Attack On The Iron Coast

---

Shall I turn it off?

No, leave it.

It's no good blaming yourself.

What else? What else?

The weather, the men?

I planned it.

I led it.

La Plage was my baby.

I went wrong.

But it won't happen again.

The next one will be right.

I'll make it right.

Happy birthday, Daddy.

Entirely consistent with the war effort.

That's fantastic!

Make a wish, Daddy.

I'll get the champagne.

Champagne! By golly.

- Would you like to pass them around?

- Yeah.

- Nothing like champagne.

- One there.

- Thank you.

- And there.

I'm trying to get mine.

What about me?

I'm sorry, General.

Pub just closed.

A toast. To Jamie.

To Jamie.

Jamie.

Where'd you get this?

I've got connections, too, you know.

Connections? I hope the airport knows

where you're coming from.

We have an understanding.

We have an understanding

whereby he shares my beer,

and I share his champagne.

- That's not a bad deal.

- Very good.

What about... Thank you.

I'm just saying...

Sweetheart?

A very happy birthday.

Hey, what's this?

Jamie, it's all I could think of.

How nice.

Engraved and everything.

"To Jamie.

Love, Sue. "

Okay, lovers, break it up.

Come on.

Give him a chance to get drunk

at his own party, Sue.

You have just ruined

a very beautiful moment.

Sorry, my dear.

How do you like the present

my wife gave me?

Ah, it's nice.

- Can I be the first?

- It would be a pleasure.

Allow me. Please.

Jamie, I hate to change the subject,

but you do know that Operation Mad Dog

is under heavy attack, don't you?

Yes, I know.

Captain Franklin.

He stopped you once.

He'll try and stop you again.

We'll see what happens

at that meeting tomorrow.

And am I now being told

that in spite of the negative opinions

of the naval and military planners,

plus the doubts expressed by

the Air Vice Marshall on Air Support-

in spite of all this,

we are still considering Major Wilson's

lunatic operation Mad Dog?

That is correct.

I was under the impression

we'd killed Mad Dog months ago.

So we had.

It was dead, but it wouldn't lie down.

We're reevaluating it.

You'll forgive me if I fail to see why.

I Branch came through

with a massive up-to-date intelligence

from French underground sources.

Soft points, dummy gun positions,

sea patrol timings.

A very revealing picture

of Le Clair's overall defense plan.

And you think that's enough

to destroy a target

which up to now

has defied all our efforts,

including pinpoint bombing by the RAF?

When added to the new demolition plan

I've already submitted, yes.

To go into Le Clair,

to launch Mad Dog, is madness.

Another disaster like La Plage,

where 390-odd out of 500 men

were killed in a matter of minutes.

Captain, if I may-

Where Major Wilson's own

Commando Unit lost 60% of its men-

a record casualty rate

by any standards.

This operation can be a suicidal mistake,

and I want no part of it!

Major?

Not to go into Le Clair

would be a mistake.

As long as this installation-

the heart and sinew

of a German surface fleet-is in being,

thousands of tons of our shipping

will continue to be sunk every week.

Why? Because at Le Clair,

German warships can be refitted,

refueled, and repaired

in almost complete safety.

Destroy this big dock,

and you immobilize

the German surface fleet,

to say nothing of putting a fatal dent

into what the Nazi High Command

so proudly calls the "Iron Coast. "

Commander Kimberly,

have your views on Mad Dog

changed at all?

Well, sir, I think

that Major Wilson's idea

of packing the bow of a destroyer

with tons of high explosives

and then ramming the dock

at Le Clair is...

Well, it's imaginative.

But I think it's more romantic

than practical.

I'm afraid, sir,

much would have to be done

to give this plan even

the smallest chance of succeeding.

For example, we've gone into great detail

about how to get into Le Clair.

Nothing has been said

about how we get out.

Major? How would you get out?

I was under the impression

that getting in was the important thing.

Mad dogs and Canadians.

From a purely military point of view,

the operation must be viewed

as unsound.

However, so was the idea

of the Trojan horse.

I think Mad Dog

is well worth the risk it involves.

Dammit, sir,

I request permission to withdraw

from any further participation in this!

Not granted.

Yes, sir.

Captain, I respect your concern

with this operation.

You may be right...

...but Number 10 Downing Street

wants something like this.

It's audacious, gentlemen.

It's mad.

It's just mad enough to work.

Go, go!

Move fast, men! Move, move!

Come on, move! Move!

Let's go! Come on!

Over to the target!

Up! Up, up and over!

Don't wait for the man

in front of you! Go! Go!

Well, he's certainly got them cracking.

Come on, come on!

Come on, move it there! Move!

I doubt if the Germans

will be impressed.

Well, we've selected

a moonless night to go in.

This blindfold lark

should really help their orientation.

Go, go, go!

Come on! Go!

Come on, come on! Move!

Pick your feet up!

Move fast, men!

Move, move!

Don, we've got to stop him.

Go around!

Move now! Move fast!

There are easier things to stop

than a dedicated man.

Dedicated? He's a fanatic!

Swing along those poles!

Keep your feet together!

- Hello, darling.

- Hello.

Daddy!

Hi, Timmy.

- You're so late.

- I know, I know.

- Let me fix you a drink.

- Good.

I waited up for you.

Come on, play with me.

Not now.

Maybe-maybe later, huh?

Straight whiskey.

You promised.

All right, Timmy.

That's enough.

Off to bed now.

Good night, General.

- Here you are, darling.

- Thank you.

Relax.

Daddy, how many soldiers

did you kill today?

I didn't have time

to count them all, General.

Go!

Come on, keep your heads down!

Keep your heads down.

Go! Go!

Go! Keep it down!

Keep low! Go! Go!

Go! Keep down!

All right, go!

Keep down! Keep down!

Down!

Move! Fast, fast!

Still at it, eh?

I saw the RTS test.

It's a beautiful job.

It really does scramble radar.

I told Captain Franklin that we'd like one

mounted on the masthead, okay?

- Look, if I'm in your way-

- You're not.

Jamie,

I told you from the start

what I think about this operation.

Now, if that offends you,

get someone else.

I don't want someone else,

I want you.

But I want all that you have to give.

You're getting it.

And Franklin?

Well, he's hardly a convert,

but despite what you think of him,

he's a very good officer.

This scrambler was his brainchild.

He delivers, Jamie.

Then where are the ships and equipment

that I ordered three weeks ago?

Supplies are pretty tight these days.

You wouldn't kill me, would you?

The Royal Navy wouldn't be trying

to give me the Royal you-know-what.

- A lost order here, a slow delivery-

- Come off it, Jamie.

You think the Royal Navy's

got nothing better to do

than to wet-nurse you?

Kimberly here.

Yes.

Yes.

Thank you, Lieutenant.

Bye.

That was Franklin's office.

Your equipment will be in

at noon tomorrow.

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