. I need a wash.
I'm watchin' him. I'm a lifeguard.
Put on warm clothes. You might be outside all night.
No. I vote no.
We've put the goons to sleep like you said, but one thing like this...
and we're up the creek without a paddle.
Sit down, won't you?
- Hello, sir. - Hello.
Squadron Leader Bartlett, Captain Hilts.
- Flight Lieutenant MacDonald. - Hi.
I understand you two are contemplating a blitz out.
Where'd you hear that, sir?
MacDonald. It's Mac's job to know everything that goes on.
We thought, perhaps, we might talk it over.
Why? It's only a two-man job.
Everybody in the camp...
is supposed to clear all escape attempts in advance...
with Bartlett.
We don't necessarily want to interfere.
It's just that...
What sort of blitz were you contemplating?
We sneak out at night to a blind spot I found near the wire.
Then we dig straight down three feet...
take the dirt, spread it on top so it won't make a pile and then straight out.
Ives is a tunnel man, so he digs in front...
pushes the dirt behind him, and I stash it behind me.
Then we burrow through the dirt like a couple of moles.
By dawn, we're under the wire, into the woods...
and gone.
When do you intend to try this?
- When do you intend to try it? - Tonight.
This may not be quite the right time for this sort of thing.
Look, sir. I've been in the bank nearly three years now.
Bloody close to being wire-happy.
It's a blitz out for me or forget it.
It'll work. I know it will.
Good luck.
Thank you.
Hilts, how do you breathe?
We got a steel rod with hinges on it.
We shove it up and make air holes as we go along. Good night, sir.
Why didn't anybody think of that before?
It's so stupid it's positively brilliant!
But it'll bring every goon in the camp down on top of us.
I don't know. Perhaps we're being too clever.
If we stop all the breakouts...
it may only convince the goons that we must be tunneling.
I hope it works.
If it doesn't, they will be in the cooler for a long time.
- Good, eh? - Danny, it's bloody beautiful.
This is the dirt from the compound.
This is from the tunnel.
Wherever we put it, they're going to spot it a mile away.
Maybe we can put it under the huts. The dirt's dark there.
No, it's the first place the ferrets would look.
I saw one measuring the height under a hut yesterday.
Maybe we could dry it up the same color.
- We'll have 50 tons of it. - I was just thinking out loud.
If you must think, for God's sake, think clearly.
Where the devil is Ashley-Pitt?
We can't destroy the dirt. We can't eat it.
The only thing left to do is camouflage it.
That's as far as my thinking takes me.
Didn't they teach you promptness in the R.N.?
You'll never believe it, but I think I have the solution.
The problem is somehow to get rid of this tunnel dirt over the compound.
Well, of course.
Would you mind?
Now...
you fill these bags with the dirt from the tunnel.
Then, wearing them inside your trousers...
you wander out into the compound, where...
you pull these strings in your pockets.
Out come the pins.
Eric, it's good.
All you have to do is kick it in.
Unless you're a complete fool, the ferrets will never see a thing.
It's indecently brilliant. What do you think, Roger?
- We'll try it tomorrow. - I already have. It works.
Mac, this is what we'll do.
Present from Tom, sir.
Thank you, Nimmo.
- Nice garden you got, sir. - Yes, carry on.
All right, let's look sharp!
That looks sharp.
Sir.
Please, gentlemen, continue. This is merely a routine inspection.
- Good morning, Squadron Leader. - Good morning, sir.
I am sorry the soil here isn't better suited to your men's purpose.
We'll manage, sir.
I must say I'm surprised at the extent of this activity, Group Captain.
Pleased, of course, but surprised.
Surprised, Colonel?
Fliers are gentlemen, not peasants to dig in the earth.
So I am surprised.
The English have always been very keen on gardening.
Yes, but flowers. Is this not so?
You can't eat flowers, Colonel.
Good point.
I have the nasty feeling he knows exactly what we're doing.
- Maybe he does. - You don't really think so?
We'll find out soon enough.
- Morning, Bob. - Sandy.
Here we are.
Now, let's see.
Biscuits, two packets.
