Original subtitles

- (dubbed) It's a foundational raid for the French commandos.

PRIME: (dubbed) It's a mission which involved

very few men to begin with,

but still achieved some rather incredible results.

- (distant explosions)

LEWIS: Their objective is to trek through Northern Crete,

to reach Heraklion airbase,

and blow to pieces as many of the war planes as they can find there.

That's their mission objective.

- Leostic, Sibard, over there.

LEWIS: They have that brilliant

SAS mentality, that special forces mentality,

to improvise, evolve,

overcome,

do whatever it takes.

-(epic theme music)

- (footsteps approach)

BERGE: Colonel.

Commander Berge, reporting for debriefing.

- Come in, Commander.

Please sit.

I know that you have just come out of a long spell in captivity,

but we absolutely need your assessment of the operation.

Between the 10th and the 19th of June, 1942,

you led Operation Heraklion. Is that correct?

BERGE: That is correct, Colonel.

- You and your men left for Crete

with the objective of destroying

the German bombers on the Heraklion airbase.

In your opinion, was the mission a success?

- I believe so, Colonel.

- Despite the captured men?

Despite the losses?

- After several months in prison, I have had time to think about it.

And yes,

in terms of what we accomplished in Crete, I'm...

extremely proud.

- Tell me what happened, Commander.

- On the 10th of June, 1942,

having spent four days on board the Triton,

a Greek submarine, we were disembarked off the coast of Crete.

- (foreboding music builds)

BERGE: I knew that the mission would be extremely dangerous.

Military headquarters ordered eight simultaneous attacks

on enemy airfields to weaken the German-Italian air force.

The target assigned to us,

on an island in the middle of the Mediterranean sea,

was one of the most difficult to reach.

I commanded a group of five men,

I had chosen them for their skill and their stamina.

I was leading the way with Sibard and young Leostic.

Behind us were my second-in-command,

Lord Jellicoe, Mouhot, and Petrakis.

When we arrived, I realised we had drifted.

That we weren't on the beach that we were supposed to land on.

LEWIS: They realise they are around about 35 kilometres

away from the target.

It starts to look like a mission impossible.

- Sibard, you keep watch.

I was worried we wouldn't reach the target on time.

Our attack was due to take place in 48 hours.

One way or another, we'd have to catch up.

DUMONT: (dubbed) Berge is the archetype of the Frenchman

returning to fight alongside the British.

PRIME: (speaks French)

(dubbed) Commander Berge formed his unit himself.

He recruited each of his men.

He knew them very well.

He's something of a father figure.

- Mouhot, see to the ammunition.

The clock was ticking, but we had to be careful.

We were carrying 80 Lewes bombs.

Jellicoe, Mouhot, get rid of the canoes.

Considering the walk ahead of us, and the heat,

we had to carry as little water as possible.

- Commander.

- What is it? - We're gonna need to ration.

- Don't worry, Leostic, we'll find water.

But you can only call me Commander

once we've destroyed all those planes, not before.

- Berge said, "Until we've done that

I don't think I've earned it or I deserve it,"

so it reflected the humility

and the modesty of Berge as a commander.

BERGE: Petrakis, the Greek officer who with us, was from the island.

He was to guide us

and pose as a civilian whenever necessary.

PRIME: (speaks French)

(dubbed) They need someone local, who speaks Greek,

who can establish contact with the local population

and with the resistance.

BERGE: To reach the airfield, we had to cross

some particularly rough terrain.

We only had our maps and compasses to find our way.

Our infiltration into occupied territory had started.

For us, the first Frenchmen to join the ranks of the SAS,

it was a baptism of fire.

DUMONT: (dubbed) Special Air Service was founded by David Stirling,

who drew on his commando experience

to form very small units

that would be dropped well-behind the enemy lines,

where the Germans would least expect them.

- The letters SAS stands for "Special Air Service",

but they're also renowned for standing for

"speed, aggression, and surprise,"

which are three of the key tenets

of special forces operations.

An awful lot of what they did was about deception and trickery,

and tricking and deceiving the enemy.

As the SAS became more and more successful,

they needed more and more raiders to join their forces.

It just so happened there was a contingent

of free French parachutists

in North Africa

at that time - 90 odd -

who basically had no war to fight.

This is their baptism of fire.

This is where they have to prove themselves,

and I don't think that they

expected the level of...

disaster's probably not too strong of a word, that befell them.

