The Desert Rats Page #4

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Maybe the general told him to.

And what about his orders for tonight?

lf a bloke cops one,

you flaming well leave him there.

You reckon he'd be so free

with English troops?

(whispering) Put a sock in it

back there. Let's go.

(narrator) Night after night,

through May and June,

bands of desperate men

went out from Tobruk

to spread havoc, confusion

and fear among the enemy.

On the vast, dark stretches

of the Libyan desert

they ranged like their ancestors who had

once made England mistress of the seas.

They struck in the darkness...

and disappeared into darkness.

And in the cold light of dawn

came back to their shell-pitted refuge.

Go on. Get a move on, Fritz.

- You reckon this'll make the colonel happy?

- Oh, hysterical.

He might even let us go out

tonight with our bare hands.

Come on, you, get a move on. Get movin'.

You're a difficult man.

Also an intelligent one.

- l think questioning is useless, don't you?

- Definitely, sir.

Take him out, John.

- l regret that l couldn't assist you, gentlemen.

- Come along.

Oh, my.

The minute those clever ones get away

from name, rank and serial number...

l crosschecked eight lies,

and that business of being a tank man.

- His collar tabs...

- Stop taking bows.

Come on. The general's waiting for us.

He's an artillery officer, and Rommel's

moved his long-range guns up against us.

lt's obvious.

From what he said -

or from the lies he told us -

l'd bet a month's pay that

that's their encampment.

We thought it might be a rest area, but that

could be a camouflaged gun emplacement,

and that, and that.

This spot that we thought was a firing range

could be an underground ammunition dump.

- Barney?

- Can't touch them.

They're way out of our range.

Could you find out if Rommel

was planning a major new attack?

- Nothing as definite as that, but...

- lt sounded awfully like it to me.

No other reason

for moving up heavy artillery.

We'll have to get that ammunition dump.

Commandos can't get in and out in a night.

lt's 20 miles from the perimeter.

- lf we could get an airstrike...

- No use against an underground dump.

That line there - that's a highway?

Mm. Supply route from Benghazi.

There are still some ltalian vehicles

they left behind.

lf we took them and broke through here,

where that ltalian regiment is holding,

we could drive right down the highway.

And lose your whole expedition.

l'm not so sure.

There must be men who speak ltalian.

Of course. And German.

l've two Arabs in my section.

They could lead you across that desert.

Simple. Delightfully simple.

- And has about one chance in a hundred.

- Perhaps.

But what were the chances of Rommel

sending his division in where you said?

Ha!

lf your men are as cocksure as you are,

they might get through.

They've had two months of commando work.

They're tired of being shelled 24 hours a day.

So am l.

lt's a calculated risk, but then

that's the whole theory of warfare.

- lf we broke out here...

- Yes.

..and you could give us

a diversionary attack here...

All right, fellas, make it snappy.

See you got all your papers ready.

Come on, come on. Hurry.

You new men, remember -

you take nothin' with you.

No identification, no letters,

no pictures of the kids or the old lady.

And don't take all day!

The trucks are waiting.

Tom, that's for the old lady, just in case.

l'll give it back to you in the morning.

There's four months' pay there,

and l'd like to see it again.

Don't worry about the dough, chum.

Just get back here in one piece.

- Tom'll have it for you. Won't you?

- Yes, l will.

Tom's always here, no fear of that.

Just don't take no chances while l'm gone.

- What's the matter, Tommy?

- Oh, nothing, nothing.

l'm sorry.

(knocks)

Yes, come in.

Oh, it's you, sir. What's up?

- l've come to ask you a favour, Tammy.

- lf l can do it.

l want to go on this raid.

Honestly. lt's important to me.

l believe it is. But why?

l'm the only man here

that's never been on one.

- Are they suggesting...

- lt's nothing like that.

lt's just seeing the men go each time

and looking after their valuables and letters...

Please, Tammy. l'll try not to disgrace you.

lt's not that.

lt's just that l...

Well, l need you for something else.

l've just put through a request

for you to be transferred to me.

My paperwork's in a mess.

l need someone l trust on the files.

That's a lie, Tammy, isn't it?

You just made it up.

Well, part of it.

l am transferring you.

This is a rough assignment.

Most won't come back.

- There's no reason...

- You're not to go and that's it!

l suppose, truthfully...

that's what l hoped you'd say.

You're probably right, too.

Look... you'll be four times

as valuable to me in an office

as you would be thrashing about with a gun.

And four times less dangerous.

Mm... pretty girl.

Yes.

Someone from home?

Yes, from Scotland, that is. My wife.

l didn't know you were married.

Or to such a lovely girl.

Not much time for an announcement.

We did it in '39, just before l went to France.

- Have you seen her since?

- A week, after Dunkirk.

- Any children?

- One.

- Little boy.

- And you've never seen him.

- No.

- That's tough.

But all wars come to an end sometime.

This one will too.

lf l have anything to do with it... it will.

- Look after these for me.

- Yeah.

lf l don't...

l'll see you tomorrow.

(narrator) And so, on 9th July 1941,

began one of the most daring raids

of the North African campaign.

With their sole objective

a gigantic ammunition dump,

54 picked men jammed into

three captured ltalian trucks

and prepared themselves for a wild ride.

Remember, once that dump blows,

you're on your own.

Never mind anybody else.

Get your men out.

(explosions in distance)

Good luck.

Get that back up.

Easy One to all units. Follow me.

Stay close. Let's go.

- Let's go.

- Yes, sir.

Looks like a roadblock, sir.

- Slow down but keep rolling.

- Yes, sir.

Easy One to all units. Proceed with Plan C.

Keep moving. Follow us.

(in German) Roadblock. Travel orders.

- (in ltalian) We're going to the front.

- (in German) Your travel orders.

Keep talking.

(in ltalian) We have travel orders.

Understand? Orders from General Rommel.

(in German) Wait. You can't... Stop!

(man) What happened, Mller?

Crazy ltalians.

They don't even know where they want to go.

May the devil take them.

- Keep your eyes peeled for a wadi.

- Yes, sir.

That's it ahead. Pull in.

Give the rest of them room to clear.

The camp is 200 yards down the road.

All those detailed, dismount

and proceed to stations.

Convoy will follow in three minutes.

No contact until you see the flare.

Get going.

Down!

(truck)

Agh!

Agh!

That's it. Dead ahead.

(machine-gun fire)

All right, men, let's get 'em!

Take care of those wounded. Come on!

See if you can get that gun working.

Demolition team!

Quickly now!

Let's have the wire. Quick!

Come on, come on!

- All set, Colonel!

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