12 O'Clock High - Episode Guide

At a time when General Savage can use every man he has, he finds his worst goof-off is West Point Captain Joe Gallagher, son of a Pentagon General. At the risk of his own career, Savage cracks down when Gallagher persists in aborting missions at the first sign of engine trouble. He assigns Gallagher a crew of slackers, misfits, and excuse-makers and orders Gallagher to paint the name "Leper Colony" on his plane. Gallagher must make his crew into a top-notch combat unit and be over target the next time he's told, or he will face court-martial. The angry young man in Gallagher begins to whip his reckless crew into shape. He has already lost two brothers to the war and wants out of flying combat. When General Crowe offers Savage the opportunity to set up Gallagher with a desk job at Wing Command, Savage nevertheless keeps Gallagher in command of "The Leper Colony," whose crew of misfits are now a top crew. Savage thinks it's good news when Gallagher volunteers himself and his crew for a dangerous mission, but the young flier only wants to make a good mark for himself before leaving for that desk job. However, Gallagher actually distinguishes himself on the mission, flying a damaged plane while wounded himself, yet completing a successful bomb run.

Savage wants the 918th to try a new technique, bombing on the leader. Instead of each bombardier sighting his own target and then making his own bomb run, the entire group would synchronize with the lead bombardier, and when he drops, the whole Group drops. Both Generals Crowe & Pritchard oppose the idea, but Savage presses for it. His lead crew consists of Bishop, Zimmerman, & Mellon. Mellon has been recommended for the DFC for a previous mission. When his best friend, the Navigator, was badly wounded, Mellon stayed at his post and made the bomb run anyway. The run was successful, but the friend died. Mellon is shaken, and on the next mission, the entire group misses and bombs a school. Unsure whether it was faulty equipment or his error, Mellon no longer wants to be lead bombardier. Savage pushes Mellon, and they go up again and successfully bomb the target.

Tom Lockridge is a copilot on a mission where the pilot is killed, and he takes over, allowing the crew to bail out. His best friend, Captain Wade Ritchie, disobeys orders and flies cover with his B-17. Back on the ground, Savage tells Ritchie he is going to charge him with disobeying an order for leaving formation. When Lockridge returns and finds this out, he turns his back on the General. Savage tries to explain formation discipline to Lockridge, but he is only concerned about his friend. Ritchie draws a court-martial and is reduced in rank to 1st Lieutenant. Savage speaks to Libby MacAndrews, Lockridge's girl, and they both keep working on him. On the next mission, Lieutenant Ritchie flies as copilot with Savage, and they get hit; Lockridge, now an aircraft commander, realizes he can't break formation.

Andy Lathrop is an unsophisticated Tennessee boy. Flying as Savage's lead bombardier, he saves Savage's life, gets promoted to 1st Lieutenant, and gets recommended for the DFC. On leave, he meets and falls in love with Barmaid Mary Lean and asks her to marry him; she agrees. Later, the pub she and her father have is destroyed during an air raid, and Mary is killed. Crazed with grief, he goes AWOL. He and Savage talk, and he reconsiders and returns to duty a little wiser. Savage works to transform this awkward youth with surprising talents into an able serviceman.

General Crowe orders Savage to fly a dangerous mission over France to show support for the resistance, but Savage thinks it's because Crowe's in love with a beautiful French fighter there. Crowe's command judgment comes under fire when this risky mission results in high casualties.

Savage acts on his own initiative when he is caught between his own convictions and a senator's contrary recommendations. Senator Clay Johnson wants to shut down the long-range bombing program because of high aircraft & manpower losses. Savage argues that they just need adequate firepower and long-range fighter support. Since the P-51 Mustang is not yet deployed, they lack long-range fighter cover. Savage wants to bomb Hamburg or Kiel using aircraft armed with 50 mm guns instead of 20 mm guns. Grounded by bad weather, Savage gets a visit from the Vicar of Archbury, who asks him why he has denied permission for Eddie Pryor & April Barret to get married. Perplexed, Savage says he has no such request, then speaks to Pryor, who confesses he is scared of the commitment. The weather clears, and on the next mission Pryor gets trapped in the ball turret after damage. Savage turns the mission over to Major Roberts, and then he & Mewlay land the damaged plane with Pryor still trapped. The mission is a success - no casualties. Pryor marries April Barrett.

