''They Raid by Night'' is a 1942 American

low-budget A low-budget film or low-budget movie is a motion picture shot with little to no funding from a major film studio or private investor. Many independent films are made on low budgets, but films made on the mainstream circuit with inexperienced or ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

film directed by

Spencer Gordon Bennet Spencer Gordon Bennet (January 5, 1893 – October 8, 1987) was an American film producer and director. Known as the "King of Serial Directors", he directed more film serials than any other director. Biography Born in Brooklyn, New York, Benne ...

and starring

Lyle Talbot Lyle Florenz Talbot (born Lisle Henderson, also credited Lysle Talbot; February 8, 1902 – March 2, 1996) was an American stage, screen and television actor. His career in films spanned three decades, from 1931 to 1960, and he performed on ...

and

June Duprez June Ada Rose Duprez (14 May 1918 – 30 October 1984) was an English film actress. Early life The daughter of American comedian Fred Duprez and Australian Florence Isabelle Matthews, she was born in Teddington, Middlesex, England, during ...

. It was from

Producers Releasing Corporation Producers Releasing Corporation was the smallest and least prestigious of the Hollywood film studios of the 1940s. It was considered a prime example of what was called "Poverty Row": a low-rent stretch of Gower Street in Hollywood where shoest ...

Plot summary

The story follows the insertion of

British Commandos The Commandos, also known as the British Commandos, were formed during the Second World War in June 1940, following a request from Winston Churchill, for special forces that could carry out raids against German-occupied Europe. Initially drawn ...

into

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

to rescue a Norwegian general (Gen. Heden) from captivity and take him to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

to lead the Free Norwegian Forces. The film opens with the execution of a British

spy Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangib ...

who was sent to support

partisan Partisan may refer to: Military * Partisan (weapon), a pole weapon * Partisan (military), paramilitary forces engaged behind the front line Films * ''Partisan'' (film), a 2015 Australian film * ''Hell River'', a 1974 Yugoslavian film also know ...

activities. A small team is assembled which consists of Capt. Robert Owen, a Canadian, Sgt. Harry Hall, a British and a Norwegian called Lt. Erik Falken. The team parachutes in and soon after arriving Falken is recognised by a local woman who reports them to her German lover and Dalberg, a

Quisling ''Quisling'' (, ) is a term used in Scandinavian languages and in English meaning a citizen or politician of an occupied country who collaborates with an enemy occupying force – or more generally as a synonym for ''traitor''. The word ori ...

. A team is sent to capture them but after they overpower their captors and free the general from the prison camp they are soon being pursued by the German authorities. Once on the road in a captured German car they are attacked and forced to take shelter after Heden is hurt. They send Falken to get assistance from a doctor but he is betrayed once again by the same woman whom he had known when growing up in his hometown. The Germans take Falken alive and, pretending to be the doctor they requested, capture Owen near the house they are hiding in. Hall manages to keep Heden in safety in the house. Owen misleads the Germans about their escape plans and after the Germans have realised their mistake they are surprised to find that the two prisoners have been freed by Dalberg. Owen and Falken manage to return to Hall and Heden and the party moves off to rendezvous with the incoming commandos and

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

boats. The film includes real footage from British Commando raids on German occupying forces in Norway in March and

December December is the twelfth and final month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and is also the last of seven months to have a length of 31 days. December got its name from the Latin word ''decem'' (meaning ten) because it was or ...

of 1941.

Main cast

as Capt. Robert Owen *

as Inga Beckering *

Victor Varconi Victor Varconi (born Mihály Várkonyi; March 31, 1891 – June 6, 1976) was a Hungarian actor who initially found success in his native country, as well as in Germany and Austria, in silent films, before relocating to the United States, where ...

as Col. Otto von Ritter *

George N. Neise George N. Neise (February 16, 1917April 14, 1996) was an American character actor. He made over 120 film and television appearances between 1942 and 1978. Early years Born in Chicago, Illinois, Neise was the son of Edwin Neise and Bertha Hagen. ...

as Lt. Erik Falken *

Charley Rogers Charles Rogers (15 January 1887 – 20 December 1956) was an English film actor, director and screenwriter, best known for his association with Laurel and Hardy. He was born in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England. In 1928, he joined the Laur ...

as Sgt. Harry Hall *

Paul Baratoff Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity * Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

as Maj. Gen. Heden *

Leslie Denison Leslie may refer to: * Leslie (name), a name and list of people with the given name or surname, including fictional characters Families * Clan Leslie, a Scottish clan with the motto "grip fast" * Leslie (Russian nobility), a Russian noble family ...

as Capt. Ralph Deane *

Crane Whitley Crane or cranes may refer to: Common meanings * Crane (bird), a large, long-necked bird * Crane (machine), industrial machinery for lifting ** Crane (rail), a crane suited for use on railroads People and fictional characters * Crane (surname), ...

as Doctor * Sven Hugo Borg as Dalberg *

Eric Wilton The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse languag ...

as Maj. Gen. Lloyd *

Pierce Lyden Pierce W. Lyden (January 8, 1908 – October 10, 1998) was an American actor best known for his work in television and film Westerns. Early life Lyden was born in a sod house on a ranch near Hildreth, Nebraska on January 8, 1908. The son of a hor ...

as Braun, Ritter's Aide * John Beck as Mr. Sandling, Beggar * Robert Fischer as Major Von Memel * Sigfrid Tor as German Lieutenant * Brian O'Hara as Lammet, Radio Broadcaster *

'Snub' Pollard Harold Fraser (9 November 1889 – 19 January 1962), known professionally as Snub Pollard, was an Australian-born vaudevillian, who became a silent film comedian in Hollywood, popular in the 1920s. Career Born in Melbourne, Australia, on 9 No ...

as Bertie, Messenger / Orderly *

Bruce Kellogg William Bruce Kellogg (April 13, 1910 – May 22, 1967) was an American actor. He was best known for playing the title role in ''The Deerslayer''. In the 1940s he was under contract to MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as ...

as Sentry

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:They Raid By Night Commandos (United Kingdom) 1942 films 1942 drama films American World War II films 1940s English-language films American black-and-white films Producers Releasing Corporation films World War II films made in wartime Films set in Norway Films about Norwegian resistance movement American drama films Films directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet