Fortress 2012

The B-17F Lucky Lass, a bomber of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) 99th Bombardment Group (Heavy) (the “Diamondbacks”) from the 12th Air Force, is stationed at Navrin, Algeria in 1943. The opening reveals the brutal rule of war: air crews are expected to complete 25 combat missions before they can be sent home, yet losses are heavy and only about two in ten will survive to reach that target. During a raid on Gerbini, Italy, with her Irish-American crew, the Lucky Lass is badly damaged and the pilot ‘Pops’, Jamie Martz, is killed along with the two waist gunners.

Five days later, Wally, Donnie Jeffcoat is now the Lass’s aircraft commander, and replacements arrive. Co-pilot Michael Schmidt, Bug Hall, reports to Wally, and two new waist gunners, Tom, Jeremy Ray Valdez and Oliver, Tony Elias, introduce themselves to the crew. On their walk-around, the replacements are introduced to the alcohol still that flight engineer Burt, Chris Owen has built from bomber parts and other scraps. Burt explains that the Army adds ethanol to boost the octane rating of aviation fuel, so they’re cooking the fuel to distill out the alcohol. The crew, eager to get back into the air, press maintenance chief Caparelli, Howard Gibson to clear their aircraft to fly. After some grumbling, Caparelli says the Lass has already been cleared earlier that day. The crew throws a party to celebrate their return and mourn their losses. Only Wally dares to sample the local cuisine, goat meat and couscous, while everyone else sticks to C-rations. Michael is present and appears standoffish, and he doesn’t join in Wally’s toast to the departed crewman because he doesn’t drink. Wally then takes the new pilot outside and offers him advice to try harder to fit in, including drinking with the men.

During the next mission—meant to be a “milk run”—an already hungover Wally succumbs to ptomaine poisoning. Michael takes over the controls. The squadron is ordered to fly into the clouds along a roundabout course to avoid flak on the approach to the target in Messina, Sicily. Michael simply tries to keep an eye on the plane in front of him and doesn’t use instrument navigation. When the Lass emerges from the clouds, the rest of the squadron is nowhere to be seen. They’re off course and over heavily defended territory. They abort and manage to return home without injury. After the debrief, Michael tells Wally that he plans to apply for a transfer, but Wally insists that, while getting lost is a serious screw-up, bad things happen and the crew may eventually forgive him if he owns his mistake. Yet as he approaches the crew’s tent, he overhears disparaging remarks about him and realizes it isn’t the moment to speak. That night, a fierce sandstorm drives everyone on base to take cover. Burt finishes collecting a batch of alcohol, but in his haste to escape the storm, he forgets to shut down the still, allowing the flammable liquid to pool on the ground.

To help boost Michael’s confidence, Wally lets him take the pilot’s chair. Shortly after takeoff, the oil pressure climbs and the engines lose power. They can’t stay in formation, so they abort yet another milk run to Messina, and the still is destroyed in a fiery explosion. The crew blames Michael at first, viewing him as a jinx. Later, the squadron limps home; the debrief reveals that fighter protection was diverted and enemy fighters appeared over the target. Wally reassures Michael that aborting the mission may have saved their lives.

With the Lucky Lass grounded and the squadron decimated, some crew are mixed into other flights for the next mission. Charlie, Manu Intiraymi, Eddie, Joe Williamson, and Michael are not assigned. Michael feels guilty about missing another mission, but his crewmates remind him that, as the only officer on the ground, he can ensure Caparelli fixes the plane. After pulling Caparelli aside, Michael persuades him to inspect the Lass again to uncover the “gremlins” that brought it down. Caparelli reluctantly follows and discovers that the oil lines were fouled by sand from the last sandstorm. Meanwhile, to honor a promise to Al, Tim Hade for a celebration on his safe return, Charlie is caught stealing liquor from the officers’ club by the quartermaster, Monroe, Matt Biedel. Charlie pleads for mercy; Michael explains the mechanical issues and accepts blame for not giving explicit orders, and Colonel Shay, John Laughlin, pretends to believe him and lets Charlie off. The colonel then questions Monroe and dismisses him, remarking that he doesn’t have time to waste on anything not affecting operational efficiency. That night the crew celebrate Charlie’s vindication and christen Michael an honorary Irishman, dubbing him “O’Schmidt.”

July 19 arrives and the Lass is cleared to fly the Rome mission. On the final run to the IP, Burt is blinded by shrapnel, but they press on and release their bombs. As they turn home, a B-17 above is hit and its wing clips part of the Lass’s right horizontal stabilizer, sending them into an uncontrolled climb that stalls into a dangerous spin. Michael and Wally struggle to regain control.

At the last moment, Michael and Wally pull up, but they’re now very low over Rome and under heavy ground fire. As they reach the edge of the city, a barrage of flak knocks out another engine and obliterates Wally. In the waist, Tom checks on a wounded Oliver, who says he’s OK, but another flak round kills him. Michael asks Archie, Sean McGowan, to come to the cockpit to help him fly since the navigator had once trained. Archie makes his way to the cockpit, examines the wrecked state of the plane, and climbs into the pilot’s chair to take control of the battered bomber as it crawls away from Rome toward Malta. Archie’s final acts give the crew a chance to survive, and the Lucky Lass escapes the immediate danger.

Some time later, back at Navrin, a new replacement checks in with Michael, now the flight commander of a new bomber, starting the cycle again.