"ENGLISH CHANNEL September, 1940" "Shit, there's a fighter on my six," "Shit, I'm hit," "My ailerons are jammed, I can't turn, I'm bailing out," "ANGEL OF THE SKIES" "RAF HEMSWELL AFB September, 1 944" "He was married." "A father, Harry." "He had a family, just like you." "It's a Iittle hot." "Thank you, Ed." "So?" "So what?" "What do you think?" "He'II be fine." "He always is." "He's just had his best friend's head blown off right next to him." "He's not alright." "So what do you want to do?" "We should speak to Lieutenant Hawthorn." "The medical officer?" "He needs time off, Ed." "I don't need a doctor, Harry." "I'II be fine, just a Iittle shook up is all." "So, how much have you got left then?" "Oh, a tenner." "Ten?" "Ten pounds?" "Is that all?" "Are you trying to tell me that you spent 90 pounds in less than a week?" "Oh well, I figured I might as well spend it." "It was a birthday present, you twat." "Your parents are not going to be pleased with you, especially once they find out that you've spent it all on girls, liquor and movies." "What else was I supposed to do with it?" "I don't know, buy yourself a motorbike or something." "What, and kill myself when I crash into a tree?" "Come on, Don." "You know I got piss poor reaction speed." "True." "True you do." "Reaction speed of a sloth." "What's this?" "A letter from Air Marshal Arthur Harris." "So, where are we going this evening?" "Thinking of hitting the local pub." "That sounds like a great idea to get rid of what's left of me money." "How much you got left?" "Oh, a tenner." "A tenner?" "Hey, a replacement." "I think he's with us." "Well it's about time." "We need one." "Good day, ah sorry, ah, I was told to report to the 150th squadron, um." "Er, to report to Captain Earl's flight crew." "Uh, I'm the new replacement." "Just come in from bomber training." "They sent us a bloody sprog." "Well, this is Earl's flight crew." "Settle in." "Cheers." "Yeah, man." "Coffee?" "Oh, no thanks." "I'm still trying to settle down, you know." "Don't want to be too jumpy." "Tea?" "No, thank you Sir." "alright." "Next to gasoline, it?" "s the most important liquid we have here in the RAF." "Sorry Sir?" "Tea." "It always hits the spot, you know." "They say it calms the nerves." "Yes Sir." "I'm very sorry to hear about Galloway, he was an excellent pilot." "So sad to have someone of his caliber leave us so soon." "How many flights did he have behind him - 48?" "Yes Sir, 48." "This was his second tour." "Very sad." "Will you be alright informing all the next of kin, and so forth?" "Yes Sir, I feel that I knew him best." "It would be disrespectful not to." "Well, you know you don't have to do anything that you don't feel you're up to." "No Sir." "I'm up to it." "Very well." "Here's the hard news." "I know you chaps have just got back." "But we've chalked you up for another run." "This time, it?" "s a day run." "If you'II forgive my saying so Sir, but we're not exactly operational yet." "We have no ball turret, it's still unserviceable after our last run, and we're short a full flight crew." "I understand this, Earl, but Air Marshal Harris is pushing everything we have." "Eisenhower needs bomber command to press Jerry." "And if that weren't enough," "Harris is hell bent on hitting Berlin soon, would you believe." "We have to fulfill the tasks assigned to us." "We have a reputation here, at Bomber Command." "Come in." "Here he is, Lieutenant." "Commander." "We were just talking about you, please have a seat." "Commander." "flight officer Earl, this is your new copilot." "Lieutenant Raymond Hawkins, straight out of flight school." "Top of his class." "I'm sure he'II fit in perfectly." "Yes Sir, we'II see to it that he does." "Good." "Any questions, Lieutenant?" "Commander, I was informed that I would have my own flight crew." "I wasn't aware that we had any foreigners in the unit." "Are you referring to Captain Kirk, Lieutenant?" "The Captain here, is a volunteer from the South African Air Force, and one of the best men we have." "So Lieutenant, I should mind my P's and Q's if I were you." "My apologies, Commander." "I meant no offence to the Captain." "Accepted." "Any questions?" "No Sir." "No Sir." "Well chaps, I've got a Iot of paperwork to do." "There's a rumour that we're going to do a combined bombing raid with the Yanks." "So if you'II excuse me." "Dismissed." "Well would you have a look at all those filleys, hey." "God, I Iove the Air Force." "Why?" "You can't convince any of them to talk to you, you know." "He's all ugly looking." "Now listen here, that?" "s not funny." "No, no, no, no, don't laugh." "It's because they fail to look past my brutish looks, you see." "Where if they tried, they'd find a strapping, intelligent, young buck underneath all this protective armour." "I tell you, Robbie," "I'd challenge them on every level." "I..." "I've studied it." "It's what woman want, really." "That's not what I heard." "Now, now Duane, we've been through this." "The last time was not my fault." "Listen, don't, don't listen to a word he has to say." "He's, he's full of nonsense, he's riff raff, that's what he is." "Oi, I think it?" "s the other way round." "Listen Robbie, do me a favour." "Pick anyone of those filleys over there and I assure