‘Masterpiece’ film dubbed ‘James Bond in WWII’ is on BBC iPlayer | Films | Entertainment

Fans of war films have just under a month to catch up with an obscure yet riveting classic about a perilous strike against the Nazis during the Second World War.

After airing on BBC Two on Sunday (31st May) afternoon, it’s now available on iPlayer completely free of charge for the next 28 days and is unmissable for anyone who thinks they have seen all the best films about one of the most significant conflicts in world history.

Operation Crossbow was originally released in 1965 and follows the Nazis’ development of the V-1 flying bomb and V-2 rocket whilst British Intelligence agents attempt to infiltrate Germany’s research centre in Peenemunde to obtain military secrets and sabotage their weapon capabilities.

When Prime Minister Winston Churchill (played by Patrick Wymark) is alerted to rumours of the Germans’ flying bombs, he sends three volunteers, American, Dutch, and British, on an assignment to Peenemunde where they’re given the identities of dead men. However, their mission tests them in ways they couldn’t have imagined.

Though the mission depicted in the film is fictionalised, it’s based on a real British-American operation in which bombers targeted German weapons manufacturers during the later years of the war.

Classic screen stars George Peppard (Breakfast at Tiffany’s), Trevor Howard (Brief Encounter), John Mills (Great Expectations), Richard Johnson (The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas) and Tom Courtenay (Doctor Zhivago) make up the main cast, which also includes Italian cinema icon Sophia Loren making a special appearance.

Although it’s often forgotten about in lists of the best WWII films, a strong contingent of movie buffs consider it an underrated cinematic classic that’s well worth discovering.

Operation Crossbow is also notable for having German and Dutch characters speaking their own language with subtitles, setting it apart from the majority of war films from the era.

A 10/10 review from an IMDb user calls it “terrific” and “a remarkable film, a thinking person’s war movie”. They went on: “It keeps you on the edge until the spectacular ending which is as full of action as the rest of the film is full of intrigue.

“Everyone from the actors to the technicians are at their best in this epic. A good double-bill would be Guns of Navarone, though frankly, this is the more believable film.”

“This is a very, very underrated WWII movie,” someone else agreed. “All-star cast and worth every second of it.”

“Excellent World War II film as good as The Great Escape,” came a bold claim from another user.

Another enticing comparison came from a fan who said: “Could have been Bond in WWII. Exciting WWII adventure spy thriller resembles Bond films of the sixties. Elaborate underground German rocket base reminds me of a Ken Adam [Bond production designer] set.”

And a final viewer calls it a “masterpiece” WWII film. “Excellent production and attention to detail,” they wrote. “Good spy story with great cinematography and cast performances.

“Good visuals on the German V-1/V-2 efforts. Not too much Hollywood watering down of storyline. Nice short performance by Loren. One of the top 50 best WW2 movies ever. One of the top 250 best movies ever.”

For those who have already seen The Great Escape, The Dirty Dozen, and The Dam Busters countless times, make sure you give this under-appreciated but equally gripping classic a try this week.

Operation Crossbow is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.