"Greece and the islands of the Aegean Sea have given birth to many myths and legends of war and adventure." "And these once-proud stones, these ruined and shattered temples bear witness to the civilization that flourished and then died here." "And of the demigods and heroes who inspired those legends  on this sea and these islands." "But though the stage is the same, ours is a legend of our own times and its heroes are not demigods, but ordinary people." "In 1943, so the story goes  2, 000 British soldiers lay marooned on the island of Kheros  exhausted and helpless." "They had exactly one week to live." "In Berlin, the Axis had determined on a show of strength in the Aegean Sea  to bully neutral Turkey into coming into the war on their side." "The scene of that demonstration was to be Kheros  itself of no military value, but only miles off the coast of Turkey." "The cream of the German war machine, rested and ready  was to spearhead the attack." "The men on Kheros were doomed  unless they could be evacuated before the blitz." "But the only passage to and from Kheros  was guarded and blocked by two great newly designed, radar-controlled guns  on the nearby island of Navarone." "Guns too powerful and accurate  for any Allied ship then in the Aegean to challenge." "Allied Intelligence learned of the projected blitz  only one week before the appointed date." "What took place in the next six days became the legend of Navarone." "Yes?" "I'm looking for Commodore Jensen." "I'm Jensen." "Come in, MaIIory." "You're late." "I'm sorry." "Our plane was attacked an hour out of Crete." "We got into alex on one engine, sir." "The Germans have a price on you and Andrea Stavros of 1 0,000 pounds apiece." "How did you know that?" "I should do." "I'm your boss." "You've been working for me the past 18 months." "I'm delighted to make your acquaintance." "Did they say you were going on leave?" "Yes, sir." "They did." "well, I'm sorry." "I'm afraid that's not true." "Not yet, at any rate." "Here's your old chum." "Come and say hello to him." "You haven't changed since Athens." "hello, Roy." "Come along gentlemen, will you?" "Barnsby these gentlemen have an interest in Navarone." "We've heard you on radio, but perhaps you'II be more specific now." "I'II be specific." "As you can plainly see, it was bloody awful!" "Squadron Leader Barnsby's australian." "But we'd love to go back, wouldn't we boys?" "Sure!" "Right!" "Just as soon as we can!" "But only on one condition." "We want the joker who thought of this to come with us and when we get there we're gonna shove him out at 10,000 feet without a parachute." "bloody right." "It was bad as that?" "Bad?" "!" "It can't be done." "Not from the air, anyway." "You're sure about that, squadron leader?" "This is important." "So's my Iife!" "To me, anyway." "And the lives of these jokers here and the 18 men we lost tonight!" "Look, sir first you've got that old fortress on top of that bloody cliff." "Then you've got the bloody cliff overhang." "You can't even see the bloody cave, Iet alone the guns." "And anyway, we haven't got a bloody bomb big enough to smash that bloody rock." "And that's the bloody truth, sir." "I know how to hit those guns." "Yes?" "Yes, sir." "You fill a plane full of TNT and then you do a suicide dive right into that cave." "There's just one problem, sir:" "Getting someone to pilot the plane." "I see." "Perhaps you might consider it yourself." "Thank you, squadron leader, and all of you." "I know you've done your best, and nobody could have done more." "And I'm sorry." "As you've probably surmised, I'm the joker they'd heave out at 10,000 feet." "And I can't say I blame them." "I knew it was hopeless from the start, but it had to be tried." "Anyway, this is why you were hauled out of Crete." "And don't misIay this, will you?" "No, sir." "We're pressed for time." "Let's go, gentlemen, shall we?" "Any questions?" "only one." "Why me?" "What you want is a seagoing taxi driver." "Other men know these waters as well as I do." "Yes, but you've got special qualifications." "franklin'II explain it." "It's his idea, anyway." "First, you speak Greek and German." "Second, you've kept alive in occupied territory for a year and a half." "And before the war, you were the greatest mountain climber in the world." "" Keith MaIIory, the human fly."" "Come to the point, Roy." "The point is that our Resistance contacts on Navarone say there's only one spot on the coast the Germans don't watch:" "The South cliff." "It's 400 feet straight up and it can't be climbed by man or beast." "And that's where you come in." "That was your idea too?" "That's right." "I want you to get me and my team over there and on top of that cliff." "When you've done that, you can take a richly deserved leave and a Iong-overdue promotion." "I see." "Can you do it?" "No." "With all due respect, I think the operation is insane." "But that's not my business." "My business is to climb and I haven't climbed in five years." "That's a Iong time." "It's too