you, I will win her over." "No, no, I'm serious." "Pick one now." "Oh, oh ok, alright." "There." "The one on the end." "Good God, you have fantastic choice in legs, my boy." "Very good taste." "Duane, you'II see." "When I'm done here, you'II be eating your hat, old boy." "Here we go lads." "Oh, thank you, Sir." "No worries, drinks on me." "Here you go." "Abe paid half." "Thank you." "Cheers." "Cheers." "Cheers." "Cheers." "So Robbie, what have these boys been teaching you?" "I wouldn't listen to Don here, he's up to no good." "Yes, Sir." "No need to be so formal, lad, I'm not going to bite." "Well he's fresh, fresh as they come." "What do you expect?" "So, Iet's get to more important matters." "How much is the wager tonight?" "Ah come now, Ed." "I thought you know, we could, you know, take a break, relax and enjoy ourselves for once." "That?" "s exactly what this evening is about, right boys?" "Enjoying ourselves." "So, who's the target?" "There's no target." "Target?" "Robbie?" "It?" "s the lass at the end there, Sir." "Good boy, Robbie." "How much was it again?" "Fifty." "I thought you said forty." "Forty." "No, no, too late, too late." "Fifty it is, fifty it is." "Bollocks to you, Ed." "bloody bastard, he always does that." "You know you can't beat him, Don." "Just admit it." "It's not happening, Abe, I'm right on his tail and you know that." "Pick another one." "Again?" "Yes." "Yes, pick another one again!" "alright, alright." "How about that one?" "Lovely." "I Iove your choice in ladies." "Hold my drink." "Here we go." "I'm not sure I know what's going on here, Sir." "Better you don't." "They've got a bet going on." "They got a tally." "The one with the most kills at the end of the war wins." "And I presume the kills are the shellas they're talking to." "Well in Don's case, it's trying to talk to." "Ed's got the looks in my books." "He's gonna win this." "I think I'II take you up on that." "How much you got?" "You can't be serious." "I am." "I'II be right back to finish this bet off, boys." "Cheerio." "You see, even Abe is chickening out." "Abe?" "Yeah, it's his nickname, you know." "It's about time you showed up." "You look nervous." "Is it that obvious?" "Everyone here?" "AII here." "You were the Iast one to show up." "Not usually like you." "I've had a Iot on my mind, Abe." "There she is." "How do I Iook?" "Perfect." "Just don't frown so much, you might just scare her away." "She'II say yes." "And what makes you so sure?" "Just get in there man, come on." "What about you?" "elizabeth will be here soon." "I'II be with you in a bit." "Good luck." "Excuse me, Miss." "I see you've almost finished your drink." "Do you mind if I buy you another one?" "What is it with you fly boys?" "What makes you so sure that I would Iike to drink with your kind anyway?" "Well, you're here, aren't you?" "Well, maybe I'm not here by choice." "Oh, so you're forced to be here then." "Well, I wouldn't say that, but uh, maybe I'm here with someone else." "Ah, a pilot?" "Perhaps." "I see." "He's a very lucky man." "I wonder do I perhaps know him?" "Oh you might just." "He's very handsome, you wouldn't miss him." "Handsome?" "Charming, smart." "He's...sounding quite familiar." "Really?" "Really." "Hello Earl." "Deborah." "What took you so long?" "I've been sitting here trying to beat these cocky bastards off me every ten minutes." "I'm sorry, I had a few things to run through with our new copilot before I came." "I hope I didn't keep you long." "No." "It's alright, dear." "You're here now, that's all that counts." "Listen, Deborah, I was thinking we could step outside for a few minutes." "Just you and I." "Is everything alright?" "Everything is fine." "I just haven't been feeling myself, and I was thinking we could have some time to ourselves." "Just you and I." "Besides, there is something I've been wanting to show you." "Then why didn't you just say so, silly boy?" "My father treating you well?" "As well as any man I imagine." "He'II be harder on you, Earl." "He's old fashioned." "I take it he's just trying to test you." "He's been testing me for the past year now." "Oh don't be a sissy." "Honestly, I think that sometimes he's just giving me a hard time because of our relationship." "The man doesn't believe in favouritism, Earl." "We could be married and have ten children, the man would still be the same." "That explains a Iot." "Well, here she is." "Angel of the Skies." "She's beautiful." "I mean, I've seen her a thousand times, Earl." "But never from this close." "Still amazes me how you get her off the ground." "Well we try." "I was thinking, we could go up to Manchester, stay with my mother." "You could still work for the Air Force as a transport pilot while we prepare for our child." "Earl, what's wrong?" "I don't know, Deborah." "A transport pilot?" "I..." "I don't think I can just up and leave." "My father will understand, Earl." "You've done your part." "That's not how it works." "Why not?" "You're a volunteer, Earl, you've been fighting this war for close to five years now." "Come home with me." "It's someone elses turn to be the hero." "Britain is safe now, you need not go risk all we have for her." "You are to be a father now, you have bigger responsibilities." "I made a commitment." "A