When US pilot Colonel Joseph Ryan (Frank Sinatra) is shot down and placed in a German POW camp, he is more concerned with his own survival than escape. The top-ranking officer in the camp, he is initially reviled by his fellow British and American prisoners, who nickname him 'Von Ryan'. However, Ryan eventually comes to lead them in a daring escape attempt, taking over from the commanding British officer (Trevor Howard) and the escapees face many hazards as they commandeer a train to make their way across Italy, closely followed by the Nazis.

Richard Attenborough stars in this 1960s British military drama based on the novel by Robert Holles. When British Sergeant Major Lauderdale (Attenborough) is sent to a military outpost in Africa with orders to keep the peace during a changeover in the local government, his troubles are compounded by the political views of contentious female officer Miss Barker-Wise (Flora Robson) and the amorous intentions of pretty young United Nations secretary Karen Eriksson (Mia Farrow).