After losing his memory, Savage is found wandering around Berkley Square, South Grosvenor Street by Lieutenant Ryan. After being examined by Kaiser, he reads in the paper that Barbara Talbot was murdered in London. Later, Inspector Thorne and Sergeant Padget from the CID come to see Savage, after finding a lighter with a 918th crest in Barbara's flat. Savage is missing his lighter and has no memory. He starts retracing his steps to Redgraves Club, then Barbara's flat. It turns out that Redgraves is a blackmailer and spy; he uses women like Barbara to lure important people into compromising situations. Frank realizes that Redgraves killed Barbara and that Padgett works for Redgraves. Frank confronts Regraves, and as Regraves is about to kill Frank, he is shot and wounded by Inspector Thorne. Next mission will be to Saarbrücken.

The 918th draws a particularly tough mission, an aircraft plant in Rhone Valley, 120 miles beyond fighter support range, surrounded by 500 anti-aircraft batteries and at the bombers maximum fuel range. At least 3 squadrons of fighters will be waiting for the bombers and they will not have a lot of fuel for evasive action. Fog rolls in and they stand down for 3 days, the tension of waiting is driving the men crazy. Tom Lockridge has flown 24 missions and has been hospitalized with hepatitis. He and Sergeant Rutherford are the only members of the original crew, all the others completed there tours or were killed. Major Kaiser wants to keep Lockridge is hospital a little while longer but Lockridge wants to get his tour over with.

Kane completed his 25 missions and is going back to the States on a Public Relations Tour. He will be performing in Winged Victory and wants to resume his career as an actor after the War. Savage asks Kane to volunteer for one last mission as his co-pilot and when the Flight Engineer & Bombardier are killed on the mission, Kane goes to check the oxygen tanks and is badly burned in the face. Back at base Doc Kaiser asks the General if Kane was a good actor before the War, Savage says he was, Doc says "Well he can be retrained of course". When we next see Kane he is bandaged about the right size of his, face, feeling sorry for himself he refuses to see anyone or eat. After refusing to see his buddies, then being rejected by his fiancée he steals an airplane and goes on a suicide mission. Savage talks him down and later Kane (sans bandages) offers Savage his Lighter, a signal he is no longer afraid.

Gen. Savage is shot down over the North Sea between England and Nazi-occupied Norway. He manages to make it to a life raft only to find he's sharing it with a downed German fighter pilot, Col Dieter. Savage has an emergency radio and Dieter is wounded, but he has the only gun in the raft, the current is pushing them toward Norway, and Allied search-and-rescue operations are seriously hampered by foul weather. For a few long hours, the war is reduced to its most basic equation, man versus man.

The Brauberg Dam needs to be bombed. Savage thinks that a specially equipped P-51 with two 500 lb bombs can take it out. He asks Lieutenant Paul Stiger, a Kentucky farm boy who takes risks and volunteers for all special missions. Stiger volunteers, then wins the football pool for £ 20,000. He begins to realize that there is much more to life than he had thought. Lieutenant Crain becomes his friend and tries to help him. Stiger falls in love with his girlfriend, Myra, and wants to get married. Savage denies his request. He goes on the mission and survives. He then marries Myra with Savage's permission.

While working on a plan to bomb Strassbourg, Savage gets trapped in a cellar/shelter during a London air raid. A delayed-action bomb blocks the sole exit. Trapped with him are Lady Constance, Dr. Lewis Glenway, Miner Bert Higgs, and a pregnant woman, Eleanor Nicholls. We learn more about each of the people as they try to free themselves. Dr. Glenway turns out to be Archie Lewis, a lower-class con man who redeems himself. After they are freed, Lady Constance decides to open her home, Penrose Hall, as a home for young women like Eleanor.

After returning from a rough mission, Gen. Savage reacts harshly (possibly on purpose) to a pilot that has cracked under the pressure. Lt. Kerr, a conniving opportunist looking for a way out of the fighting, sees his chance and concocts a scheme to methodically convince his fellow crew members that Savage is also cracking up. As co-pilot, that would leave Kerr free to take control of the Picadilly Lily and fly her to neutral territory, effectively taking them out of the war.