promise to the men and my crew, I can't just leave them now." "I am sick of sitting counting the planes coming home, Earl." "The wait, sitting alone hoping to see your plane on the horizon." "It kills a part of me every time." "This war, it has changed so many people's lives." "I'm sorry, Deborah." "I can't." "Deborah, stop." "Listen to that." "Sounds like someone one the bet last night." "Don't be silly, that's what he thinks." "I have a Iittle surprise for him later." "Shouldn't we, you know, Iet him finish?" "Come now, he wouldn't do the same for us, now would he?" "Good morning, Sir." "No Iads, come on." "Not again." "Come on lads, no!" "Good to see Jerry gets a wallop." "Get your pants on." "Duane get over here." "Get him out of the bed." "Come on!" "Come on, lads." "Off you go." "Give him a pat on the arse." "Cheerio Ma'am." "Sorry love." "Good morning Ma'am." "Have a good day." "Sorry Ma'am." "The target is Bremen." "Fuel tanks, oil and factories are still functional." "On our last raid we didn't cause as much damage as we hoped." "So we're going back in again." "Now as you chaps well know, these factories are fueling the German panzer divisions that our boys are fighting in Falese as I speak." "Hit the factories and we save a Iot of lives when those panzers can't move." "Sounds like you had a busy night, Ed." "You wouldn't believe, Skipper." "We need those bombardier eyes of yours working overtime today." "We got some cloud cover over target, boys." "Not to worry, Skip, I'm on top of it." "Robertson." "Skipper!" "How you settling in, you think you ready?" "Ready as I'II ever be, Sir." "For King and Country, Sir!" "Very good, Sergeant." "I Iike your determination." "If there is anything you wish to know before we head on out, nows the time to ask." "I think I'II be alright, Sir." "alright then, everyone onboard." "Prep for take off." "Ed, I'd Iike to have a word or two with you if I may." "The rest of you are dismissed." "So what's this I hear of you giving the rookie a hard time last night?" "What?" "A hard time?" "Come on Ed, you're scaring the shit out of the boy." "Nonsense, Skip, it's to keep him on his toes." "That's all." "I need my men to be thinking clearly, Ed, not worrying about being blown out of the sky." "Cause you and I may very well owe our lives to that young man when a Jerry comes right up our tail." "Now do you want him to be shaking like a leaf or steady as a rock?" "I see your point, Skip." "alright then, just help him where you can." "Got me?" "Got you, Skip." "I must say, I've never seen this before." "Well it's for good luck." "Come on, you don't want to jinx it, do you?" "Whip your todger out, piss on the wheel." "So your name's Harry, right?" "That's me." "So why do they call you Abe?" "What's so funny?" "That's because I studied American history before all this started." "The boys felt Abe was a fitting title." "That's exactly what I thought." "See you later." "I can see the fish heads below," "Why you keep calling them that?" "They're the bloody navy," "Ah, still fish heads to me," "I'm not liking this yank built hulk," "Just be thankful you're not in a Halifax," "You mean a halibag, That's a bloody flying coffin that is," "Pipe down, Don, you scaring the kid," "Nah, that's alright," "Which one would you say is the best skipper?" "Aircraft wise," "The one that gets me home," "Don that bastard," "Not yours I take it?" "Don, you crossed the line, lad," "What's that?" "I said you crossed the line, boyo!" "Whose bloody knickers are these lying around in my bombardier compartment?" "Oh, thank you, Ed, I was looking for those, Would you do me a favour and hold on to them until we land, and I'll get them from you then?" "You cheeky bastard, I'll get you for this!" "That you might, Sir," "But if I were you, I'd try not lie down on that cushioning you have there," "What?" "No, no!" "God, no!" "What's wrong with you?" "Shit, no!" "Set superchargers to stage two," "Superchargers set," "Harry, how much longer to the rendezvous?" "Not far now, Skip, Three minutes on this heading, we should be seeing yellow section shortly," "Roger that, Eyes peeled, boys, Call out any aircraft you see, high and low," "We too high," "What, what do you mean?" "Rendezvouz altitude was at 20,000 feet, We too high," "Rather be too high than too low, Doesn't matter, Bombardier, come in," "Bombardier here, What do you need, Skipper?" "We're flying a little too high for the rendezvous, Will you look out your window and see if you can spot yellow section for me?" "Roger that, Skipper," "1 o' clock low, Skipper, We have B24's ahead," "Yellow section, About 500 feet below us," "Roger that bombardier," "Guide me in, will you?" "Alright, You can keep coming down," "Just slow down a little, Skip, That's it," "Alright, it looks like you are coming in too fast," "Okay, keep coming down, That's good, Keep coming down, Keep going," "Keep going, almost there, Okay," "You should start seeing yellow section coming into your view now," "Red leader to red section, Close formation, Angels 22, Over," "Roger that, Send our confirmation back," "Hey, it's pappa's girl, Haven't seen her fly for a while now," "Oi, what say we land in France, get ourself some nice French fillies and hit the night