Browse episode ratings trends for 12 O'Clock High. Simply click on the interactive rating graph to explore the best and worst of 12 O'Clock High's 78 episodes.
Best Episodes of 12 O'Clock High
Mutiny at Ten Thousand Feet
S1 Ep26
9.5
26th Mar 1965
Major Andy Towson, an exceptional pilot & squadron C.O. cracks up after landing. He is a friend of Savages and has flown about same amount of missions as Savage and has always been a rock. Towson's co-pilot Lieutenant Kemp suggests that as Savage's crew is rotating back to US, Towson's crew is ready to fly with him. Phil Reese is being blackmailed by Kemp who knows that his real name is Phil Chapman and that while drunk he hit and killed a young child back home. Kemp wants Reese to support him to take over the plane and fly it to Switzerland. Kemp distracts Lieutenant Patterson in the pharmacy and steals some uppers & downers from the base pharmacy and then says that they belong to Savage. General Stoneman assigns them to fly a mission to drop leaflets around Innsbruck. In the air Kemp acts as though Savage has cracked up. Savage gets the crew to back him by convincing them that they will be court-martialed and that Kemp is using them. Reese comes to Savages aid and Kemp shoots him. Sa
Face of a Shadow
S3 Ep3
9.0
23rd Sep 1966
The 918th is now temporarily part of the 15th Air Force. They fly to a base at Bellagio Foggia Italy commanded by Colonel Yates. Yates is a drunk. Sabotage led by Major Holtzer. Shull is killed.
The Mission
S1 Ep27
9.0
2nd Apr 1965
Savage and the Piccadilly Lily are given a special mission to bomb an oil line in the Säär Valley. Captain Dirksen is a Lead Bombardier from Wing down for the mission. Captain Walters as the alternate Lead Bombardier. Savage's crew has rotated home, so he is using a new crew but needs two new waist gunners. He chooses Waller & Maglie. Waller is actually a bombardier but has excellent gunnery scores. The navigator First Lieutenant Gunther does not want to fly with ""Wash-out"" Waller. Savage chews Waller out for his negative attitude. Waller has a chip on his shoulder because he washed out of flight school then graduated from bombardier school as a Flight Officer and not a Second Lieutenant. On the mission, a bomb gets hung up on the rack and the crew blames Waller as he supervised the bomb loading. Later Waller saves Gunther's life. Captain Dirksen is killed, and the aircraft carrying the alternate lead bombardier is shot down so Waller takes over and makes a perfect bomb run. The plane
The End of the Line
S1 Ep24
8.7
12th Mar 1965
A Squadron Commander, Major Joe Gallagher scrubs himself from a mission and his replacement Captain Larry Hollander is killed. Gallagher feels responsible and goes to meet Hollander's girl May. May is a sweet young British girl living with her Aunt Nell. He finds out that they were going to be married, and May thinks he is there to check her out for security so that she and Hollander can be married. When she realizes why Gallagher is there she breaks down. Gallagher starts to look after May and they fall in love. Gallagher finds out that she is pregnant and offers to marry her. He talks with General Savage who will not approve as she has not yet been cleared. May tries to kill herself and Gallagher goes back to Savage. Savage asks Major Stovall to check her out, he calls and she is apparently out at a seedy bar. Savage & Stovall go to check and she is out drinking with another man. When Gallagher confronts her she denies everything then when Gallagher asks her to take a pregnancy test
To Heinie, with Love
S1 Ep20
8.7
5th Feb 1965
On a mission to bomb the rail yards at Eissen, Muller the new Navigator performs perfectly but is knocked down during a maneuver. His wallet falls out of his pocket and it contains a picture of a man in a Nazi Uniform. A few minutes later Pike has to break up a fight between Muller & Magill. While Muller is an excellent Navigator his is unpopular because he is German. The fight broke out over the picture Muller keeps of his father in a Nazi uniform. When questioned by General Savage, Muller explains that is his only picture of his father who was an American Bund Nazi. Muller is the lead Navigator on the next mission. Out for walk in the country, Muller meets a deaf girl, Nora and falls in love. Out with Nora, Muller is late for briefing and does not swing his compass before take off. As a result they are off course and miss the target. Muller realizes his error and corrects but the plane is hit and Bombardier Magill is badly wounded. Muller thinking he is dead does not help him. On the
The Hotshot
S2 Ep6
8.5
18th Oct 1965
The 511th Fighter Group arrives at Archbury to escort the 918 on the home leg of the shuttle mission. On the way Troper attacks a train making him 10 minutes late for the rendezvous. The 511th does not give the proper recognition codes and one pilot is shot down. On the ground an angry Lieutenant Col. Troper slugs Gallagher. Gallagher tells Troper to forget about it. They are ordered to train together. In London Troper gets drunk, insults Gallagher, and takes off with Gallagher's date Fay. Gallagher orders a brief at 0400, only 12 of the 511th pilots show up. Gallagher has Troper put under house arrest. Merritt leads the fighters and not one bomber is lost.
Big Brother
S2 Ep5
8.5
11th Oct 1965
The 918 lands at Mogador in North Africa to refuel and re-arm. Gallagher's plane lands 21 hours late after his stopover in Yugoslavia. The senior officer is Lieutenant Col. Preston ""Pres"" Gallagher (Joe Gallagher's brother). Pres explains that he has a mixed unit of Americans, British & Australians and he has been barely holding on but ""Infantry holds, that's what they do"". Now that Gallagher has landed safely Pres decides to pull out. Pres takes Gallagher's gas, and sends Captain Strader to blow up the 918th's planes fights. An exhausted Pres collapses and is hospitalized. Major Dutton takes command of ground forces and orders Master Sergeant Orland to prepare to move out. Gallagher radios for gas and the incoming plane is shot down. Pres recovers and decides to fight on. Gallagher sends Lieutenant Col. Bailey with 3 B-17's to bomb the target.
