Howard Koch

In 1944, After the Norwegian resistance leader Royal Norwegian Navy Lieutenant Erik Bergman (George Chakiris) travels to Great Britain to report the location of a German V-2 rocket fuel plant, the Royal Air Force's No. 633 Squadron is assigned to destroy it. The only reason Germans have not been able to deploy their V2's in the war is because they don't have enough rocket fuel. If this plant is left as is, the D Day invasion could be blown up to smithereens. The squadron is led by Wing Commander Roy Grant (Cliff Robertson), a former Eagle Squadron pilot (an American serving in the RAF before the US entered the war). The factory will start shipping fuel in 18 days, so Roy has 17 days to train his squadron for this mission. Roy is to train his squadron at a valley in Scotland that mimics the entry to the fjord but is not as difficult to navigate as the actual fjord. Squad includes Group Captain Don Barrett (Donald Houston), Squadron Leader Frank Adams (Michael Goodliffe), Flight Lieutenant Gillibrand, Australian (John Meillon), Squadron Leader Scott (John Bonney), Flying Officer Evans (John Church), Flight Lieutenant Nigel (Sean Kelly), Flight Lieutenant Singh (Julian Sherrier), Flight Lieutenant Frank (Geoffrey Frederick), Flight Lieutenant Jones (Johnny Briggs) The plant is in a seemingly impregnable location beneath an overhanging cliff at the end of a long, narrow fjord lined with numerous anti-aircraft guns. The only way to destroy the plant is by bombing the cliff until it collapses and buries the facility, a job for 633 Squadron's fast and maneuverable De Havilland Mosquitos. The squadron trains in Scotland, where there are narrow glens similar to the fjord. There, Grant is introduced to Bergman's sister, Hilde (Maria Perschy). They are attracted to each other, despite Grant's aversion to wartime relationships. The Norwegian resistance is tasked with destroying the anti-aircraft defenses of the facility immediately before the scheduled attack. When unexpected German reinforcements arrive (Bergman is informed of this by his colleagues in the resistance), Bergman returns to Norway to try to gather more forces. Air Vice Marshal Davies refuses to delay the mission day, and Bergman insists that there is no way that the Brits can land any more re-enforcement by the way of land or water to neutralize the German guns. The Germans attack the air base causing loss of life and equipment, but Roy is able to re-group quickly. One plane is lost during training due to the difficult maneuvers involved. Roy spends time with Hilde after Bergman returns to Norway. However, Bergman is captured while transporting desperately needed weapons, taken to Gestapo headquarters and tortured for information. Since Bergman knows too much, he must be silenced before he breaks. Grant and newly married Pilot Officer Bissell (Scott Finch) are sent in with a single Mosquito to bomb the Gestapo building. Though they are successful, their shot-up Mosquito fighter-bomber crashes on its return (the landing gear doesn't work properly as it is all shot up), and Bissell is wounded and becomes blind. A tearful Hilde thanks Grant for ending her brother's suffering. Roy says his goodbyes to Hilde and leaves, as he knows he will most probably not survive the mission. Still worried, Air Vice-Marshal Davis (Harry Andrews) decides to move up the attack to the next day. The ammunition being used are Earthquake bombs which will topple the overhanging cliff on top of the fuel factory and bury it under rubble. The pilots are worried that their planes might be in danger from the explosion of bomb from the plane in front of them. 12 bombs are required to transfer enough force to topple the cliff. The men don't know what the factory makes, but Favis assures them that this is a critical mission. The resistance will attack at 0630 hours and the squadron is to enter the fjord between 0655 and 0705 hrs. However, the resistance fighters are ambushed and killed, leaving the defenses still intact. The resistance are not able to radio that their attack has failed, but they miss a critical check in point with London as well. Davis gets an intelligence call that the Germans ambushed the resistance fighters. Although Grant is given the option of aborting, he decides to press on. Many aircraft are lost to anti-aircraft fire and the remaining are attacked by the German air force after they drop their bombs. Many aircraft fly their planes into the cliff, after being hit and damaged. 9 aircraft are lost to score 6 direct hits and only 1 bomb is left. The last bomb budges the mountain, and it falls on top of the factory, burying it completely. The factory is destroyed at the cost of the entire squadron, though a few crews are able to ditch in the fjord. Grant crash-lands but a local man helps Grant's navigator, Flight Lieutenant Hoppy Hopkinson (Angus Lennie), pull the wounded wing commander from the burning wreckage. Back in Britain, Davis tells a fellow officer who is aghast at the losses, "You can't kill a squadron."