BERGE: We knew that in occupied territory,

it would be difficult to tell

who was resisting and who was collaborating.

- (goats bleating)

BERGE: That a single encounter could ruin everything.

When we came across a shepherdess,

I improvised a few words in German.

Guten Morgen!

- Yassou, yassou!

PRIME: (speaks French)

(dubbed) If Berge reveals his nationality

or which side he's on,

then it is a bit like playing Russian roulette.

In other words, the person could either

keep the information to themselves and not betray them,

or they could hand the French over to the Germans,

quite simply for a reward.

COLONEL: You managed to work out what to do,

but the whole thing could have taken a very different turn.

Wasn't it dangerous to travel by day...

..with the risk of civilians and enemy patrols?

- Colonel, we had no choice.

From the moment we realised that the submarine

had dropped us in the wrong place,

22 miles from the Heraklion airfield

instead of the planned 10,

we were forced to travel by day as well as night.

The clock was ticking, as we absolutely had to attack

between the 12th and the 13th of June.

- Please explain, Commander.

- The Royal Air Force had actually

been bombing Heraklion for several months.

A one-night truce had been negotiated...

..so that we could attack.

The night of the 12th.

It was the only time that we, uh,

could be sure not to be in danger from our own bombers.

- (tense, dramatic music)

BERGE: For 24 hours, we continued our approach

and found shelter in a small cave.

This break was an opportunity to review our plan.

I had prepared the raid with Lord Jellicoe,

the British officer who was accompanying us.

LEWIS: He's not just British, he's from a very, very, very

distinguished British military family.

Jellicoe is there because he speaks fluent French,

very good German as well actually,

because he travelled and worked in France and Germany before the war.

- Hand me the map.

Right.

We're about three miles from Heraklion, OK?

We were to infiltrate the airbase from the south,

where surveillance was lightest,

and place the charges on the German planes.

Here.

Petrakis, wait for us here,

all right? You'll guard our hideout.

Destroying these aircraft was crucial.

They played a key role in the Mediterranean area

and particularly around the island of Malta.

LEWIS: So, the significance of the mission in terms of Heraklion raid,

was that a convoy had set sail

to relieve the siege of Malta.

- (dubbed) Whoever controls Malta controls the Mediterranean.

LEWIS: Malta was key to not just the war in North Africa

and the Mediterranean, but you can argue

it was key to winning the war at that point.

Now, that convoy was sailing to relieve the siege of Malta,

so it was packed full of food and weaponry,

and the Germans, and the Italians,

were determined to stop it, of course.

- (ominous music)

LEWIS: And the way they were going to stop it, as they always did

with the Malta convoys, was to attack them from the air.

So, if you could put Heraklion Airbase out of commission,

if you could destroy all the war planes there,

which was the objective of the Heraklion raid,

you would enabled that vital convoy to get through to Malta.

That's what underlay the whole raison d'etre of the mission.

BERGE: After walking for over two hours,

we arrived in the airfield's vicinity.

To prepare for the operation, we had studied

the reconnaissance photographs of the area.

But the data wasn't enough.

We needed to see for ourselves.

Mouhot, what is it?

MOUHOT: A noise.

- We have to get through.

Whatever the cost, we have no choice.

LEWIS: Bear in mind, this is the window.

This is the window they've agreed with the RAF,

where the RAF will not bomb

Heraklion Airfield that night to give them the chance of getting

onto the airfield without being blown up by their own forces.

So, it's crucial for Berge to pull it off this evening.

BERGE: We advanced towards the south,

the only place it was possible

to clear a passage through the barbed wire.

GERMAN SOLDIER: Halt! Halt!

(speaks German)

BERGE: We waited 20 minutes without moving.

We knew that the slightest movement or sound would give us away.

And then the sentry walked away.

This encounter with the enemy was a wake-up call.

We had to review our plan.

- Why did you make this decision, Commander?

- Colonel, it was too dangerous to continue.

We discovered a ravine on the other side of the airfield.

And it would have been impossible to cross it without making noise.

But it wasn't the only reason.

Captain Jellicoe and I both agreed;

we had to take some time

to study the terrain before we carried on.

- (tense, ominous music)

BERGE: From our vantage point,

we took the time to study the terrain

and determine the best entry point.

Even though it was at a greater distance from the planes,

we decided to attack from the west

rather than the south.

We hoped this would allow us to avoid the German sentries.

- One thing that does happen during the day is that

a flight of JU-88s,

these fighter bombers, return to the airbase.