The Loneliest Place in the World
S2 Ep1
8.5
13th Sep 1965
A straggling B-17 joins the formation and it turns out to be a captured plane flown by Germans. It strafes the lead plane flown by General Savage which is shot down. Later it is reported that Brigadier General Frank Savage the Group Commander has been killed and will be buried with full military honours by the Germans. Brigadier General Ed Britt from SHAEF HQ must decide who should take command of the 918. His candidates are the Deputy Group Commander Lieutenant Colonel Joe Gallagher, and the other two Squadron Commanders, Lieutenant Colonel Frank Bailey & Lieutenant Colonel Chick Heindorf. Gallagher is the temporary Group Commander. On the next mission Gallagher's crew shoots down a B-17 who does not acknowledge a signal thinking it is an infiltrator. It turns out to be a legitimate straggler with radio trouble and a wounded crew. When asked by General Britt, Gallagher says he would do the same thing again if the same situation occurred. Because he can make tough decisions, Gallagher
While working on a plan to bomb Strassbourg, Savage gets trapped in a cellar during an Air Raid. Trapped with him are Lady Constance, Dr Glenway, Miner Bert Higgs and a pregnant woman Eleanor Nicholls. We learn more about the each of the people as they try to free themselves. Dr. Glenway turns out to be Archie Lewis, a lower class con man who redeems himself. After they are freed, Lady Constance decides to open Penrose Hall up as a home for young women like Eleanor.
The Threat
S1 Ep25
8.3
19th Mar 1965
Axis Sally is broadcasting some very accurate information about the 918th. Including that Savage is going to be killed. When a bomb blast injures 2 men it turns out to be sabotage. Getting treatment for a minor injury, Savage is almost killed by an overdose of 20,000 cc's of morphine administered by a new Nurse, Lt Dietrich. Colonel Reed from G-2 arrives to investigate. Savage leads the next mission and no German planes shoot at Piccadilly Lilly, but shoot down 2 other planes and badly damage 5 more. At base Savage learns that Axis Sally's has made a new broadcast. He aircraft was not shot at as she wants him to die on the 13th. Colonel Reed arrests several people in the Group including Lieutenant Dietrich. Unknown to all Gilly Bright the barber turns out be the spy and he and Savage are going fishing on the River Wye. Gilly tries to shoot Savage on the day after Friday the 13th but at 13:00 hours in compartment 13 on the train; Savage throws him off the train.
The Sound of Distant Thunder
S1 Ep4
8.2
16th Oct 1964
Andy Lathrop is an unsophisticated Tennessee boy. Flying as Savage's lead bombardier, he saves Savage's life, gets promoted to 1st Lieutenant, and gets recommended for the DFC. On leave he meets and falls in love with Barmaid Mary Lean and asks her to marry him, she agrees. Later the pub she and her father have is destroyed during an air raid and Mary is killed. Crazed with grief he goes AWOL. He and Savage talk and he reconsiders and returns to duty a little wiser.
The Climate of Doubt
S1 Ep5
8.2
23rd Oct 1964
General Crowe is waiting for Savage to return from a mission, he notices that when the aircraft ""High Flyer"" lands an ambulance rush out to meet it. Out gets a pretty girl dressed in a hula skirt who welcomes the crew. He questions Savage about it. Savage explains he just approved the marriage of one of the gunners, a Hawaiian nicknamed ""Pineapple"" to an English girl, Dorothy Hall. Crowe tells Savage he wants him to meet some one, and whisks him back to his hotel where Savage meets resistance leader Nicole Trouchard. Crowe wants the 918th to bomb two targets on the next mission, first the Rouen marshalling yards, the second being a Gestapo building the French Resistance wants destroyed. Crowe feels this will make the resistance feel that the Americans are true Allies and points out that they need the resistance to help with downed airmen. Crowe also reveals that he and Nicole had a brief affair in the past. Savage is concerned that his men will get hit badly on the second run, Crowe te
Gauntlet of Fire
S3 Ep1
8.0
9th Sep 1966
The 918th Group has just finished 21 missions in the 30 days since May 1, 1944. They have been bombing for Operation Point, the lead up to Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy. A 10 day leave is authorized then cancelled and instead they are assigned to fly the Overleaf missions, dropping leaflets all over the French coast. Everyone is exhausted from Gallagher on down. General Pritchard tells General Britt that they need all groups in the air. Britt explains he only has two flyable Groups left, 918th & 966th, he has used the 82nd to replace men & aircraft for the other Groups. Later at Wing, General Britt explains to Gallagher that this could be the ""real thing"". Gallagher says he has heard that before. Britt also tells Gallagher that the G-3 is moving up and the position could go to Gallagher if he wants it. On the first ""Overleaf"" mission to Youreville, they get hit by flak and Pat Barstow's ship gets shot down. Back on the ground, Lieutenant Col. Christy is upset over losing
Day of Reckoning
S2 Ep28
8.0
28th Mar 1966
A German unit bombs the 918th's base in Archbury, among the dead are a group of new replacements and a WRAF Sergeant Winifred Broome. The Chaplain anguished over the dead but most especially Winifred, shoots and kills a Luftwaffe survivor parachuting down to the ground
Decoy
S2 Ep25
8.0
7th Mar 1966
In Scotland Gallagher meets with Major General Hardy about a Ranger mission and Gallagher comes up with an air support plan. Returning from Scotland via an Air Transport B-17, they are shot down over the North Sea. Of the two man crew, Captain Tom Powell, and Staff Sergeant Johnny Miller only Powell survives along with Gallagher. They put up the radio transmitter, no luck. They find an island (Seagull Rock) to land on. A B-17 Weather Plane hears them and so does a fishing trawler. So too does a German U-Boat. Gallagher ditches his briefcase. Powell surrenders, Gallagher gets captured, and they get taken to the U-Boat.
Between the Lines
S2 Ep14
8.0
13th Dec 1965
Flying back from Russian sector for the Invasion of Europe is coming and Stace & Krasker are returning with information about Russian troop strength. Plane is shot down, one general jumps, the other rides the plane down with Trask is afraid to jump Sandy is afraid of snakes. Trask is a clerk cryptographer for Stace.
