Bitter Victory

Bitter Victory (French title Amère victoire) is a 1957 Franco-American international co-production film, shot in CinemaScope and directed by Nicholas Ray.

Set in World War II, it stars Richard Burton and Curt Jürgens as two British Army officers sent out on a commando raid in North Africa.

During the Western Desert Campaign of World War II, two Allied officers in Egypt are interviewed to lead a dangerous commando mission behind German lines in Benghazi.

Major David Brand, a South African, is a regular army officer but lacks command and combat experience.

Captain Jimmy Leith, a Welshman, is an amateur volunteer with extensive knowledge of the area who speaks Arabic.

Major Brand's wife Jane is a Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) Flight Officer who enlisted to be near her husband.

The unit parachutes into Benghazi with the mission of attacking a German headquarters and bringing back secret plans from a safe to be opened by Wilkins, an experienced safecracker.

Dressed as local civilians, Brand's hand shakes with fright when he has to knife a German sentry; the deed is done by Leith.

The patrol ambushes a German detachment, capturing Oberst Lutze, whom Brand knows to be responsible for the secret documents.