Savage is shot down, and he and three rambunctious crewmen, "Baby", "Doc", and "Moxey", are imprisoned in Stalag Luft 12 with other Allied airmen. The camp commander is Col. Max Richter, a Prussian who likes nothing better than to thwart escape attempts. The Senior British Officer (SBO) is Group Captain Maurice Brail, a Canadian in the RAF. To build resentment between the prisoners and Savage, Richter keeps him segregated, gives him special food, and he and Richter go for drives. Brail comes to see Savage and keeps in contact using "Adolf the Cat" as a messenger. Moxey becomes an operator and gets several passes, which the group uses in the escape. After an air raid, Richter orders all officers inside. Some disobey and are going to be shot. Savage risks all to save them.

Still a P.O.W., General Savage plots with some of the men to kidnap Oberst Richter, the Nazi camp commander of Stalag 12, and attempt a daring escape. Savage successfully kidnaps Richter and escapes with Forrester, Regis, "Baby", "Doc", and "Moxey". "Baby", Regis, and Forrester are killed. Savage, "Doc", and "Moxey" make it back to England by ship with the resistance help of Dr. Erlich. Along the way, Savage is forced to kill Richter.

The 511th Fighter Group with new P-51s arrives at Archbury to escort the 918 on the home leg of the shuttle mission. On the way, Lieutenant Col. Troper attacks a train, making him 10 minutes late for the rendezvous. The 511th fails to provide the proper recognition codes, and Gallagher's B-17 accidentally shoots down one pilot. On the ground, an angry Troper slugs Gallagher. Gallagher tells Troper to forget about it. They are ordered to train together. In London, Troper gets drunk, insults Gallagher, and takes off with Gallagher's date, Lt. Fay Vendry. Gallagher orders a mission briefing at 0400, but only 12 of the 511th pilots show up. Gallagher has Troper put under house arrest. Merritt leads the fighters, and no bomber is lost.

On a mission, 9 out of the 10 crew of the Piccadilly Lily are wounded, save one - Komansky. Komansky flies and lands the plane, becoming a press celebrity. A wounded Gallagher puts him in for the Silver Star. Kirby Wyatt, the 918th press liaison, calls Susan Nesbitt, an American correspondent working for the BBC. She takes advantage of Komansky, realizing this story could make her (he rescued General Gallagher's son). Kirby Wyatt goes along with Susan. Sandy is very uncomfortable with the celebrity. He is kidded about being a jinx by Technical Sergeant Chapman, Major Benson's Flight Engineer. Sandy replaces him on a mission and has to kick a bomb loose. Sandy is awarded the Silver Star.

On a practice for a night mission, Lt. Fay Vendry's unit tracks Col. Gallagher's B-17. They change course and evade successfully, but Capt. 'Chub' Willis has to correct, as he was off target. Chub is distracted by his girl, Kitty. On the actual night mission into Norway to pick up legendary resistance leader Arn Borg, they are told to look for the King Frederick light. It appears to be a trap as the Germans are waiting. The plane gets shot at, lands, and picks up Borg, who brings his son Christian back with him. Gallagher is angry. Back at base, Borg's map is impossible to read. Gallagher is ordered to fly another reconnaissance mission. Borg runs away, so they decide to take Christian to show them the target. Borg comes back and flies the mission. They bomb what seems to be a heavy water storage facility, and the mission is successful. Borg returns to Norway.

The 918 is on its 8th mission to bomb the submarine pens at St Nazaire. Major Kurt Brown, who leads this mission, has never aborted for any reason. Richards, Brown's bombardier, is badly wounded, and Brown tells his Navigator to hold him to the bomb sight. He completes his mission but is annoyed at the cost and argues with Colonel Gallagher. On eight missions, they have lost 34 aircraft. Later in the Star & Bottle, Gallagher asks Brown to drive Elizabeth Hoffman home. On his next mission (43rd), he aborts because his Navigator has appendicitis. Elizabeth tells Brown she is German. Brown is angry. He flies his 44th mission and is in a daze. Brown finally admits that he loves Elizabeth. Before the next mission, Brown passes out from exhaustion before flying.