Worst Episodes of 12 O'Clock High
Target 802
S2 Ep15
5.0
27th Dec 1965
On the way back from a bombing run over the Ruhr valley, bombs are accidentally dropped on Ste Monique. 1st Lieutenant Parks the bombardier is interrogated. A single bomb falls in the village square killing resistance leaders Pierre Fecamp. Two pilots hiding in St Monique escape Major Coefield from the 918th and Captain Pollard from the 511th Fighter Squadron. Pollard has fallen in love with Claudine, the woman who rescued them. She has brought her son to England, he is badly wounded and may lose his leg. Claudine hates Gallagher and is going to kill him. She goes with him to the 918th officers club and sees the pilots get drunk. Meanwhile in Ste Monique, Hauptman Bergdorf says they will not bomb because of the last mission, so now they can put in a German Radar Station. On the way to Wing HQ in Archbury, Claudine tries to kill Gallagher. General Marteen orders the 918th to bomb Ste. Monique that night. In Ste Monique, Marcel Lenoir is killed as he radios information to London.
Which Way the Wind Blows
S2 Ep19
5.0
24th Jan 1966
Due to cloud cover over the target, the 918th led by Major Fitzsimmons is unable to bomb Kiel. They abort loosing 7 planes. Back at base Gallagher makes an angry complaint to General Britt who has a solution, a new Group Weather Officer. The new officer is a woman, Captain Patricia Bates. She is a former Meteorology Professor from UIT who has a new approach to Weather Forecasting. They have dinner with her and her assistant Lieutenant Rogers. The next day Gallagher flies with her in Weather 1, a modified B-17 with only a top turret gun, built for speed. On the mission, the B-17 takes off with Rogers as Meteorologist, gets shot up and Rogers is wounded. The plane comes in on its belly, Bates is upset and wants to quit. Britt orders Gallagher to order her to fly the next mission. Gallagher tells her they need her so she flies with Captain Blodget and finds a path through the storm but the plane is iced up and has to ditch in the channel. Gallagher goes to find her, which he does. The Res
Cross-Hairs on Death
S2 Ep27
5.0
21st Mar 1966
A cashiered pilot slips in for another try.
Massacre
S3 Ep2
5.0
16th Sep 1966
A shuttle raid is planned by 8th Air Force commander Lieutenant General Harry Owen. Bombers will bomb Ergen Oil Works land in Poltava Russia, then hit Berlin on the way back. A straggling Russian Bomber joins the formation and does not give any recognition signals nor does it respond to Baladin's radio calls. The aircraft is shot down by Major Baladin flying Major Simpson's plane (against Gallagher's orders). Later we learn that the aircraft was piloted by a hero, Major Tobulkan & Captain Chernikov. General Voredenko wants to know who is responsible for this and says that until the man is caught no supplies will be issued. It is the system. Worried that Voredenko will have him shot, Baladin asks Donald ""Doc"" Kaiser for help.
Then Came the Mighty Hunter
S2 Ep3
5.7
27th Sep 1965
After a tough mission, Gallagher needs a new gunner. Corbett, a replacement has a perfect gunnery score (1000, Komansky only has 400). He takes over from the wounded Staff Sergeant Abbott as Left Waist gunner & joins Gallagher's crew on a practice mission. He spots the target first but his gun jams. The other gunners kid him and he does not join in the after hours fun at the Star & Bottle. Komansky adopts Corbett and helps him, they go to another pub and Corbett meets Gillian. On the next practice mission, Corbett spots a real German FW and shoots it down. He gets promoted to Sergeant but is upset by killing someone. He checks in to the hospital, confesses to being only 15 and runs away to see Gillian at the pub. He comes back to see Gallagher and sneaks aboard for the next mission. Hachensberg is the target. After the other gunners are hit Corbett takes over ands performs well. On the return Gallagher chews him out and says he will get court-martialed. After he is taken away Gallagher
The Outsider
S2 Ep20
6.0
31st Jan 1966
Mission to bomb a refinery & fuel storage area at Kasendorf. A pilot from the 53rd Fighter Squadron, Lieutenant Harley Wilson hits Gallagher's plane while trying to shoot an enemy fighter. Wilson is very eager to fit in, he feels like an outsider and hitting the Colonels plane doesn't help. The young pilot has been trying to get a kill for two months. He goes to the Star & Bottle where he is snubbed by Sandy, tries to chat up Agnes the Barmaid but she is too busy, and even tries to ask out Captain Vincent not realizing she is Gallagher's date. He volunteers for the next mission, a photo recon over Kasendorf. On the Photo recon mission, Gallagher blows a jug while flying a P-51 and has to bail out. Wilson disobeys orders, breaks off & lands while being strafed by enemy fighters and saves Gallagher. He is put in for the DFC and becomes a ""hero"". Later in the Star & Bottle, he is cheered by the group and gets to talk with some Reporters (Harkness, Toley, and Barnes) The Photo Recon shows
Twenty-Fifth Mission
S2 Ep22
6.0
14th Feb 1966
After completing On his 25th mission, Major Tom Parsons is going home. At Wing HQ General Britt is chewing out his Group Commander (Fred, Gallagher & ?). Sveringen is the production centre for the new ME-262 rocket powered fighter. They have tried to bomb several times and failed. Gallagher suggests nighttime precision bombing. Britt says the RAF have tried and failed. Gallagher suggests sending in a pathfinder to mark the target by dropping incendiaries on either side. Gallagher picks Parsons to fly the pathfinder mission; he refuses as he has completed his tour. At the officers club Parsons meets his former co-pilot Captain Cowley who has just got out of the hospital. Cowley asks about Parsons girl, Naomi. Is he taking her back to the States with him? Parsons is non-committal. Gallagher orders Cowley to fly the pathfinder mission and gets Parsons to train him. General Britt has been reviewing Parsons orders to rotate back the States; he finds that Parsons has only flown milk runs, ev
Angel Babe
S2 Ep24
6.0
28th Feb 1966
B-17 ""Angel Babe"" is returning from a perfect mission to Willemshaven as the Group Lead. Flight Engineer Willets explains that when ""Angel Babe"" leads they always come home safe. On the ground Major Stovall waits with a team from the Public Relations Office (PRO) who are filming & photographing the plane which has completed its 49th mission. They want to take the plane back to the US for a promotional tour as it will be the first in the Eight AF to complete 50 missions. The Flight Engineer, Technical Sergeant Willets thinks that ""Angel Babe"" is a fighter and she won't want to go home this way. The PRO team will fly on the next mission, her last and some of her crew including Willets, Harkness and the two pilots think that ""Angel Babe"" is their lucky charm. The plane blows a tire and aborts the mission. When they land Willets hits Cameraman Staff Sergeant Ben Prinzi to keep him from going back in the plane, because of the live bombs. Major Budd the PRO feels that the crew is trying to s
The Hollow Man
S2 Ep26
6.0
14th Mar 1966
