Secret Command

Sam Gallagher lands a position at the shipyard during World War II, with his brother Jeff reluctantly helping him secure the job. Unbeknownst to Jeff, Sam is actually an undercover intelligence officer assigned to root out saboteurs among the workers. The arrangement sets the stage for a clandestine operation under the guise of normal wartime labor.

Thane orders Sam to present a cover family: Jill McGann as his wife and refugees Joan and Paul as his children. This ruse is meant to help Sam blend in and track suspects without arousing suspicion. The plan also uses Jill as part of the cover and complicates personal relationships.

Miller discloses that Lessing, the yard's boss, and the safety inspector are actual enemy agents. He warns that the saboteurs are plotting something significant the day after the carrier arrives. He also hints at the broader danger while proving he cannot fully trust the information.

One saboteur loosens a large bolt on a crane, undermining the machine as it moves a heavy piece of equipment. The unsecured bolt endangers workers and escalates the tension of the undercover operation. The act signals that a larger conspiracy is in play.

As the crane operation continues, the bolt falls and Jeff struggles high above the water. Sam dives in and pulls his unconscious brother from the surge, risking his cover to save family. The rescue moment deepens the bond between brothers and raises the stakes for Sam's mission.

Simms, another saboteur, recognizes Sam from his past escape from a German camp. He follows Sam to his home and corners Sam and Jill at gunpoint. The confrontation exposes the danger of the ring and sets up the retaliatory action.

Jill strikes Simms with an object, killing him. The death is staged to look like a car accident and buys the team time to regroup. The dramatic event underscores the risk to Sam's cover and the imminent discovery by the spies.

The spy ring retreats to a remote location and considers their next move as they realize the danger is mounting. They confirm that their real leader is Gestapo Colonel Hugo Von Braun, nicknamed Brownie. This revelation shifts the focus to a single mastermind coordinating the network.

Von Braun kills Miller before Miller can reveal crucial information about the ring or its plans. The deception continues as the mastermind tightens his grip over the operation. Sam loses a potential ally, heightening the tension ahead of the final act.

In the darkness at Sam's home, Von Braun shoots Red Kelly by mistake, who dies but manages to tell Jill that the shooter was Brownie. The misdirection intensifies the sense that the mastermind is close and dangerous. Jill now has a concrete lead on Brownie's identity.

Thane and his men arrest the saboteurs they know are active just as they catch them in the act. Jill rushes to tell Sam that Brownie is among the conspirators. The net tightens around the ring as the day of the sabotage approaches.

Von Braun activates a bomb as a final show of force, but Sam confronts him in a struggle that ends in the water. Sam drowns Brownie and prevents the explosion just in time. The shipyard's safety is saved and the operation is foiled.

In the aftermath, Sam chooses to keep the pretend family and proposes to Jill, who accepts. The mission ends with a personal, hopeful resolution rather than just a professional victory. The war-time romance births a new family amid the danger they endured.