Coffee, two tins.
Bovarro, one jar.
Cigarettes, six packets.
Strawberry jam, Sorren's.
Black currant jam, Cavendish.
And marmalade, mine.
Danish butter, Von Luger's. I liberated it from his mess supplies.
Oh, yes.
And Dutch chocolate, two bars.
That cleans out the gift boot for the entire organization.
Now, the first thing we need is a new form of travel permit.
Forgers don't know what it looks like, and they can't move without it.
- I'll see what I can do. - And any other...
identity cards, personal papers, documents you can put your hands on.
Put them to work.
- Right. - Good luck.
O come, all ye faithful
Joyful and triumphant
O come ye
O come ye to Bethlehem
Come and behold Him
Born the king of angels
O come let us adore Him
Louie, where the hell is the air pump?
Patience is a virtue.
I know, dear boy, but the diggers can only work when the trap's open...
and this is holding us up very badly.
- Is it finished? - Of course.
- Why isn't it in? - Working on the air ducts now.
- When will they be finished? - One or two days.
- Does it work? - Of course it works.
- Will it give us enough air? - It's as much as you'll need.
Excellent.
Have it in by tomorrow night.
Got a light?
Thanks.
- That's pretty, isn't it? - Yes.
I'm sorry. Would you like one?
I'll smoke it later when I'm off duty. Thank you.
You probably have a couple of roommates, huh?
- Beautiful day. - Yes.
But I think it might rain later.
"Red sky in the morning, sailor takes warning.
Red sky at night, sailor's delight. "
There was a red sky last night.
I never heard that before.
I learned it in the Boy Scouts.
You were a Boy Scout? So was I.
- Really? - I had 19 merit badges.
I had 20.
I was working on my 20th when the government abolished scouting...
and sent me into the Hitler Youth instead.
Hey, Werner, you think you'll stay in the army after the war?
Oh, no. I'm not a well man.
- My teeth. - Your teeth?
I could tell you stories about my teeth that would make your hair stand on end.
Our dentist here is a butcher.
But don't tell anyone I said so.
It's a soldier's right to complain.
Maybe in your army, but here...
one little criticism and... to the Russian front.
Is that so?
Terrible.
That's terrible.
Let's go to my room where we can talk more comfortably.
I'd better not. If Strachwitz should see me...
I was just gonna make some coffee.
Some real coffee.
Coffee, coffee, coffee.
Where is it?
Marmalade?
My grandmother keeps sending me this stuff.
Chocolate.
Oh, yeah, here. Take one.
Von Luger's butter!
Yeah. Keep it.
Nein! I must go.
You can keep it. We're friends.
With you in the cooler, will we still be friends? I must report this.
I don't understand. Report what?
That you and I were chatting in my room?
- I must go. - It's okay. Keep it.
I'll never be able to eat it. I've got all I could eat.
I'm sorry. All right, forget it.
And that, I'm sure you'll remember, is the voice of the Nellis warbler.
Now let's turn our attention to this gentleman, the masked shrike...
Lanius nubicas, the butcher bird.
The shrike impales his foes on the spikes of thornbushes.
Not a very lovable character.
Let's have a look at the coloring.
Uniform black above from head to tail.
A black rump, a black crown with a bold white flash...
and a white line over the eye.
The shrike lives in lightly-wooded country.
Sit down. You'll find drawing materials on the table.
The shrike lives in lightly-wooded country, olive groves and gardens.
Herr Hendley, have you taken to birds too now?
You should stick around. You might learn something.
I have better things to do than draw birds.
The voice is a monotonous succession of scratchy, complaining notes.
Let's have a good look at this bird. He's got a good round shape.
Permission to cross the front here. Here's another one.
Which one's the forgery?
- That one. - That's right.
They both are.
What's holding us up now is the new form of this travel permit.
- We have no idea what they look like. - Here's one.
And a military identity card...
and a...
An aus visa.
Permission to be on Reich property.
A ticket to Odin and...
what looks like the ferrets' assignments by day and hour for the next week.
- You get ten out of ten for this. - Thank you.