An escaped POW, 1st Lieutenant Wally Bolen returns to the 918th after 5 months of captivity. He is welcomed by Komansky and promoted to Captain by Gallagher. At the officer's club, they are having a welcome back party; his ""girl"" Ruth is there along with Ken Shaw, a press corps journalist and his buddy Chuck Nielson. Also there are Captains Lewis & Stewart, former fighter pilots. Bolen wants to fly again and gets checked out by Gallagher. The Group is going to be bombing Battenheim again. They will be sending a pathfinder group of 3 in at a low altitude to mark the target. Gallagher chooses Bolen as Flight Leader, and Lewis & Stuart who both have low level experience. On a practice mission, Bolen orders Lewis & Stewart to close up, Stewart flies to close and collides with Bolen's aircraft. Bolen freezes and his plane hits Lewis' plane. Stewart's B-17 crashes, the entire crew is killed and they injure a civilian, the Rector of the Archbury Church. Bolen orders his crew to bail and every
Siren Voices
S2 Ep29
6.0
4th Apr 1966
On a bombing mission to Focke Wulfe Factory in Marienberg, East Prussia the 918th is attached by fighters and loose 9 AC & 100 men. The 966th was hit the same way yesterday. Gallagher's radioman overhears the German and Gallagher gets the idea of trying to confuse the Germans by broadcasting on that frequency. . When the group lands they find out that everything on the mission was broadcast by the ""Danzig Lady"". Sandy is dating an English girl, Helen Graham. Seeing her react badly to the ""Danzig Lady"" , Her father is a retired Major in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers. Helen Graham is really Helen Conboy and her sister Patricia Conboy is the ""Danzig Lady"". Sandy reports it. British Intelligence says it will ask an agent to find out the information. The agent speaks to their contact, a waiter who is being watched by the Gestapo. The waiter is killed by Gestapo agents.
The Hero
S1 Ep32
7.0
7th May 1965
A Legendary World War I fighter ace acting as a Ferry Pilot arrives at Archbury on his way to SHAEF HQ. On the way in the pilot gets killed when Hartley in the co-pilots seat engages some German fighters. The co-pilot is badly wounded while trying to take over the plane. The co-pilot later dies but not before mentioning the incident. Colonel Hartley turns out to be Savages mentor. The 920th Bomb Group will be arriving shortly and General Stoneman is looking for an experienced commander. Savage suggests Major Cobb, then asks Stoneman to consider Colonel Hartley. Hartley is temporarily assigned to the 918 and ignores orders several times. On a final mission Hartley takes his own route & crashes his plane into the target killing himself.
Rx for a Sick Bird
S2 Ep2
7.0
20th Sep 1965
Maintenance problems plague the 918th. General Creighton from G-2 orders the 918th on a mission to drop a spy (Ilka Zradna) into occupied Poland. Aircraft Army 262 has to abort the mission, (Langaard & Hetz are killed) and only 3 crew (Komansky, Rodman, Booker) survive along with Ilka. Back at Group a furious Komansky slugs Podesta and both are busted to Private by Gallagher. General. Creighton informs Gallagher that 20 German saboteurs are known to be in England impersonating Allied airmen and they will be closing in once they can identify the entire Group and the leader. Podesta is later found murdered beside some sabotaged ammunition and it is learned that the saboteurs are on base. It turns out that Podesta was a CIC agent (as is T/4 Thibideaux). General. Creighton orders CIC Major Adams on base disguised as Master Sergeant Young. Gallagher orders a plane on the mission to drop Ilka. He then switches to the Piccadilly Lilly. Just before they take off, T/4 Hansen delivers coffee to
Grant Me No Favor
S2 Ep10
7.0
15th Nov 1965
On a bombing mission into Norway, Lieutenant Col. Christy aborts the mission after 10 out his 21 planes get shot down. When he returns, Gallagher sends an angry note to newly promoted Major General Britt asking why the target is secret, ""How can his men keep risking there lives for a secret target"". Summoned by Britt to what turns out to be Britt's promotion party, he is surprised to see his father Lieutenant General Max Gallagher. General Gallagher intercedes with General Pritchard to keep Pritchard from seeing and disciplining Colonel Gallagher.
The Slaughter Pen
S2 Ep17
7.0
10th Jan 1966
While trying to bomb Hamburg, the 818th is turned back by flak & fighters over area called the ""Slaughter Pen"". A new German Underground Radar Station is spotting them. Back at Archbury, General Pritchard says that all 3 of his Wings have been turned back. Gallagher says that it is not a target that can be taken from the air, it needs to a ground assault. Pritchard asks Gallagher to get cleaned up and come with him to Brincott Hall. There General Pritchard explains that Brincott Hall has been turned into a Combined Operations Commando School. It is run by British General St John Keighley. General Pritchard explains that SHAEF has approved a commando raid. Gallagher will command the mission and the Air Group, Colonel Percy Vivyan (Lord Brincott) will command the British Commando's and the overall Ground Forces, Colonel Peter Thom will command the American Paratroopers & Rangers, Captain Eddington of the Royal Navy will command the Naval Forces. A Radar Expert is also assigned to the Mis
Back to the Drawing Board
S2 Ep21
7.0
7th Feb 1966
The Dulabine Shipyard bombing mission is turned back due to overcast. On the ground in Emstad, the German commander, Oberst Erhland is frustrated that he can not attack due to fighter maintenance problems. It will be at least 5 days before the weather overcast clears. Erhland orders Hauptman Schmidt, his maintenance officer to take the time to repair his fighters (18 are in need of repair, 7 are unserviceable). Erhland also talks with his Radar Officer Hauptman Schiller. Back at the 918th's Base, General Britt is waiting and introduces Gallagher to Dr Michael Rink from the Signal Corps. He has a new airborne radar device called Bomb through Overcast (BTO) Radar. Three aircraft sortie on a test mission to bomb Duronde, the BTO performs perfectly and they get an 80% success rate over the target. Dr. Rink has a heart condition and collapses as they complete the mission and his assistant Master Sergeant Zemler has to take over. On the ground, the Germans try and figure out how the American
The Survivor
S2 Ep23
7.0
21st Feb 1966
On a mission after hitting the target a bombing runs, Captain Bradovich's B-17 experiences engine trouble. Tourneau drops back to aide him. Bradovich reports him for lack of air discipline. Talks with Harvey. Goes to officers club and his co-pilot Stan Ainsley tries to get him to join in. He does not but meets Sarah instead. On the next mission, his plane is hit, and Ainsley is wounded. Bradovich orders crew bail out, they do but only Bradovich returns and the other aircraft only see one chute before the plane disappears into the clouds. They locate his crashed aircraft, two bodies, and no survivors that they can find. His new crew is Dickey, Williams, and Flight Engineer Brack. Brack has a ""head cold"" and replaced by Komansky who volunteers. In the air the crew snubs Bradovich, and Komansky understanding that Bradovich is a loner like him, chews out the crew and supports him. Back on the ground, Bradovich finds a tipsy Sarah in the Denby Lion with Lieutenant Tourneau. A drunken Tourne
A Distant Cry
S3 Ep5
7.0
7th Oct 1966
A flight instructor goes to war.
