Handlung

During World War II, British Intelligence brings a crew of ex-soldiers out of retirement, using their age as cover, to take to the seas and pull off an unlikely undercover mission in neutral Goa.

In March 1943, in World War II, the Germans use the neutral harbor of the Portuguese colony of Mormugoa to transmit information to a U-Boat about the allied ships to sink them in international waters. In Calcutta, the British Intelligence assigns Colonel Lewis Pugh (Gregory Peck) and Captain Gavin Stewart (Sir Roger Moore) to spy in Goa and they discover that there are three German vessels anchored in the area and the famous spy Trompeta (Wolf Kahler) is based in Goa. They kidnap Trompeta to interrogate him, but Lewis accidentally kills the spy after fighting with him in the runaway car. Meanwhile, Gavin has a one night stand with the gorgeous and elegant Mrs. Cromwell (Barbara Kellerman), who is the partner of Trompeta. They fail in their mission, but Lewis and Gavin convince their chief to use the veterans from Calcutta Light Horse led by the retired Colonel W.H. Grice (David Niven) to travel to Goa on board of the old ship Phoebe, pretending to be drunken businessmen on vacation. They prepare to destroy the Ehrenfels and the two other Nazi radio ships and get the German secret codes under the command of Lewis. Meanwhile, Gavin on shore has a love affair with Mrs. Cromwell and prepares the diversion to facilitate the mission of Lewis and his men.—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Based on a true story from World War II, British Intelligence determines that one of three German merchant ships anchored in a harbor of the Portuguese colony of Goa is transmitting information on Allied shipping to U-boats, which in turn are sinking tons of valuable materiel. Because Portugal is a neutral nation, British forces cannot attack the ship openly, so the task of destroying it falls to the Calcutta Light Horse regiment. Trevor Howard, Sir Roger Moore, David Niven, and Gregory Peck star as military officers brought out of retirement to execute the attack on the Ehrenfels.—ETO Film Buff

This true story follows the exploits of a top secret British military mission to destroy Nazi radio ships in a neutral harbor during World War II. The daring plan is led by British Intelligence officers Colonel Lewis Pugh (Gregory Peck) and Captain Gavin Stewart (Sir Roger Moore). Since the ships are in neutral territory, the British Military command, while encouraging the scheme, must deny any knowledge of it if it fails. Pugh and Stewart enlist the aid of retired officer Colonel Bill Grice (David Niven) and some of his former soldiers. On the pretext of being on a fishing expedition, these seemingly drunken old men in civilian clothing must board and destroy three Nazi ships, whose radio transmissions have resulted in Nazi submarines sinking Allied ships. While Stewart arranges a diversion on shore, Pugh and Grice carry out the dangerous raid on, and destruction of, the Nazi ships.—E.W. DesMarais <jlongst@aol.com>