Original subtitles

This movie is inspired by the actions of the Italian Navy's storm troopers

in particular by the assault motorboats that in the night of March 29, 1941

were able to breach into the naval base of Suda.

Ponti-De Laurentiis thank the Navy for their collaboration..

they also thank commander and gold medal Luigi Faggioni,

who actually led the mission on Suda for the technical consulation

1940. An Italian naval base.

Attention!

At ease.

From this moment I am your commander.

It's better that you know one thing from the beginning.

Our mission allows no mistakes.

It's like a gun with only one bullet left. It must not miss the target.

That's why we need a meticolous preparation of the vehicles

and a strict selection of men.

The training will be very hard.

First of all nobody must know that you are here.

I'll check personally your mail. However I want you to write as little as possible.

You have no wives but from today no woman must be waiting for you anywhere.

You need my permission

to get out of here anyway and be assured it'll be a long time before I'll grant it.

Above all is the goal we have to achieve, a secret I can't reveal yet.

And let's make it clear, I won't tolerate any trasgression of my orders.

Who fails leaves immediately.

I need few men, ready for anything. And there's many of you.

Tomorrow morning we'll start working.

For now you may go.

- Attention!

Dismiss!

- Excuse me commander? I wanted to greet you personally.

- Magrini, how are you? - I keep myself in shape.

- I really can't get rid of you. - Magrini, how are you?

- I keep myself in shape.

- Have you heard the news? How are you going to do with all your women?

- If I'll survive they'll be waiting patiently for me.

- Excuse commander, may I speak? - Yes.

- I didn't know we weren't allowed to leave the base.

I have a very urgent matter to attend, please,

I need to go to town this evening, even for just an half an hour.

I'm sorry but I can't make any exceptions.

C'mon faster, you go ahead.

On the float.

Are you afraid of the rain? Back to the buoy, come on!

Go!

- Hey! What's wrong!

- I can't keep going any longer. - Then quit, stay here.

We were volunteers for special missions but after months of hard training

after days of demanding preparation,

after many of us were discarded, we still ignored what task was waiting for us.

Finally one day the commander showed us the vehicle we were going to use.

It looked like a racing motorboat. Instead it was a new secret weapon.

An insidious and lethal weapon, designed to penetrate the enemy's harbour

and hit their fleet.

We were surprised

and at the same time fascinated by the risk and the audacity required for the mission.

It was all on our shoulders.

A man on his boat going at full speed against a big ship.

A human torpedo.

Every motorboat carried 300 kg. of explosive.

It was enough even for a battleship

After hitting the target a secondary charge was going to tear the prow

while the primary was to penetrate the hull, dealing the maximum damage.

And us?

Were we going to sacrifice our lives like a japanese kamikaze?

No.

50 meters before the impact.

we were going to release the seat and dive into the water

The risk was in reaching the float as fast as possible

in a few seconds, or the underwater explosion would've ripped our spines away.

However, no chance to come back to Italy, unless until the war was over.

For the drill an automatic device stopped the motorboat right after we jumped away.

But as soon as we got confident with the assault motorboat

we started to practice during the night.

We went offshore every evening, after the sunset

to learn to navigate in the deepest darkness.

facing every unexpected obstacle.

We learned this way the tricks and the secrets

that maybe one day could have helped us in violating an enemy base.

And to catch the opponent by surprise.

Lastly, after three months, came the pointing exercises.

For now we had to throw ourselves against buoys and other floating objects.

But it was already exciting.

We are only seven left.Who knows if today he's going to discard someone else.

- Why do you keep thinking like this?

It's from the first day that- I'm always afraid he's going to send me off.

I'm sure I'm gonna make it. I want to astound the commander.

Signal ready.

Attention! The signal! Start the engines.

The first.

The second.

The third.

Hurry, get moving!

You may seat.

In two hours we'll repeat the drill.

Sorry.

Commander.

Are you commander Ferri?

Yes, madam.

I asked everywhere but nobody wanted to tell me.

He had an assignment here though

- I've only been told that you were his commander.

I don't understand madam.

Who are you talking about?

I'm Anna Avanzi.