life, hey Skip?" "Not happening, Don," "Come on!" "How about we kick you out the bombay on the way back - will that suffice?" "You may kick me off wherever you like, As long as there are French fillies and wine," "I'll be as happy as a pig in mud," "That's Nazi soil down below, Skip," "Right on time," "88's I reckon," "Skipper to all hands, We've got some Jerry 88's trying their luck," "Get your flak jackets out, boys," "What about the new guy?" "Are you alright back there, Robbie?" "Yeah, just having a hard time trying to get that flak jacket on," "Don't bother, You'd be more protected just sitting on the damn thing," "Why?" "Well you don't want to be losing your bollocks, do you?" "I mean you can always do fine without a leg or an arm, but you can't be a man without your tools, can you?" "So I just sit on them?" "Yes, you do that and you'll be just fine," "Okay," "Hey Don?" "Yes?" "Thank you," "No stress, boyo," "Flight Engineer to tail gunner, come in," "This is the tail section, Read you over," "Slow down on your oxygen intake, old boy, No need to be too excited," "You going through your oxygen at an alarming rate, mate," "I read you, Flight Engineer, Will do, Over," "Skipper, Red three wishes to speak to you," "Alright, put them through," "You're through," "This is red section leader to red three, We read you, What's your message, over?" "This is red three, We have taken some hits from that last flak barrage," "We're leaking fuel, Not sure if we can stick with you, over," "Roger that, red three, That's a confirmed hit on your starboard wing," "You're leaking fuel pretty badly, I suggest you turn back immediately, Over," "Roger that, Angel lead, Returning to base," "They'll be an easy target on their own," "He wouldn't make it to target leaking that much fuel, He can't stay with formation," "That engine's going to die soon, It'll only cause more drag than thrust," "All we can do now is wish them luck," "Keep weaving, keep weaving, Skipper, We've got a lot of flak coming up," "There's a lot more today," "Shit!" "Christ, that was a large one," "They're getting closer, Skip, I think they've zeroed in on our altitude," "Doesn't matter if we gain altitude, Harry, Those aren't the usual flak we encounter," "Those are 88's, they can shoot higher than our ceiling height," "Bloody hell!" "Oh bloody hell!" "That was the biggest one I've seen yet!" "Jerry's throwing everything at us today," "Bring it on you bloody tossers!" "Just as in a game of footies," "England kicked your arses before you started all this shite!" "Three nothing you wankers!" "Quite messing around back there," "Looks like we're coming clear of that flak field, Get your guns ready," "Not long before those fighters get here," "I see them," "Harry, man that front turret," "In position, Skip," "Just keep them off us, Harry," "I thought the Luftwaffe was through," "In France, yes, We're heading into the hornet's nest now," "Here they come," "Alright Duane, They're all around us, Let's focus," "We've got to get them down this time," "Alright, coming from my three o' clock to your nine o' clock," "Smoke and mirrors, boys!" "I got him, I got him!" "He's going down!" "That's three for me, Don, How much you got, boy?" "We're getting nailed up here, Get those fighters off us," "Well, what do you think we're bloody doing?" "Its not good enough, Any more hits like that and you can kiss this plane goodbye," "Now eyes peeled, Call out those fighters," "Shit, Shit, My gun's jammed, I can't fire!" "Fuck!" "Don, get back there and help Robertson with that gun," "Duane, watch my gun," "What the hell was that?" "Report!" "We've lost oxygen to the tail section!" "Robertson, what's going on back there?" "Robertson?" "Don, what's happening back there?" "He's gone," "What?" "Say that again," "Robertson is gone, Skipper, There's a massive hole in the fuselage," "They must've hit his oxygen supply, he's gone!" "Flight engineer, how bad is the damage?" "We've still got hydraulic control of the tail, but no oxygen in the tail section," "Abe, how much further to target?" "On this heading, another 10 minutes, Skipper," "Engine two has been hit, temperature gauge going up," "Engage the CO2 emitters, Flight engineer, disengage fuel pump to engine two and feather the prop," "It's not doing anything, Captain, We need to dive," "Not yet," " We need to dive or we're going to lose her," "I said, not yet," "With all due respect, Captain, If that engine blows, we're all as good as dead!" "Just give her a few more seconds, Lieutenant," "No, we don't have a few more seconds!" "Take your hands off that steering column, Lieutenant!" "That's an order!" "You're going to get us all killed!" "C02 emitters worked, Skipper, Enginge two is cooling down," "There's no fire, Doesn't look too bad," "Skipper, we're losing fuel from the starboard wing," "Our last hit was a little worse than we thought," "We have a rupture in one of our fuel tanks," "Ray, get back there and help transfer any remaing fuel to the other tanks," "Go!" "Abe, talk to me, distance to target," "Eight minutes, Skipper, Time to start prepping the run," "I disagree with that decision, we are in no position to carry on with the objective," "And you are in no position to make the decision, Lieutenant," "Now