Wing and a Prayer Page #5

Shut up.

Everybody all right?

Pilot to...

11 o'clock!

Cri-ola.

Ya-hoo!

Shut up, will you...

11 o'clock!

They're

rolling under.

I got it.

Key-ristmas!

How many are there?

Smack 'em down!

Let 'em

come around!

All right, all right.

Swing us around.

Got him! Got him!

11 o'clock!

Ed! Ed!

[Gunfire]

They got Ed.

No, I'm all right.

Ed, is that you?

Yeah.

They got Hank.

Gosh, there they go.

There's one chute.

Two to go.

He's rolling over.

Come on, guys.

Get out of there.

Bail out of there.

Why don't they

get out?

Leepers,

he's really spinning.

Come on, you guys.

Get out. Get out!

There's one more out...

2 o'clock!

They're coming in!

They're coming

under you, Ben.

Hold your hats.

I'm coming.

Take 'em, Bill,

take 'em!

Look out!

5 o'clock!

I'm coming up from 5!

[Gunfire]

How's our sweetheart,

Mr. Holloway?

Spurting oil

like her heart's busted.

Close the intercom.

Watch out.

Zero on your tail.

Blue plate special

coming up.

Get him! Get him!

[Gunfire]

Sink, you...

[Explosion]

Goodbye, him.

Nice work.

Square in the belly.

[Gunfire]

Pilot to Radioman,

are you all right?

Mike, are you

all right?

I think that burst got him,

Mr. Jacobson.

Better bail out,

Tommy.

We haven't much time.

Were you hit, Mike?

Shut off your intercom,

lacobson.

I can't.

My equipment's shot up.

Mike, are you O. K?

It's my leg, sir.

Can you move them?

Mike, can you

move your legs?

Uh-uh.

We're burning

back here.

You'd better

bail out, sir.

I haven't got

the altitude, Mike.

We'll take this ride

together.

Lacobson, join up.

Do you hear me, Hans?

Loin up, I tell you.

Enemy planes approaching.

All hands stand by.

Enemy planes approaching.

Hard left!

Hard left!

Hard right rudder!

[Bomb Whistling]

The bomb that hit aft

damaged

the hydraulic lines

that control

the landing gear.

How long to repair?

Hard to say, sir.

The returning planes

will be low on gas.

I want that gear operating

by the time they're in sight.

I want a report

on damage

and our maximum

possible speed.

The engine room reports

we can only make 20 knots.

We'll need 25 knots

to land our planes.

Report that

below.

Aye, aye, sir.

Call out the after-damage

control party.

20 men from the V-3 division.

Clear that damage.

Hurry it up!

The flight deck offcer reports

it's impossible to repair

the after-flight deck

in less than 45 minutes.

You got just 20 minutes

to repair that flight deck.

When the planes return,

they'll have a deck

to land on.

Sir, escort has picked up

enemy submarine

on the sound

detector.

We got a plane left

to launch?

One, sir.

Just repaired.

Launch her.

Launch catapult bomber.

Launch catapult bomber.

Launch catapult bomber.

Launch catapult bomber.

Rapid gunners,

hold your fre.

Catapult plane

being launched.

We're going

to be hit.

Who was flying

that plane?

Ensign Cunningham, sir.

That the one

they call Cookie?

Yes, sir.

Sir, Torpedo Five

and fghter escort returning.

Prepare to land planes.

Prepare to land planes.

Code this

to the other carriers...

As soon as

planes have landed,

changing course

60 degrees southeast

for cover of rain squall

till repairs are completed.

Aye, aye, sir.

[Playing Reveille]

Red, this is Molton.

What now?

Radar picked up disturbances

at 85 miles,

altitude 5,000 feet,

but they've settled down

to a single object.

We can hear it now.

Sounds like a TBF.

You hear that, Molton?

Could be a TBF.

Any of yours

straggling?

Wait a minute.

Oscar was just passing

over the cargo

when she blew up.

Maybe...

Scott is the only one

not accounted for.

Thanks, Red.

Mr. Scott?

You fgure the carrier

ducked under that soup?

Maybe.

They weren't

at the rendezvous.

Keep your chin up.

I'm not afraid of anything anymore,

Mr. Scott.

Today's my birthday.

How old are you

today, B. G?

17, sir.

You hear that Benny?

Hey, Benny.

I'll get him down.

Mr. Scott,

couldn't we break radio silence

long enough

to get a fx?

Nobody would like that

better than I would, B.G.

No dice.

Brother, how I could use

a spotlight now.

That's Ensign Scott, sir.

He doesn't know

our new course.

Couldn't we break

radio silence?

You don't have to give him

a position theJaps can check.

Just say,

"We're right under you.

Ceiling, 50 feet.

Come on down."

If you think theJaps

have a radar fx on him,

let me go up.

I can lead him down.

That's as useful to the enemy

as breaking radio silence.

We can't risk

this carrier.

What about that kid...

That's enough, Molton.

Check

your casualty list

and reform

your squadron.

Yes, sir.

[Engine Faltering]

[Plane Diving]

[Crash]

First it was Gus,

then Brainard,

then Chuck,

and then Hans.

But at least he had

a fghting chance.

But not Oscar.

He didn't have a chance.

Up there,

going back and forth,

and nobody made an effort

to help him down.

Do you know

what these are?

They're casualty lists.

They're obituaries of

a long list of friends of mine.

Yes, friends.

If I seemed too tough

on the boys,

it was because I was

responsible for them.

I didn't want to lose them

any more than I wanted to

lose those boys up there.

You think I wanted

to let Scott fly

until he dove

into the sea?

You think I want to dream

about them on a raft

until their bodies rot?

I'm an air offcer.

There are things I can do

and things I can't do.

I can check casualty lists,

and I can order more men

into the air

to become new casualties.

I can refuse to endanger

the lives of 3,000 men

in order to save the lives

of three men.

I do those things

because they're my job,

and I've got to do them.

But to be accused

of refusing

to save those men

because I didn't

want to save them...

[Ringing]

Torpedo Ready Room.

Molton speaking.

It's for you, sir.

Yes.

Very good.

A destroyer picked up

Scott and his crew.

His radioman was lost,

but he and his gunner

are O.K.

They got him!

He's back in!

How about that?

He's back in the ballgame.

Thanks, Ed.

Period.

Secure.

How about that?

Commander Harper.

Orders for tomorrow...

14 TBFs,

19 SB2Cs...

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