(FANFARE MUSIC PLAYING)
(GERMAN SONG PLAYING ON RADIO)
(RADIO CHANNEL SWITCHES)
(YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE PLAYING ON RADIO)
Papers please, sir.
You want to see my driving license?
My friend won't be needing any.
Papers in order, sir.
(EXHALES LOUDLY)
What happened to Kaminsky, McDonald, Akhmed, the two Maltese?
I brought back the young officer, as you told me.
I left the others behind.
And what went wrong this time?
We got within 20 miles, then I was spotted by a couple of snipers.
And what happened to Lieutenant Evans exactly?
He was just unlucky.
Get yourself cleaned up. I want to talk to you.
Brigadier Blore is waiting, sir.
- You're not going to change, sir? - Into what?
(ENGINE STARTING)
HOMERTON: Another one down the dilly.
So far, Masters, you have cost the British Army £42,000
in what you call miscellaneous costs.
Plus 17 jeeps, 24 trucks,
a small fortune in ammunition and supplies
and the lives of three British officers.
Forty-three of my men have been killed also, sir.
Your total requisition for the past 12 months has been £124,563.
Yes, sir.
You've sent eight missions behind the German lines,
and you've achieved nothing.
Colonel Masters, you are a luxury we cannot afford.
My work over the last 12 months
has been a preparatory exploration
into the techniques which I intend to employ.
The experience of the great commanders of the past
who have fought over this very same territory
will ultimately prove invaluable.
Modern warfare has nothing whatever to do
with the activities of Alexander the Great or Hannibal.
The principles of desert warfare have not changed.
The principles of getting value for your money haven't changed either.
Masters, your outfit is disbanded forthwith.
Captain Attwood will go back with you, and you will hand over to him.
- You yourself will take a week's leave... - Yes, sir.
...to find yourself a suitable uniform.
I know that you have to wear mufti, but you might shave occasionally.
Yes, indeed, sir.
You will then take over command
of the prisoner of war camp at Sidi Barrani with effect from the 17th.
I have located, through my contacts with the Mujabra tribesmen,
the perfect target for my kind of operation.
Where the hell did you get this photograph?
It appears the Mujabra tribesmen
have learnt how to use the Brownie cameras I supplied them with.
This camp is about 400 miles behind the enemy lines.
Precisely. You can't get there, but I can.
Two men are going to stop Rommel.
One of them is Adolf Hitler, who cannot give him enough fuel,
the other is me, who's going to blow up the little he has.
Masters, I shall give you one more chance.
Thank you, sir.
This time you've got to succeed.
I shall put the expedition under the command of a British officer.
But British officers don't understand my method, sir.
Do as I say, and this time I want him back.
- Yes, sir. - Alive.
If I must have an officer, sir, could he be someone
who knows something about pipelines, petrol installations, that sort of thing?
- We'll see if we have someone to spare. - Yes, sir.
Don't forget, Masters, this is your last chance.
Thank you, sir.
- I'll send them back to you. - Yes, sir.
- Ask Watkins to come in, would you? - Yes, sir.
Alan, I had an idea.
Take a look at that and that.
Interested?
There must be millions of gallons in there by the look of things.
- Rommel's? - Yes.
There. About 400 miles behind their lines.
I got the location pretty accurately from some of my Mujabra tribesmen.
Actually, they took the photographs for me.
- Like to go and blow it up? - We'll give you a show, sir.
Rommel is here.
His lines of communication are really extended,
so we're going to hit him hard.
Now, if you can destroy the bulk of his fuel supplies
at that moment, it might make all the difference.
We'll try, sir.
Rommel's gonna be defeated by two men, Watkins.
Adolf Hitler, who can't give him enough fuel,
and me, because I'm gonna blow up what little he has.
By the way, I'm sending a decoy group ahead of you.
- You know Masters' bunch? - Not those gangsters, sir.
Yes, they set off a day before you. Same route, same orders.
If there's any trouble, let them catch it.
Not particularly pleasant, sir.
You leave in two days, Watkins. Good luck.
Thank you, sir.
Well, that's that.
What about the British officer for Colonel Masters, sir?
Oh, completely forgot.
Tell them to find a spare captain from somewhere.
Yes, sir.
Oh, yes, and I suppose he'd better know something about petrol.
Yes, sir.
(HORN HONKING)
Where can I find Captain Douglas, Sarge?
- Who? - Captain Douglas.
Up there.
- Captain Douglas, sir? - Yes.
Colonel Homerton would like to see you in his office, sir.
Colonel Homerton said immediately, sir.
Tell Colonel Homerton I'll be there in an hour.