do as you are told and get back there and help transfer that remaining fuel," "Robertson!" "Come and get it, you Jerry bastards!" "Flight engineer, Give me the numbers, Can we make it back?" "Afraid not, Skipper," "If we stay the course, it's questionable," "Seven minutes to target, Skip," "What is it going to be, Skipper?" "I still need to prime the bombs," "We've saved what we can, I still think this is suicide," "We're staying the course," "Jesus, are you nuts?" "Ed, prep those bombs, We haven't got all day," "Its about bloody time, Skipper," "Radio operator, put me through to squadron," "One second, Skip," "Alright, you're through," ""A " Angel to five group, We're almost over target, Bomb on our mark, chaps," "That's all, Over," "I hope you know what you're doing, Skipper," "Remember, there are no target indicators, It's all on you, Ed," "Thank you for the reminder, Skip," "Jesus, what the fuck are we doing here?" "This is suicide!" "Ed, I'm switching control over to you, How's it looking?" "Not sure yet, Give me a moment," "Harry, are you sure this is the right heading?" "Zero Seven Niner, that's the heading, One minute to target," "That's what I've got," "But we've got nine tenths cloud cover, Skip, I can't see a thing," "Ed, just keep looking," "Does it look like I'm baking a pie down here?" "They better have their blues and two's on standby," "Bombs away, Skipper!" "There goes the cookie," "Seems like we happened to bumble over just in time," "Bumbling had sweet F A to do with it, old boy, You just got lucky," "Me?" "I got us here, it's your job to drop the payload," "Skip, ready to take a photo when you are," "Roger that bombardier, hurry up with that photograph," "The flaks are getting rather heavy up here," "That didn't sound good," "Flight engineer, where are we hit, what's our status?" "Ray, check your starboard wing," "Christ, looks like we've got fuel vapour coming out the port wing," "Do you want me to take this photo, Skipper?" "Bugger the photograph, We need to turn back now," "Come on!" "He's trapped!" "Drop your gun!" "Now!" "Flight engineer, talk to me," "The flak has hit us a little worse than we thought," "We still got the auxiliary tanks in both wings, but the port wing auxiliary lines are severed," "We've got fuel, we just can't get to it, The bomb bay tanks are still good, we were able to get some fuel via the cross feed pump," "Can we make it back?" "No," "What are our choices?" "We need to lower the engine revs," "That will lower our airspeed, we'll fall out of formation," "Do we have any other choices?" "I'm afraid not, Skipper, If we conserve as much fuel as we can, we can make it to France," "Maybe," "Abe," "Skipper?" "Can you get us a bearing for France?" "Already on it, Sir," "Follow a bearing of 265," "Radio operator, put me through to squadron, Over," "You're through," " This is red section leader," "Looks like we won't be making the trip back home with you boys," "We're going to try head for France, Just keep heading home, we'll see you there, Angel out, Over," "Alright lads, we're on our own from here on in, Just keep your eyes peeled," "Call out those fighters, Over," "Flight engineer, can you give me more power to those engines?" "Already did, Skipper, I took the liberty of increasing our revs when I saw our altitude decreasing," "Christ, Alright, we've got more important things to worry about," "We've lost a lot of altitude and we are still losing more," "I don't have enough air speed to keep the nose up, We're too heavy, we need to start getting rid of everything we don't need," "Everything, including those 50's boys, And the ammunition," "No, I'm alright, mate," "Suit yourself," "She's pulling left, rudder at full, counter it!" "It's our port engines, they're causing too much drag!" "Help me counter it, Ray, you need to pull harder!" "I'm doing the best I can," "Engine three is dying, Skipper," "The only way we can get her out of this spiral, is to lower the throttle on the starboard engines," "We're too heavy, As soon as we do that we'll go into a dive," "Captain to all hands, I'm issuing the order to bail out," "I'll hold her as best as I can, boys," "What about you, Skip?" "I can't leave the column," "The second I let go she'll go into a dive," "You need to bail out now, There's no more time, we're losing too much altitude," "You won't be able to hold her on your own," "I've been flying this girl for a long time, Ray, I can handle her," "Now get out of here!" "We're not leaving you, Skip, We'll do a belly landing," "You've done it before, If we jump now we'll break our legs on landing," "We're too low anyway, 700 feet and we're losing more by the second, What's it going to be, Abe?" "We can take a vote, -650 feet!" "Abe and I aren't going anywhere, Earl," "What's it going to be, Ray?" "500 feet!" "Doesn't look like I have much of a choice," "Besides, you can't hold her on your own," "Alright men, assume emergency landing positions!" "Ed, Harry, get out of the nose now!" "There's no clearing up ahead," "What's that to our starboard?" "She can't pull right, Skipper," "Never say never," "Put the rudder full to port, Feather engines two and four and full throttle on three," "She won't make it," "We're going to lose her