long for this cliff." "And you're asking me to do it at night." "I wouldn't try it in broad daylight." "I'II have a go myself, then." "I've climbed a bit." "Don't be a fool." "You'd get yourself killed and your team along with you." "Then it's scrubbed?" "No, it's not scrubbed!" "It can't be." "Not now." "MaIIory this is our last hope." "The Germans won't expect a team of saboteurs at this late date." "Those 2,000 men on Kheros will die next Wednesday morning unless someone climbs the cliff." "There's nobody else we can get in time." "If there were, you wouldn't be here now." "I suppose it's too late to get Andrea Stavros to help me." "On the contrary." "I think you'II find him waiting for you in your hotel." "You think of everything." "I have to." "It's part of my job." "Thanks, Keith." "It's my pleasure." "Nothing I Iike better than a weII-organized setup." "You'II want to know about the team." "Sydney, would you get us some more coffee, please?" "franklin considers it the best team in the business." "I agree." "He himself is ideal for the job." "He's experienced and extremely capable." "Don't blush, Roy." "And best of all, he's lucky." "Aren't you lucky?" "If you say so, sir." "I do, indeed." "napoleon said once, when somebody was up for promotion to general "Yes, I know he's brilliant." "But is he lucky?"" "The emperor knew the value of luck." "Our Roy seems to have it." "Then make me a general, sir." "Patience, my dear boy, patience." "Now this is our corporal miller." "A chemistry professor in private life." "An absolute genius with high explosives." "He blew up RommeI's headquarters with no damage to the orphanage next door." "They don't come any better." "We tried to make him an officer." "He refused." "This is " Butcher" Brown, our mechanical marvel." "He's a genius with engines, machinery, radios, et cetera." "And the best man with a knife I've ever met." "He got his training in Spain." "The boys call him the Butcher of barcelona." "Private Spyro Pappadimos." "What's his particular genius?" "He's a born killer." "A useful man to have along on a job like this." "His father happens to be our chief resistance contact on Navarone." "The boy went to America to get an education." "I'm afraid he got the wrong kind." "well, there's the team." "Pirates and cutthroats, every one of them." "And of course, there's Lucky here." "And the redoubtable Mr. Stavros and yourself." "With every one of us a genius, how can we fail?" "You can't." "We're sending six destroyers through the Navarone channel next Tuesday to take the men off Kheros." "If those guns aren't spiked by then there'II be six more ships at the bottom of the Aegean." "There's your car, gentlemen." "Surprised?" "I didn't think I'd see you again so soon." "You thought you'd have to look for me?" "When the time came, I would find you." "What is this?" "We have to ferry some operators to an island called Navarone." "Do you know it?" "I know it." "I also know I have work to do on Crete." "Who's responsible for this?" "A major I used to know." "Name of franklin." "He's a man who still has to prove to himself he's a hero." "I'II speak to franklin." "Where do I find him?" "That's the man." "You can speak with him on the way." "Think they've got a chance?" "frankly, no." "Not a chance in the world." "I'II be surprised if they get halfway to Navarone." "It's just a waste of six good men." "However, it doesn't matter, considering how many have been wasted already." "I'm glad it's not my decision." "I'm only the middleman." "still, they may get there and they may pull it off." "Anything can happen in a war." "In the middle of absolute insanity people pull out extraordinary resources." "Ingenuity, courage, seIf-sacrifice." "Pity we can't beat the problems of peace in the same way." "It would be so much cheaper." "I never thought of it in just that way." "You're a philosopher." "No." "I'm just the man who has to send people out on jobs like this one." "Must have been delayed." "I'm sure he'II be here soon." "Major franklin?" "Right." "My name's Baker." "Sorry I was delayed." "Come with me, please." "It's been so comfortable, I hate to leave." "When you're all quite ready...." "Charming." "Just like an english country hotel." "Where does everybody else sleep?" "Nobody sleeps." "On your feet, professor." "We've got homework to do." "If you insist, major." "What are you doing, friend?" "Looking for dust?" "No, friend." "Microphones." "This is the British Army Post." "Don't you trust anyone?" "No." "That is why I have lived so long." "Mr. Stavros is colonel Stavros of the Greek 19th Motorized Regiment." "He outranks us all." "It is of no moment." "The 19th Regiment no Ionger exists, for the time being." "I beg your pardon, colonel." "Andrea." "please continue." "Right." "If you're ready, corporal." "Yes, sir." "Ready, sir." "Ready, willing and able, sir." "Champing at the bit." "Captain MaIIory and Andrea are responsible for getting us to where we're going." "I'II tell you where it is, and why we're