- Take good care of that. - Where did you get this?
It's on loan.
In order to get the right amount of outfits, Roger...
I suggest that we work mainly from service uniforms.
Now, I can do double-breasteds, single-breasteds...
and rather nice lounge suits.
Lapels. I can do a lot of things with those.
I can have them deep like that...
or high ones like that.
Here's one that we're working on right now.
What about buttons?
Take a look at those.
Here's one that I finished, Roger.
Here's one that I dyed with a bottle of blue ink.
Looks rather good. What's up, Roger?
The goons would have a field day if they crashed in on this lot.
That's Sorren's department. I've started working on the other materials.
This blanket...
particularly the striped, marvelous... coats.
I've got the chaps working on these all over the compound.
Those battle dresses, they're a bit too short.
I'll have to get the chaps to make those into some sort of workingman's outfits.
Blanket ticking.
Now, I've made these into rather nice little waistcoats.
- Dyed, of course? - Of course.
Just take a look at this, Roger.
This blanket material...
we scrape this down until it's really smooth...
and then dye it with boot polish.
Corduroy scrounged by Hendley. I wish we had more of this.
Where in God's name did you get these from?
- Hendley. - Where did he get them?
- I asked him that. - What did he say?
"Don't ask. " Let me show you some of the overcoats I've been working on.
Good morning, Hilts.
If you're here to find out if I'm going out again, I am.
- When? - Seventeen days, seventh of July.
- Dark of the moon. - Correct.
Is Ives going with you?
Yeah, if he wants to.
You know that Ives is close to cracking?
- Better he goes out in the tunnel? - Safer.
Right.
Hilts, it's possible for one man to get out through the wire, even get away...
but there are, in fact...
a considerable number of people besides yourself...
in this camp who are trying to escape.
I appreciate that.
Something's coming... I can feel it...
and it's coming right around the corner at me, Squadron Leader.
- My name's Roger. - All right, Roger.
Yours is Virgil, isn't it?
Hilts. Just make it Hilts.
As I was saying, Hilts...
we have maps of Germany; general maps, that is.
We have all the information that we need for the escape routes out of Germany...
but what we do not have...
Is a clear idea of what's 500 yards beyond those trees.
Right. We've tried every goon in the camp. No go.
We must know the exact position of the local town.
We want to know where we hit the main roads. They must patrol them.
Where the local police stations are.
Where they've got military roadblocks, and most important of all...
we've got to know how to get from here to the railway station.
No. Absolutely not.
When I get through that wire, I'm not gonna be making maps for you guys.
I'm gonna be so far away, you couldn't hear it...
if they were shooting at me with howitzers.
That's understandable.
Completely.
I mean, I'd like to help, but...
Interesting idea. How many are you taking out?
Two hundred and fifty.
You're crazy. You oughta be locked up.
Two hundred and fifty guys just walking down the road, just like that?
Well, some on the road, some by train...
some cross country.
They'll have forged papers, clothes, maps, compasses, rations.
Has it occurred to you that you're gonna alert every goon in the country?
Anybody that can carry a pitchfork is gonna be out looking for you.
They're gonna swoop down and scoop you up so fast, it'd make your head swim.
Well, thanks anyway.
Anything I can do to help in the tunnel, let me know.
- That's very good of you. - Anytime.
Wait a minute.
You aren't seriously suggesting that if I get through the wire...
and case everything out there and don't get picked up...
to turn myself in and get thrown back in the cooler...
so you can get the information you need?
Yes.
One has to ask some very strange things in the job I have.
- You'd get a front place in the tunnel. - I wouldn't do that for my mother.
- I don't blame you. - Okay then.
- It's completely understandable. - Okay then.
Thanks, Hilts.
Check.
It's all right. Blythe's a friend.
What's the matter?
My wallet, my papers, my identity card, gone.
I lost them, everything.
He lost his wallet.
Do you realize what would happen if Strachwitz found this out?
- The Russian front. - Dear, dear.
I've looked everyplace.
I must have lost them while I was in here.
I told you we were friends. We'll find them.
Thank you, Herr Hendley.