I have to finish unloading the fuel.
As you say, sir.
- You're late. - I know. What's up?
I don't know, honestly.
- It's not... - No. No.
Wish me luck.
- You sent for me, sir? - Yes.
Captain Douglas is on loan from British Petroleum.
He's worked for seven years as a field engineer
with the Anglo-Iranian branch.
- So, you know the desert? - Yes.
- A little. - Excellent.
Captain Attwood here is from HQ, Special Forces.
They want an officer with some experience of fuel supplies
to take command of a rather unusual unit.
May I point out, sir,
that the arrangement with British Petroleum
was that I stay in port areas.
What are you wearing?
British uniform, sir.
British Petroleum uniform?
No, sir.
Good. Captain Attwood will give you the Brigadier's orders.
He's your man.
(PEOPLE CHATTERING)
(SPEAKING ARABIC)
(TWITTERING)
This is it, sir.
Are you sure?
Yes, sir. Café's over there.
- Colonel Masters? - No.
- Oh, then I'll have a whiskey, please. - No whiskey.
- I'll have a beer then. - No beer.
What do you have?
(SPEAKING ARABIC)
Tea.
Then I'll have tea.
(MUSIC PLAYING ON GRAMOPHONE)
Looking for Colonel Masters?
Who are you?
I'm Captain Leech.
- British Army? - No.
Follow me.
Some kind of a soldier to see you, Colonel.
Yes.
- Colonel Masters, sir? - Yes.
Captain Douglas, sir.
Oh, my dear fellow, there's no need for all that.
My number two, Captain Leech.
How do you do? Which regiment, Captain?
Late of the Fourth Panzer.
Do you know why you're here, Douglas?
I understand I'm to command one of your units on a special mission.
Thank you, Leech.
See you later.
(DOOR CLOSING)
Now, let me explain exactly what you're here for.
Caprus Magna, a Roman port in Cyrenaica,
that the Germans appear to be using as a petrol dump.
Are these Rommel's positions, sir?
No, those are the positions of the Carthaginians in the year 215 B.C.
Desert warfare hasn't changed.
Like the ancient Egyptians, I'm going to send an expedition south to Qattara.
Across the Qattara Depression, through the cliffs of the Siwah Pass,
over the great sand sea, through the stony desert,
and crash into Caprus Magna.
And that's what you're here for.
I am going to lead a unit down there,
across there and up there.
Exactly. I'll give you my best man. He knows the ropes.
- Captain Leech? - A man of considerable experience.
All right. Get back to work.
(MEN CHATTERING)
- Have you signed your crew on yet? - Yes.
- How many are you taking? - Oh, seven, that's enough.
One more would get in the way. Seven's my lucky number.
Eight is what you've got, and I believe I'm in command.
Is our friend serious?
I'm sure he will work very closely with you, Leech.
Naturally, I would be grateful for any help I could get.
I see. Well, I've got a better idea. Keep it at seven.
You go, I'll stay.
Then everybody's happy.
I've told Stores to kit you out. I expect they're waiting for you.
- We'll talk more at dinner. - Very well, sir.
Captain Leech, I want a full inspection at 7:00 tomorrow morning.
Everything laid out and ready to load.
Anything else you'd like?
No, I think that's all.
I'll see you at dinner, sir.
What's all this about?
Brigadier Blore's not very pleased with our record.
He insists. We'll have to take him.
I'll take him.
If he doesn't come back alive, we're out of business.
You're out of business.
You get well paid for these trips, don't you, Leech?
Not really.
I'll give you a bonus if you get him back.
- How much? - Dead, nothing.
Alive, £2,000.
You just bought yourself an Englishman.
(PEOPLE CHATTERING)
(ARABIC MUSIC PLAYING)
Where did you find him?
One of my recruiting drives at Rábida prison.
Tunisian named Sadok.
He threw a bomb into a café, shot a policeman,
and then at his trial, he leaned over
and punched the presiding official on the nose.
He got 14 years. He's our demolition man.
Kostos Manov.
Smuggling arms and explosives into Egypt.
They ran him in and I ran him out.
First class armorer.
Boudesh.
Nice chap.
Going a bit strong with an Egyptian girl.
Her brothers came down to invite him to his wedding. He shot them.
Still a bachelor. Communications.
Kafkarides, a Cypriot.
His game was narcotics in a big way. Shot a couple of customs men.
Transport and supplies.
Hassan and Assine, Sinusi Arab guides.
Are they always so friendly?
All they ask is keef and each other.
(LAUGHING)
That's everybody.
LEECH: Aren't you going to tell him about me?
MASTERS: I thought you might like to do that yourself, Captain Leech.