going." "That is, if you really want to know, professor." "I'm all ears, sir." "AII ears." "We must avoid the coast road." "That means a 12-miIe trek to St. alexis, where Resistance people from the town of Mandrakos will come and meet us if they can make it." "Any questions?" "I have an alternative route to that place." "May I borrow your pencil, please?" "Does the major think this is possible?" "I see." "That's a thought, isn't it?" "well, Iet's reexamine the plan and see if we have any alternative." "Watch out!" "How long has he been there?" "I heard something ten minutes ago." "I thought my ears were playing tricks." "Then I heard it again." "Ten minutes?" "Brown, go and get Major Baker." "Yes, sir." "What's your name?" "What're you doing here?" "The major asked you a question!" "Answer the major." "Sounds like Kurdish." "I don't understand it." "I'II try Greek." "translation, please." "He doesn't speak english." "Why was he listening?" "What are you doing to that man?" "You know him?" "That's NicoIai, our laundry boy." "Is he the reason I've been disturbed?" "I've had a hard day!" "Does his job involve listening at keyholes?" "I don't believe it." "We caught him at it." "It was just idle curiosity." "He doesn't speak english." "Why does he listen?" "And why did he try to stab this man?" "I presume he was trying to defend himself." "In this part of the world, carrying a knife doesn't make you a criminal." "Let him go." "Major Baker, arrest this man and hold him incommunicado for a week." "After that, my advice is you kick him out of CasteIrosso." "Who the hell are you to give me advice, major?" "Then I'm asking you as a favour." "I'II consider it." "AII this cIoak-and-dagger stuff." "I said let him go!" "Pappadimos, have you got your silencer?" "Then use it." "Shoot the laundry boy!" "Are you crazy?" "And if the major gets in your way, shoot him too." "That's an order." "Captain, he's insane!" "surely you won't let him do this." "I can't stop him, he's in charge." "Anyway, I agree with him." "Of course, he doesn't have to shoot you." "He can just call our HQ and you'II be on a troopship home, as a private unless you give him your word that you'II do exactly as he says." "AII right." "If it means that much to you, you have my word." "Take him, sergeant!" "Stupid theatricaIs." "You're entitled to your opinion but I just saved your life." "I'm desperately sorry, gentlemen." "really, I am." "It's embarrassing." "Just look at it!" "No, it's exactly what we want." "They said you wanted a boat no one would notice, but that's a disgrace!" "Give me 36 hours, and I know I can lay my hands on a German E-boat in absolutely perfect condition." "I promise you, only one careful owner." "I can pop over to Rhodes and get it for you." "Won't the Germans have something to say about that?" "I suppose so, if they knew." "But I've got good connections there." "What do you say?" "No, thanks." "We can't wait." "Pity." "I'II get my chaps to help with your gear." "No, that's all right, thank you." "Right." "I get it." "special cargo and all that, what?" "well, good luck to you." "Brown?" "Yes, sir?" "What do you think?" "well, she's a bit of a monster, sir." "But I think I've got her worried." "comfortable, professor?" "Yes, thank you." "Matter of fact, the boys have almost finished." "Permission to speak?" "What about?" "well, the condition of this vessel." "talk to Captain MaIIory." "He's in charge of transportation." "Very good, sir." "I've inspected this boat and I think you ought to know I can't swim." "I'II keep it in mind." "Dead on ten, sir." "Hello, Lucky." "Hello, Lucky." "Report my signal." "Report my signal." "hello, George-Mike-WiIIiam." "Strength three." "Strength three, over." "Hello, Lucky." "High Flight reports Indians on warpath in your territory." "So please be careful." "Also, severe storms expected throughout your area tonight." "Repeat." "High Flight reports Indians on warpath...." "Ship ahoy!" "Go on working." "They'II have glasses." "Lower your sails!" "Lower your sails!" "We are coming aboard!" "It's knee-deep in the hold, but I think we'II manage." "You want a breather?" "WouIdn't mind." "Funny the way that German officer spoke english to us back there almost as if he knew who we were." "I had the same thought." "I think our friend Baker may have some explaining to do." "I shouldn't have done it." "What's that?" "Dragged you into this." "I'm sorry." "Forget it." "I was getting tired of Crete food anyway." "No, I'm stupid sometimes." "Even as a kid, I'd expect people to play the games I liked." "Then I'd get furious when they didn't." "well, now they have to, so why worry?" "Hot coffee!" "That's good." "I'm sorry, captain." "There's a serious shortage of cups aboard this ship." "I pointed out deficiencies in this vessel." "I remember." "Thanks." "My pleasure." "Any time you want another chat, about this boat, I mean, I'm available." "AII right." "And I still can't swim." "Don't mind him." "He doesn't mean anything." "I don't mind him as much as he