While stationed in Britain in 1943, hotshot bomber pilot Captain Buzz Rickson is in command of a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, but his cockiness soon begins to annoy everyone around him. Buzz Rickson is a dare-devil World War II bomber pilot with a death wish. Failing at everything not involving flying, Rickson lives for the most dangerous missions. His crew lives with this aspect of his personality only because they know he always brings them back alive. —KC Hunt <khunt@eng.morgan.edu> Capt. Buzz Rickson (Steve McQueen) commands a B-17 bomber in Britain during World War II. On a mission over Germany, Rickson's commanding officer, Col. Emmet (Jerry Stovin), aborts the bomber group's attack due to cloud cover. Instead of obeying his superior, Rickson dives under the clouds and completes the mission. He believes Emmet will tolerate his insubordination because he's the group's best pilot. And although the group's flight surgeon is uncertain whether Rickson is hero or psychopath, Rickson's crew, especially his co-pilot, Lt. Ed Bolland (Robert Wagner), trust his intuitive flying skills. Between missions, Rickson and Bolland meet a young Englishwoman, Daphne Caldwell (Shirley Anne Field). Although she is attracted to both pilots, she chooses Bolland. They soon fall in love. Meanwhile, Bolland becomes increasingly disillusioned with Rickson. The crew's popular navigator, Lt. Marty Lynch (Gary Cockrell), is pressured to transfer to another crew after he questions Rickson's behavior. Lynch even tells Bolland, "Give Rickson a bomber and a machine gun, and he could be on either side." Lynch is soon killed in action. Bolland takes it hard and blames Rickson. Later, while on liberty, Rickson makes a move on Daphne, visiting her in her London flat after Bolland has returned to the base. Daphne rejects his forceful advances, telling him she loves Bolland. The next morning, on a mission over Germany, Colonel Emmet's plane is shot down, making Rickson group commander. Rickson's plane drops its bombs on target, but there's a cost. The plane is badly shot up by Messerschmitts, killing one of the crew. Further, its bomb bay doors are stuck open with one armed bomb still on its rack. As the plane nears the English coastline, an air-sea rescue team is contacted and the crew bails out - all except Rickson, who is determined to bring the bomber back to base. Instead, he crashes into the white cliffs on the Kent coast. Afterwards, Bolland reports Rickson's death to Daphne in Cambridge. She concludes, "It's what he always wanted." The lovers walk away together.

A jaded nightclub owner in war-torn Casablanca finds his loyalties are put to the test when his old flame reappears to seek his help in escaping from the Nazis.

The day before her wedding, a pampered young woman absconds with her sister's husband. Her sister begins seeing the woman's former fiancé. A young woman, Stanley Timberlake, dumps her fiancé, Craig Fleming, and runs off with her sister Roy's husband, Peter Kingsmill. They marry, then settle in Baltimore, where Stanley ultimately drives Peter to drink and suicide. Stanley returns home to Richmond and learns that her old flame Craig has fallen in love with Roy and they plan to marry. Jealous, selfish Stanley attempts to win back Craig's affections, but her true character is revealed when, rather than take the rap herself, she attempts to pin a hit-and-run accident on Parry Clay, the young African-American clerk works in Craig's law office. —Bonnie Barber <bonbar@mit.edu> Adult sisters Roy Kingsmill and Stanley Timberlake are the daughters of Asa and Lavinia Timberlake. Roy takes after her father's side of the family--compassionate and thoughtful if somewhat "soft"--whereas Stanley takes after her mother's side of the family: cutthroat and selfish. The differences between these two sides of the family can also be seen in the former business dealing between Asa and Lavinia's brother, William Fitzroy, who came into wealth at the expense of Asa's side of the business. William dotes on his niece Stanley, who adds excitement to his life. Stanley is about to marry Craig Fleming, a lawyer without much professional ambition. Roy is already married to surgeon Peter Kingsmill and they live in the Timberlake family home. Just before Stanley and Craig's wedding, Stanley and Peter, who have been having an affair, run off together. Peter felt stifled in the marriage because of living at the Timberlakes' while Roy allowed her family to control their lives. After Stanley and Peter run off, Roy and Craig try to get on with their lives. Just as Roy and Craig feel that they have left this dark part of the lives behind them, Stanley re-enters their lives, insisting on satisfying her selfish desires at the cost of anyone who gets in her way. —Huggo As her marriage to Craig Fleming approaches, vivacious, carefree Stanley Timberlake runs off with her sister Roy's husband, surgeon Peter Kingsmill, then divorces him. He marries Stanley, but their life together isn't happy; her selfish, spendthrift ways drive him to drink--and ultimately to suicide. Back home, Roy has rebuilt her life and she and Craig are in love and plan to marry. Stanley returns home and sets her sights on getting Craig back, but after she accidentally hits a mother and child with her car, she points the finger at Parry Clay, a hard-working young Black man studying law while working as a clerk for Craig. Her story soon breaks down and she runs off, with tragic results. —garykmcd In Great-Depression-era Richmond, industrialist Asa Timberlake is cheated by his brother-in-law and partner William Fitzroy and loses his business to him. His spoiled daughter Stanley Timberlake, Uncle William's pride and joy, is about to marry idealist lawyer Craig Fleming--but then she flees to Baltimore with surgeon Peter Kingsmill, her sister Roy's husband. After a short period of happiness, Peter cannot afford to support Stanley's expensive tastes and commits suicide. Roy divorces Peter and gets close to Craig, who proposes to her. Parry Clay, a Black teenager who works for Timberlake, dreams of becoming a lawyer, and Craig hires him to work in his office. the shopping of Stanley and commits suicide. Meanwhile, Roy divorces Peter and gets close to Craig who proposes to marry her. Stanley returns home and unsuccessfully tries to seduce Craig, inviting him to have dinner with her in a tavern. However, Craig does not arrive, and Stanley, upset, speeds back home, committing a hit-and-run that kills a child. When the police comes to Asa's house, Stanley accuses Parry of driving her car, and the innocent youth is arrested and jailed. What will happen to him? —Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil