A training film for OSS agents who are to be dropped behind enemy lines, covering cover and concealment, ambush techniques, etc.
Looking for something really scary to watch? See which horror movies and TV series IMDb users are excited about in Scary Good, IMDb's Horror Entertainment Guide.
User Lists
Related lists from IMDb users
Share this Rating
Title: How to Operate Behind Enemy Lines (1943)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
Photos
Add Image
Add an image
Do you have any images for this title?
Learn more
More Like This
Let There Be Light
(1946)
Documentary
|
War
Director:
John Huston
Stars:
Walter Huston,
Benjamin Simon
The Battle of Midway
(1942)
Documentary
|
Short
|
War
Director:
John Ford
Stars:
Henry Fonda,
Jane Darwell,
Logan Ramsey
Know Your Enemy - Japan
(1945)
Documentary
|
History
|
War
Directors:
Frank Capra,
Joris Ivens
Stars:
John Beal,
Howard Duff,
Walter Huston
The Negro Soldier
(1944)
Documentary
|
Drama
|
War
Director:
Stuart Heisler
Stars:
Gertrude Elise Ayer,
Richmond Barthé,
Erich Borchmeyer
Prelude to War
(1942)
Documentary
|
War
Directors:
Frank Capra,
Anatole Litvak
Stars:
Walter Huston,
Victor Bulwer-Lytton,
Kai-Shek Chiang
Documentary
|
History
|
War
Director:
William Wyler
Stars:
Stanley Wray,
Robert Morgan,
James A. Verinis
Thunderbolt
(1947)
Documentary
|
Short
|
History
Directors:
John Sturges,
William Wyler
Stars:
James Stewart,
Lloyd Bridges,
Eugene Kern
Report from the Aleutians
(1943)
Documentary
|
History
|
War
Director:
John Huston
Stars:
John Huston,
Walter Huston,
Milton Ashkin
Tunisian Victory
(1944)
Documentary
|
War
Directors:
Frank Capra,
Hugh Stewart, and 1 more credit »
Stars:
Leo Genn,
Burgess Meredith,
Bernard Miles
December 7th
(1943)
Action
|
History
|
War
Directors:
John Ford,
Gregg Toland
Stars:
Walter Huston,
Harry Davenport,
Dana Andrews
San Pietro
(1945)
Documentary
|
Short
|
War
Director:
John Huston
Stars:
Mark W. Clark,
John Huston
Tobacco Road
(1941)
Comedy
|
Drama
Director:
John Ford
Stars:
Charley Grapewin,
Gene Tierney,
Marjorie Rambeau
Edit
Cast
| Uncredited cast: | |||
| John Ford | ... | J. P. Baldwin (uncredited) | |
 |
Eddie Foster | ... | Fish Cutter (uncredited) |
| Martin Garralaga | ... | Enemy Agent Y (uncredited) | |
| Peter Lorre | ... | Secret Agent (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Osa Massen | ... | Sailor's Girlfriend (uncredited) | |
| Tom Quinn | ... | Train Passenger (uncredited) | |
| Cyril Ring | ... | Enemy Agent X (uncredited) | |
|
|
Ronald R. Rondell | ... | Enemy Security Officer's Aide (uncredited) |
| Victor Varconi | ... | Enemy Security Officer (uncredited) | |
| Max Wagner | ... | Rudy - the Sailor (uncredited) | |
| Pierre Watkin | ... | British Agent Z (uncredited) | |
|
|
Crane Whitley | ... | A.T. Atkinson (uncredited) |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
Storyline
A training film for OSS agents who are to be dropped behind enemy lines, covering cover and concealment, ambush techniques, etc.
Certificate:
See all certifications »Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents »
Edit
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishAlso Known As:
Undercover See more »Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
MonoColor:
Black and White
Edit
Did You Know?
Trivia
When Al turns on his radio, the sound heard is the part of the introduction by the Army officer at the beginning of the film played backwards. See more »Frequently Asked Questions
See more »
Explore popular and recently added TV series available to stream now with Prime Video.
How to Operate Behind Enemy Lines (1943)
*** (out of 4)
When WWII broke out Hollywood stood up and did what they could to help. Many famous actors enlisted while others made movies to help various departments of the military. Directors like John Huston, Frank Capra and John Ford made a very good number of these types of films and this one here belongs to Ford who not only directs but plays a couple different roles.
The story is pretty simple as the film is meant to teach new recruits the dangers of operating behind enemy lines and the various things they need to think about. The story of the film has two new recruits going behind enemy lines with one of them being careful and the other one not so much. As you can tell, the story itself is pretty simple as the main goal was just to show people what could happen if they weren't paying attention. The film opens and closes as a lecture and there's a nice little bit in the final seconds about a cigarette and how important it was to what we just watched.
For the most part this is an entertaining film that fans of the director should enjoy. Those who have watched a lot of these WWII films know that the quality usually isn't as high as what you'd expect in a Hollywood film but it's still quite good. The most fascinating factor here is the fact that Ford plays a couple different parts here and it's more of a distraction than anything else.