seems to mind me." "Have you been together long?" "Since the beginning out here." "He's the best friend I have in this part of the world." "That's a pretty good partner you've got there yourself." "Yes." "We've been together a Iong time too." "You're lucky." "He's going to kill me when the war's over." "You're not serious." "Yes, I am." "So's he." "About a year ago, I gave a German patrol a safe conduct to get their wounded into hospital." "I still had some romantic notions about fighting a civilized war." "Anyway, they wanted Andrea pretty badly even then." "They shot their casualties, went to his house and blew it up." "He was out on a job, but his wife and three children were in the house." "They were all killed." "I helped him to bury them." "He didn't say a word to me." "Never looked at me." "But after it was over, he said that as far as he was concerned it wasn't the Germans who were responsible, but me." "Me and my stupid AngIo-Saxon decency." "He said what he was going to do, and when." "Do you think he still means to do it?" "He's from Crete." "Those people don't make idle threats." "I thought I was getting leave." "I was going to ask for transfer to another area." "Take some time to think, get ready for him." "And I messed that up." "I'm sorry." "That's all right." "It's gonna be a Iong war." "What makes you sure he's gonna wait that long?" "I'm not." "Not if he gets the right opportunity." "What I'm banking on is, that now all he wants to do is to kill Germans." "As long as I can be useful to him in that department he'II do his best to keep me alive." "I hope." "That's nice of him." "well, I can see his point." "The only way to win a war is to be just as nasty as the enemy." "I'm only worried we'II find out we're even nastier than they are." "I can't say that worries me." "well, you're lucky." "Think I better have a look at the hold." "Before miller tells me to!" "help!" "We've saved the explosives the guns and most of the ammunition." "I'm afraid we've lost the food and the medical supplies." "But if we rendezvous with the Resistance at St. alexis, they'II supply us with both." "Let's get out of this place as quickly as we can." "Pappadimos and miller, you'II have the first shift with the stretcher." "You're officially taking command, sir?" "Yes, I suppose I am." "Why?" "Just for the record." "This afternoon on the boat you fumbled your job." "How'd that happen?" "I don't know, sir." "The man was a foot away from you." "You only wounded him." "How could you miss?" "I must have hesitated, sir." "You hesitated?" "A man of your experience?" "The Butcher of barcelona?" "How could you hesitate?" "well, I was tired." "I'm tired and I'm fed up." "I've been fighting this war a Iong time." "I've been killing Germans since 1937." "There's no end to them." "Shoot a man at 200 yards, he's just a target." "You kill him with a knife you're close enough to smell him." "I smell them in my sleep." "After the Iast time, I made a pact with myself:" "I'd do my job." "But I wouldn't do the other anymore." "Not if I couId help it." "And who gave you the right to make a private peace?" "You think you're the only one who's tired?" "I do my job, sir!" "Your job is to kill enemy soldiers." "There will, of course, be a code word." "If we don't answer, a patrol will be here in no time." "Let's pack and get out." "Let's go." "well?" "The major's leg is broken in two places." "He could be hurt inside too." "He needs medical attention." "What do you suggest?" "Leave him for the Germans." "They'd get him to a hospital." "If he doesn't get suIfaniIamide, he doesn't stand a chance." "naturally, you all think a Iot of Major franklin." "So do I." "We have two choices." "We can take him, and if he doesn't get help, he'II die." "Or we can leave him here, and he'II tell the Germans everything." "Roy?" "Never!" "He might not be able to help himself." "They have other drugs besides suIfa." "AII they have to do is use scopolamine, and he'II tell them our whole plan." "There is, of course, a third choice." "One bullet now." "Better for him." "Better for us." "You take that man along, you endanger us all." "Why not drop him off the cliff and save a bullet?" "And why don't you shut up?" "Yes, there's a third choice." "We'II make it if necessary when it's necessary and not before!" "Now let's move!" "Brown, from now on your job is to look after Major franklin." "I said, move!" "Morning!" "I'm sorry." "Don't be silly." "It's just bad luck." "well, what do we do now?" "Where are we?" "We're on our way." "I'm going to hold you up." "No, you won't." "Anyway, the professor won the toss and he's dying to carry you." "That's right." "You're not nearly as heavy as I thought." "Now look you've got to leave me." "You're out of your mind." "It's radio time." "well, it's all on your plate now." "You'II never be able to thank me enough." "I wanted the job all the time." "Hello, Lucky." "Hello, Lucky." "Report my signal." "hello, George-Mike-WiIIiam." "Strength four." "Strength