I've been trying to identify a film I remember seeing on BBC TV in the 70s (one of those Saturday evening ones they used to show). It featured a raid by German paratroopers on a British base in the UK, with a vigorous running battle before they are all killed. The last paratrooper makes a discovery of ?invasion barges or some kind of waterborne secret weapon, but is killed by the hero (with his bare hands) while trying to make his escape. For years I assumed that the film was Attack on the Iron Coast, but having seen that on TV recently I found that it wasn't. Any suggestions gratefull received. Thanks JS
If you read the plot summary, it does appears to be "The Eagle has Landed" I remember Donald Sutherland playing the Irishman, Devlin as well as Michael Cane and Jenny Augutter. But it was been eons and my memory is going !! LOL Gaines
I recall it was a good movie, but not very realistic, and had an all-star cast. The Sutherland character did some sort of wierd zen-like thing when attack dogs were comming at him. He'd hold out his hand and whistle, and the dogs just stopped charging and became submissive. I've been trying to do that ever since, but without success...
I don't wish to cast any aspersion's, but the OP's description simply does not match The Eagle Has Landed except for the running gun battle (even this is a bit of a stretch as the Germans are trapped in a church at 'Studley Constable'). The last German is killed by gunfire and the Allied secret was a double for Churchill who was acting as a decoy so the real Winston could attend a meeting with FDR and Stalin. A better match would be The Eye of the Needle. Donald Sutherland plays a German agent who penetrates the Operation Fortitude secret (on film he takes pictures of Patton's dummy tanks) and tries to get to a German U-boat off a British coastal island. There are however still problems with this being the film. Made in 1981 it could not be seen on TV in the '70's. Also the spy was shot by a woman as he is about to row out to the sub. I suspect that either the OP has meshed both these movies in his mind (I've done this myself with other films) or he is thinking of a completely different film. Possibly a low budget television movie that was rarely or never shown outside Britain.
Thanks for the suggestions so far. Definitely not The Eagle Has Landed or Eye of the Needle. It had the distinct look of a 1960s war movie, and because I saw it on a black and white TV I'm sure it was shown before 1977. Pretty sure it's not a TV movie - British TV didn't really stretch to those in the 1970s, and the production values were quite high as I recall. Lots of gunfire, exploding stick grenades and the paras were in full Fallschirmjaeger kit.
I don't think it can have been Went The Day Well ( upon which a lot of The Eagle Has Landed was based ). WTDW is a British classic of WWII. This thread has had me scratching my head ; I reckon I've seen most war movies ( even the rubbish ones.. ) on TV but can't recall anything like this one.....
The OP said he watched on a Black and White TV, so it being B&W itself would not register.. I too cannot think of anything else my self.
I finally worked out which film it is - "Submarine X-1" from 1968. There is a Polish language version on YouTube. The Fallschirmjaeger attack starts at around the 48 minute mark. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VoQDivYmUk JS
