Flying Tigers

attention, flight "a"!

Flight "a"!

Japanese aircraft sighted

over kunsing area.

Aggie blue from aggie blue one.

Go ahead.

- Blue two okay, skipper.

- Blue three, check.

Blue four

receiving you r5-s5, sir.

- Blue five, okay.

- Blue six, okay.

Eighteen attack bombers, three

points to your right. About 15,000.

What do you know, only three to

one. That won't even wake me up.

- Gordon to dale, over.

- Go ahead, sir.

Listen, dale,

this is your first time up.

Don't try to win this war

all by yourself.

- Stick close. Tail them in formation.

- Yes, sir.

What time

is it?

11:
27. Those boozers are overdue.

All safe and accounted for? Of course.

Of course.

Look, captain jim!

Looky! Wham, wham!

Termites.

Better get a new oxygen tank.

She only registers 500.

Hap.

You got something on your mind? Me?

Nothing but japs.

Why?

You're not pulling out of

your dives fast enough. Oh?

I'll watch it.

It only takes one.

I know, jim.

Hate to look around one day and find out

you're the little man who wasn't there.

You and reardon better go up this

afternoon and simulate a diving attack.

Mustn't get rusty.

Okay, jim.

A little rough in spots, dale, but I

think when you iron a few things out-

Dale?

Dale?

Bill, take care of dale.

Mike?

Yes, sir? Did that box of

instruments come up from rangoon?

Yes, sir.

Fix the panel in dale's ship.

This belonged

to dale too.

come in.

Quite a collection.

He should have stayed

in college where he came from,

But he begged for a chance.

Begged for it like some kid

asking to go to the circus,

And I gave it to him.

What happened?

He didn't watch his tail.

And outnumbered, as usual.

He did bring

his ship back.

Yeah... He did.

But tomorrow

or the next day,

There will be

somebody else in it...

With three of them

on his tail.

Or six or ten-

jim.

How's miller? Just a flesh

wound in the shoulder.

I'll give him back

to you in a week.

How are you?

You can have me

back anytime.

Why don't you go home?

You need a nurse.

Suppose you

cut yourself shaving?

When did you sleep last?

Monday. It was

a very good day for it.

Well, try thursdays. They're

good days too. Excuse me.

larry?

Get me the weather on m5,

and check on those oil drums.

Find out what's holding them up.

As if I didn't already know.

Think hap could run this show

for a couple of days? Yes. Why?

I've got to run down to rangoon. The

colonel promised me some replacements.

I'm gonna need them now that dale

- when will you be back?

Oh, I don't know.

Might keep right on going

till I get to san francisco.

Nice town,

san francisco.

Yeah.

There's a place

on fisherman's wharf-

They serve oysters

you have to cut with a knife.

Ever try simpsons

in london?

Roast beef

you can cut with a fork.

No floor show though.

No floor show.

Take me with you.

No, brooke, we can't

do anything like that.

I know. I couldn't

leave anyway.

There's a new batch of evacuee

children coming this afternoon.

Wanted

to see me, jim?

Yeah, I want you to take care

of the store while I'm away.

Got to go to rangoon.

Sure.

Larry, have the station wagon brought

around and put my things in it.

Got to catch a plane

for rangoon.

Did that gasoline shipment

arrive yet?

I wish somebody would figure out

a ship that would fly on rice.

Want to check

the scoreboard?

Mccurdy will fly number two

while you're in charge.

Make sure that second-string

pitcher does some work on his guns.

Zero.

Two."

I thought you and jim-

Didn't I tell you to credit

my ship only to dale?

Look, jim, I got nobody back in the states.

I thought dale's folks would find that

$1,000 bonus handy around the farm.

Or is it

a gas station?

You got your halo

on crooked, pal.

Car's ready.

Right.

Start working on selby

and mcintosh as a team.

I think they're about ready. Okay, jim.

Don't worry about a thing. I'll take

care of things while you're away.

Okay. And no gin rummy with brooke.

She's my pigeon. Bye, pigeon. Bye-bye.

What do you see

in that guy?

San francisco.

Huh?

never mind.

Any more on flight 8

from hong kong?

The airport informs me the plane has

been delayed. The storm, you know.

Oh, there were two

gentlemen here expecting me.

I believe

they just came in.

You'll find them in the

cocktail lounge with mrs. Bales.

Mrs. Bales?

If anything more comes in on

that plane, let me know. Yes, sir.

Squadron leader gordon, I'm

lieutenant barton. How are you?

Hello, blackie. Hello, jim. My wife, jim.

How do you do?

What are you

doing here, blackie?

I heard you needed pilots,

and I needed the job.

I didn't know at the time

that you were head man.

I'll run upstairs and pack.

Excuse me. Train leaves for

lai chau at 6:
00 in the morning.

Be on it.

Yes, sir.

She knows, jim.

I hate to turn you down, but I've got to.

Look, jim, I don't want to

put this on a personal basis,

But you know me,

you know my work.

I'm a good flier, jim.

I know you are.

You could work for me

anytime. We get along, but-

I haven't been on that stuff for a long

time, jim. Honest. That's just soda pop.

It isn't that. I'm trying to

hold on to a fine bunch of men.

It isn't always easy

to keep peace in the family.

Some of them would remember

that lefty matson case.

But, jim, I was cleared of that. I know.

The army gave you

a clean bill of health,

But you'd be flying with a

lot of men that knew lefty.

I'm really doing blackie

a favor, mrs. Bales.

I don't want any favors. I just

want a chance to get back on my feet.

This is the last outpost

for me, jim.

Oh, it just wouldn't work out. I'm sorry.

Good-bye, mrs. Bales,

blackie.

Any news yet? No, sir. Not yet.

Mr. Gordon, I made some

excuse so I could talk to you.

No matter what happens, please

don't ever tell blackie that I did.

Of course.

Mr. Gordon, I hate

to butt in like this,

But you've got to give him

another chance to fly.

Mrs. Bales, I can't jeopardize

the morale of an entire squadron...

Just to give

your husband a job.

But it isn't just a job. Though we

need the money, it's something more.

I married him right after

that happened.

He told me the whole story.

I thought I could

make it up to him, but I can't.

There's some things that even a

wife can't do for the man she loves.

He's got to find it

himself...

Doing the things

he loves best,

Even if means

paying with his life.

It isn't easy for me to say no. You

don't know what you're asking me to do.

Oh, I do.

Do you know what losing

your self-respect means?

That's what's happened to him.

I know.

I live with him.

I've caught him looking out

of a window, watching a plane.

Watching it till

he couldn't see it any more.

Afraid to turn around

and look me in the face.

Mrs. Bales

- mr. Gordon, you know men. You command a squadron.

You've seen them die.

Some of them go out smiling.

Have you ever seen the look

on a man's face...

When you tell him

he can't fly anymore?

No.

It's a living death,

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