Likeable American war movie about a group of valiant sailors who escape through the Gobi desert .The surprising tale of Uncle Sam's "sailors on camels" , a little US naval detachment who battled throughout the Mongolian desert. Along the way the sailors attempt to engage local the Mongol tribesman to attack Japanese ; but things go wrong when those respond by bombing the station .Set in 1944 inner Mongolia , where a team of US Navy specialists run a weather station , they are forced to a marathon trek across the sunny desert where are harassed and attacked by Japanese warplanes , taken prisoners , but helped by local Mongol nomads whom deliver 60 horse saddles and become them into an expert Mongolian cavalry . This a sympathetic movie in which interest and entertainment never fall . The screenplay contains implausible adventures , goodhumoured scenes , tongue-in-cheek excitement , agreeable situations with the laughs in the right places .Widmark plays an US Navy officer assigned to take charge a bunch of meteorologistics at a remote weather station , when a Japanese attack leaving to him and his company alone in the wilderness to fend for themselves , Richard gives the film enough security and authority . And he is backed by a magnificent cast that includes Don Taylor , Russell Collins , Murvyn Vye , Casey Adams , Willis Bouchey , Darryl Hickman , Rodolfo Acosta , Richard Loo and Earl Holliman , Martin Milner film debut . And Paiute Indians living in reservation where was shot the movie played Mongol extras .Musical score from Alfred Newman and Sol Kaplan is highly commendable. Colorful cinematography in Technicolor by Charles Clarke , being Wise's first color movie . Being filmed on location in Nixon and Fallon and other Indians reservation . Produced and released by 2oth century Fox and well directed by Robert Wise who never lets the action sag .Wise was a good director who made films in all kinds of genres , nowadays , some of them considered classic movies , such as : Musical : West side story , The sound of music ; SciFi: The day the Earth stood , Andromeda strain , Star Trek the motion picture ; Terror : The haunting , The body snatchers, , Audrey Rose , Curse of cat people ; Wartime : Run silent Run deep , The Desert Rats ; Historical : Helen of Troy ; Western : Tribute to a bad man ; Drama : I want to live , The Set-up , among others

DESTINATION GOBI is another desert-based WW2 movie, directed by Robert Wise - no stranger to the genre having made THE DESERT RATS - and featuring the ubiquitous Richard Widmark heading an otherwise undistinguished cast. This one's a little different, telling the true story of navy men running a weather research station in Mongolia, who find themselves under attack by the Japanese and who team up with Mongol forces to fight them.I enjoy war films like this which are a little different from the norm, exploring theatres of war usually avoided in the popular books and films on the subject. DESTINATION GOBI isn't a great movie but it does keep you watching just to find out what happens. Widmark is a reliable lynch pin on which to hang the movie although the supporting cast disappoint, particularly the US actors pretending to be Mongolian which never works. There isn't a wealth of action here, but that which does occur is authentic (the plane attack is very well portrayed) and the suspense keeps you going until the end.

The plot of this movie seemed to make little sense, so I did a bit of research on the web and it appears to actually be based on real events from WWII--some of the strangest events you could imagine. Richard Widmark stars as a leader of a group of US Navy personnel stationed in Mongolia--YES, Mongolia! It seems they are a very isolated weather station but why the Navy was sent there is beyond me! In case they are attacked by the Japanese, they enlist the help of local herdsmen by providing them with nice new saddles--YES, saddles. As I said, it's all very hard to imagine but based on real events.Unfortunately for our small but intrepid group, their base IS attacked by the Japanese Air Force and their equipment ruined. As they are in the middle of no where and the American commanders must assume they are dead, they seem to have no choice to to make their way east--though the coast is over 800 miles from their base.While this is certainly not a great film, it's a great one for someone who loves WWII history--as it certainly doesn't get any more unusual than this. Plus, the film is enjoyable, well-acted and likable. Truly an odd movie but reasonably well made with its mostly American-Indian supporting cast.

My father was a part of this group, they were actually called SACO. He liked this movie, thought it was somewhat accurate. He was a Navy Chief Petty Officer, a Medic, he loved Mongolia, it reminded him of Montana, where he grew up, and he admired the people. He liked the humor in it. They were actually a sort of obscure, almost "guerilla" group. Kind of like Navy Calvary. I thought it was called "Saddles for SACO", (maybe another earlier title?). He always felt it was a great mistake to underestimate the indigenous people, he used to use Mr.Custer as an example. All the West Point training or Annapolis , for that , purpose , may not help you in the end.And he told me, all Americans think they're John Wayne, unfortunately, those ponies didn't always know.