Pietro was my husband.

Come with me madam.

I can't answer madam, believe me.

I can only tell you that Pietro died fulfilling his duty.

You too!

Nobody wants to tell me!

At leat I wish I knew how he died.

We were so happy.

We had a lot of projects for the future.

An house in the countryside, he liked silence and peace.

We had to marry in secret, I'm pregnant.

All those dreams. I haven't seen him anymore since then.

All over.

The war took him away from me.

I'm sorry commander.

Don't cry madam.

I know that in these circumstances words are useless.

But if this can help you let me tell you that Pietro died bravely, in the sea.

Like the best of us.

- Have you seen him die? - I can't tell you. - Why?

It's a military secret madam.

I'm sorry.

Thanks commander. Nobody wants to tell me who killed him.

It was war, madam.

War.

And my son will be fatherless.

Farewell, commander.

Attention!

At ease.

Boys, the time we were waiting for has come.

We're leaving.

You're six.

Lieutenant Giorgio Leonardi.

Naval armour lieutenant Paolo Sorera.

Midshipman Virgilio Ricci.

Chief petty officer Marco Bruni.

Chief petty officer Luigi Magrini.

Sergeant Antonio Esposito.

The training is complete. We are going to face the enemy now.

We are ordered to leave for the base

where we'll start the mission we prepared during these long difficult months.

I've been called by the headquarters for the last dispositions

At the right time I'll tell you your destination.

We'll leave on a plane within an hour.

In the meantime

I'd like each one of you to think carefully about the step you're going to take

Remember, we're leaving and we're not coming back.

The best case scenario is being captured.

But you're volunteers, nobody's forcing you to go.

You can still quit.

Think very well about it.

See you in an hour.

Attention!

- Vessel Lieutentant Ferri. - Captain Maori.

- Welcome. - Vessel Sublieutenant Leonardi.

- GentlemenWell, what's going on in Italy? - War's going on.

- Where are we going to stay?

- I've tried to accommodate you the best that i could. Follow me.

- Take care of those two crates. - The two crates. - Yessir.

I really wanted to talk with someone from Italy

- I have arranged a lunch that...

- We appreciate, but we've already eaten. We don't need anything right now.

A recommondation. As soon as you get a message deliver it to me immediately

doesn't matter what time it is. Good night captain. - Good night.

- Close the door. - This one too? - Yes, thanks.

And now guys, come here.

Finally I can reveal you our goal. It's the Suda bay.

This island we've just arrived in it's our base.

Tomorrow at sunset a destroyer carrying our motorboats will join us.

It will take us to this point.

From there we're on our own.

Eight miles to get to the entrance to the bay

and almost as many to penetrate all the way into the enemy's defenses.

Only here we'll find the boats we're going to sink.

It's a new moon's period, so the nights will be very dark, and we need that.

Furthermore other two very important factors have occurred:

Calm sea and a lot of ships in the enemy harbour.

If we are going to be lucky tomorrow night we'll be here.

and finally we'll complete the mission we gave everything for.

- Any info about the barrages? - Yes, but we'll talk about it tomorrow.

Now, boys, get some sleep.

Don't think about anything else.

Tomorrow night we'll have no pillows. Rest well. Goodnight.

#singing#

# I see you in the wind blowing #

# that comes and goes #

# in the flickering starry sky #

# in the sun, in the shadow and in the sea #

# Come back, come back again #

# to who can't forget you#

# Bring back the joy #

# to who's waiting for you to dream again #

That woman's singing deeply moved us

She was the last voice of a world we were going to leave for a long time.

Maybe forever.

- For the commander. It's personal!

- For you Commander. - You may go now.

I really can't stand that guy!

Hey, what's going on?

Enemy ships left the harbour. Operations postponed. Wait for further orders.

Signed Supermarina (Navy's supreme authority)

If they don't come back in time, goodbye new moon.

We'll have to wait another month.

Go away! Go have a walk!

- Calm sea and a lot of ships in the bay. - They're girls!

- They're waiting for us! Let's go scouting!

- No, let's attack directly!

Hey girls, here's the navy for you!

Do you know you're beautiful?

