[2] In a barrack room at a Battle Training Ground in England, a platoon of conscripts are complaining about blisters and are impatient to get into action with the enemy.

Sergeant Jack Watson tells them that they need a little bit extra to be successful in combat, which he illustrates with a story from his experience in the Western Desert Campaign.

As they work to free themselves, they are attacked by German aircraft, injuring Crawford and Johnson and setting fire to the lorry.

[3] In common with many Ealing productions of the time, the film used a largely unknown cast, only a few of whom were full-time professional actors.

[citation needed] Although the battle scenes were considered to be effective and particularly graphic at the time, the portrayal of the Italian soldiers was described by the Manchester Guardian as "impossibly instead of credibly cowardly".