The 918th is being chewed to pieces while attempting to bomb a target in Norway, so secret that even Joe Gallagher doesn't know what it is or why it's so important. In fact, in its latest try, the mission commander, Col. Christie, decides to abort and turn back only 4 minutes from the target after losing 8 out of 21 bombers, with 4 more heavily damaged, including his own. Infuriated by the excessive losses and secrecy surrounding the missions, Joe alienates his superiors when he aggressively defends Christie against a looming court martial. To the rescue, possibly, rides his father, Lt. General Gallagher, who is hellbent on getting his son his first general's star. But Joe is in no mood to discuss promotion with his friend and the reputation of the 918th teetering on the edge of oblivion.

Off the base, JayDee Jones is working up the nerve to go on his next mission. He gets Jan Warner to sneak him back on base. He gets spotted by Chapman who is stealing 3 45 pistols to sell. JayDee's older brother Frank talks to him and tells him to straighten up. JayDee says he has had enough, he wants out. Jones and Chapman make briefing at 04:30. On takeoff JayDee over-revs his B-17's engines, but they don't have enough speed to take off. His co-pilot tries to help but the plane crashes killing the bombardier and badly injuring the co-pilot who dies later. Frank covers for his brother and says it could be a maintenance problem. Colonel Hunter the Wing G-4 (Supply) comes to investigate. Chapman sells his pistols to an Englishman who gets caught. Captain Mason from CIC comes to investigate the stolen guns. Jones co-pilot dies. Chapman and JD talk, Chapman says him will back Jones up. Hunter and Gallagher interrogate JayDee Jones, Frank Jones and Chapman. Chapman backs Jones who still can not remember

Gallagher is flying Generals Stace & Krasker back from Russia with information about Russian troop strength due to the pending Invasion of Europe. German fighters heavily damage their B-17. So, Gallagher orders the crew to jump while he attempts a landing behind German lines, but near their fighting with Russia. To protect their information, Krasker jumps while Stace stays with the plane. M/Sgt. Trask is a clerk-cryptographer for Stace and is afraid to jump. 
 

On the way back from a bombing run over the Ruhr Valley, Gallagher's battle-damaged B-17 accidentally drops its bombs on Ste. Monique, France. 1st Lieutenant Parks, the bombardier, is interrogated. A single bomb falls in the village square, killing resistance leader Pierre Fecamp. Two American pilots hiding in Ste. Monique escape: Major Coefield from the 918th and Captain Pollard from the 511th Fighter Squadron. Pollard has fallen in love with Claudine, the woman who rescued them and the daughter of Fecamp. She has brought her son to England badly wounded from the bomb's explosion, and he may lose his leg. Claudine hates Gallagher and is going to kill him. She goes with him to the 918th Officers Club and sees the pilots get drunk. Meanwhile, in Ste. Monique, Hauptman Bergdorf says they will not bomb again because of the last mission, so now they can put in a German Radar Station. On the way to Wing HQ in Archbury, Claudine tries to kill Gallagher. General Marteen orders the 918th to bomb Ste. Monique that night. In Ste Monique, German soldiers kill Marcel Lenoir as he radios information to London.

On the way back from a mission, a mentor of Joe Gallagher's, Colonel Gus "Pappy" Wexler, is flying as an observer. Gallagher asks Fowler to let Wexler fly in the co-pilot seat. ME-109s attack them, and Joe is wounded. Pappy takes over, calling Gallagher "Bernie". At HQ, General Pritchard asks Harvey Stovall's opinion of Wexler. General Britt is away in Washington, and if he is not back, Pritchard will be looking for a new Wing Commander. He is thinking of Wexler or Gallagher. Gallagher is on the sick list, so Wexler becomes the acting Group Commander, and Gallagher becomes the acting Wing Commander. Wexler wants things run by the book. On the next mission, he takes three planes and turns too early & aborts. He calls Bob Fowler, his co-pilot, "Bernie", and when Sandy questions him, Wexler orders him to stand down and report to the Flight Surgeon when he is back. Later in the Star & Bottle, the pilots celebrate with Wexler, and he makes a good show of it. He arm wrestles Captain Banazek and wins. 

Gallagher, downed and taken prisoner in neutral Switzerland, must escape to deliver vital information.

Fighter pilot Harley Wilson wants to be accepted by his fellow airmen, but sometimes he tries too hard—-as when he accidentally shoots up Gallagher's B-17 while trying to down a German plane. 