What's your name?

Could you take it off, please?

Let me see.

It's useless to get nervous, there's nothing you can do.

Only being patient and wait.

Wait? Wait?

I've waited eight months, day after day, without a pause.

With the obsession of taking you in a desperate mission,

with the responsibility for your lives.

I kept on a mask of indifference even when Pietro died, one of our best men.

Maybe I even made myself hated, I can't take this anymore, understood?

I can't go on like this!

Do you think it's easy to always be the commander?

I forced these guys to forget about everything. Family, women, friends.

And when everything seemed to be ready... postponed.

You think we'll be that ready again when the time comes?

We have our rights my friend.

And I tell you, I'm not talking only about the others.

But for myself as well.

Now you're exaggerating

Have you become a pessimist?

Do you know what I'm going to do?

I'm going to have a meeting with the Admiral.I want to know how things are.

Bengasi has fallen today.

The brits have already destroyed two of our convoys coming back from Libia.

And most likely they will destroy the last too.

Convoys that were carrying refugees, women and children.What can we do about it?

Our squad is located in the Western Mediterranean

and you with your tiny vehicles sure won't be able to intercept

the British ships in open sea.

No, I wasn't thinking about that, sir Admiral.

But can't we try to hit them when they're coming back to base?

They'll have to stop for fuel, won't they?

I'll tell you, if our last convoy is going to be attacked

it will be by a heavy cruiser heading right now towards Suda.

Suda? When is it going to arrive?

Tomorrow afternoon. And it will probably leave at sunrise to intercept

our convoy here, in this zone.

- Then we must attack it tomorrow night, at Suda!

- But what if it changed route?

Or if it's going to leave Suda tomorrow evening? We can't know for sure.

Too many unknown factors.

We can't afford to risk your whole operation on such vague info.

Our mission is all about risk, sir Admiral.

We're never going to have the ideal conditions.

Your attitude is admirable. But what about your men?

I'm talking for them too.

Good. We have to apply the Sigma 4 plan then.

- Yessir? - Call Commander Torriani.

- Torriani is the Commander of the Sirio Submarine.

- We were Academy mates.

- Waiting for orders, sir Admiral. Hi Ferri.

- Hello Torriani. - Come here Torriani.

Look here.

Tonight you'll leave to reach the Suda bay tomorrow evening.

With your submarine from midnight to 1 a.m.

you'll be sending light signals off the coast

to show Commander Ferri on his special vehicle the bay entrance.

You're going to take Ferri with you.

You'll leave him at the Stampalia island tomorrow at dawn.

In an hour I'll give you the operation's details.

Thank you, sir Admiral.

Planes in sight!

- Machinegun ready! - Machinegun ready!

Open fire!

Look, an Italian submarine!

Backwards at full speed!

- Bastards! - Why? It's war, we're all bastards.

They're defending well though.

- Damn! - They've been hit!

C'mon guys. You two pick up the snorkels.

Call the pontoon!

But... he's dead!

He's commander Torriani, I knew him.

- So the submarine was the Sirio.

- Hell knows why did they come all this way just to get wasted.

You two, on board!

And you, take the corpse on the island and ask the captain to take care of it.

Go now.

It's laying straight on the bottom.

But it's torn apart from stern to turret.

There might be someone alive inside the prow.

Come up, I'm going!

- Is the water clear? - No it's very muddy. - I'm about to come down too.

- Did your hear? - Yes, someone's out there. Answer back!

Release...

telephonic...

buoy.

Make sure the valve is shut down.

The valve is ok.

Answer. The buoy is free.

Ferry, fetch the bouy and take it on board!

Hello?

Hello?

Hello?

They left.

They won't come back.

They left us here!

Don't leave us here! Save us!

Save me! Save me!

Come back!

Come back!

Save me! Save me!

Stop it!

Get back to your place.

Here, take this.

Hello? Hello?

Say something! They're answering. Hello?

Who? You?

- It's the commander. - What? - How can he be there?

Is that you Carlo?

Yes, Giorgio, it's me, Carlo.

No, no, that kind of rescue plan is impossible.

We have no electrical power for the pumps

and no oxygen tanks.

The only way is for you to open the door of the sentry box.

It's already flooded there.

Then I'll let the water in to balance the pressure.

We'll try to get out one by one.

Make it quickly. Thanks Giorgio.

It's twenty past eight.

In half an hour we'll be under the sun.

Relax. Relax.

We're gonna make it.

- Bullshit! We won't make it if they work this slowly!

- Shut up! - No, you shut up!

In Stampalia they're not equipped for these kind of things

this is not Taranto or Genova.

They're doing the best they can.

And even more.

The door is stuck.

We need a blowtorch to cut it open.

And where do we find one?

- Do you think they have one in town? - Perhaps, but I've never seen it.

Let's go look for it. If they have one, we'll find it.

C'mon, let's try with the hoist.

We'll tear out that door from here.

I'm afraid it won't work, it's too deformed.

We have to try anyway.

And what if they won't find the blowtorch...

We have to try! They've been down there for four hours!

You take a hose and go down

they're going to need it.

Hello? Hello? Hello?

Yes?

The door is stuck but we're gonna tear it apart.

In the meantime we're bringing you a hose for some air supply.

When you hear knocking three times open the inlet valve.

and then the discharge valve.

- Don't be afraid, we will save you. - Thank you.

Thank you Giorgio.

Giorgio?

Giorgio?

Please hurry up.

We're dying here.

Open the discharge.

Hey, come here!

What happened?

- What? - We can add a chain. - To the cable? - Yes.

Hold on.

Are you ready?

C'mon boys!

Damn!

More hydrogen.

- What time is it? - It's 4 p.m.

- It's twelve hours they're down there. - Are we going to make it in time?

- Nothing yet? - No, nothing.

Three years ago, in a japanese submarine.

They heard the gunshots from the phone. One for each crew member trapped down there.

It's our turn, get some rest. Come, Marco.

Commander, he's dead.

To you, great and eternal God

Lord of the sky and of the abyss who commands the winds and the waves.

We ask you to bless this man

that preceded us on the way to your light...

In a week it's going to be my birthday.My mother, she's going to cry her heart out!

Fucking war!

Cut it out!

Shut up! There are no ranks here!

We all die the same!

- We made it! - Very good, Antonio.

Hello, hello, listen carefully!

Commander, the door is open.

Now it's your turn. Flood the room and come out one by one.

We're waiting outside to help you. See you later.

Have you heard boys? If you keep your calm we are all going to make it.

When the external pressure

will balance the internal I'm going to open the waterproof door.

to get out we'll swim away one by one in reversed rank order.

- In the meantime we're all going to drown!

- Even in the flooded room there's still going to be a little air left.

We're 20 meters underwater..

We're all going to drown once we get out. I stay here

I prefer to die in a dry place.

And everyone here agrees with me!

Are you ready? Hurry please, we're waiting for you!

Leave us alone! You already earned your medal!

- We won't open! - Enough!

You'll do as I say.

Get out of the way.

Get out of the way!

Hello? Hello? The door is open.

The water is flowing in very quickly.

Don't worry, everything's fine. Close the air valves.

They're going to come out. Stop with the air.

Watch out, they're coming out! Antonio get ready with the boat!

Ok.

Stay strong it's a matter of seconds. The pressure isbalanced.

I'm going down to open the door completely.

- You, kid. Go out, everything's gonna be ok. - Thanks, Commander.

Stay calm.

C'mon, go. I'll take care of him.

Good luck!

C'mon boy, cling to me. I'll take you to the door. Don't be afraid.

You wretch, you have to save yourself! Go down!

Down!

But without the submarine's signal, how are we going to find the entrance to the bay?

I'm not really worried about that. I know every detail of the coast by heart.

I'm worried about something else.

After everything that happened today are you... are we still

able to undertake a mission that requires such a physical and nervous strain?

It's 6 p.m.

Only one hour until the heavy cruiser arrives.

Commander, don't forget that you trained us

to complete three missions in a row without rest.

This is not training.

"Be determined and ready for everything". Wasn't that our first rule?

And you? How you're going to do with your foot?