The black sheep of an otherwise admirable family from County Dublin.
Most recent deployment,
master of a tramp steamer running around the Red Sea.
Sank her for the insurance off Djibouti.
You ought to tell the crew, of course.
They're all drowned, all but one of them.
He told the insurance company.
I got 15 years.
MASTERS: When I met him in Rábida prison, he was king of the damn place.
They hated to see him go, but I needed him more than they did.
War is a criminal enterprise. I fight it with criminals.
Not to worry, my dear fellow. Leech knows the routine.
He'll get you out and he'll get you back. Won't you, Leech?
If he's lucky.
Will I be lucky?
That's up to you, and him, of course.
(DOG BARKING)
Very Italian.
Yeah.
Nice morning for a drive, Captain.
I ordered an inspection for 7:00 this morning.
I did it for you. All over.
Let's go.
Anything wrong?
(LAUGHING)
(ENGINE STARTING)
Good luck.
And keep in touch.
Let's go!
This is as far as we can go, sir.
The Germans have a few patrols going south of here.
Thank you, Corporal.
Here we go to the right.
I said we go right.
That road was mined by the Italians a week ago.
They don't put it all on the map.
Take another left.
Splendid, Major Watkins. Good luck.
Thank you, sir.
Carry on, Lieutenant.
Mount vehicles!
(MAN MARSHALING)
Bara'sa.
- What does that mean? - They're Bara'sa. Could be dangerous.
Depends who's paying them.
Six men, six camels.
No lead camel.
(SPEAKING ARABIC)
They're an advance party. The others could arrive any minute.
Hassan's going to spot them.
- We've got to have water. - Exactly.
We're Italians, aren't we? Why don't we trade?
You asking me or telling me?
I'm asking you.
(LAUGHS)
There's an advance party of Bara'sa at the oasis.
We're an Italian patrol who need food and water. Let's go to market.
Everybody else, parli Italiano. And tune into an Italian radio station.
(CHATTERING)
(ITALIAN SONG PLAYING ON RADIO)
- I think we chose the right uniform. - Don't be too sure.
If they offer you tea, drink it. If they offer you food, eat it.
(BIRDS TWITTERING)
(MAN SPEAKING ITALIAN ON RADIO)
(SPEAKING ARABIC)
(ITALIAN SONG PLAYING ON RADIO)
- What did you do that for? - I didn't like the tea.
See if there's anything we need in the packs.
Are you out of your mind?
If anybody's going to get killed here, I give the order.
- Is that clear? - Somebody gave the show away.
- Who? - You did.
If you'd stayed at home, they'd still be alive.
Well, I didn't stay at home.
And I'm not leaving.
It's a German radio.
Every patrol in the south would have been on to us five hours after we left them.
Destroy it.
(SPEAKING ARABIC)
Fifty more Bara'sa coming.
They're miles away. They won't be here till nightfall.
We can't go that way.
We're not going back.
Then there's only one other way we can go.
Is there a pass?
Not for 120 miles, right down to Siwah.
Let's have a look.
LEECH: All aboard!
Aren't they going to bury them?
(ITALIAN SONG PLAYING ON RADIO)
We'll have to go back.
- How long are these cables? - About 250 feet each.
That'll never work.
Are we carrying any string?
Yeah.
Get it.
Lead on.
We need 327 feet.
Sadok, shackle those cables together.
- Are you strong? - Yes.
Then get the end of that cable to the top of that cliff.
- Aren't you coming up? - No.
Kafkarides, sand channels, pulleys and tow chain.
(GERMAN SONG PLAYING ON RADIO)
Unload those trucks!
Take that down and shackle it to the other truck.
Yes, Captain.
(ENGINE GRINDING)
(PULLEY RATTLING)
Hold it!
Kostos Manov.
- He says unload. - Take it up.
(PANTING)
Are they ready?
Yes.
Take it away.
(ENGINE REVVING)
Is that truck loaded?
Foolish!
Cable's going!
Get down!
Radio's gone. No more music.
I ordered you to unload.
Yes.
Salvage what you can.
We spend the night at the top of the cliffs.
(FLIES BUZZING)
Murdering bastards.
Masters' men. Who else?
Now every Arab for 200 miles
knows there are British patrols in the Qattara Depression.
Do you think we should change our course, sir?
Impossible.
This is the only track out of the Qattara.
We got to keep going south until we get to Siwah Pass.
Very good, sir.
- Lieutenant. - Sir.
Get these corpses buried. They're beginning to stink.
Certainly, sir.
Get these corpses buried!
(FLIES BUZZING)
(TRUCKS APPROACHING)
Germans.