12 O'Clock High (1964)
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Robert Colbert as Lt. Col. Frank Bailey
Episodes 2
The Loneliest Place in the World
A straggling B-17 joins the formation and it turns out to be a captured plane flown by Germans. It strafes the lead plane flown by General Savage which is shot down. Later it is reported that Brigadier General Frank Savage the Group Commander has been killed and will be buried with full military honours by the Germans. Brigadier General Ed Britt from SHAEF HQ must decide who should take command of the 918. His candidates are the Deputy Group Commander Lieutenant Colonel Joe Gallagher, and the other two Squadron Commanders, Lieutenant Colonel Frank Bailey & Lieutenant Colonel Chick Heindorf. Gallagher is the temporary Group Commander. On the next mission Gallagher's crew shoots down a B-17 who does not acknowledge a signal thinking it is an infiltrator. It turns out to be a legitimate straggler with radio trouble and a wounded crew. When asked by General Britt, Gallagher says he would do the same thing again if the same situation occurred. Because he can make tough decisions, Gallagher
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The 918 lands at Mogador in North Africa to refuel and re-arm. Gallagher's plane lands 21 hours late after his stopover in Yugoslavia. The senior officer is Lieutenant Col. Preston ""Pres"" Gallagher (Joe Gallagher's brother). Pres explains that he has a mixed unit of Americans, British & Australians and he has been barely holding on but ""Infantry holds, that's what they do"". Now that Gallagher has landed safely Pres decides to pull out. Pres takes Gallagher's gas, and sends Captain Strader to blow up the 918th's planes fights. An exhausted Pres collapses and is hospitalized. Major Dutton takes command of ground forces and orders Master Sergeant Orland to prepare to move out. Gallagher radios for gas and the incoming plane is shot down. Pres recovers and decides to fight on. Gallagher sends Lieutenant Col. Bailey with 3 B-17's to bomb the target.
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