Fighter Squadron 1948

At an American air base in England in 1943, conniving, womanizing Sergeant Dolan, Tom D’Andrea, manipulates everyone, while insubordinate, maverick pilot Major Ed Hardin, Edmond O’Brien, gives his commanding officer and close friend, Colonel Brickley, John Rodney, headaches by ignoring the out-of-date rules of engagement laid down by Brigadier General M. Gilbert, [Shepperd Strudwick]. When Major General Mike McCready, [Henry Hull], promotes Brickley to whip a new squadron into shape, Brickley also recommends Hardin as his replacement.

Despite his initial misgivings, McCready agrees. To everyone’s surprise, Hardin strictly enforces the rules, including a hard line against personal attachments in the sky. One rule in particular, forbidding pilots to marry, irks his friend and wingman Captain Stu Hamilton, [Robert Stack]. As a result, when his tour of duty ends, Hamilton does not re-enlist, and instead goes home to marry his sweetheart. He later returns a married man, hoping to persuade Hardin to overlook his transgression.

Hardin refuses to let him back into the squadron, but finally relents enough to permit him to fly one last mission. Tragically, Hamilton is shot down and killed; over the radio, he admits to Hardin that thoughts of his wife distracted him at the critical moment, a confession that hangs in the air as his burning aircraft spirals toward Earth.

Major General McCready then decides that Hardin is needed on his staff, but allows him to finish out his current combat tour first. Hardin’s next mission is to provide close air support for the Allied landings on D-Day. His aircraft is struck by flak and enters a slow, perilous spiral toward the ground. The film leaves Hardin’s ultimate fate unresolved, even as his squadron continues to back the invasion and carry its weight into a pivotal moment in the war.