Oh well, I'll be sitting the whole time anyway.

Commander, the conditions are favourable.

It could get a lot worse if we're going to abort the mission now.

Who could wait for another chance?

- We'll rest on the cruiser. - I'm already rested.

Thank you guys. I hoped to hear these words from you.

I wanted to ask you before deciding.

And i haven't told you something that for me holds a great importance.

The british heavy cruiser, our main target

tomorrow will attack an evacuation convoy leaving Bengasi. We are their only hope.

Well, it's useless to keep talking then.

Very well.

Two blocks. We'll have to get lucky to get through.

Only through the first. We can always blow up the second.

But... has he already decided who's going to hit the target?

He'll make up his mind on the spot.

Dear mrs., we are about to conclude the mission Pietro,

like all of us, devoted himself to.

If he were here with us now, he'd be surely writing to you

I am alone in this world, so I write in place of him.

And you are the only person I feel I can think of in this moment.

The wife of the comrade the preceded us on the troubled way we have chosen.

And like he would have asked, I beg you to remember me

and tell about me to your child.

Best wishes, Carlo Ferri.

Send it to Commander Ferri.

We'll reach our location in half an hour. Tell'em to prepare themselves.

News for you, just arrived.

Confimed heavy cruiser presence.

There are also several steamships.

From the lastest aerial photograph

confirmed presence of a third block, five miles after the second.

The ship's Commander said you can begin to prepare yourselves.

Everything's well so far. Fine weather and no alarms.

Ok, you can go now.

Two weren't enough, I suppose.

Guys, it's time to get ready.

and it's also time to decide which of you ... won't... take part in the operation.

As you know we're one too many

I brought an extra man as reserve.

But for me the choice is too difficult.

You're all equal.

The dice will chose. Who makes the lowest point stays here.

Four.

Three.

Six.

Bring me some luck. Five.

Six.

I'm sorry for you.

- Good luck commander. - Thank you.

Could you please send it for me?

Stop. Stop.

Stop!

I'm going down. Keep you eyes open.

- Ready to lower the motorboats into the sea? - Yes, captain.

Don't shake'em too much, they have no safety, we could all blow up.

- I stay on this side, you go on the other. - Ok.

- Lower the first. - Yessir.

C'mon boys.

Don't be sad, you'll have another chance.

I hope so.

We're ready Carlo.

The pilots are getting in the vehicles. Let's go.

What is Paolo doing? Go have a look.

I'm going Commander.

- What's wrong? - A cable jammed in the propeller.

- Need help? - Wait.

I can do it by myself.

It's alright now. You can go.

Hurry up!

Follow me. Don't make any noise.

The third block.

We can't get through this one.

Go that way and see where it ends. I'll go the other way.

- In case of alarm attack immediately. - All right.

No way. It ends right next to the guard ship.

We can't go the other way either. The end is chained to a dock.

We'll have to blow it up.

I'm going to hit it.

It's 4;15 a.m.

We'll wait until the break of dawn.

Then we'll locate the ships and assign the targets.

So far everything has gone smoothly.

I hope luck assists us until the end.

Let's back off a bit.

All is calm.

We'll take'em by surprise.

It's getting light.

On the left there's a big steam ship.

Must be a troop transportation vehicle.

In the middle the heavy cruiser.

On the right a huge oiler.

The cruiser is yours. I'm going to hit the barrier.

No, I must be the first to go.

As soon as I'll blow up the barrier you'll pass through the breach.

Giorgio and Antonio will go for the Cruiser.

Marco and Magrini the transportation steam ship.

And you Paolo the oiler. Understood?

It's almost 5 a.m.

Engines running at minimum.

Let's split and get to the starting positions.

Guys, good luck!

Farewell Carlo!

Italian Navy Storm Troopers.

And so our mission ended

In that sea of flames where many young lives were taken by a ruthless war.

Here died the memory of Pietro...

...Giorgio's stubborness...

...Marco's smile...

... Antonio's cheerfulness

...Paolo's serenity.

But it was not in vain.

Their glourious and heroic death

can teach to today's men the value of courage

and the importance of living in a world without wars and without bloodshed