Original subtitles

Lieutenant Chase has decided to join us. Welcome to hell, Sir.

We lose North Africa to the Nazis, we lose Europe. We lose the war.

Auf der Treppe, halt!

Monsieur.

Mrs Chase? James Danemere.

I understand you've been expecting me.

I worry how it effects a chap if he can't show any sorrow. I didn't say I wasn't sorry.

If I stay here then I will die. It will destroy me.

You have a ready made mother in waiting, Kasia,

she's stuck here with nothing to do.

The Germans are moving towards us, Sir!

Lance Corporal Haywood sustained injuries to neck, chest and hip.

Field hospital drop before returning to base.

Help! He needs help!

Put him there. Get him down.

Lay him down.

Get him down.

HE GROANS WITH PAIN

Hold his head.

Put your hand here.

Stay with me. Put a bandage on here.

Lieutenant. Sir.

German positions.

They're coming.

Well done, Chase.

Do you need help?

I just...

I just need to get back to my unit. Medic!

I just need a minute.

Dear God, Chase!

He needs a hospital.

Let's get him to Cairo!

Medic, now! Damn it!

SINGING

IN GERMAN:

MAN SHOUTS ORDERS

Come on, come on, hurry up!

SHOUTING

Move it!

What's going on? Where've you been?

Border patrol.

The Germans are closing in.

We're shipping out.

Half my men have left already.

And your unit's left as well.

Have you seen Chase? He took a casualty to the field hospital. He's safe.

Listen, we can't wait.

Rommel's got 500 tanks racing in our direction as we speak,

with air support from a dozen Stuka squadrons.

I suggest you get on the road to Tobruk,

unless you want to be here when they arrive.

You can hitch a ride with us if you need one, Sergeant.

I need to talk to Captain Briggs.

Sir.

Did the rest of Chase's men make it back?

I don't bloody know, Sergeant!

Just get to Tobruk. Now!

Oi! Oi! Sir, wait!

Sir!

Come on, come on!

Looks like we're your last ride out of here!

Come and join a real Regiment.

Come on!

Go to hell.

Welcome to the British Indian Army!

I think Harry would be...here now.

The RAF will have to be providing air cover.

And soften the Germans before Harry and the boys can attack.

You mean kill them?

Kill as many as we can!

Kasia, er, Jan has homework, I believe.

Kasia, could you speak to Jan about warfare with a little less relish.

All young men are bloodthirsty.

They don't need any encouraging.

BABY CRIES

And is there perhaps any possibility that your enthusiasm

for the good fight extends to doing battle with your husband's baby?

I thought we had established, I'm not a good example to the young.

Ah...

Ah, Joyce,

Vera has been making herself known for quite some time now.

Oh, I've the tea to get on, Mrs Chase

and Jan is doing his homework in there so...

Yes, well, I'm sure the tea can wait for ten minutes.

I've not done the beds yet.

And I think it does Vera the world of good to get her lungs going...

Joyce, I appreciate your relentless positivity

and the vast extent of your responsibilities,

but in these challenging times, we might all just pull together.

What about young Mrs Chase?

Yes, can we not call her "Young Mrs Chase"

and I'm afraid Kasia considers it beneath her.

But it's all right for a skivvy, is that it?

Oh, for goodness' sake, Joyce, please, let's not recreate

the Jarrow March over a simple request to change a nappy.

Just do it, will you!

I won't be spoken to like that.

You can stick your bloody job!

Joyce, do you know what I love about the house you keep?

Always full of life.

Always something going on.

Well, I try to always give it a good shake, you know?

Like an Eiderdown. Quite.

Will you get your mother a bunch of flowers, tonight?

A treat, from me, for giving the world such a useful daughter.

And why don't you take the rest of the day off.

Mm?

Of course.

Thank you, Sir.

See you tomorrow, Mrs Chase.

I hope, er, I didn't overstep the mark there.

Oh, no, no, no,

as ever you saved the day.

She has changed now so she should be quieter.

Good, thank you.

James is back.

So I see.

Sir James! How was London?

We heard there was bombing!

