The Battle of Britain is the focus of this Italian movie, originally titled La battaglia d’Inghilterra. During the British evacuation from Dunkirk, a small group of German saboteurs infiltrates and comes to England along with rescued British (and French) forces. Their target: the radar installations that give advance warning of planes heading to England to bomb British installations and cities as part of the preparations for the planned German invasion. Thus, though some screen time is given to aerial combat, much of the action of the movie takes place on the ground, with the saboteurs advancing their plans to destroy and disrupt British defenses and a group under the command of a British officer who found evidence of the infiltration taking steps to find the Germans and stop them. The pacing and direction keep things reasonably interesting throughout, although the subplot involving a romantic rivalry between the protagonist and a senior officer (Van Johnson, presumably brought in for name recognition) doesn’t contribute much.

  Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 116 for 2021.