Frustrated by heavily overcast skies that make precision bombing impossible, the Allies are at wits' end, until Dr. Rink, a civilian master technician (Burgess Meredith), arrives with a new, top-secret technology enabling the 918th B-17s to bomb accurately through the clouds: airborne radar. The first missions employing the device are wildly successful, especially since the Germans cannot effectively intercept the bombers with fighters or anti-aircraft fire due to the cloud cover. Unfortunately, the Germans quickly devise a countermeasure that actually uses the signals from the device to trace the bombers, allowing them to pinpoint the Americans with deadly accuracy. Only Dr. Rink has the knowledge to turn the tables once again, but he is virtually catatonic at the apparent failure of his technology.

Gallagher discovers the reason behind a pilot's (Don Gordon) cold, belligerent attitude.

A flight engineer (Roddy McDowall) insists that his airplane, Angel Face, will refuse to fly her 50th, and final, mission.

In Scotland, Gallagher meets with Major General Hardy about a Ranger mission and Gallagher comes up with an air support plan. Returning from Scotland via an Air Transport B-17, they are shot down over the North Sea. Of the two man crew, Captain Tom Powell, and Staff Sergeant Johnny Miller only Powell survives along with Gallagher. They put up the radio transmitter, no luck. They find an island (Seagull Rock) to land on. A B-17 Weather Plane hears them and so does a fishing trawler. So too does a German U-Boat. Gallagher ditches his briefcase. Powell surrenders, Gallagher gets captured, and they get taken to the U-Boat. They are treated with surprising decency by the U-Boat commander -- but the Nazi turns out to have a sinister hidden motive.

A pilot just returned from five months in a German prison camp freezes during a practice flight, resulting in a major crash.

A dishonorably discharged flier (James Franciscus) masquerades as a replacement pilot in order to fly one combat mission.

On a bombing mission to Focke Wulfe Factory in Marienberg, East Prussia the 918th is attached by fighters and loose 9 AC & 100 men. The 966th was hit the same way yesterday. Gallagher's radioman overhears the German and Gallagher gets the idea of trying to confuse the Germans by broadcasting on that frequency. When the group lands they find out that everything on the mission was broadcast by the "Danzig Lady". Sandy is dating an English girl, Helen Graham. Seeing her react badly to the "Danzig Lady". Her father is a retired Major in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers. Helen Graham is really Helen Conboy and her sister Patricia Conboy is the "Danzig Lady". Sandy reports it. British Intelligence says it will ask an agent to find out the information. The agent speaks to their contact, a waiter who is being watched by the Gestapo. The waiter is killed by Gestapo agents. While broadcasting for the Germans, Patricia is a double agent obtaining codes and frequencies for the Allies.

Continuous stressful missions have made the men of 918th extremely fatigued, and put their planes in very bad shape with even more missions to come.

The 918th is now temporarily part of the 15th Air Force. They fly to a newly liberated Italian airfield to take charge. The commander, Colonel Yates, is drunk. Gallagher finds base security so lax that Italian loyalists could help the Germans retake the base.

Gallagher agrees to take orders from a brutal British Major named Mallory leading his commandos to destroy an advanced radar facility, after his B-17 is shot down.

A strict flight-instructor captain gives low instrument rating grades to a good combat pilot, which could hurt his chances of promotion.

52 Division 3rd Bn captures Argenteau Air Six Air Defense HQ in cellar, Sandy & Gallagher are in France scouting forward bases. Is ordered to investigate . Harvey & Rand from CIC fly in to examine documents. Major Dimscek is killed defending position. Captain Maso and the Willard Germans are closing in. Doud leads mission that successfully bombs the town.

A nun (Lilia Skala) won't evacuate her mountain top retreat, despite the fact that the Germans are using it as cover for attacks. Gallagher parachutes onto the mountain to get the Nuns and some refugees to move so the area can be bombed.

Captain Dula is a pilot flying as Navigator while Harvey flies as co-pilot and gets wounded. When Gallagher is wounded, Dula takes over but argues with Komansky; Komansky saves Harvey from bleeding to death, only to be charged with mutiny. Komansky talks with Jeanne, who gives him a letter from Jimmy Sinclair saying that Dula abandoned his crew. Dula suffers panic blackouts followed by memory loss.