- (aircraft engines rumble)

- Look at that show-off.

He won't be showing off for long, believe me.

- Some of the pilots fly a kind of celebratory

loop-the-loop circuit around the airbase.

And it does two things to the minds of the raiders.

One, it's enraging, because those are the war planes

they should have blown up the night before.

But on the other hand,

it redoubles their determination

to get in there and cause

the chaos and havoc they've been sent there for.

The key target, the targets they really want to hit

more than anything else are the Junkers 88s.

Called the Madchen fur Alles, it's the maid of all works,

that's what the Germans called it, It was called the maid of all works

because this was a very multi-purpose fighter bomber.

And then there are the Me-109s, the Messerschmitt fighters.

Less of a target, but still a nice thing to hit.

BERGE: At nightfall, I gave the order to set off.

I hoped that this second attempt would be successful.

But the truce negotiated with the RAF was now over.

We were forced to operate under the threat of our own air force.

- (air raid siren wails)

(air raid siren wails)

- Let's get going.

- Very quickly it becomes...

hellish,

because what they feared was going to happen happens.

- (engines rumble overhead)

- And as the air raid sirens go off, the anti-aircraft fire starts,

and a flight of Blenheims, a British fighter bomber,

comes over the airbase and starts bombing.

- (falling bombs whistle)

- (explosion booms)

BERGE: Now that we were inside the base,

we had to be even more vigilant.

Everything could have fallen through

the first time we came face-to-face with the enemy.

But Mouhot had a stroke of genius.

- (speaks German)

- (sings drunkenly in German)

- (speaks German)

- (German soldiers laugh)

DUMONT: (Speaks French)

- (dubbed) Mouhot's reaction is very appropriate to the situation.

(continues in French)

(dubbed) He knows very well that if he doesn't react naturally,

the Germans will sound the alarm.

(continues in French)

(dubbed) Mouhot had fought in the 1940 campaign.

He's in his 30s and already has more than two escapes under his belt.

It's in his blood, that cunning personality,

so he has all the qualities to make a good commando

who knows how to react in all circumstances.

- (soldiers laugh)

- Commander, explain it to me.

- For this infiltration, we had dressed

in beige mechanics' overalls,

which looked like the ones worn

by the Germans on the airfield.

Our strategy was to walk out in the open,

as though we were part of the personnel on the base,

rather than hiding.

After so much effort, we were finally close to our first targets.

- (tense, dramatic music)

BERGE: Mouhot and Sibard sprang into action.

DUMONT: (dubbed) Jacques Sibard is a big,

strong man,

who is also an excellent swimmer.

Fundamentally, he's a patriot.

He comes from a family with a long history of resistance.

So Berge senses a high level of determination in him.

- (grunts)

BERGE: The plan was to set the Lewes bombs at the junction

between the wing and the fuselage of the aircraft,

and that was to ensure the damage would be irreparable.

PRIME: (dubbed) All aircraft are built the same way.

The fuel tanks are always located in the wings,

and this is the part the saboteurs are targeting.

- (tense, dramatic music)

BERGE: We moved from target to target as discreetly as possible,

but time was running out

because the detonators had a two-hour delay.

LEWIS: The timer pencils that they're using

to detonate these explosives, they work on the concept

of breaking a glass vial,

which releases acid,

which eats through a copper wire,

which releases a spring, which triggers the fuse,

blows the explosive. However,

if that fuse is faulty, it can go off prematurely

and then presumably the enemy will be alerted.

- (tense, dramatic music)

BERGE: We thought that we had time to get out of the area,

but then...

an explosion rang out.

- (explosion booms)

- I don't understand.

Was there a fault with the delays on the detonators?

- Colonel, we were surprised...

..but with the hot weather and the humidity

during the submarine crossing,

I suppose that the timer pencils had been damaged.

- (alarm wails)

BERGE: Lord Jellicoe took advantage of the general confusion

to plant all the remaining charges.

- (tense music intensifies) - (explosions booming)

BERGE: For our exfiltration, the best tactic would be to blend in

with our surroundings.

LEWIS: They're moving through their airbase

as if they are a maintenance crew,

like everybody else, trying to work out

exactly what's going on and what they need to do.

They're a very, very long way from getting out again safely,

but they've pulled off this incredible mission impossible.

BERGE: Out in the open, we could be unmasked at any moment.

- (clattering) - (speaks German)

- Ja! Ja, ja!