12 O'Clock High Episode Guide
Golden Boy Had Nine Black Sheep
S1 Ep1
7.9
18th Sep 1964
Captain Joe Gallagher aborts twice in a row bringing him to the attention of General Savage. Savage feels that Gallagher has a chip on his shoulder and is not pulling his weight and assigns him a new plane ""The Leper Colony "" . He tells Gallagher he is going to get a crew of malcontents, ""a co-pilot who is all thumbs, a navigator who can't find his feet, a bombardier who could not hit his plate with a fork"". Gallagher applies for a transfer, but Harvey delays it. Gallagher will have to turn them into a crew. Captain Gallagher is tough on his crew but they start to perform well and after 5 missions, Savage says they have earned the right to change the name. They all decide to keep it, but Gallagher's transfer has come through and he still wants out. Before he goes he wants in on a special 2 plane mission. Savage agrees and they complete the mission but Gallagher's airplane is hit and co-pilot Blake wounded. He can not abandon the aircraft so he gets it home safe. Savage promotes him to
Follow the Leader
S1 Ep2
8.0
25th Sep 1964
Savage wants the 918th to try a new technique, bombing on the leader. Instead of each bombardier sighting his own target and then making his own bomb-run, the entire group would synchronize with the lead bombardier and when he drops, the whole Group drops. Both Generals' Crowe & Pritchard are opposed to the idea but Savage presses for it. His lead crew consists of Bishop, Zimmerman & Mellon. Mellon has been recommended for the DFC for a previous mission. When his best friend the Navigator was badly wounded, Mellon stayed at his post and made the bomb run anyway. The run was successful but the friend died. Mellon is shaken and on the next mission, the entire group misses and bombs a school. Unsure whether it was faulty equipment or his error, Mellon does not want to be lead bombardier any longer. Savage pushes Mellon and they go up again and successfully bomb the target.
The Men and the Boys
S1 Ep3
8.0
2nd Oct 1964
Tom Lockridge is a copilot, on a mission the pilot is killed, and he takes over allowing the crew to bail out. His best friend Captain Wade Ritchie disobeys orders and flies cover with his B-17. Back on the ground Savage tells Ritchie he is going to charge him with disobeying an order for leaving formation. When Lockridge returns and finds this out he turns his back on the General. Savage tries to explain to Lockridge the concept of formation discipline, but he is only concerned about his friend. Ritchie draws a court martial and is reduced in rank to 1st Lieutenant. Savage speaks to Libby MacAndrews, Lockridge's girl and she and Savage both keep working on him. On the next mission Lieutenant Ritchie flies as copilot with Savage and they get hit, Lockridge now an aircraft commander realizes he can't break formation.
The Sound of Distant Thunder
S1 Ep4
8.2
16th Oct 1964
Andy Lathrop is an unsophisticated Tennessee boy. Flying as Savage's lead bombardier, he saves Savage's life, gets promoted to 1st Lieutenant, and gets recommended for the DFC. On leave he meets and falls in love with Barmaid Mary Lean and asks her to marry him, she agrees. Later the pub she and her father have is destroyed during an air raid and Mary is killed. Crazed with grief he goes AWOL. He and Savage talk and he reconsiders and returns to duty a little wiser.
The Climate of Doubt
S1 Ep5
8.2
23rd Oct 1964
General Crowe is waiting for Savage to return from a mission, he notices that when the aircraft ""High Flyer"" lands an ambulance rush out to meet it. Out gets a pretty girl dressed in a hula skirt who welcomes the crew. He questions Savage about it. Savage explains he just approved the marriage of one of the gunners, a Hawaiian nicknamed ""Pineapple"" to an English girl, Dorothy Hall. Crowe tells Savage he wants him to meet some one, and whisks him back to his hotel where Savage meets resistance leader Nicole Trouchard. Crowe wants the 918th to bomb two targets on the next mission, first the Rouen marshalling yards, the second being a Gestapo building the French Resistance wants destroyed. Crowe feels this will make the resistance feel that the Americans are true Allies and points out that they need the resistance to help with downed airmen. Crowe also reveals that he and Nicole had a brief affair in the past. Savage is concerned that his men will get hit badly on the second run, Crowe te
Pressure Point
S1 Ep6
7.8
30th Oct 1964
Senator Clay Johnson wants to shut down the long range bombing program because of high aircraft & manpower losses. Savage argues that they just need adequate fire power and long range fighter support. Since the P-51 mustang is not yet deployed, they lack long range fighter cover. Savage wants to bomb Hamburg or Kiel using aircraft armed with 50 mm guns instead of 20 mm guns. Grounded by bad weather, Savage gets a visit from the Vicar of Archbury who asks him why he has denied permission for Eddie Pryor & April Barret to get married. Perplexed Savage says he has no such request, then speaks to Pryor who confesses he is scared of the commitment. The weather clears and on the next mission Pryor gets trapped in the Ball Turret by damage. Savage turns the mission over to Major Roberts and then he & Mewlay land the damaged plane with Pryor still trapped. The mission is a success - no casualties. Pryor marries April Barrett.
