Under fire!
Jock Lewes is tested when another daring raid on a German airstrip puts his men in danger...
The SAS men completed their first successful mission when they launched a surprise attack on an enemy airstrip and blew up countless German aircraft in last week’s episode.
Now Lieutenant Jock Lewes (Alfie Allen) is keen to carry out more strikes on German positions in the Libyan desert as the story reaches December 1941.
Jock is dedicated to his duty, but he’s also looking forward to returning home to his sweetheart, Mirren Barford (Isobel Laidler), and in this week’s episode he asks her to marry him in a moving letter.
‘That part of Jock’s story was one of my favourite parts of the show,’ says Alfie. ‘I read Ben Macintyre’s book, upon which the series is based, and I also read all the love letters they shared, which were so beautiful.’
Jock’s invention, the Lewes bomb – light enough to be carried by a soldier and powerful enough to blow up a plane – proves crucial in this week’s attack. But this time the Germans are ready for them and quickly deploy aircraft to chase down British soldiers as they flee after the strike. As the enemy fighters pepper the unit during the retreat, Jock shows true courage…
‘Jock was a very wellrespected individual in his time,’ explains Alfie. ‘He was pushing the boundaries of what he would make his men do. It didn’t win him many fans, but it cemented his place as a pioneer in SAS history.’