Oh, well, not near Whitehall.

Come quick! They're talking about North Africa on the radio.

RADIO: ..under the brilliant leadership of Lieutenant Colonel John Combe

soon had the Italian Tenth Army fleeing from east Libya,

evacuating Benghazi without a fight.

Our British lads, backed up by our brave Australian brothers

took the road to Benghazi with no more trouble

than a charabanc excursion to Blackpool.

The Italian Army is in such poor condition to resist

even at the Gates of Tripoli.

The desert terrain proved hard going for both British tanks...

Lois, there's wounded men on the way, coming in from Libya.

Dozens. I will fix it if it bloody kills me.

Really?

No.

Not hungry.

You'll keel over at this rate.

ENGINE REVS

Ha! You beautiful beast.

RADIO: Empire Troops in Libya are daily engaged

in ferocious fire and air battles with the German military machine.

Each dawn brings a new attack from wave upon wave

of the Luftwaffe's crack pilots... Lois?

..as German Panzer Divisions try to drive forward...

Sorry.

What is it?

Harry's in Libya.

Harry? An old flame?

Something like that.

Right, Private Rogers, how are we going to get you down without putting weight on that ankle?

TAP WATER GURGLES

IN GERMAN:

David, keep hidden by the storm until you're over France.

When you break cover, the Germans will open fire,

that way you can pinpoint their gun positions for us.

So you sent me here to get shot at, Sir?

As I recall, you volunteered, David.

Stay in the storm over the channel

and you at least give yourself a chance.

THUNDER CLAPS

Going dark, sir.

Good luck, David.

Over Northern France, breaking cover to find those guns.

Heading down now. Co-ordinates, 50 north, 30 west.

I have a visual on the town.

Flack, German's firing at me, Sir.

We're going the wrong way.

Captain Briggs is taking the Derna road to Tobruk.

We should be doing the same, shouldn't we?

We have orders to catch up with the supply trucks,

going to Msus.

But that's the wrong way.

That...that means we're headed south, directly towards the enemy.

South-east.

We're heading south-east.

Those are our orders.

EXPLOSION

EXPLOSION AND GUNFIRE

Get out! Get out! Get out!

I'm out.

Are we surrendering, Sir? Not a chance.

We are more help to my men fighting than as prisoners.

Come on.

WHISTLING

HE STOPS WHISTLING

Sir James!

Coming!

HE WHISTLES

DOOR CLOSES

Mission accomplished.

German gun positions confirmed.

Heading back to base with a song in my heart, sir.

Roger that.

SOBBING

IN GERMAN:

Have you heard about Warsaw?

The Ghetto for Jews. Yes, I know.

You don't seem surprised.

I was there, remember?

Nothing surprises me any more.

Mm.

Perhaps you surprised me.

Really? Well, in a good way or a bad way?

Whatever you're thinking...

You're military intelligence.

What?

I can assure you I'm nothing of the sort.

Elias Fischer?

You're either military intelligence or you're a spy.

You're not a spy.

Too careless, as you can see.

I fought in the Resistance in Warsaw.

I belong there where I can make a difference. Get me home.

I'm afraid that's not in my gift...

I belong in Poland. It's out of the question.

IN FRENCH:

Care to explain the missing morphine, Nurse Gerbois?

I sent it to the University Hospital.

They need it.

We need Sulfonamide.

It's a straight swap.

And you chose not to mention this to me because?

I didn't want to explain why we need so many antibacterials.

And why is that?

Well, it appears the brothels of Paris have never been so busy

since your troops arrived.

We have something of a gonorrhoea epidemic on our hands.

Your men have been coming to us, instead of your own medics.

Isn't that right, soldier?

In future, you will inform me of any such arrangements.

You're kidding?

If the keys are in the jeep, then we stand a good chance.

Ammo?

No.

Ammo?

No.

Ammo? Oh, hold up...

No.

Just to be clear, sir, we've got no bullets in our guns

and you're suggesting we nick a jeep off two Germans?

We have no food.

No water.

I'd rather a quick death, than a slow one.

I'd rather not die at all.

Come on.

Come on!

