'Action' drama set in the period of the confrontation with Indonesia.

Establishing scenes show enemy soldiers carrying out an interrogation in a native village - they torture and kill a villager and raze some of the huts. A British patrol, alerted by the gunfire, arrive to discover the enemy has fled. The greater part of the film follows the subsequent pursuit through the jungle. An enemy ambush is foiled by the Lieutenant in command who, growing suspicious, orders his men to disperse. However, in the ensuing exchange of fire, the Lieutenant is wounded and Corporal Anscombe is obliged to take command. Reinforced by a combat tracker dog team, Anscombe leads his men in pursuit of the fleeing enemy, follows them to their camp and, although outnumbered, leads a successful - albeit somewhat premature - attack which scatters the enemy and carries the encampment. The film explains the rudiments of jungle warfare - the importance of helicopter transport, use of patrols and dog teams, tactics of ambush, etc. - while embellishing the original incident with fictional elements common to recruiting films - the non-commissioned man successfully taking on responsibility, the reluctant soldier who becomes enthusiastic after his first taste of action.

Notes

Production: made at and with the assistance of the Jungle Warfare School, Far East Land Forces, and men of the 1st Battalion the Scots Guards, 1st Battalion the Durham Light Infantry, 2nd War Dog Training Unit RAVC, Gurkha Demonstration Company JWS and 103 Squadron RAF. Story based on an action carried out on 23/24 January 1964 by Second Lieutenant Michael Peele and men of 9 and 6 Platoons, 1st Royal Leicesters in Sabah, Borneo.

Documentation/associated material: details of the historical action may be found in 'The Undeclared War', by Harold James and Denis Sheil-Small, pp 102-104. By the time this film was made the 1st Royal Leicestershire Regiment had been merged into the 4th Royal Anglian Regiment.