Decision
S1 Ep7
8.0
6th Nov 1964
Major Jack Temple leads the low Squadron on a raid to bomb the flying Bomb (V2) assembly plant at Laon. His aircraft ""The Lucky Lady"" is hit and he is forced to bail out with his crew. Major Temple and 4 of his crew (Kinner, Nichols, Weinstock & Moody) are captured and taken before Oberst Alfred Hoeptner, the commander of the Laon facility. Hoeptner decides that he is going to keep the men prisoner at the factory to prevent them from being bombed. Major Temple states that it is a violation of the Geneva Convention, and Hoeptner aggress hoping that the Americans will file a protest with the Red Cross. All he needs is a little time to close down the factory and move the machinery elsewhere. Back at Archbury, Frank & Harvey are listening to Lord Haw Haw's broadcast outlining the capture of Temple and the fact that he and his men are being held at Laon. Frank and Harvey head off to the officers club, and when Harvey suggests darts, Savage comes up with the idea of pinpoint bombing the targ
The Hours Before Dawn
S1 Ep8
7.2
13th Nov 1964
The 918th is assigned in top secrecy to bomb Dortmund. The only one who has the details is Savage and after being briefed by Stoneman, Crowe & Colonel Meyers he heads back to base. On the way he is caught in an air raid and is rescued by Doker Drew. Drew escorts Savage and another straggler Jennifer Heath back to Heaths place so that Savage can telephone the base. After the air raid subsides Savage & Jennifer are surprise by a wounded German flier, wearing the uniform of an Obergefrieter (Corporal). Savage recognizes the man for what he really is a German Oberst (Colonel) in the Luftwaffe. After a struggle Jennifer is wounded and Savage is forced to kill Haff.
Appointment at Liege
S1 Ep9
8.0
20th Nov 1964
Major Gus Denver returns to the 918th from the States. While he was away on special instructor duty at Langley, his original crew was shot down over Liege and all were killed. Now back as a Squadron & Aircraft commander he wants to get back to bomb Liege. The 918th is ordered to bomb Masstricht at 8000 feet in a raid planned by Ed Chandler. On the mission the co-pilot, navigator & radioman die. Savage is unsure of Denver.
Interlude
S1 Ep10
7.5
27th Nov 1964
After loosing his best friend Joe Farrell, Savage goes on leave ordered by General Crowe. He goes to Inverness by train then to the Isle of Dunfergus aboard the Glencoe Lass. On the train he meets a Wren officer, Ann Macrae, who is going home on leave. After several unfortunate disagreements, Frank and Ann start to get along and finally fall in love. Savage learns that she has terminal cancer and not long to live. There is nothing he can do and she dies.
Here's to Courageous Cowards
S1 Ep11
8.0
4th Dec 1964
Ross Lawrence a clerk in the Group Office stows away with Joe Morse's crew and shoots down an FW. Later Morse offers to have Lawrence transferred to a flight crew, but he refuses. Suspicious, Morse asks Sergeant Meadows to pull the file from the Ground Exec's office and finds out that Lawrence spent a year in an internment camp as a conscientious objector. Morse who has been lead pilot on too many missions is starting to crack and Savage wants him to step down voluntarily as lead pilot. On the next 2 missions they are badly hit and several of Morse's crew are wounded or killed. Needing replacements, Savage orders Lawrence to report for gunnery training, he does and is assigned to the ""Terrible Tillie"" as left waist gunner. On the next mission Wilson leads when Morse blanks out. They get to the target, and Lawrence hesitates until his friend is killed then he shoots down a fighter. At the debriefing, Major Morse recommends Wilson as the new lead pilot.
Soldiers Sometimes Kill
S1 Ep12
8.0
11th Dec 1964
After losing his memory Savage is found wandering around Berkley Square south Grosvenor Street by Lieutenant Ryan. After being examined by Kaiser, he reads in the paper that Barbara Talbot was murdered in London. Later Inspector Thorne and Sergeant Padget from the CID come to see Savage, they found a lighter with a 918th crest in Barbara's flat. Savage is missing his lighter and he has no memory. He starts to retrace his steps to Redgraves Club tnen Barbara's flat. It turns out that Redgraves is a blackmailer & spy, he uses women like Barbara to lure important people into compromising situations. Frank realizes that Redgraves killed Barbara and that Padgett works for Redgraves. Frank confronts Regraves, and as Regraves is about to kill Frank, he is shot and wounded by Inspector Thorne. Next mission will be to Saarbrücken .
The Suspected
S1 Ep13
8.0
18th Dec 1964
Reporter Clifford Moran believes that Jim Driscoll is really a convicted killer from St Louis named George Kern Turner who in 1933 when 16 years old beat his step father to death. He was sentenced to life in prison and escaped. Driscoll has now been married to Meg, Savage's former clerk for 1 year. Driscoll meets Moran at the Black Raven Pub in Chelsea and refutes Moran. Moran is later killed by falling in front of a subway train at Sloane Square Station. The next day Driscoll does not report in and Savage goes to locate him. He finds that Driscoll's wife had a baby, a son at St Stephens Hospital. It is later revealed that Moran was killed when a pick pocket tried to lift his wallet and Moran fell in front of the train. On the next mission the plane is hit and two engines are out, Lieutenant Eagan, the co-pilot is wounded. Savage orders the crew to bail. Savage can not see and Driscoll stays to help Savage land the aircraft. Driscoll admits he is Turner. Back at base, Turner is ready t
An Act of War
S1 Ep14
8.0
25th Dec 1964
The group returns from a bomb run the air frame factory at Metz. The leader, Major Cobb reports complete destruction of the target, but the Intelligence officer Major Herrick says the factory is still operating. General Crowe chews Frank out and he takes a single B-17 to scout the target. He and Lieutenant Canello find out that they have been bombing a decoy area, locate the real factory but get shot down before they can return with the information. Canello is killed. Captured by angry French partisans who hate the Americans' for bombing them, Savage must fight for his life. He eventually persuades the partisans that the bomb raids are necessary.