They've seen us. Go, go now!

Go! Go! Go! Go!

Yes! Yes!

Yes!

Yes!

THEY LAUGH

IN GERMAN:

BABY CRIES

Please, don't be so stubborn.

it's a trait of your mother's

and I really wish you wouldn't indulge.

I don't know much about babies but, er,

logical reasoning might work I suppose.

I'm past caring, to be honest.

Are you having a sherry?

Er, no, it's a little late for me.

Thank you.

Sh, sh, come on.

Oh, I'm not sure that's entirely ethical.

Oh, it's a drop of sherry.

It's hardly a scene from Hogarth.

Come here.

You rather have the knack.

Or is it just experience?

Oh, er, nieces and nephews.

But, er, never been married myself.

Oh, that does surprise me.

Well, I came close once or twice,

but er, the timing was wrong,

or the circumstances...

..or the woman.

Nice to have a choice in the matter.

Oh, we all have a choice in the matter, don't we?

When my husband proposed I was a young woman

and I felt obliged to say yes.

That was nothing to do with choice, or love, for that matter.

Well, perhaps next time you'll give love a chance?

Next time?! Oh, goodness no,

I don't...I don't think there'll be a next time.

I don't see why not.

A woman like you can't be short of suitors.

No, no, no, no, love is far too chaotic for me

and I'm not really sure that it's good for anybody.

Well, it's given you a beautiful granddaughter. Who nobody loves.

Oh, I don't think that's true.

You're just sentimental.

How's it going with Kasia? Any bonds forming with Vera yet?

Maternal instincts rising to the fore?

You've shown more maternal instincts in the last five minutes

than she has in the last five months.

I've never been called maternal before.

I just don't think it's in her nature.

And even if it was,

she's made it very clear she doesn't want to be here.

Mm.

Congratulations, sir.

Lived through another mission.

This time it's going to get a little bumpy, sir.

It's rather the point, isn't it?

Don't say that, sir.

I've grown very fond of you this last week.

Besides, we can't afford to lose another plane.

The RAF have been trying to kill me for years, mate.

Every time I survive they give me a more dangerous job.

And you're still not getting the message, to quit while your ahead?

What you thinking, sir?

That it'd be a tragedy if yours was the last face I saw.

You're so bloody ugly.

Go fuck yourself, sir.

Morning, dearest.

Letter home?

Er, fuel consumption.

Can we make it to Tobruk?

There are too many unknown variables.

Like what?

Like I have no idea where we are.

ENGINE APPROACHES

One of ours?

No such luck.

MOTORCYCLIST CRIES OUT

IN GERMAN:

Mission accomplished.

SHAKING AND RATTLING

ENGINE SPLUTTERS

There's water.

Enough for three?

Why three?

We cannot just leave him out here.

Well, what do you suggest we do with him? It's not like we've got any rope.

Take off your clothes.

I beg your pardon. He can't escape if he has no clothing or water.

Take off...your clothes.

Er musste ganz in der Nahe sein.

THEY SHOUT IN GERMAN

IN GERMAN:

THEY SPEAK IN FRENCH

WIND BLOWS

You're as bad as Harry.

Because I won't let a man starve?

He's the enemy.

He's a boy.

Letting him live will not alter the outcome of the war.

Like I said, just like Harry.

It's not even your war. Now you sound like my brother.

Yeah, well, they ain't dropping bombs on Delhi, are they?

If Britain loses this war,

then Germany isn't going to turn India down, is it?

They won't need to bomb Delhi.

They just need Britain to lose.

Oi! Oi! Oi!

Greedy!

IN GERMAN:

IN FRENCH:

SOLDIERS SPEAK GERMAN, FOOTSTEPS APPROACH

Kasia...

..I'm not making any promises...

..but I may be able to help you.

To get back to Warsaw?

No, I can't do that.

Then you're wasting my time.

I hear you have nightmares.

What has that got to do with you?

I know you're not in tiptop shape mentally,

yet I'm risking offering you something.

The least you can do is listen to what it is, before discounting it out of hand.

Have you lost anyone in this war?

No.

