On the eve of the Battle of El Alamein, Captain Tim Cotton, Michael Craig, leads a patrol on a high-stakes raid to destroy a German fuel dump tucked deep behind enemy lines. Joined by Captain Williams of the Royal Engineers, John Gregson, the team must contend with a minefield surrounding the petrol dump, and Williams, a regular soldier, gradually adapts to the LRDG’s non-regulation operating style. In Cotton’s billet, Williams discovers a torn picture of a girl, a reminder of what’s at stake, which Cotton dismisses as “old news.” Later, Williams shows Cotton a photo of his son, and Cotton responds that he has everything to live for.
The mission kicks off with five Chevrolet 30 cwt trucks, pushing through Axis-occupied Libya on a perilous course that tests nerves and machinery alike. Luftwaffe spotter planes and Africa Korps patrols sweep the route, and the convoy suffers heavy losses: six of their men are killed and two of the Chevrolets are destroyed by a German armoured car. Upon reaching the German supply depot, Williams coordinates the assault while Corporal Matheson, Barry Foster, helps carve a safe path through the surrounding minefield. The rest of the unit strikes the petrol stocks, but their escape is not without cost—the steadfast Sergeant Hardy, Ray McAnally, is killed in the withdrawal. Hidden within the depot, however, lies a formidable secret: a large quantity of German panzers await discovery.
Cotton cannot immediately report the true significance of the find, as a German ambush shatters their radio, leaving the team unable to contact base; to make matters worse, the wounded “Blanco” White, Percy Herbert, bears a severe leg injury. Still, the group understands the value of their mission and the urgency of getting the information back to base while there is time to act on it. They are relentlessly pursued by a determined German officer, George Mikell, whose pursuit deepens the danger of the retreat. In a brutal clash, two half-tracks close in as Cotton is wounded in the arm and Sergeant Nesbitt, Vincent Ball, falls in the line of duty. With only forty miles to go to the Allied base, the last truck runs dry of fuel, forcing a grim choice.
Blanco volunteers to stay behind and man a Vickers machine gun, a selfless act to slow the pursuers. Brody, Richard Attenborough, offers to stay with his friend, but Cotton insists that “Everyone who can goes on,” a line that steels the others for the risky return. Blanco’s sacrifice buys precious time as the last of the trucks pulls away toward safety. The remaining group, parched and exhausted, nearly falters—until a second LRDG patrol appears on a truck in the distance. Before they can signal, the Germans close in again, and Williams, John Gregson, grabs a Sten gun to draw fire away from the others.
In a decisive counter-move, the LRDG outflanks and destroys the pursuing half-track, but Williams is killed in the ensuing encounter. Cotton, realizing the cost of their mission, laments that Williams “had everything to live for.” The group presses on with the weight of the loss, and Cotton eventually reports the critical information—the presence of German tanks—to his commanding officer back at base. The tale closes with reflections on Williams’ sacrifice and the heroism that carried the unit through a brutal escape, as the opening barrage of El Alamein begins.