Those Who Are About to Die
S1 Ep15
7.5
1st Jan 1965
The 918th draws a particularly tough mission, an aircraft plant in Rhone Valley, 120 miles beyond fighter support range, surrounded by 500 anti-aircraft batteries and at the bombers maximum fuel range. At least 3 squadrons of fighters will be waiting for the bombers and they will not have a lot of fuel for evasive action. Fog rolls in and they stand down for 3 days, the tension of waiting is driving the men crazy. Tom Lockridge has flown 24 missions and has been hospitalized with hepatitis. He and Sergeant Rutherford are the only members of the original crew, all the others completed there tours or were killed. Major Kaiser wants to keep Lockridge is hospital a little while longer but Lockridge wants to get his tour over with.
In Search of My Enemy
S1 Ep16
7.8
8th Jan 1965
Major Peter Gray and his wife Ann arrive at the 918th. Savage knows Ann as Ann Goss and was going to marry her a year ago. At Wing HQ, a WAC in photo reconnaissance points out something suspicious on a map, and because she says it reminds her of a Michellene (Mechlin) Lace pattern Savage dubs the investigation photo reconnaissance mission ""Operation Spelling Bee"". As Major Jake Hays is still laid up with a fractured knee, Savage chooses Gray to lead and tells him it is a milk run. The mission is to bomb the rail yards at Saint Edouard, then fly over the camouflaged area for photo reconnaissance. Gray is jealous of Savage's former relationship with his wife and feels that Savage assigned him this mission on purpose. It turns out that the camouflaged area at Saint Edouard are really launching sites for new V-2 bombs and German fighters are around in droves. Only 12 of 20 of the planes return from the photo reconnaissance mission. On the next mission to Saint Edouard, Savage leads a 4 gro
Crowe assigns Colonel Royce as Deputy Group Commander. On his arrival he goes out to meet ""Lorelei"" piloted by Lieutenant Josephs and finds all the crew dead. Royce takes over the plane with a new crew calls her Four Leaf Clover II. On the first mission, Royce's (Red Badger 1) controls freeze up, He leads the next mission (Blue Jay Leader) and the bomb release malfunctions. Each time the plane is checked they can find nothing wrong. Leaving Royce to lead the next mission, Savage goes to London to a SHAEF meeting and runs into Carol Royce. He Returns to base to find that the mission was flown by Major Cobb and that Royce is on sick call. The replacement pilot of the Lorelei, Captain Wayne Parsons was killed in a bizarre accident when a piece of the engine housing flies off and kills him. On the next mission, Royce leads (Red Dog Leader) and Lorelei again malfunctions, he aborts and on the way home orders the crew to bail out, the plane keeps on going and Frank and Joe Cobb take the Picc
Faith, Hope and Sergeant Aronson
S1 Ep19
7.7
29th Jan 1965
Before a big mission, Savage is injured with a piece of shrapnel by his heart and consigned to the hospital. He meets a gunner from Major Cobb's crew Sergeant Aaronson who has just seen his best friend Saul Barstein die and he looses his will to live. He and Savage form a bond. To save Savage, Dr. Kaiser calls in his mentor Dr Simon Lewis a cardiologist to operate. The aircraft carrying Lewis crashes and Lewis is killed, forcing Kaiser to operate - successfully along with a blood donation from Aaronson. Savage & Aaronson help each other recover. The big mission is to the Ruhr Valley, after which Aaronson & Ivy get married.
To Heinie, with Love
S1 Ep20
8.7
5th Feb 1965
On a mission to bomb the rail yards at Eissen, Muller the new Navigator performs perfectly but is knocked down during a maneuver. His wallet falls out of his pocket and it contains a picture of a man in a Nazi Uniform. A few minutes later Pike has to break up a fight between Muller & Magill. While Muller is an excellent Navigator his is unpopular because he is German. The fight broke out over the picture Muller keeps of his father in a Nazi uniform. When questioned by General Savage, Muller explains that is his only picture of his father who was an American Bund Nazi. Muller is the lead Navigator on the next mission. Out for walk in the country, Muller meets a deaf girl, Nora and falls in love. Out with Nora, Muller is late for briefing and does not swing his compass before take off. As a result they are off course and miss the target. Muller realizes his error and corrects but the plane is hit and Bombardier Magill is badly wounded. Muller thinking he is dead does not help him. On the
The Clash
S1 Ep21
7.7
12th Feb 1965
General Savage is shot down while on a bomb run to the Sub Penn's @ Trondheim. The onlly suvivor of his crew, he ends up in a life raft with a Luftwaffe ME-109 Pilot near the Faroe Islands, 150 miles west of Trondheim. Oberst Dieter does not want to be captured and orders Savage to row (at gunpoint) towards Norway. Back at base, General Crowe orders Harvey to make another attack at Trodheim. Savage & Dietter enage in a battle of wills, and match wits over whether the Germans of Allies will rescue them. Washed ashore on a deserted isle, Savage is forced to kill Dieter.
The Ticket
S1 Ep22
8.0
26th Feb 1965
The Brauberg Damn needs to be bombed. Savage thinks that a specially equipped P-51 with 2 500 lb bombs can take it out. He asks Paul Stiger a Kentucky farm boy who takes risks and volunteers for a all special missions. Stiger volunteers the wins the football pool £ 20,000. He begins to realize that there is more to life. He falls in love with Myra his girl and wants to get married. Savage denies his request. He goes on mission and survives Crain becomes friend tries to help him.
The Trap
S1 Ep23
8.5
5th Mar 1965
While working on a plan to bomb Strassbourg, Savage gets trapped in a cellar during an Air Raid. Trapped with him are Lady Constance, Dr Glenway, Miner Bert Higgs and a pregnant woman Eleanor Nicholls. We learn more about the each of the people as they try to free themselves. Dr. Glenway turns out to be Archie Lewis, a lower class con man who redeems himself. After they are freed, Lady Constance decides to open Penrose Hall up as a home for young women like Eleanor.