four, over." "Hello, Lucky." "This is most urgent." "Paddington Station will close at midnight, X minus one." "Do you understand?" "X minus one, over." "We've lost a full day." "Germans are gonna hit Kheros a day ahead of time." "Gives us until midnight, the day after tomorrow." "Message understood." "Message understood." "Over and out." "I'd Iike to be alone with the major." "Roy, that was foolish." "You almost ruined everything." "We've just heard, we're canceled out." "Scrubbed." "What?" "They're going for an amphibious landing the day after tomorrow on the east coast." "The Turkish side." "The Turkish side?" "And they're coming in force." "As far as we're concerned, the pressure's off." "AII we have to do is make as much trouble as we can." "By tonight, we'II have you in the hands of the underground." "We'II have you taken care of." "Try this again, I'II have Andrea break your other leg." "Good luck." "Do not worry." "I shall see you tonight at St. alexis." "Good evening, gentlemen." "obviously, this place has been used before." "Any food around?" "I regret to say no." "Weren't you careless?" "We might have been anyone." "I heard you coming five minutes ago." "No!" "Pappadimos, it's time to relieve Andrea." "I'II take it." "No." "Pappadimos you go." "Maybe he brought food." "hold it." "He might be faking." "Saved!" "Don't move!" "Raise your hands!" "Raise your hands high!" "AII of you!" "You there, with the food, speak!" "You are not Germans." "Which of you is Major franklin?" "The man on the stretcher." "Who are you?" "My name is Maria Pappadimos." "You may put your hands down now, gentlemen." "Pappadimos?" "They said Pappadimos was a man." "My father." "He was taken two days ago." "He was taken?" "He told them nothing." "He will die first." "You have sisters or brothers?" "A brother, Spyro, in America." "Oh, he's not as far away as all that." "He's that handsome devil right over there." "Spyro!" "Why did you do that?" "To remind you to write letters occasionally." "There's a war on!" "I mean before the war!" "I promised myself I would do this the first time I saw you again." "well, I'm sorry, brother." "Which of you did this?" "well...." "I'm afraid it was me." "Who is she?" "My friend, Anna." "She's one of us." "It's bad that this happened to her." "Before the Germans came, she was a schoolteacher in Mandrakos." "Last year, she was caught." "They tortured her to make her betray us." "They whipped her until the white of her bones showed." "Some nights, we could hear her screaming." "Then they kept her in the fortress for six months." "When they let her go she could not speak." "She has never spoken since." "Not even in her dreams." "Even I have never been allowed to see the scars on her back." "But she's a good fighter." "As good as any of you!" "Like a ghost, she goes anywhere!" "She got us these guns." "And she kills without mercy." "You are very lucky, brother." "No, they are the friends!" "Our friends!" "It's gangrene, sir." "If the leg doesn't come off, he'II die." "Does he know?" "I don't think so." "Sir I beg your pardon, but I haven't had a chance to talk to you alone." "I don't want to be left out anymore." "I want to be part of the team again." "please give me a chance." "You can trust me." "I'II think it over." "That's gangrene!" "What choice do we have now, captain?" "Who relieved you?" "She did." "In future, take orders only from me." "I asked you a question, sir!" "And I heard you, corporal." "Get yourself something to eat." "That's an order." "Thank you, sir." "There's a Iot of activity down there." "I can hear it." "They're turning Mandrakos inside out." "As soon as they move out, we'II move in." "We're gonna get you to a doctor." "Brown says that you are doing well." "Brown is a liar." "And so are you." "I haven't lost my sense of smell, you know." "I just hope the doctor's a good surgeon." "I wonder what old Jensen would say?" "My luck seems to have changed, doesn't it?" "I don't suppose I'II ever be a general now." "This franklin he's not a bad fellow." "No, not bad at all." "You're sure there's a tunnel there?" "They'II never find us." "well, they found us here." "Let's go." "Let's go!" "Oh, excuse me." "Where is this tunnel?" "Up here, sir." "Where does this lead to?" "We'II come out just behind Mandrakos." "AII right." "Let's keep going." "Anna?" "Anna?" "You're limping." "Are you hurt?" "Do you need help?" "Thank you, old bean." "Get off your behinds." "Think there's a fire escape?" "These are fine people." "Give up quietly, gentlemen." "unless you want many innocent people killed, as well as yourselves." "Turn around, please." "Captain MaIIory, you've made a remarkable effort." "unfortunately, it was doomed from the beginning." "will you tell me where you've hidden your explosives?" "No." "As your commanding officer, Captain MaIIory must play a heroic role." "You needn't carry such a burden." "You've all suffered a great deal." "Why prolong that suffering?" "For you, the war is over." "Another officer is coming to question you." "A