BERGE: Faced with the enemy, I knew that our only chance

would be to reply in German, like anyone else working on the base.

PRIME: (dubbed) Berge shows great daring here.

They're really living up to the motto

of the Special Air Service, the SAS,

which is "who dares, wins."

- (poignant music)

BERGE: After planting our charges, we withdrew as the explosions

came one after the other.

- (explosions booming)

BERGE: Now we needed to get ourselves out,

but after everything we'd been through...

..we took a moment to admire the spectacle.

- (explosions booming)

- Take a look at that work. (chuckles)

- It's even better than fireworks.

- You see, Leostic, now is the time.

Only now can you call me Commander.

(chuckles)

- Your mission was accomplished,

but your escape was just beginning.

- Yes, now we had to cross the island from north to south.

Get to the village of Krotos,

around 35 miles away,

and locate the intelligence officer

who was responsible for our extraction.

- Hmm.

With all German forces on the alert,

you had to get off the island as quickly as possible.

But you stopped several times.

- The rendezvous was set for the 19th of June.

Of course, we had to make sure

we were there on time, but...

we could not arrive too early in Krotos either.

That was what made the following days so difficult.

- (tense, ominous music)

BERGE: The day after the attack, we began our escape to the south.

We had to cross the Messara plain,

a wide open area.

For several days, we made painfully slow progress.

We knew the Germans were searching for us,

but it was the civilians who became their first victims.

PRIME: (speaks French) (dubbed) For the German command,

the destruction of those aircrafts was truly a major blow.

They reacted with extreme violence,

executing around 50 Cretans in retaliation.

(continues in French)

(dubbed) The SAS are unaware of the situation,

particularly the German reprisals against the Cretan civilians.

However, the local population is informed,

which means they could behave differently,

should they encounter the notorious saboteurs

that everyone is searching for.

BERGE: The walk was exhausting,

so I gave my men a few minutes to rest.

- Who's that ?

Come on, let me see! - No!

No way! MOUHOT: Is it your fiancee?

- It's my mother.

- When was the last time you saw her?

- Two years ago.

June '40.

DUMONT: (dubbed) Leostic's story is remarkable.

He decides, on his own, at the age of 16,

to leave his mother and to join the army in England.

PRIME: (speaks French) (dubbed) Of course, at that age,

the army isn't supposed to accept you

because you're still a minor.

So he lies about his age, which allows him to join the ranks

of the Free French Forces.

LEWIS: He's so young in the SAS, he's won the nickname "the kid."

Why's Berge taken Leostic on this mission?

It's because Berge feels a real father-son relationship to him,

so really it's kind to protect him that he has taken him.

BERGE: About five miles from Krotos,

we ran out of supplies.

Two Cretans that we met along the way

agreed to share a meal with us.

COLONEL: You had a meal with a group of civilians...

..despite being the most wanted fugitives on the island?

- I can understand your surprise.

But from the beginning of the mission,

we had relied on help

from the local population.

We had no other choice.

It would have been impossible

to carry enough water and rations

for such a long operation.

- Continue, Commander.

- (speaks Cretan)

- Excuse me?

MAN: (speaks Cretan)

- They're offering to bring us wine, Commander.

- Thank you. - (flasks clinking)

- Thank you very much.

I accepted their offer.

But in a country under occupation for several months,

you couldn't trust anyone.

DUMONT: (in French) (dubbed) The terrain is hostile,

as it has been occupied by the enemy since 1941,

following Operation Mercury

and the invasion of Crete by German paratroopers.

LEWIS: Cretan people have been suffering under Nazi occupation.

And any resistance at all had not only been stamped out,

or attempted to be stamped out,

but there were very savage reprisals

against villages across the island.

BERGE: A few minutes later, the two Cretans returned,

our flasks filled with wine.

But they were accompanied by an innkeeper.

Who's this? - I know him, Commander.

- Have a seat.

LEWIS: The way he describes it, is that the man's friendliness...

..is an act.

It strikes him as being completely false, and an act,

and he's tempted to capture him

and not let him go until they're on their way, but stupidly,

and he says, "I regretted it for the rest of my life,"

he allows this individual to leave,

claiming he's gonna go back to his village and fetch them some wine.

- Thank you!

BERGE: We took a break, and as we were about to leave,

it was obvious that we had been betrayed.

- (tense music)

- (hushed) Mouhot! Mouhot!

PRIME: (speaks French) (dubbed) The French SAS realise

that two patrols have already

positioned themselves to surround them

and they're guarding the only route

via which they could escape.