Because I lost everyone I cared for in the last war.

Next question.

What is it? Your offer?

What if I were to recruit you to work for me - here?

To do what? Well, to fight, of course.

But here, to help me root out enemy agents.

Is that why you're here? Well, partially.

The weather in Manchester is a big draw... Are you serious?

There would be training.

It would be demanding... I'll do it.

Come with me.

Come on, you've got to let your hair down some time.

I'm exhausted.

I don't know how you do it and curfew's at 10.00.

It's not like anyone checks.

You'll enjoy it.

If I wanted to go out drinking with a load of drunken louts,

I'd have stayed in Salford.

Your loss.

If anyone comes, tell them I ate something bad

and had to turn in.

You're not going to fool anyone with that.

It's not failed me so far.

Lois?

Hello, Harry.

What are you doing in Egypt? I could ask you the same thing.

I was on a mission. I was injured.

Me too.

That's how I ended up here.

I don't understand.

Vera's fine, by the way.

She's with your mother.

And Kasia.

I still don't understand why you're here.

You know when we met up in Manchester?

And I told you why it was important to me that you were happy.

And you said you wanted to put things right.

Yeah.

Well...

..I wanted to put things right because...

..I-I didn't want to be around any more.

And I didn't know how I was going to do it,

but I wanted to end everything.

I wanted to end my life.

God, Lois.

You really thought that?

I had nothing.

I had no-one.

You had Vera.

And all I could think about

is how I was going to damage her. How could you even think that?

I know this is hard.

And I know that it's even harder, because of what your dad did.

But I need you to know, I'm not thinking like that any more.

I'm not saying I'm not feeling, like, lost.

But I am fighting back.

And this...

Me being here.

That is part of me fighting back.

I'm so sorry.

You must have felt so lonely.

It was Kasia who made me realise I had to get away.

How is she?

How is Jan?

And Grzegorz? They are all fine, Harry.

That's the difference between us, Harry.

You've got somebody to miss.

Somebody waiting.

In that case, maybe you and I could swap uniforms

and I could take the next ship out, disguised as you.

Nice try, but you haven't got the legs for it.

I thought you'd be mad that I was here.

No.

No, I'm sad.

Sad that you feel like this is what you have to do.

And sad that you got so low,

you thought Vera would be better off without you.

And I'm sad we've made this mess between us.

Lois, you're part of me, and I'm part of you.

You always will be.

And I'm fighting this war for you just as much as for Kasia and Vera.

I want you to know that.

I don't need you to say that, Harry.

This is our war as much as it's yours.

Find your own reason to fight, Harry.

Just don't do it for me.

DISTANT VOICES

Stepney Town Hall.

Dance Night.

Saturday, November the 2nd, 1936.

My mate Kev said a bird had started going regular...

Shit!

He's escaped.

You didn't see him? No.

Well, it's lightened the load.

We have to go back. Oh, fuck that. He's made his choice.

In his underwear with no water? He must've fallen out.

Well, either way, we can't go back.

That is precisely what we are going to do.

Look where we are, sir! This is nowhere.

Turn the vehicle around.

We're running on fumes as it is.

Do you even know how far Tobruk is from here?

That's an order, Sergeant.

We're at war! With them!

And if we behave like them, what will we be if we win?

Alive, that's what.

You refused once before accepting my invitation to evacuate.

Didn't want to travel with brown-skinned men?

I'm not like that.

Don't make me out to be like that.

Then why did you refuse?

I was just trying...

You knew you would be safer with the whites.

Should we really be surprised that it was the Indian regiment who

were ordered to escort a supply truck near the enemy lines?

The value of a life

is the value of a life

is the value of a life.

Ich brauche Wasser.

IGNITION TURNS OVER

We walk.

Help!

Come on, we need some help over here!

Water, get some water quickly...

Him! Help him!

He's a British Officer!

You're supposed to go to him!

You go to him!

You're supposed to go to him!

You go to him!

No. No.

She is my stepdaughter only in name.

Come on. Come on.

You've got a kid. She needs her dad, not a hero.

You will discipline your men or you will all face the consequences.