***SPOILERS***Excellent portrayal of the 242 day siege of Tobruk with Richard Burton as British Captain Tommy MacRoberts holding the line against wave after wave of attacking German and Italian assaults on the Lybian port city of Tobruk. There's again James Mason as German General Irwin Rommel leading the charge against the port city that he needs to supply his troops for his planned capture of Egypt and it's Suez Canal that can knock Great Britain out of the war.
With almost 90% of the troops under his command being Australians the British Captain MacRoberts needs to win their respect before their willing to risk their lives for him. One of those Aussies is MacRoberts former school teacher Tom Bartlett, Robert Newton, who's now a helpless drunk but wants MacRoberts to put him on the front lines to both overcome his drinking problem as well as get his courage back.
Ordered by the nameless general in charge-Leslie Morshead-in the films closing credited played by Robert Douglas to hold Tobruk at all costs and promoted to Let-Coronal MacRoberts is almost killed and eventually captured by the Germans and gets to have a chat with the German General Rommel about how helpless his situation is. That's before he and fellow British POW Sgt. Blue Smith, Chips Rafferty, escapes when the truck he's on is strafed by the RAF on it's way back to German controlled Benghazi. Back to the British lines Let-Col. MacRoberts now waits for the final attack by German/Italian forces on "Fortress Tobruk" knowing that if he and his men, who he has now gained their respect,can't repel their advance Britain and its both colonies as well as Commonwealth is kaput!
P.S The British and Australian troops do hold off Rommels assaults on Tobruk and eventually were relieved on November 27, 1941 in "Operation Crusader" lead by British General Auchinleck-Known as the "Auk"-after suffering some 6,000-Mostly Australian- casualties in the 242 day siege. With the Afrika Korps losing almost twice and many men in the desert fighting.
With almost 90% of the troops under his command being Australians the British Captain MacRoberts needs to win their respect before their willing to risk their lives for him. One of those Aussies is MacRoberts former school teacher Tom Bartlett, Robert Newton, who's now a helpless drunk but wants MacRoberts to put him on the front lines to both overcome his drinking problem as well as get his courage back.
Ordered by the nameless general in charge-Leslie Morshead-in the films closing credited played by Robert Douglas to hold Tobruk at all costs and promoted to Let-Coronal MacRoberts is almost killed and eventually captured by the Germans and gets to have a chat with the German General Rommel about how helpless his situation is. That's before he and fellow British POW Sgt. Blue Smith, Chips Rafferty, escapes when the truck he's on is strafed by the RAF on it's way back to German controlled Benghazi. Back to the British lines Let-Col. MacRoberts now waits for the final attack by German/Italian forces on "Fortress Tobruk" knowing that if he and his men, who he has now gained their respect,can't repel their advance Britain and its both colonies as well as Commonwealth is kaput!
P.S The British and Australian troops do hold off Rommels assaults on Tobruk and eventually were relieved on November 27, 1941 in "Operation Crusader" lead by British General Auchinleck-Known as the "Auk"-after suffering some 6,000-Mostly Australian- casualties in the 242 day siege. With the Afrika Korps losing almost twice and many men in the desert fighting.