The Secret Invasion

Halt!

Welcome, gentlemen.

Jean Saval.

Prison, Devil's Island.

Ten years without possibility of parole

for the theft of that famous painting, The Winter, El Greco.

Known as the master of disguise.

Terence Scanlon.

Dartmoor Prison, England.

Member of the illegal Irish Republican Army.

Demolitions expert, serving the 18th year of a 25-year sentence

for revolutionary activities against the Crown.

It seems you don't like the English, Scanlon.

There's little to like.

Well, now you're working for us, you'll come to love us.

Simon Fell.

Imprisoned at Leavenworth, United States of America.

Ten to 20 years, two years served.

Forgery.

John Durrell.

Alcatraz.

Nationality unknown, origin unknown, believed to be a paid assassin.

Awaiting execution for the slaying of his mistress.

Roberto Rocca.

El Ramle Prison, Lebanon.

Organizer of international criminal activities, 20 years.

Degrees...

Degrees in psychology, classic Greek literature,

structural engineering.

Strange that a man would choose to throw away his education planning crimes.

I found it a challenging career.

All right, dismissed. Wait for us outside.

Find a seat. Sit down.

Now, I want to make it quite clear that you men were not my choice for this mission.

However, Intelligence seems to feel that your peculiar talents

could be of some value.

But don't for a moment imagine that serving under me

will be any easier than the prisons you've come from.

You've all been offered pardons to undertake this mission.

In one case, you've been offered life.

Now, you've given your word to cooperate.

I expect you to keep it.

Just how much cooperation do you expect?

Can you give us the facts?

All I can tell you at the moment is that we shall be going to occupied Europe.

And what we do there will be very dangerous

but of the utmost importance to the outcome of the war.

Is that all we get to know?

You'll only know what you need to know.

We'll probably all be doing something magnificent!

You're probably going to commit suicide.

Now, keep your heads down! We're using live ammunition!

Let him have some, too.

Is this damn trip necessary?

Is this damn trip necessary?

Was that damn trip necessary?

I didn't volunteer for any suicide mission.

I may take a walk out of here and not stop until I reach neutral territory.

It's a long walk.

What's so hard about it?

If I'm picked up, I'll forge some papers of a limey soldier and play a straggler.

You want to try, I'll go with you.

You're on.

Anybody else?

The barbarians, they haven't got a bit of Irish whiskey.

I'll go with you, lad.

What about you?

I don't like lost causes.

Lost causes! That's what the British told the Irish the day of the Easter Rebellion.

Hush! Come on!

What about your word?

Our word?

Our word's no good!

Don't wake him up, lads.

Look at this dainty little thing.

There he is, Sleeping Beauty. Let me give him a shot...

Scanlon! Give the kid a break.

Saval, what are you doing?

Studying his expression. It's the key to the whole thing.

Hey! Hey, look what I found in here, lads. Another uniform and some stationery!

- That's good. - Anything else?

Nothing else.

Bring the stationery, Scanlon.

Hold this, will you? There you go, me boy.

Go to sleep!

I need something with this guy's signature on it.

- See if you can open that drawer. - See if I can open the drawer?

Why, you've got the guts of Kelsey.

With this little thing, it's like having your own key.

Here's his ID.

Well, what's this? Christmas? Well, what do you... Oh, Scotch.

Well, I'll have to drink it with me eyes closed.

Here you are.

I beg your pardon, sir.

There's no destination indicated on this release.

How long have you been in this department?

- Three years, sir. - It seems you've forgotten a cardinal rule.

"Only know what you need to know."

- Yes, sir. - Very good. Carry on.

We were just going down for a bite, sir.

Pretty clumsy, and rather childish.

Now, you've had your fun, but if this happens in action,

God help you!

The invasion of Italy is scheduled to start in a few days.

But to ensure success, we've got to have a second front in the Balkans

to split the German defenses.

You mean we're to be the second front? We're to take on the entire Nazi army?

I hope not.

Now, the Partisans in the Balkans are ready to strike,

and we're going to work with them.

And if we succeed, we'll create such hell in the Balkans

that we'll draw every panzer division away between Trieste and Rome.

Yes, but the Germans still have the Italians with them.

At the moment, yes.

But there's one man

who can swing the entire Italian occupation forces over to the Partisans.

Our job is to persuade him to do so.

Who is this man?

Well, we're not there yet, but as of now, you're part of the invasion.

Thousands of lives are in your hands.

Maybe this is your chance to pay society back for all the trouble you've caused it.

Right?

Damn bad luck about this fog.

Maybe not.

No German patrol boats would suspect anybody out on a night like this.

Yeah?

Beautiful staterooms, huh?

Listen, Rocca.

That escape try in Cairo may have been for laughs, but this time I'm not kidding.

- Italy's just out there. - More than 40 miles.

Look, there's a dory tied to the back of this tub.

You speak the language.

Now, all we've got to do is get lost in the hills until the invasion rolls by,

then we come down and join our buddies.

There is nobody waiting for me in Italy.

You don't have to stay there. We'll take off.

There is nobody anyplace.

Besides, I find this adventure very amusing, don't you?

You are crazy Italian.

Okay, I'll go it alone.

Hey, wait a minute. Listen. Listen!

There's something out there.

Cut the engine!

One of your men escaped.

What?

Take it easy, buster.

I don't know what you're saying, but whatever it is, the answer is no.

Well, apparently, I miscalculated again.

I never thought Fell would try it once we were underway.

Now, listen.

When the German craft comes alongside,

the skipper will try and stall as long as possible,

and we'll slip overboard and take them from behind.

Oh, no, no, no. Not me. I didn't sign up for any street fighting.

You're not on a street.

Durrell!

Scanlon, come with me.

Come on, fellows, hurry it up! Hurry it up!

All right. Bring him up. Gently.

He's dead.

You...

Now, come on, let's launch this small boat.

We've gotta sink this ship.

No. We are safer right here.

- Scanlon? - Yeah?

Can you place charges in such a way

that the back of the boat will blow up on cue?

I can make it dance a jig right on time.

As we approach the beach, we'll blow up.

We'll leave in time and swim ashore.

Well, I hate to admit it, but it's a damn good plan.

- All right, Scanlon, get cracking. - Right!

- There are the shore lights. - You're right.

- Petar? - Up there!

Right. Come on!

My throat's too small for my heart.

Petar!

Petar!

- Well, we finally made it, huh? - Yes.

I am Marko, liaison to the Partisan Army in this district.

- Food and rest after your long journey. - Thank you.

Yeah. Food for everybody else.

You wouldn't by chance have a little liquid around, would you?

- Yes, I would. - You have!

Look at this!

Good.

It is right that we should enjoy what moments we can.

By nightfall, we shall be in the German stronghold,

the fortress city of Dubrovnik.

Now, listen.

In that fortress is the man we've come here to liberate.

General Quadri, commander, Italian occupation forces.

You mean to tell me we're risking our necks to get some clown out of his own barracks?

No, he's there as a prisoner of the Nazis.

Now, they suspect that he's been in touch with Allied agents,

but he's too well loved by his men to publicly denounce,

so they use him as a puppet to keep the Italians in line.

They guard him day and night to make sure he doesn't act on his own.

How certain are you that he will act on his own?

Well, he's an Italian, but he's not a Fascist.