captain in the SS." "His methods, quite frankly, are most severe." "None of you are in uniform." "Therefore, you're considered spies." "You know the penalty for espionage." "But if any one of you has the courage to tell me where the explosives are I promise, you will not only save your own life but the lives of your comrades." "This will be your only chance." "I do advise you to take it." "please, sir!" "I am no spy!" "I am not one of them!" "You yeIIow" "Go on." "Sir, I swear to you, sir I'm just a poor fisherman." "Two days ago these men killed my sailors and stole my boat." "They forced me to join them." "Sir, I am their prisoner!" "Where did you learn your english, fisherman?" "In Cyprus, sir." "I swear to you, it's true." "Aren't you Andrea Stavros?" "colonel Stavros?" "Oh, no." "No, sir." "My name is Nondus SaIonikus." "I told you, I'm a fisherman from Cyprus." "Then how do you happen to wear a shoulder holster?" "They forced me to wear it and made it a kind of joke." "Where are the explosives?" "I swear, sir I would tell you if I knew." "But see, they didn't say." "The truth is, sir, they don't trust me." "I don't blame them." "The commandant will telephone to congratulate you, MueseI." "Thank you." "I've questioned them about the explosives, but they refuse to answer." "The Greek claims he is not one of them." "Now you!" "You are not of this company, you say?" "No, sir, I'm not." "You are a liar!" "But Your ExceIIency" "A liar!" "Come, come." "That didn't hurt." "Where are the explosives?" "I don't know, Your excellency." "Your excellency, I swear I do not know!" "I am not one of these men!" "They forced me to join them." "As I explained to the captain I'm just a poor fisherman from Cyprus." "My name is Nondus SaIonikus." "I swear to you." "These men stole my boat and then they forced me to join them." "Your ExceIIency" "Your excellency, I am their prisoner!" "Where are the explosives?" "I want an answer now, or I'II personally rearrange this officer's splints." "Very well." "I can't!" "please, I can't!" "I can't!" "Get up!" "I'm sick!" "I'm sick!" "Get up!" "please!" "Oh, I'm sick!" "But I'm sick!" "No, please!" "please, I'm sick!" "I'm sick!" "I'm sick!" "call the sentry in." "Now, Oberleutnant get on the phone." "tell them you're not to be disturbed until you give further orders." "Remember I speak German perfect." "Not very hygienic, I must say." "Shocking taste in undies too." "Ah, well...." "Heil, everybody!" "Roy we're gonna leave you here." "I understand." "We're gonna let them chase us around for a while." "But the one thing they mustn't know is about the landing tomorrow night." "Of course." "Don't worry." "Oh, thanks." "Good luck." "hold it." "We'II leave Major franklin behind." "He's a wounded officer." "I expect him to get medical attention." "We don't make war on wounded men." "We're not all like Hauptmann SessIer." "Now, where's the camp radio station?" "I will not tell you." "You wouldn't hesitate to kill me for any number of reasons." "But not this one." "In any event, I will not tell you." "So long, Roy." "Good luck, Keith." "well, Lucky, I shall miss you." "Try to be a bad patient, will you?" "Keep on asking for bedpans." "Drives them mad." "I'II keep it in mind." "When this is over, you'II buy me a lunch." "Roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, a nice little red wine...." "Steak and kidney pie." "Anything you say." "You'II be paying for it." "And you, colonel, what a performance." "AII right." "I hope you were right to leave franklin with the Germans." "Sir?" "Yes?" "No, not you, sir." "Mr. Stavros." "tell me about yourself." "What do you want to know?" "Are you married?" "I have been married." "My wife and children were killed." "Have you killed many people?" "only Germans." "Oh, some italians too." "Captain MaIIory?" "Yes?" "You are a lucky man." "Yes, I know." "Mr. Stavros?" "Yes?" "I Iike you." "I Iike you too." "I don't know." "well, baby face, I never would have known you." "You better get rid of that fuzz under your nose." "No, I'm an officer, remember?" "You just picked the wrong uniform." "Lights out in five minutes." "I want you as weII-rested as possible." "Now, first thing in the morning we'II ditch the truck and get hold of another car." "Then we'II pick up the explosives and go into Navarone." "We've got to be inside the fortress by 10:00 tomorrow night." "Might one inquire how?" "We're gonna walk in." "simply because of this masquerade?" "No." "Because I told franklin our orders had been changed." "That we weren't after the guns." "That we were just to create a diversion for an assault tomorrow night on the Turkish side." "Now if my hunch is right the Germans will give him scopoIamine and that's what he'II tell them." "They may not believe it, but they'II be faced with the fact that he does." "Now I'm gambling that they'II clear out of Navarone and take up positions on the coast." "Very clever." "But that still leaves the garrison inside the fortress and we get them out by having Andrea, Pappadimos and Brown start up diversions all over Navarone." "If there's enough confusion going MiIIer and I should have a chance to break in." "At the same time, the girls will steal the fastest boat they can find so we all have a chance of getting out when this thing is over." "Very clever, indeed." "Suppose they don't have any scopoIamine?" "What happens then?" "Suppose they use the oId-fashioned methods?" "Suppose your ventriIoquist's dummy just won't talk because he's a good man?" "He won't be easy to break!" "He may take a Iot of punishment before he tells them our plan!" "He may even die on them and tell them nothing at all!" "Have you considered that?" "Yes, I have." "I'II bet you have!" "I'II bet you've considered that as far back as the cliff!" "You and your three choices." "I'II bet that's why you dragged him around with us all this time!" "If he lives, he'II never be the same again!" "Do you know what you've done?" "You've used up an important human being!" "Oh, I misjudged you." "You're rather a ruthless character, Captain MaIIory." "I didn't think of it back on the cliff." "But if I had I'd have done the same thing." "It's our only chance!" "well, right now I say to hell with the job!" "I've been on 100 jobs, none of which altered the war." "There've been 1,000 wars and there'II be 1,000 more, until we're all dead." "I don't care about the war anymore." "I care about Roy!" "And if Turkey enters on the wrong side?" "So what?" "Let the world blow itself to pieces, as it deserves!" "What about the 2,000 men on Kheros?" "I don't know them." "But I do know the man on Navarone!" "Mr. miller, the man was finished when he fell." "That's easy for you to say, sitting there, drinking coffee!" "It's funny." "I was grateful when you left him behind today." "I just hope before this job's over that I get the chance to use you the way you've used him." "I'm sorry, but I couldn't think of any other way." "Everybody get a good night's sleep." "No matter how it goes tomorrow you're gonna need it." "I'II take the first watch." "hello." "tell me, schoolteacher from a purely moral point of view bearing in mind that we represent goodness and civilization do you think that what I did was a civilized thing to do?" "They are burning Mandrakos in punishment." "This part of town has been evacuated because the guns' vibrations has weakened the houses." "Where will the attacks come?" "On the Turkish side." "What time?" "What time?" "Is the timetable clear?" "Any questions?" "Good luck." "I won't be needing this." "You take it." "Spyro." "Andrea." "Everybody stay where you are." "The party's over." "Somebody's stepped on the cake." "Exhibit A:" "A clockwork fuse." "elementary and archaic, but they work." "This one won't work anymore." "Know why?" "The clock's okay, but the contact arm's broken off." "It could tick until Christmas and not even set off a firecracker!" "Exhibit B:" "Exhibit B is missing." "AII my slow burning fuses are gone." "Disappeared!" "Vanished!" "Exhibit C:" "My time pencils." "75 grains of fulminate of mercury in each of them." "Enough to blow my hand off." "And very unstable, very delicate." "Which means there's a traitor in this room." "You're crazy." "It happened at base." "No, I'm not that crazy!" "I checked it all before I Ieft base." "No, here." "Here!" "Someone here." "But who?" "Who?" "This stuff's only been out of my sight two times." "Once was when Andrea and Maria took it away to hide it." "But it was all right when we picked it up again." "The only other time was when we left it in the truck and we scouted the gates." "AII of us!" "Except her." "We left her on guard in the truck alone." "You are crazy, sir!" "Let me just think for a moment." "Since we got here, we've jumped out of one frying pan into another." "Just think...." "We were hiding in the carob grove and she's up in a tree." "Remember?" "Anybody can signal an airplane with tin or a mirror." "And they found us there, didn't they?" "And then in the tunnel." "In the tunnel she lagged far behind, with a shocking limp." "Seen her limping lately?" "But being behind us, she could leave some messages." "So when you take Roy to the doctor, the Germans are waiting for you." "When she takes us to her place, they come there." "But she got us out." "Of course!" "That house would be a shambles and she'd be dead with us." "So what does she do?" "She disappears into the bedroom to change her clothes and to leave a little note." "She takes us to the wedding and we're caught because we can't get to our guns!" "But even if we can, we slaughter half of Mandrakos!" "You are an insane man!" "Am I?" "Maybe I am." "Nothing surprises me anymore." "We can settle this thing very easily." "Let's see those scars the Germans made on her back those terrible scars." "How about it, Maria?" "Don't you want to see those scars?" "Q.E.D." "You cannot believe it?" "believe it." "I cannot stand pain." "It's easy to be brave when you're free, when you're with friends." "But I was caught." "The others were