FORCE TO FROM NAVARONE

Another superb World War II suspense and action flick-bound saga--clean as a bound's tooth, fast as a ferret a worthy sequel to The Guns of Navarone. Barely has the Navarone crew pulled away from the shore when they are roped in, dog-tired, to be briefed on another assignment for British Intelligence this time in Yugoslavia. The project--to con the Germans into believing that the Yugoslav underground force will try to break out of their mountainous trap by a different direction than planned. Mallory, with his five cohorts, tangles wits with a German Intelligence officer in German territory, contacts the patriots, who don't know that Mallory knows that the Germans know--but don't think Mallory knows--Mallory's identity. Und so weiter. The whole matter closes with a trek through snow, on a runaway locomotive, on and off ponies, to blow up a dam. The dam operation, with several killings a page and tortorous physical exertions, wipes out a German armored division. In an epilogue the men are pointed toward another mysterious assignment which we shall undoubtedly be let in on next year. Top time clock tension from a pro.