anyway, just do as I say, she'll make it," "She's going to stall," "Almost there!" "Alright now, bring the nose down!" "What are you doing?" "We've got to lower the landing gear," "No, leave them up, It'll only dig us in, We're putting up a large black, Trust me," "Prepare for impact boys, Hold onto something!" "Fuck!" "Relax Abe, just hang on there." "This is all I could find." "Just hang on." "No morphine?" "It's diamorphine." "It'II have to do." "Relax Harry, relax." "Just keep quiet." "You'II be ok, just keep quiet." "Just keep quiet." "Come on, come on, you're okay." "He's not breathing, Earl!" "He's not fucking breathing, Earl!" "Just keep quiet, keep quiet." "Relax Harry." "Just hang on, just hang on,..." "You've got to keep quiet, Harry." "Just keep quiet, boy, just keep quiet, boy." "You'II be okay." "Do you have any water?" "We need to wash the blood away." "Relax, Harry." "Don, I need your flask." "Don, I need the flask, lad." "He's gone, there is nothing we can do for him." "I need the flask, lad." "We need to help Harry now." "Relax." "I think this will do the trick." "It's all I could find." "Jesus!" "We need to push the bone back into place." "Hold him down, Ed." "Is that necessary?" "Not now, Ed." "It's going to hurt him, Earl." "If we don't it will go septic and we won't be able to take him with us." "Look at this, Earl." "Look at your crew." "You had the chance to turn back, but your pride got in the way." "If only you had listened to me, none of this would have happened!" "Stand down, Ray!" "You're not listening to me!" "Calm down." "Calm the fuck down!" "This is all a crock of shit." "Calm down." "Okay, the Skip is doing his best to keep us all alive." "alright?" "Right now the Jerry has found our plane." "Right now we need to get Harry fixed and we need to keep going." "You got me?" "It's okay, Ed." "He's right." "We need to concentrate on helping Harry now." "Jesus!" "Hold him down, Ed." "This is going to hurt, Harry." "Earl, I told you not to come back here." "Sorry Miss Caldwell, it's..." "Lieutenant Parks." "I have news regarding Captain Kirk." "His plane hasn't returned." "Any idea where we are." "Germany, France." "Harry?" "Last time I checked we were over Trier, I think." "Think we made it over friendly lines?" "It looks like Germany to me, old boy." "How many you got?" "Only twelve rounds." "Is that all?" "To be honest, if I don't take Jerry down in the first two shots, the other twelve won't matter against his Mauser." "Fair enough." "Best you make them count then." "Hopefully we won't have to use this." "Skip." "So what's the plan?" "We keep heading west." "That's the direction our lines are in." "Sooner or later we should bump into Monty's men or the yanks." "So what, we just going to keep hiding in ditches, crawling past Jerry and his boys until we get home?" "It's all we can do, Ed." "What about food and supplies?" "We'II find whatever we can when we can." "And Harry?" "What about Harry?" "Our only hope is to make it back to friendly lines and find him proper care." "With all due respect, Skip, he's in pain." "If we surrender to the Germans, we can at Ieast get some help." "We can't surrender, Ed." "There's no guarantee they'II even help him." "Are you sure that's the best option?" "It's our only option." "Guys, guys." "Is that a halftrack?" "Could be." "Maybe bigger." "We should hide." "Quick, into the woods." "Let's go." "They must be around here!" "You!" "Go and check this side!" "And you'II check the other side again!" "Over here!" "Come on!" "Form two groups!" "Come on!" "They aren't here!" "Ed." "Ed." "Harry." "Chaps, we need to get going before they come back." "Put him down here." "You think there are any eggs?" "We'II find out soon enough." "I'II bet my share on it." "Nothing like some egg and toast in the morning." "alright, it looks clear enough." "Don, you and I will go take a look." "Ed, you and Ray stay here with Harry." "If it's all clear we will signal to you to come inside." "We'II try find somewhere for you to rest, Harry, and hopefully we'II find some provisions and something for that leg too." "No offence, Skipper, but wouldn't it be wise to stay away from the locals?" "What do you mean?" "Rumour has it that German farmers shoot RAF pilots on sight." "It would be better to just turn ourselves in to someone with uniform, don't you think?" "We all need to rest, Don." "We'II have to take our chances." "alright, Iet's go." "Why is he so angry?" "What?" "You know, Earl, he's so angry all the time, so defeated." "Moral was never this low in training." "They should've never even allowed him to fly." "It's just..." "You were never there." "The battle of Berlin." "In February we lost a Iot of lives." "Saw a Iot of men go down and there was nothing we could do." "When you see a man fall to his death, it does that to a person." "What makes this worse is that this is his third tour." "No, that' not possible." "He had no choice really." "His last squadron was disbanded due to heavy losses." "He had to join a new squadron, 150th squadron." "He was on his 24th op." "He had to start all over again." "He only had six more to go." "He never said a word." "He just accepted it." "It's no cup of tea, but it should help those nerves." "glad to see