ABSTRACT
The fi lm (directed by Sam Wood) opens with a montage of bombers in fl ight, bomb bay doors open, the bombs drop, and a series of explosions occur below.
London, 1943: On a daylight raid on targets over France, Britain lost only 12 planes. Two hundred German fi ghter planes were shot down (surely an exaggeration). In contrast, 48 B17s were lost over an unnamed target in Germany. Questions arise: what was the target and was it worth the loss of 48 American planes (each carrying ten crewmen)? Criticism for ordering these daylight raids is directed at the squadron commander-Brigadier General K. C. “Casey” Dennis (Clark Gable). Those who cannot appreciate his methods condemn him as a “war lover”—as an offi cer far too willing to accept high casualties among his men in pursuit of his relentless strategic vision.