free but they didn't help me." "I was alone." "I was alone in their hands." "They said they would put me into their brothels." "They said they would torture me." "I saw what they did to other people." "I'm sorry." "I cannot stand pain." "When we got here why didn't you put in with us?" "You could have come with us!" "It was your only chance to get free of them!" "There was never any chance." "You never had any chance!" "It was hopeless from the beginning." "You'II never get out of here!" "Never!" "I tried to tell you last night." "Can you do anything at all?" "I don't know." "There's always some way to blow up explosives." "The trick is not to be around when they go off." "But aren't you forgetting something, captain?" "The lady." "As I see it, we have three choices:" "One, we can leave her here." "But she might be found." "And in her case they won't need a truth drug." "Two, we take her with us." "But that makes things more difficult." "And three...." "well, that's Andrea's choice." "Remember?" "You really want your pound of flesh." "Yes." "Yes, I do." "I just couldn't manage to get to sleep last night." "If you're anxious to kill her, do it!" "I'm not anxious to kill her." "I'm not anxious to kill anyone." "See, I'm not a born soldier." "I got trapped." "You may find me facetious but if I didn't make some bad jokes, I'd go out of my mind." "No, I prefer to leave the killing to you." "An officer and a gentleman." "A leader of men, a hero." "If you think I enjoy this, you're mad!" "I never wanted it." "I was trapped like you, or anybody in uniform." "You wanted it." "You're an officer, aren't you?" "I'II never want the responsibility of an officer." "Then you've had a free ride all this time." "Someone's got to be responsible." "Do you think it's easy?" "I don't know!" "I'm beginning to wonder who is responsible to do the dirty work." "Is the man who gives the orders guilty, or the one who has to do it?" "We've no time for this." "Now just a minute!" "If we're gonna get this job done, she has got to be killed!" "And we all know how keen you are on getting the job done." "I've never killed a woman before, traitor or not and I'm finicky." "So why don't you do it?" "Why don't you let us off for once?" "Come on, be a pal." "Be a father to your men." "Come down off your cross, close your eyes and pull the trigger!" "What do you say, sir?" "You all know what you have to do." "Get started." "Brown, you go with Maria." "Now, you know when you put on a uniform and learn how to do it it's not hard to kill anyone." "Sometimes it's harder not to." "You think you've been getting away with it all this time, standing by." "well, son your " bystanding" days are over." "You're in it now, up to your neck!" "They say you're a genius with explosives." "Start proving it!" "You got me in the mood to use this thing and by God, if you don't think of something, I'II use it on you!" "I mean it." "Go on." "You stay here." "I'II call you if I need you." "Whatever you say, sir." "Spyro!" "Detonators, sir, please." "I'II be finished here in about 30 seconds." "miller?" "miller!" "Yes, what is it?" "What are you doing?" "They'II search those guns first and find my stuff." "They're not stupid." "But if they remove it carelessly, they could have the same result." "But I'm banking on this job being our insurance." "What happens?" "would you bring down the hoist?" "Whoa, that's enough!" "See this bottom runner?" "When they send this hoist down for shells or charges, it'II come here." "It'II hit these two wires and we get a circuit that'II send up all my plastic explosives here plus this little item that I borrowed here." "They won't see these wires under the grease." "Are you sure it'II work?" "No guarantee, but the theory's perfectly feasible." "But if this stuff goes up everything else in this place will go up with it." "Suppose you don't get a contact?" "Then I'II be responsible for sinking one of the destroyers maybe the whole lot of them." "I'm sorry, sir." "It's the only way I know to get the job done." "As you said, I'm in it now up to my neck." "Hurry up." "Go ahead." "After you." "Remember?" "I can't swim." "You won't let me drown, will you?" "I can't make it." "My arm...." "Come on, man." "Take it!" "Grab it!" "Spyro's dead, isn't he?" "What happened?" "He forgot why we came here." "And now you're going back to Crete?" "Yes." "Come with us." "With us?" "With me." "I must go back." "You saw what the Germans did to Mandrakos." "Navarone will pay heavily for your success tonight." "Come on, I'II give you a hand." "I'm going back." "The job is finished." "Your job is finished." "What chance do you think you have of staying alive back there?" "I'm not so easy to kill." "well, the boys on Kheros will be happy soon." "It'II be crowded, but there's nothing like an ocean voyage:" "Fresh air, good food, deck sports, pretty girls...." "I'd Iike to offer you my apologies and my congratulations." "The truth is, I didn't think we could do it." "To tell you the truth, neither did I."