Sahara (1943)

On a battlefield near Tobruk, Lybia, the radio operator of a tank gets word to retreat.  He calls out to Sergeant Gunn (Humphrey Bogart) to let him know.  Gunn and Waco are scavenging parts from the wreckage of another tank to make repairs on theirs.  While the artillery is still exploding about them, they make hasty repairs before driving south into the Sahara.  They come upon the ruins of a field hospital and recruit a variety of British soldiers from a variety of backgrounds.  Gunn is willing to take them along, though he will be in charge if they do come.  They agree.  Yet further along, they spot two men trekking through the desert.  There is Sgt. Tambul, a Sudanese soldier, and Giuseppe, an Italian prisoner.  Tambul knows the country and will be a useful resource for finding much needed water.  Giuseppe is just a liability and best left in the desert.  Or not?

There are a series of adversities to overcome as the tank crew and passengers try to rejoin the British Army.  Through this, each soldier has an opportunity to develop.  Jimmy the radio operator is from New York, Waco is from Texas, Sgt. Joe Gunn is from the US Army.  Captain Halliday hails from Ireland and has the most compassion of the soldiers, not surprising considering his profession.  Stegman hails from a dorp (village) in South Africa.  Clarkson (a very young Lloyd Bridges) has a girl named Katie back home. Williams is widely-read, not because he is well-educated but because he sets type for books; he is called professor.  Tambul is a Muslim but only has one wife.

The movie culminates in a battle over an oasis between the small band of Allied soldiers and a battalion of Germans.  Gunn says it's a hundred to one shot that any of them survive but it is their duty to slow the Germans down, delay them while the Allies regroup.  It is an intense battle.  However, this was one of my few qualms with the movie.  Why did the Germans attack from only one direction?  Had they encircled the oasis, it would have been no fight at all.  There was nothing to keep them from launching flanking attacks and certainly not enough defenders to do anything about it.

Excellent movie and definitely recommended.  Great popcorn fun.