you're not keeping all the caffeine to yourself." "Oh be quiet." "It was one time." "It was still funny though." "I wouldn't go so far as to say you're a thief." "It was a special occasion." "I needed a Iot of caffeine, it was one time." "Who needs an entire crew's caffeine after a night run from Germany?" "Come on." "I told you, it was a special occasion." "I remember that." "It was March, we just got back from hitting Berlin in our Lancaster." "Just before we moved over to 150th." "Lost a Iot of good men that day." "Well, upon landing back in England," "Ed proceeds to ask each member of the crew for their caffeine." "Most of us already drank ours, apart from the Skipper, so he says:" ""Skipper, have you had your caffeine?" To which the Skipper replies:" ""No, I didn't need it." So Ed now, slightly more excited, asks if he can have it." "Skipper, looking a Iittle confused, as did we all, says: "Why do you want it?"" ""You'II be up all night."" "Now bare in mind, we just returned from Berlin, no small feat in itself, I tell you." "Ed, the cheeky sod, tells the Skip that -"someone is waiting for me"." ""Someone is waiting for me"?" "Exactly." "The cheeky bugger had already organized to meet a girl upon return from Berlin." "In my defence, she was a stunner." "You must admit, it takes a special man to think of nothing else other than a girl when you're about to get the chop." "Good morning, my chickens." "You've been busy." "And there are even more!" "Ed." "Ed!" "What do we do?" "We can't let her leave." "I thought this place was abandoned." "So did I." "Don, get up!" "Get up!" "please... please don't hurt me." "Take what you want, please don't hurt me!" "She's asking us not to hurt her." "Explain to her that we are not going to hurt her." "We just needed a place to sleep." "And we'II be leaving now." "We won't hurt you." "We just needed a place to sleep and we'II be leaving now." "We've got company." "Looks like Wehrmacht regulars." "Ed check the back." "It's all clear, Skip." "They're coming this way." "Grab Harry, Iet's go, Iet's go!" "What about you, Skip?" "I'm buying you time." "Go!" "Good morning, gentlemen." "Can I help you?" " Good morning, ma'am." "Are you the owner of this farm?" "Yes." "Well, it's my husband's, but he's in Belgium right now fighting the Americans." "Good to hear." "We were wondering, if you have seen any enemy pilots around here?" "An English bomber crashed nearby here." "Have you seen or heard anything?" "I heard a plane went down nearby, but I haven't seen anything." "I'm sorry." "Are you sure?" "Yes." "Yes, I am sure." "You wouldn't mind, if we come inside and take a look around then?" "I've just got in some fresh hay." "It's still wet and smells funny." "You don't want to get that smell..." "Move aside please." "please don't!" "Earl, you made it." "Where's Ray?" "He's supposed to be here with you." "No, he went back to fetch you." "bloody hell." "Well." "The smell in here isn't so bad." "Wouldn't you agree, Gruber?" "I don't smell anything." "So, you said there was no one here, really?" "You are lying!" "Who was here?" "Who was here?" "Come on, get in." "Do you want to be seen?" "We can't let them get away." "He's gone." "There is nothing we can do for him." "We've got to get out of here." "By now they have him talking and they know where we are." "We've got to get out of here." "No." "What do you mean, no?" "What are you doing, Earl?" "Don, ask her where they'd take him." "You're thinking of going after him?" "You're crazy, you can't go after him." "There are German headquarters over on the other side of the forest in a village, and that they're going to take him to a Stalag Luft from there." "Bring her here." "alright." "You're not being very fair." "We can't go after him!" "There are a hell of a Iot of Germans at that HQ." "We may as well just hand ourselves over." "We don't stand a chance against those Jerries." "No we don't, but if we can intercept that car..." "Ask her if there is a shortcut." "Is there a shortcut to their HQ?" "Yes, you've to cross the river." "There's a road where the Germans are patrolling." "The road leads through a nearby village and over a bridge before returning to the HQ." "Okay." "She says if we head straight through the forest over the river, we should be able to cut them off on the road on the other side." "Is she sure?" "Are you sure?" "Yes." "alright Don, you stay here with Harry." "Ed and I are going to head through that forest and see if we can get..." "No." "No, this is not fair." "Why don't we get a say in this?" "alright then, Ed." "You stay here and look after Harry." "Don?" "You're going to listen to him?" "We can't just leave Ray, Ed." "I know, but I'm being realistic here." "She's making a break for it!" "I'm not being selfish!" "The maid, stop her!" "No, leave me alone!" "Tell her to keep quiet!" "We're not going to hurt her." "Keep quiet, keep quiet!" "We won't hurt you." "You need to understand we just want to go home." "please be quiet!" "please." "Why would you risk our lives?" "He wouldn't do the same for you." "Because I'm not him, Ed." "We're his only chance." "alright." "I'm in." "But if he's at the German HQ, we leave him and we get out of there!" "Ok." "So what are we waiting for?" "There's