The End of the Line
S1 Ep24
8.7
12th Mar 1965
A Squadron Commander, Major Joe Gallagher scrubs himself from a mission and his replacement Captain Larry Hollander is killed. Gallagher feels responsible and goes to meet Hollander's girl May. May is a sweet young British girl living with her Aunt Nell. He finds out that they were going to be married, and May thinks he is there to check her out for security so that she and Hollander can be married. When she realizes why Gallagher is there she breaks down. Gallagher starts to look after May and they fall in love. Gallagher finds out that she is pregnant and offers to marry her. He talks with General Savage who will not approve as she has not yet been cleared. May tries to kill herself and Gallagher goes back to Savage. Savage asks Major Stovall to check her out, he calls and she is apparently out at a seedy bar. Savage & Stovall go to check and she is out drinking with another man. When Gallagher confronts her she denies everything then when Gallagher asks her to take a pregnancy test
The Threat
S1 Ep25
8.3
19th Mar 1965
Axis Sally is broadcasting some very accurate information about the 918th. Including that Savage is going to be killed. When a bomb blast injures 2 men it turns out to be sabotage. Getting treatment for a minor injury, Savage is almost killed by an overdose of 20,000 cc's of morphine administered by a new Nurse, Lt Dietrich. Colonel Reed from G-2 arrives to investigate. Savage leads the next mission and no German planes shoot at Piccadilly Lilly, but shoot down 2 other planes and badly damage 5 more. At base Savage learns that Axis Sally's has made a new broadcast. He aircraft was not shot at as she wants him to die on the 13th. Colonel Reed arrests several people in the Group including Lieutenant Dietrich. Unknown to all Gilly Bright the barber turns out be the spy and he and Savage are going fishing on the River Wye. Gilly tries to shoot Savage on the day after Friday the 13th but at 13:00 hours in compartment 13 on the train; Savage throws him off the train.
Mutiny at Ten Thousand Feet
S1 Ep26
9.5
26th Mar 1965
Major Andy Towson, an exceptional pilot & squadron C.O. cracks up after landing. He is a friend of Savages and has flown about same amount of missions as Savage and has always been a rock. Towson's co-pilot Lieutenant Kemp suggests that as Savage's crew is rotating back to US, Towson's crew is ready to fly with him. Phil Reese is being blackmailed by Kemp who knows that his real name is Phil Chapman and that while drunk he hit and killed a young child back home. Kemp wants Reese to support him to take over the plane and fly it to Switzerland. Kemp distracts Lieutenant Patterson in the pharmacy and steals some uppers & downers from the base pharmacy and then says that they belong to Savage. General Stoneman assigns them to fly a mission to drop leaflets around Innsbruck. In the air Kemp acts as though Savage has cracked up. Savage gets the crew to back him by convincing them that they will be court-martialed and that Kemp is using them. Reese comes to Savages aid and Kemp shoots him. Sa
The Mission
S1 Ep27
9.0
2nd Apr 1965
Savage and the Piccadilly Lily are given a special mission to bomb an oil line in the Säär Valley. Captain Dirksen is a Lead Bombardier from Wing down for the mission. Captain Walters as the alternate Lead Bombardier. Savage's crew has rotated home, so he is using a new crew but needs two new waist gunners. He chooses Waller & Maglie. Waller is actually a bombardier but has excellent gunnery scores. The navigator First Lieutenant Gunther does not want to fly with ""Wash-out"" Waller. Savage chews Waller out for his negative attitude. Waller has a chip on his shoulder because he washed out of flight school then graduated from bombardier school as a Flight Officer and not a Second Lieutenant. On the mission, a bomb gets hung up on the rack and the crew blames Waller as he supervised the bomb loading. Later Waller saves Gunther's life. Captain Dirksen is killed, and the aircraft carrying the alternate lead bombardier is shot down so Waller takes over and makes a perfect bomb run. The plane
Mission to bomb Mannheim. Major Gus Denver has returned to flight duty. On a previous mission he suffered a breakdown after the death of his first crew. Brigadier General Hoagland has just been assigned from the States. He is now the acting Wing Commander in the absence of General. Stoneman, but the job he really wants is 918th Group Commander. He tells Savage that he is out to get him. Major Denver overhears this. Hoagland flies with Savage on a mission to Einhoven and on the way back the plane is hit by flak and two engines go out; Savage orders everyone to bail out. The engines start up again, only Hoagland makes it out and he is strafed by fighters and killed. There is an enquiry, and Major Denver asks to speak with the IG thinking that Savage engineered Hoagland's death. Denver puts himself on the sick list, but Savage gets him back to duty. On the next mission, Denver's entire crew is killed, and he is going to bail out knowing he will be killed by the same fighter, Savage talks
The Hero
S1 Ep32
7.0
7th May 1965
A Legendary World War I fighter ace acting as a Ferry Pilot arrives at Archbury on his way to SHAEF HQ. On the way in the pilot gets killed when Hartley in the co-pilots seat engages some German fighters. The co-pilot is badly wounded while trying to take over the plane. The co-pilot later dies but not before mentioning the incident. Colonel Hartley turns out to be Savages mentor. The 920th Bomb Group will be arriving shortly and General Stoneman is looking for an experienced commander. Savage suggests Major Cobb, then asks Stoneman to consider Colonel Hartley. Hartley is temporarily assigned to the 918 and ignores orders several times. On a final mission Hartley takes his own route & crashes his plane into the target killing himself.
The best rated episodes of 12 O'Clock High are:
Mutiny at Ten Thousand Feet S1E26 rated 9.5
Face of a Shadow S3E3 rated 9.0
The Mission S1E27 rated 9.0
The End of the Line S1E24 rated 8.7
To Heinie, with Love S1E20 rated 8.7
The Hotshot S2E6 rated 8.5
Big Brother S2E5 rated 8.5
The Loneliest Place in the World S2E1 rated 8.5
The Cry of Fallen Birds S1E28 rated 8.5
The Trap S1E23 rated 8.5
The lowest rated episodes of 12 O'Clock High are:
Target 802 S2E15 rated 5.0
Which Way the Wind Blows S2E19 rated 5.0
Cross-Hairs on Death S2E27 rated 5.0
Massacre S3E2 rated 5.0
Then Came the Mighty Hunter S2E3 rated 5.7
The Outsider S2E20 rated 6.0
Twenty-Fifth Mission S2E22 rated 6.0
Angel Babe S2E24 rated 6.0
The Hollow Man S2E26 rated 6.0
Siren Voices S2E29 rated 6.0
The first episode of 12 O'Clock High aired on September 18, 1964.
The last episode of 12 O'Clock High aired on January 13, 1967.