Not now. It might look a little peculiar...
if you and I were seen probing around at this time of night.
Look, I'll find them.
I promise you, I'll find them if I have to tear this room apart.
- Thank you. - Forget it.
There is one small favor.
A camera.
We want to take some snapshots. You know, keepsakes.
Thirty-five millimeter with 2.8 lens and a plane shutter.
Focal plane shutter.
That's a focal plane shutter.
Let me know when you got it.
He's a crazy, mixed-up kid, that Werner...
but I like him.
Checkmate.
- When will that air pump be ready? - I'll have it for you tomorrow.
You're badly behind schedule, Sedgwick. How's it coming, Danny?
No good. Today, three times.
You all right? Pull!
You're gonna have to shore up the whole bloody tunnel, Roger, all 335 feet.
Four times today.
This way we never get through. We must have more wood.
That's a lot of timber.
Can you get it?
We'll get it. We've gotta get it.
I'll put Hendley on it, and the new man we got this morning.
Okay, Willie.
On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me
A partridge in a pear tree
On the fourth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Four calling birds three French hens
Two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree
On the fifth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Five gold rings
How's it going with the rafters?
Taking out 24.
Stay with it.
Bloody singing. I've never worked so hard in all my life. Hi, Hilts.
Say, Cavendish...
Alley-oop!
Never mind.
Here's a present from our friend Werner.
Splendid. Simply splendid.
This should do very nicely.
Those are Ashley-Pitt's men.
He requested permission to dispose of some of his dirt in our attic.
Tom has reached just beyond that pile of wood, sir.
Harry, of course, isn't as far as that.
How much further to the trees?
We make it 50 feet, sir.
- Dark of the moon is the seventh... - Eighth and ninth.
A day earlier in August.
Morning.
There he goes again.
Why's he piling up all the potatoes in the camp?
I've been working on that, but I can't find out.
Hilts and Hendley lock themselves in their room every night.
Sometimes Goff's in there with them. Other nights he's on guard outside.
Mac, we'll close down Dick and Harry, seal them off.
Put the entire effort into Tom and press right on into the trees.
Right, Roger.
Wow.
About face!
Forward march!
What is it?
They're celebrating the Revolution.
It's the Fourth of July.
What the devil's this?
Company, halt!
Gentlemen, you're invited for free drinks at the wash deck.
A little present from the colonials.
- Down the British. - Quite right.
- And a little drink to Tom. - And to getting home.
Very well. We accept. Up the rebels.
- Down the British. - If you care to follow us.
About face!
Column, left! March!
Company, halt!
Let's line up.
That explains what happened to the potatoes.
No harm in closing down Tom for one day, Roger.
I suppose it'll do us all good to let off a bit of steam.
There's only 14 feet to go. We can draw out the whole bloody camp.
- That calls for a drink. - Hear, hear, sir.
Drink it up.
Moonshine. American moonshine. Moonshine.
- Cheers, Hendley. - Drink it all.
Keep it moving.
Hello, Eric. Don't spill any of that.
- There you go. - Down with the British.
All right, old timer. Keep it moving.
Don't get any on your clothes.
- Before your morning tea? - Tonic water.
Keep it moving.
Don't get any on your clothes, sir. American moonshine.
Don't smoke right after you drink it.
No smoking. No smoking while you're drinking.
Get good and stoned, my friend.
Keep it going. Keep it...
No taxation without representation.
Keep it going, boys. Keep it...
Keep it going. Enjoy yourselves.
Well, let's drink to Tom.
In the three years, seven months...
and approximately two weeks that I've been in the bag...
that's the most extraordinary stuff I've ever tasted.
It's shattering.
I think it's rather good.
Well, with your permission, sir, I think I'll "all an kaye. "
Call an aye.
You know what that is?
I'll tell you what it isn't.
It isn't Napoleon brandy.
How do you like it, sir?
Well, it's...
To the colonies.
Independence.
How are you managing over there without us? Getting along all right?
We seem to be getting along all right, sure... sir.
Yes, well, it's...
It's good stuff, Hilts.
Thank you, sir.
Danny, here's to...