Taxi for Tobruk

The film opens by placing the story on Christmas Eve in 1941, introducing the ensemble of characters and hinting at the hardship to come. The mood is quiet and tense, as soldiers await what the war will demand of them. The events set the stage for the fate that will unfold across the next year.

In October 1942, the Free French LRDG commando attacks a German position near Tobruk, and the commanding lieutenant is killed. The four remaining men are left to fend for themselves in the Libyan desert. They begin a perilous journey with little to no supplies.

As they stumble toward El Alamein, a German aircraft flies overhead. Ramirez fires a machine gun that hits the plane, but the aircraft retaliates by setting their vehicle on fire. The crew loses their radio and water, forcing them to improvise for survival.

With dwindling supplies, the group splits into two pairs: Dumas and Ramirez trek on foot while Gensac and Goldmann stay behind, seemingly resigned to a grim fate. The division underscores the perilous odds and the uncertainty of rescue.

After a long march, they spot vehicle tracks and ambush a German patrol, killing four soldiers. They discover and take prisoner a German officer, von Stegel, who had escaped the massacre. They bury the dead and push on toward the British lines with their captive.

Von Stegel warns them they are entering a region of soft sands, but the commandos ignore the warning and press on. The vehicle becomes stuck, and they are suddenly running low on fuel as they near the British lines.

With fuel dwindling, they manage to slip into an enemy convoy to steal supplies. They exit the convoy as French prisoners, and a moment of recognition reveals Goldmann among the group.

During another stalling moment, Captain von Stegel seizes the vehicle and takes the four Frenchmen as prisoners, heading back toward Tobruk. Dumas sabotages the vehicle, and the others refuse to free it, leading to a tense standoff. After a long observation, the captain falls asleep, and the four Frenchmen regain control.

The group encounters a minefield and hesitates, briefly retreating before continuing. The German officer saves Dumas from a mine detonation, while Gensac is seriously wounded by an explosion.

Near El Alamein they pause to tend François’ wounds. Dumas grapples with the idea of handing the German officer over to the authorities, and he contemplates an alternative escape instead.

An Allied armored vehicle spots the German car and delivers a direct hit, destroying the vehicle and killing all four occupants. Dumas emerges as the sole survivor, haunted by the ordeal.

The film closes with a victory parade. Dumas, visibly shaken, is rebuked by a spectator for keeping his cap on as troops pass. He replies that he was thinking about something else, underscoring the lasting memory of the expedition.