someone lying on the road." "Yes." "Hey!" "Ray, get out the car." "No!" "How long do we have before they come after us?" "Minutes, hours if we're lucky." "Hurry up, boys." "My German is nothing to be proud of, but I bet you this is something important." "Looks like defensive gunnery positions or something similar." "This could be useful for Monty and his boys." "Right, Iet's head back." "Hold on, hold on." "What about him?" "You can't let him live." "Come on, do you not think he's going to tell his friends in which direction we went after they find him?" "He's right, Earl." "I don't like it any more than you, but he's right." "I'II do it." "Wait." "We're taking him with us." "What?" "He's worth more to us alive than dead, Lieutenant." "alright, Skipper." "Back to the farm." "Move it!" "Thank you." "Thank you for everything." "I studied here in Germany, in Munich." "Before the war." "You have a beautiful country." "I wish I could stay..." "Come on let's go!" "Jerry's onto us!" "Get moving!" "What about the girl?" "Jerry!" "Leave her!" "Watch his leg!" "So, tell me now:" "Where are they?" "I don't know!" "I didn't hide any Englishman." "They had me at gunpoint." "I had no choice." "Don't cry, ma'am." "Just relax." "Tell me," "in which direction did they go?" "I think they went west." "How many?" "Five." "One of 'em badly wounded." "Yes?" "His leg was injured, maybe from the plane crash." "Thank you." "Everything's going to be fine." "Kill her." "Gather a small group, pack for two days." "Get moving." "Put me down." "Put me down." "slow, it's okay." "My God." "Skip," "I don't think Harry can keep up this pace." "Hows your leg?" "Skip, it hurts like hell." "I can't..." "I can't move." "We can't stop moving, I'm sorry, Harry." "We've got to keep on going." "Those Germans aren't going to slow down." "Just give me two minutes, it's all I need." "Let us carry you!" "Drop your weapons!" "You've got no chance!" "Do you speak German?" "Lower the weapon and stand down." "You have no choice." "We have an injured man." "We only wish to get him to a hospital." "We are no danger to you." "Just let us return to our lines." "Lower the weapon." "And I assure you, we will take your friend to the nearest field hospital." "He's SS, we can't trust him." "Wehrmacht maybe, but not SS." "I want your word." "You have my word." "We can't trust him." "Quiet, Ray." "No one gets hurt." "We want your word." "British soldiers approaching." "Don, Ed, move." "Get over that bank." "Go, now!" "Easy, back up." "Back up." "Go!" "Christ, that was close." "He said something about a British patrol coming up the river." "We should warn them." "No Harry, we can't." "We have to warn them." "No, that's too dangerous." "We have to warn them!" "Harry, no!" "Harry!" "Harry, stop!" "Come down here!" "Oi!" "Over here, we're RAF!" "Harry, stop!" "Harry, get down here!" "Come on, boys!" "Harry?" "Harry?" "Fuck you!" "No, no, no, no!" "Stop, Ed!" "Calm down, calm down!" "You're going to get yourself killed!" "Calm down, mate." "You can't do this." "Ed, Ed, Ed, Ed, look at me!" "Look at me, look at me!" "You're getting us all killed!" "Fuck them!" "Fuck them!" "Calm down, man!" "You're going crazy, I can't let you!" "Ed, Ed, Ed, Ed, you have to stay down here." "We don't stand a chance." "We can help them." "We can't, we can't." "We don't stand a chance." "We don't stand a chance, mate." "We need to get going." "Harry, Harry..." "Let's go." "Let's go." "Come on." "Let's go." "If I'm right, that should be Falaise just down the hill." "That's where Monty and his boys are in a gridlock with Jerry." "That explains the British patrol we saw earlier today." "So we keep moving." "Join up with Monty's boys on the other side of town, and get home." "That's the plan." "And how do you suppose we get past the Jerry?" "I've got nothing." "We just have to try to make it." "Any suggestions?" "Ray?" "I'm with you, Earl." "We wait for them to reload and then we go." "Go, now!" "Hurry!" "Reload!" "So going through the town was the better option." "What would you rather do, Ed?" "We could've just flanked the town." "That's exactly what Monty and his boys have been trying to do." "The flanks are secure." "Possibly even heavier defences and mines." "This is our only and best option." "Now on the other side of this town is the British 2nd Army." "It's now or never, chaps." "We've already made it this far." "We can do this." "Just one more push." "Let's go." "Go!" "Go!" "Don!" "Get up!" "Don, go!" "Move on!" "Don, go!" "Get out of here!" "I'm afraid I can't go any further, old chap." "So, how many did you get?" "What?" "You know, women." "About eight." "Pathetic, I know." "How many did you get?" "At least 20?" "Let's just say I owe you 40 quid." "I thought it was 50." "Who would have thought it?" "Here we were all thinking you were a regular cantina cowboy, Ed." "Sorry to disappoint you, old boy." "No, no!" "Ed, Ed!" "No!" "Earl, they're gone!" "Come on mate!" "Come on!" "Come on!" "Let's go!" "Ray?" "Ray?" "Retreat!" "Retreat!" "Hurry!" "Ray?" "Let's get out of here!" "Come on!" "Hurry!" "Cover, cover." "Leave them!" "Leave them!" "Get out!" "Leave them!" "Quick, get us out!" "They're coming!" "Breathe, mate, breathe!" "Ray." "Ray." "ANGEL OF THE SKIES"