- We've been spotted. Your weapons!

Leostic, Sibard, over there! Mouhot, with me.

I saw the enemy and realised we were going to have to fight,

that we were going to have to face these soldiers, whatever the cost.

DUMONT: They don't have much choice, they're already surrounded.

There are just four of them against 40 Germans.

The French have very little ammunition,

just one submachine gun each, an automatic pistol.

They didn't bring ammunition to fight.

- Fire only on my command.

LEWIS: What can you do in that circumstance?

Their only chance of getting out of there

is to hide until the Germans

realise where they are and then fight them off,

and so to conserve their ammo to make sure that darkness falls

and then they can try to escape.

- (suspenseful music)

BERGE: I decided to engage first.

I wanted to show the enemy that we were determined.

Wait! Save your ammunition.

LEWIS: It's almost a hopeless proposition

that they will survive and get out of this alive.

But that's testament to their esprit de corps and their training,

that even at that moment, there's not a hope,

there's not a chance that they're going to give up and surrender.

They'll fight until the last round and the last man.

- (gunfire)

- (explosion)

- (gunfire continues)

BERGE: We were trapped, overwhelmed by the number of attackers...

when Sibard was hit.

- (Sibard groans)

- (music intensifies)

- (gunshot)

- (dubbed) And then, after a while,

Leostic tries to make a break for it.

LEWIS: I would imagine he believes he's invincible,

you generally do at that age.

He decides he's going to break out

and show them the way to escape this encircling threat.

And he tells his comrades,

"I'm going to break cover and head east,"

and Sibard says "No, no, don't...

whatever you do, don't break cover, you're going to die.

- (gunshot)

- (panting)

- (solemn music) - (whimpers)

(softly) Mummy. (gasps)

(groans softly)

(panting)

(softly) Mummy.

(panting)

Ah... Mummy.

(distant gunfire)

PRIME: (speaks French) (dubbed) It's a real blow because,

in the end, he was the youngest, the kid,

and probably the one they wanted to protect the most.

- (gunshot)

LEWIS: Berge wanted to look after him,

and instead, he's ended up getting him killed,

so this is a very dark moment for all of them.

- (distant gunfire)

BERGE: We lost one of our own

and we were almost out of ammunition.

So I had to make a decision.

- (solemn music continues)

- We surrender!

Hold your fire, we surrender.

- (speaks German)

- (solemn music continues)

LEWIS: You cannot guard against betrayal.

It's the one thing you can't improvise or evolve to overcome.

The chances of suffering betrayal were really very, very low indeed.

It's extremely poor luck

for Berge, Sibard, Mouhot,

but also mostly for Leostic,

that that betrayal happens at that moment,

and it must be a crushing blow to them.

BERGE: We didn't have a choice.

We had to leave Leostic's body behind.

- (solemn music swells)

COLONEL: Commander, explain it to me.

After the success of your attack,

you knew the Germans would be hunting you down

and that any encounters with civilians would be dangerous.

So why did you trust these Cretans

even though you knew it meant risking being turned in?

- Colonel, it was not the first time

that we had spoken to the local people.

But there was something I realised afterwards.

It was our flasks that gave us away.

Our British flasks.

The bistro owner recognised them.

And it was because of that,

that little detail...

..he turned us in.

So yes, we...

(clears throat) We were not careful enough.

I was not careful enough.

Undoubtedly.

But after this exhausting mission, I let my guard down.

Commander, you achieved your objective.

According to our intelligence,

21 aircraft were neutralised

as a result of your attack,

and stocks of bombs and fuel were destroyed.

Of the eight missions led by the SAS

to protect the convoys in Malta...

..yours was the most destructive.

And we are grateful to you for that.

But it is true that you paid a heavy price.

- (poignant music)

On that day, it was like...

..I lost a son.

LEWIS: Leostic had that burning desire

to hit back and liberate his own homeland.

And so, this letter he wrote

shortly prior to departing on the mission with the SAS.

So it says, "My dear mum,

I'm begging you...

LEOSTIC: ..please, please don't blame me.

My blood is boiling in my veins.

I'm dreaming of carrying a rifle and using it.

I took 100 francs and my ID card.

I want to be French, French still, French always."

LEWIS: When he says I want to be "French, French still,

and French always," he means free French.

French under a French government,

French not under occupation,

French in a free society

where "egalite, fraternite, and liberte" mean something.

- (poignant music)

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