'The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare' is based on a true story. Here are the WWII special forces played by Henry Cavill, Alan Ritchson, and co.

• Guy Ritchie's new movie, "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare," follows a WWII secret special forces unit.

• Henry Cavill, Alan Ritchson, and more portray soldiers from Britain's Special Operations Executive.

• Here's the cast of the new movie and the real-life soldiers they play.

Henry Cavill, Alan Ritchson, and co. play British WWII special forces operatives in the new movie, "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare."

Directed by Guy Ritchie, the film tells the story of the Special Operations Executive (SOE). Created in 1940, the secret unit helped sabotage the Nazis and their allies with guerilla tactics, including assassinations and destroying factories.

War films have always been popular, and the genre has won 17 best picture Oscars, including this year's winner "Oppenheimer." But "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare" takes a more wacky, action-focused approach to the genre.

Based on the 2014 book of the same name, the movie mainly focuses on the SOE's first successful raid in 1942, "Operation Postmaster," which was carried out by a small raiding unit called the Small Scale Raiding Force (SSRF).

The SSRF managed to steal three enemy ships from a neutral Spanish colony in West Africa. This proved their resourcefulness while removing ships were thought to have weapons onboard.

Here's what to know about the movie's main cast and the real-life soldiers and spies they portray.

Henry Cavill plays the unit's leader Gus March-Phillipps.

Former Superman and "The Witcher" actor Henry Cavill plays the lead character, Gus March-Phillips. The trailer shows that Cavill is one of the first approached by SOE director Brigadier Gubbins to form the secretive special forces team.

According to Marcus Binney's 2005 book "Secret War Heroes," March-Phillips was a violent and reckless soldier who had a stutter.

March-Phillips created the SSRF, which would go on to raid enemy coasts. He led the six-man crew during Operation Postmaster and, after the successful mission, helped the SSRF expand.

March-Phillips was shot and killed during a raid in France later in 1942 while trying to complete what was known as Operation Aquatint.

Eiza González plays agent Marjorie Stewart.

Eiza González, who just starred in Netflix's "3 Body Problem," plays the only main female character, Marjorie Stewart.

Stewart was an SOE agent who married March-Phillips in 1942. She gave birth to their daughter shortly after he died.

According to the UK's National Army Museum website, the SOE was the only unit that allowed women to engage in armed combat during WWII.

However, there are no reports that Stewart was part of the SSRF, as she is in the film, so this may have been fabricated for the movie.

González told Comicbook.com earlier this week that she read a book about Stewart to prepare for her role.

"She is just so confident, so calm, cool, collected — she was such a go-getter, nothing phased her," González said. "I was fascinated by how courageous she was and I was just hoping that I could honor her in the best way possible."

After the war, Stewart became an actor in theater and on TV. She died in 1988.

Alex Pettyfer plays the second-in-command Geoffrey Appleyard.

Geoffrey Appleyard, a member of the SSRF is played by Alex Pettyfer — known for his roles in movies including, "Stormbreaker," "Magic Mike," and "In Time."

Appleyard was a military engineer who joined the Royal Army Service Corps in 1939. He eventually transferred to the SSRF in 1941 and became the second-in-command of the Maid Honor, a fishing vessel used for SSRF raids. He also took part in Operation Postmaster.

Appleyard disappeared while helping the Allied forces invade Sicily in July 1943. He was presumed dead at 26 years old.

Alan Ritchson plays Danish commando Anders Lassen.

Alan Ritchson, who rose to fame after starring in "Reacher" and "Fast X," plays Anders Lassen, a Danish soldier.

Lassen's family were landed gentry in Denmark and he joined the Danish army during the war. He originally served in the Danish Merchant Navy before transferring to the SSRF.

After the success of Operation Postmaster, Lassen was promoted to second lieutenant and received a military cross. He was mortally wounded during a mission in Italy in 1945. Lassen died less than a month before the end of the war at the age of 25.

Hero Fiennes Tiffin plays Henry Hayes, who may be based on a man named Geoffrey Hayes.

"After" star Hero Fiennes Tiffin, the nephew of Ralph Fiennes, plays Henry Hayes, the fourth member of the Maid Honor crew.

Henry Hayes is thought to have been based on Graham Hayes, a close friend of Appleyard. Hayes joined the Border Regiment at the beginning of the war before joining the SSRF at the request of Appleyard. Hayes also received a military cross after participating in Operation Postmaster.

Hayes was captured after the failed Operation Aquatint and executed by the Gestapo a year later.

Henry Golding plays a fictional agent, Freddy Alvarez.

The rom-com heartthrob turned action hero Henry Golding plays Freddy Alvarez, a fictional character.

Alvarez is part of March-Phillips' crew in the movie, which means Golding's character could be a stand-in for the final two members of the Maid Honor crew in Operation Postmaster. One of the two soldiers was a 17-year-old private called Frank "Buzz" Perkins.

Babs Olusanmokun plays a fictional agent, Mr. Heron.

Babs Olusanmokun has already starred in two movies this year, "The Book of Clarence" and "Dune: Part Two." "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare" is his third movie of 2024, where he plays the fictional character, Mr. Heron.

He appears to be another SOE agent, although, in the trailer, he seems more of a spy than a soldier. He could be a stand-in for real-life operatives Richard Lippett or Leonard Guise, who helped organize Operation Postmaster after going undercover in the Spanish colony, Fernando Po.

Cary Elwes plays the spy director Brigadier Gubbins.

Cary Elwes continues his spy movie streak after "Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One" and "Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre" with "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare." Elwes plays Brigadier Gubbins, the operations and training director of the SOE.

Colin McVean Gubbins fought in and was wounded during WWI, leading him to become involved with Britain's intelligence service. When the SOE was formed, he was hired as the director and given the rank of Brigadier. He also started to use the codename M, referring to his middle name McVean. Gubbins died in 1976.

Freddie Fox plays James Bond creator Ian Fleming.

Freddie Fox appears in the movie as Ian Fleming, the liaison to Rear Admiral John Godfrey of the Royal Navy.

If the name Fleming rings a bell, it's because he is the creator of James Bond. Fleming wrote the original Bond spy novels after WWII.

Damien Lewis wrote in his book, "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare," that Fleming was inspired by Lassen, Appleyard, Hayes, and March-Phillips when creating Bond. M was likely inspired by Gubbins, too.

Fleming worked closely with Gubbins during Operation Postmaster to come up with a cover story for the mission. Fleming died after the war in 1964.

Rory Kinnear plays former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

Rory Kinnear, who previously starred in "Skyfall" and "The Imitation Game," plays Winston Churchill.

Churchill was the British Prime Minister during WW2 after being elected into a coalition government in 1940. That same year, according to Lewis' book, Churchill formed the SOE "to set ablaze enemy-held Europe." Though successful, the group was later disbanded in 1946 after Churchill lost the 1944 election to Clement Atlee.

Churchill is known for his strong leadership during the war but also for his controversial racist statements and colonial policies. Churchill died in 1965.

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