Seven Against the Sun

In February 1941, South African troops on the northern frontier of Kenya attempt to repulse an Italian invasion. The South African command deceives the enemy by purporting to have large numbers of troops in the area. To this end, a seven-man patrol is assigned to set up an Abyssinian communications center to broadcast false reports of troop movements. Young and inexperienced Lieutenant Mitchell, the only member apprised of the mission, leads the patrol. Under his command are the radio operator, Sergeant MacCarthy; veteran trooper Corporal Smit; drunken Private Irving; a playboy, Private Louw; a music lover, Private Harley; and a loner, Private Peters. En route to their destination, the men are joined by Nurse Bowley, the sole surviver of a native uprising. As Mitchell attempts to carry out his orders, complications arise. Smit threatens his command; Sergeant MacCarthy and Nurse Bowley fall in love; Louw is obsessed with women; Irving mixes medicinal alcohol with his drinking water; and Harley plays his phonograph continuously. All seven soldiers, however, finally distinguish themselves in battle.