Attack On The Iron Coast Page #2

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Put some beef into it.

Make it real.

They must be out of their minds.

Who do they think they're kidding?

They're not kidding.

Captain Franklin and Don are aboard

the Sweeper inspecting her now.

This is it, huh?

This is it.

This stinking little bathtub.

Now, just a minute, sir.

- This is a fighting ship?

- I beg your pardon.

Major Wilson, Lieutenant Forrester.

Sir, this vessel's a ship of the Line

in His Majesty's Navy

and has had nine battle engagements.

I am her skipper.

According to Captain Franklin,

she is now expendable

because of some crazy notion

of the Army, who, it seems to me,

ought to stay in their own britches.

With your permission, sir,

I'll leave you to figure out

the details of the execution

while I go below

and comfort her ancient bones.

You don't miss a chance to slur

and downgrade this operation, do you?

Even to the skipper

of this garbage scow.

Well, it won't work.

You want to scuttle Mad Dog,

but it won't work.

This heap of scrap is not acceptable,

and neither are those

waterlogged fishing smacks.

I'm going over your head, Captain.

To the Admiral.

He's on his way.

Good, but before he gets here,

let's get a few things straight.

It's the La Plage raid,

that's what's burning inside you.

You and your staff room heroes

should've called the whole thing off.

The conditions were wrong,

but you let us go in anyway.

And when we lost

how many men, Captain?

You quote the figure often enough-

Your own son among them.

You couldn't accept it, could you?

You needed an out.

Did I?

Yes. Yes, and I was it.

Suddenly, it was my raid.

Suddenly I was the-the pied piper.

But you know better than that,

don't you?

You know that I didn't kill those men,

that I didn't kill your son

any more than you did.

Jamie, for God's sake.

At least he's got a reason

to scrub this operation.

What's yours, my friend?

Look, Jamie, for the last time-

Now, now, Don, let him rave on.

I never charged him with killing anyone.

He's charging himself for that.

And that's why he wants this operation.

He wants to wash

the blood off his hands.

Well, he's not going to use me for it.

And you're not gonna stop me!

Jamie, what are you-

Nor your cabin boy!

Ship's company.

Attention!

Morning.

- Everything in order?

- I think so, sir.

Not for me it isn't, sir.

This-well, whatever it is-

is absolutely impossible.

I just don't understand

this kind of cooperation.

It seems to be solid enough.

It's not ideal, but it's a sturdy little ship.

Aye. Sturdy she is, sir.

Sturdy as a-

As a cattle boat.

Major, I hope you didn't expect

something just off the slips.

I didn't expect something

off the junk pile either, sir.

I was promised a destroyer,

two escorts, and torpedo boats.

What I got hardly fit the description.

We made no promises, sir.

We said we'd try.

I appreciate your difficulties, Captain.

In the circumstances,

I think you've done very well.

A damn sight better than I have.

The RAF still won't give me

a firm commitment for the air strike.

Combined operations.

Good God, sir, how can you expect-

I expect this operation will go forward

whether conditions are ideal or not.

Unless you, as officer in charge

of the military assault, ask to scrub it.

We're going across.

Now hear this.

No smoking, and all naked lights

to be extinguished until further orders.

Now hear this.

No smoking, and all naked lights

to be extinguished until further orders.

Go!

Move!

Faster, men, faster! Move!

Fast, fast!

Go, go, fast!

No, no, no.

Keep going!

Don't wait for him.

That's his problem.

You're under heavy fire!

Come on, get up, get up!

Faster!

Come on, get on your feet!

Get moving in there!

Move, move, move!

Now hear this!

The next troop will be landing

under simulated battle conditions.

Do not deviate to right or left.

Your job is to get to your objective.

Stand by!

Go! Go!

Come on!

Go! Go!

Come on, move!

Go!

Sergeant, get an ambulance!

Bring a stretcher, quickly!

Don?

Look at me, boy, look.

Where's that stretcher?!

Will he be able to see?

- You hear me?

- I heard you, sir.

I'm sure the doc will be able to

tell you everything you want to know.

What do you think?

I think somebody ought to know better

than to play such games.

Doesn't Jerry do enough

without you blokes getting in the act?

It was an accident.

- Who was to know that-

- I should have.

I should have known.

I wanted it rough, but...

Stop blaming yourself, Jamie.

Jamie?

Yes, Don. Yes?

That commando...

Is he gonna be all right?

How many soldiers did you kill today?

...soldiers did you kill today...

soldiers did you-

Yes, Timmy?

Darling, what's wrong?

I'm sorry.

Sorry I woke you.

I've been watching you for some time.

I don't know what's wrong with me,

what's the matter.

I thought I'd turned everything off...

...that nothing could touch me anymore.

If it's Don you're worried about,

the doctor said he'll be all right.

It's just a matter of time.

I can't seem to get him out of my mind.

You can't blame yourself.

It was an accident.

An accident!

Military risk!

Fortunes of war!

I'm scared, Sue.

All of sudden... I'm scared.

I'm wondering if what I'm doing...

...is right.

I'm wondering if-if one man

should have this power to...

...this power to decide on...

life and death.

Nobody has that power.

So get it over with.

Finish it.

Come back to me

before it's too late.

You've been a stranger.

And over a period of six weeks,

eight men dead, killed,

thirty-two men injured,

fourteen hospitalized.

Training accident.

Three small boats destroyed.

Training accident.

And what's even more to the point,

the only senior officer

ready and capable

of taking this expedition

into Le Clair is now...

Training accident.

Mad Dog must be cancelled,

the men and materials must be

released for duties elsewhere.

Frankly, gentlemen,

an operation of this caliber must have

a respectable chance of succeeding.

Obviously, we've been

fooling ourselves.

With your permission, sir.

Carry on, Commander.

During the past several weeks,

I have had time to think

about Operation Mad Dog...

...and about Major Wilson.

I think I understand him better now.

I saw him forced to accept

inferior and substandard equipment.

I saw him

pushing his men on ruthlessly.

Training them

under simulated battle conditions.

I saw men die in his training,

and I was sickened by it.

But for every man we lose now,

ten will survive at Le Clair.

It's part of the risk.

It's the price you pay for success.

Major Wilson knows this.

And he has my support.

Thank you, Commander.

Any comment, Captain?

I strongly advise a postponement

of two or three months

until Commander Kimberly

is fit for duty. Then we can-

Postponement is out of the question.

We've got to move within six days

or not at all.

The tide and moon are right.

Weather predictions are good.

Also, there's a strong rumor that

the Ostwind has suffered heavy damage

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