Tobruk (1967)

Anthony Ashdown: Lt. Boyden

Quotes 

• Lt. Boyden : [asking about mortar setup]  Everything OK?

  Alfie : Ah, Leftenant Boyden Sir, if you don't mind me asking. What's the old man up to now then?

  Lt. Boyden : A lovely scheme Alfie. A lovely scheme. He's going to stir up a bit of fighting between the Italian's and German's.

  Alfie : Well, how's he going to do that then Sir?

  Lt. Boyden : First we open fire on the German's. Then our mortars hit the Italian's. Now the Italian's see the German column and vice versa. So both of them get to thinking its the British on the other side that's doing all the firing, you see?

  Alfie : And they get themselves a bloody battle going.

  Lt. Boyden : [laughing]  Right.

  Alfie : Blimey, do you think we'll make it Sir?

  Lt. Boyden : Know any good prayers Alfie?

• Lt. Boyden : Colonel Harker, Sir. Major Craig and Captain Bergman reporting.

  Colonel Harker : Oh thank you Boyden. Bergman. Hello Craig, good of you to come. I'll get right to it. Sometime ago you submitted a plan to Staff outlining a proposed raid on the German fuel bunkers at Tobruk.

  Major Craig : In its infinite wisdom, Staff turned my plan down.

  Colonel Harker : Things do have a way of changing though don't they Major. Rommel is 90 miles from Suez. Every shell, every gallon of petrol he gets has to come 300 miles from Tobruk. The RAF is doing its best, but still too much is getting through. So we're going to have a go at Rommel's source of supply.

  Major Craig : laughing

  Colonel Harker : Did I say something to uh, provoke humor?

  Major Craig : Staff has a genius for sitting on its brains and coming up with perfect hindsight.

  Colonel Harker : Would you care to expand on that?

  Major Craig : When I submitted the plan we could have blown up their fuel bunkers with a handful of men. How in hell are we supposed to get through their defenses now?

  Colonel Harker : Drive through Major. Disguised as prisoners of war, guarded by Captain Bergman's personal Afrika Korps. The plan will still basically be yours, except now it will be maximum effort land, sea and air.

  Major Craig : Colonel, can you direct me to the nearest bus stop?