They Were Expendable

film by Ford [1945]

Written by Lee Pfeiffer

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Article History

They Were Expendable, American war film, released in 1945, that was based on a book of the same name by William L. White. It is notable for its stark portrayal of bravery in the face of sometimes hopeless situations during World War II, and it became a well-respected depiction of that war.

Lieut. John Brickley (played by Robert Montgomery) leads the 3rd Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron in the Pacific during the early days of World War II, when an outgunned U.S. Navy turned to the small, quick, but highly vulnerable patrol torpedo (PT) boats as offensive weapons. (The film’s title reflected the navy’s opinion of the small vessels.) The squadron’s initial role as message carriers angers one of Brickley’s men, Lieut. J.G. “Rusty” Ryan (John Wayne), who pushes for a combat assignment—and eventually gets it. Ryan, however, is injured during the squad’s first enemy contact. He is ordered to a sick bay and while in treatment develops a romantic interest in army nurse Lieut. Sandy Davyss (Donna Reed). The romance is put on hold when Ryan is ordered to report for the duty he had so vehemently requested. The boats eventually prove crucial to the war effort, despite being virtual death traps for their crews. Brickley loses many of his men, and in the end he and Ryan are reassigned, devastated by having to leave many of their “expendable” comrades behind.

Montgomery, who was actually a PT boat captain during the war, directed portions of the film after director John Ford was injured. The film’s battle sequences are superbly rendered and were based on the actual wartime experiences of two of the real squadron’s officers: Lieut. John Bulkeley, its commanding officer and a Medal of Honor recipient, and Lieut. Robert Kelly.