The Dawn Patrol Page #4

...and I brought these.

Come on, open them up! Open them up!

Oh, what's that?

Oh, that's the man

that brought you down.

- Who?

- Introduce him, will you, Phipps?

- What does he say?

- I don't know.

He wants him to have a drink.

Oh, drink! Drink. Bott, drinks!

Oh! Don't waste it!

- Didn't understand a word. Did you?

- I took German in school, but--

So did I, but I can't understand

the way these foreigners speak it.

Thanks, old man.

Sir, there's a driver out here

named Flaherty.

- He's waiting for you, sir.

- Tell him to wait.

- I've got a car and chauffeur outside.

- What?

Gonna take me

on a personally conducted tour...

...of all the inns and taverns of France.

Wonderful. You wanna come, Fritzie?

Gentlemen, keep the war going, please.

We are going out to roll in a few gutters.

Bravo.

Flaherty! Flaherty, where's my horse?

Bring it on.

Boys, get comfy.

Come on. Come on. Come on.

Courtney! He can't go, he's a prisoner.

Oh, but he can sing.

Oh, well, goodbye, Fritzie. Goodbye.

Come on, Court, get in.

This is Mr. Courtney, Mr. Flaherty.

He's the best singer--

Best driver on the Western front.

- Coming up. Coming up.

- Get the captain to sing.

Oh, he's terrific.

- Bring him in. I want to talk to him.

- Yes, sir. Come.

Road hog!

I'm not disputing that.

Military police are for that purpose. What?

- You should put them under arrest.

- I do not think it's a good idea.

- Why not?

- Why?

Well, because I need them here,

that's why.

- What? They did?

- Some girl brought a minister down here.

- She did?

- Wants to marry both of them.

The Frenchman? His sweetheart?

Put him down in a well.

- Oh, they did?

- They're on their way back.

Oh, they are? Why didn't you say so before?

I'll discipline them.

All right, thank you, Yes. Goodbye.

Drunk as lords and raising Cain,

and you laugh, you old fool.

Well, really, you know,

confidentially, Brand, I envy them.

Don't you? Now, tell the truth.

Apparently, they've put some French girl's

sweetheart down a well or something.

If I didn't need them here,

I'd leave them to the military--

Wait a minute, there's B Flight.

More trouble. Come along.

This way, sir. Come along, sir.

- Squires, what happened?

- Von Richter has moved in across the lines.

- Von Richter?

- We ran into one flight and then another.

There was nothing we could do.

Suddenly, the air was full of them.

It is lucky to any of us got back.

They can really fly.

Many of them?

We were outnumbered four to one.

We didn't have a chance.

- Here. Now, take it easy.

- Yes, sir.

That's right. Get your tourniquet on there.

- What's wrong?

- Hello, Squires.

- Good morning.

- Good morning.

- How many men did you lose?

- Courtney, Von Richter's over there.

That's gonna make things lively

as if it wasn't bad enough already.

- Who'd you lose, Squires?

- Well, Thornley and Murrell.

- Verdan and Hollister.

- Hollister?

- Four out of seven.

- Hollister. How did Hollister go?

- He was trying to help Thornley.

- He was?

- Yeah.

- I'm glad. Out like a man.

Get Captain Squires

to the medical officer.

- Courtney, you'd better come with me.

- Can you get the m.o.? All right.

- Duck, cover!

- Enemy plane.

Stay where you are, sir.

- Look, Courtney, boots.

- Wait. Don't touch those.

- They're all right. Let's look at them.

- They're all right.

What's that?

"One pair of trench boots

for the use of British flying officers.

You'll be safer on the ground.

Von Richter."

Give me those boots.

Give me those. I'll get that--

- I'll take care of these boots.

- Order.

Give me those boots, Courtney.

Now pay attention.

There are going to be no volunteer patrols.

Don't you realize these boots

are a trick to get you up in the air?

None of you is going to commit suicide

by going up alone.

Don't worry. You'll die soon enough.

But not a man leaves the ground

without my orders. Understand?

- Yes, sir.

- Come along, Phipps.

Yes, sir.

About those boots, Court....

Yes, I was just thinking the same thing.

You can keep the boots. They don't fit.

Let her rip, Scott-o.

Oh, I can't see.

I can't see.

We're in a right-hand spin. Pull her out.

But I can't see.

That's it. Right forward. Left.

We're over our own lines, aren't we?

Yes, but the ground's just as hard here.

Look out. Here it comes.

Court, get me down.

Hello. Are you all right?

I'm fighting the wrong way.

Wait a minute. Look out for the petrol.

- Right.

- Right. Easy now, sir.

- Give me something, I can't see.

- Here you are.

Here's your scarf.

Well, we made it. We made it.

Mine is a farce.

They command themselves.

- Orders don't mean anything. It's a circus.

- Remember--

I remember giving orders.

Give me my tunic.

- Yes, sir.

- Those orders have been disobeyed.

With Infantry or other branch, an officer

can keep discipline. What can I do?

All right, thank you.

They're laughing up their sleeves.

- Or dead.

- Yes, or dead.

No, they're not dead.

Courtney! Scott!

- All right, you can go.

- Thank you, sir.

Good morning, gentlemen.

- Good morning, Phipps.

- Good morning, Phipps.

What do you fellows imagine

I'm here for?

To watch you turn the army

into a circus?

I've played fair, but this is organized

warfare not your own private feud.

You went out against Von Richter

outnumbered four to one.

You fools, when we need every man

and every plane.

I'm not gonna stand for it any longer.

I've made out a report on the situation

for headquarters.

- Fifty-ninth.

- There'll be a court-martial.

Somebody's going to get hurt.

Give it to me.

All right, stand at ease.

- Hello. Hello.

- Brand?

- This is Brand.

- Congratulations.

- What?

- Splendid job.

The drome was bombed?

What drome? Where?

We've learned your squadron

blew the air base off the map. Nice work.

- Here-- Wait. Excuse me.

- Splendid job of bombing the airdrome.

- Destroyed it?

- Yes, a perfect job.

- Really?

- Blew the whole place up.

Yes, sir. Yes, yes.

From here, yes they did.

- Did you send both flights?

- Only two of them.

- Only two ships? That's splendid.

- What?

General Barranger has ordered your

immediate transfer to Wing. Are you there?

Excuse me, excuse me, sir.

Would you mind repeating that again, sir?

Has ordered your immediate

transfer to Wing.

- Yes, sir.

- Appoint someone in your place.

With pleasure. Right away, sir.

We want more of this sort of thing.

We'll see that you are transferred

to a more important position.

- Is that clear?

- Thank you, sir, thank you.

Come on, fellas, come into my parlor.

- Oh, get me another glass, will you, Phipps?

- Yes, sir.

- Here, you are, Phipps. Courtney. Scott.

- Thank you.

- Thanks.

- And myself.

And now I've got you, Courtney.

I've got you where I want you.

So far, the war has been a personal

adventure for you.

Full of...and glory.

As an individual flier,

you've been admirable.

And you've evaded responsibility

with equally supreme skill.

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