We’re back in what I could call my cinematic happy place which is British WWII movies from the period ranging from the 1940’s to the late 1960’s. These are the sort of films that were on the TV on Sunday afternoons when we were having a family roast dinner or were the featured 10pm WWII movies if their themes were less suitable for lunchtime viewing.

‘Operation Amsterdam’ made in 1959 is one of those movies that is a classic of the British made WWII movie genre. The plot concerns an attempt by British intelligence and the Dutch legation in London to gather up as many industrial diamonds as they can from where they are stored in Amsterdam in the Netherlands and get them to Britain before the Germans can use them for producing war materiel.

This is a really well scripted movie with a great cast including Peter Finch and John Le Mesurier. Oh and look out for a young Melvyn Hayes of ‘It ain’t half hot Mum’ fame as a Dutch teenager.

Smuggled into a collapsing Netherlands by a British warship the British and their Dutch allies have to gather up the diamonds and get them away before the Germans get them. All this is set against a backdrop of the Germans advancing towards Amsterdam and problems being created for the diamond extraction team by Dutch fifth columnists.

I hope you enjoy this one as I did.