Five Graves to Cairo Page #5

more and more.

Herr Davos could have been more cooperative

and died further away.

You better get the coffee in there.

Yes.

Better give him a large cup, too.

Later, we can find more suitable arrangements

for the gentleman in the cellar.

Yes, sir.

No, no Captain McOwen,

what I think is wrong is...

... that we send ambassadors to each others

countries, ambassadors and diplomats.

What we should send is cooks.

Your word was cooks?

Yes. Why send ultimate?

Why not send macaroni?

Con ajo y aceite de oliva.

Take risotto, for instance.

What an emissary of good will!

Mr. Field Marshall, do remember the last time

you were in Rome, did you taste the spagh...?

So sorry.

Gentlemen, I understand that not long ago

when the question came up...

... in the British Parliament as to who

should be entrusted with...

... the supreme command of the

allied forces in Africa...

... some members suggested my name.

Thats quite possible, Field Marshall.

British sense of humor is unpredictable, you know.

Humor, my dear Colonel Fitzhume,

is founded on truth.

But who are we to argue with

the British Parliament?

Youre fast becoming a legendary figure.

Yes, they say everything possible

about me...

... that Im a magician,

a puller of rabbits out of hats.

The man who can saw Africa in half.

And the Field Marshall can, too.

They also say that you entertain

captured British officers by...

... giving them lessons in strategy.

Better a lesson too late than

no lesson at all.

I agree. Ive often thought Id like

to look up the magicians sleeve.

- Two more salt cellars.

- Yes, sir.

Gentlemen, I have before me North Africa,

from Tripoli to Cairo.

El Agheila, Benghazi, Sidi Barrani,

Sidi Halfaya, Matruh, El Alamein.

Alexandria. Cairo.

Now gentlemen, the subject being vast

and my time brief.

Why dont you ask me what puzzles you most?

Suppose I give you twenty questions.

Thats uncommonly generous of you,

Field Marshall.

It certainly is.

Are you there, waiter?

Yes, sir.

Give me brandy, will you.

Alright, who goes first?

May I? How many men have you got

in North Africa?

Not as many as you.

If you count in the Italians.

Nobody counts in or on the Italians.

Field Marshall, twice we chased you

towards Tripoli.

Past Tobruk, Derna, Benghazi.

Twice, you turned us back at El Agheila.

How?

You didnt chase me.

I led you on until your supply line

stretched out like a rubber band.

Then, I cut it.

You couldnt capture Tobruk in 41

not after 7 months siege.

Last week, you took it in a day.

How?

The rubber band had snapped back

into your eyes, gentlemen.

Thats when I hit and hit again

and hit with everything I had.

In February, when we had you at Agedabia,

we had an idea theyd sent your best troops to Russia.

You gentlemen, have a sixth sense:

we have only five. But we use them.

You can afford to improvise.

We must rely on preparation.

For instance, we knew the Dutch

would open their dykes.

So we started building rubber boats,

50,000 of them...

... as far back as 1935.

What did you do in 1935?

Took you wives on little pleasure trips.

Snapped their photographs

plucking edelweiss in Switzerland.

German wives found themselves being

photographed on bridges across the Vistula...

... and in the neighborhood of

the fortifications of Brussels.

Next question.

Field Marshall, to get back to

this rubber band.

Now that youve pushed ahead 500 miles...

... arent your supply lines

getting a little taut?

They are.

- And yet you expect to take Cairo?

- Six days.

The Royal Air force will cut your

communications to ribbons.

They will.

The navy will sink every Axis ship.

No supplies can reach you.

- Perhaps.

- That wont stop you?

It mustnt. I have my reservation

at Shepheards Hotel in Cairo

Without supplies, how can you do it?

Yes, Field Marshall, how?

You run your tanks on sea water,

load your guns with sand?

Now youre asking for the big rabbit.

But as my prisoners are not in the

habit of escaping...

Gentlemen, it is not the supplies

which reach us...

... it is we who reach the supplies.

Is that clear?

Not quite.

We dont depend entirely on our trucks

shuttling between the front line and Tripoli.

Its a little far and a little exposed.

Supply planes are clumsy,

easy prey for your Spitfires.

To safeguard ourselves against

all eventualities...

... we prepare.

Preparation, gentlemen, preparation.

Very interesting.

In 1937, two years before this

war started...

... we dug supplementary supplies

into the sands of Egypt.

A number of depots under your very noses.

Thousands and thousands of gallons

of petrol, water...

... ammunition, spare parts for our tanks.

Waiting for us.

Under our very noses, eh?

Where?

Yes, where?

Where?

I gave you twenty questions, gentlemen.

That is question twenty one.

Wed gladly trade you Rudolf Hess

for the answer to twenty one.

You may keep him.

Our time is short.

Hope you enjoyed your luncheon.

Schwegel, the gentlemen will now be leaving.

- Cars ready, Field Marshall.

- Thank you, Davos.

Wouldnt want to have any

bad luck with Cairo.

Davos, Im afraid that tip will

have to wait until after the war.

Dont worry, sir.

Hes a good man, Davos.

I hope I know my job, sir.

You do.

Those things go on the top shelf, please.

What is it here?

You looking for something?

Yes, water, petrol, ammunition.

Right here?

- Between this spot and Cairo.

- Youre sure?

Buried right under our noses.

How could they do it? How?

- Who?

- The Germans.

- Youre sick again, sir.

- Not a bit.

- But this is pepper and salt, sir.

- I know.

And youre looking for water, petrol and

ammunition. How could it get in here.

Thats what Id like to know.

Rommel on top of us.

The man youre supposed to be dead

underneath us, and youre making riddles.

They say, in the lobby, the German Army

is past Mersa Matruh.

Thats going 40 miles a day.

Thursday Alexandria, Sunday Cairo

And theyve got London on their list and

Moscow too. Theyre several Sundays behind.

When I think there will be swastikas

on the mosques in Cairo.

Youre talking through your fez,

Nazis on the Nile. Who the devil...

Who the devil occurred to an Egyptian

to grab for the Rhine.

Hey, say that name. It is that name.

The one in the drawer.

- What name? - Why you asked

me about it. I dont know, remember?

Here it is under the knife.

For years Ive been looking at it...

... every time, I put the knives away.

- What name?

- Professor Cronstaetter.

- Farid, you are a great man.

- Who me? Why?

Archaeologist, of course.

We get them all the time in Egypt

digging up for the mummies.

London Express, February 17, 1937.

Thats the year. What year?

Preparations year. Ill just have

a look at Professor Cronstaetter.

Ee. Thats him!

I told you, you are a great man.

Its so simple.

A highly respectable group of German

scientists arrive in Egypt to dig...

... for tombs between the Libyan border

and Cairo.

What a convenient way to send a military

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