Zero Hour!

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On April 1 0th, 1945...

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...units of the 7 2nd Squadron

of the Royal Air Force...

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...crossed the boundary of Germany...

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...under the command of Canadian

squadron leader Ted Stryker.

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Their mission:

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Penetrate enemy fighter cover

and hold the formation intact...

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...for a vital incendiary raid on

the German supply depots of Wiesbaden.

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At 07:
30, 12 miles from the target...

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...enemy fighters

were sighted directly ahead.

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Stryker led his planes to meet them.

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Using the thick fog banks below

as a cover...

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...the Spitfires eluded the remaining

German fighters...

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...and reformed

for the initial run on the target.

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Although Stryker's weather reports

had indicated Wiesbaden would be clear...

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...the fog had closed in

over the entire area.

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There were two possible decisions:

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Pass up the vital target for less important

alternate to the south...

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...or maintain the descent

relying on instruments...

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...and a possible break in the fog

near the ground level.

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Stryker went for the vital target.

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Too late he realized his mistake.

Blinded by the fog...

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...six of Stryker's men crashed

into the German countryside.

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Five weeks later

the war in Europe was over.

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But for squadron leader Stryker, seriously

wounded in the course of the raid...

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...a new kind of war just beginning.

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It's closed in, Ted.

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-What about the alternate target?

-Can't see anything.

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-Think we're off course.

-We're on course.

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We're too low, Ted. We're too low!

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It seems to be heaIing very niceIy...

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...everything considered.

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Pressure on the optic nerve

is aImost compIeteIy gone.

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-Is there any pain Ieft in there?

-No.

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Keep Iooking straight ahead.

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I heard about that meeting

at headquarters this morning.

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Taking aII the bIame for what happened

on that raid was a courageous thing to do.

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Was it?

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Because of my mistake,

six men didn't return from that raid.

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What's the good of condemning yourseIf?

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Nothing you can do about it now.

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There's nothing I can do about it,

but that doesn't mean I can Iive with it.

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You're gonna have to, sooner or Iater.

You might as weII get used to it.

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You don't,

you haven't got much of a Iife ahead.

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That's easy to say.

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But those were my men.

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We'd been through a Iot together.

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They were depending on me.

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They'd be going home now

if I hadn't faiIed them.

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What about faiIing yourseIf?

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You know, I've been watching you

the past few weeks here at the hospitaI...

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...seeing no one, speaking to no one.

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You're on the run, Stryker.

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You gotta face what happened. Forget it.

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Nobody's got a corner on mistakes,

in a war or any other time.

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Good Iuck, Stryker.

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You have the authority

to hire anybody you want, haven't you?

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After they're cIeared for the kind of highIy

cIassified government work we're doing...

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...yes.

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What is it, my war record again?

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No, not reaIIy.

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You're the onIy one keeping that aIive.

For most peopIe it's ancient history.

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-You expect me to beIieve that?

-It's the truth.

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FrankIy, what bothers us

is your record since the war.

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TweIve jobs in 1 0 years.

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And not one of them shows

you can accept any responsibiIity.

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Not one of them was worthy of a man

of your training and experience.

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But I've stayed away from the thing

I was reaIIy trained for.

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You know why.

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But now--

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Look, Frank,

I may be aII the things they say I am...

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...but I think I can handIe that job,

and I need it very badIy.

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My wife and I....

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WeII, we're right at the breaking point.

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I'II do anything you say

if you'II just give me a chance.

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I won't Iet you down, Frank,

I promise you.

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AII right, I'II see what I can do.

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Thanks.

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Hi, Mrs. Purty. Anything for me?

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No. There's one for your wife.

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It Iooks Iike you two

are going to do a IittIe ceIebrating.

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Everything the Iaw aIIows.

This is a pretty speciaI occasion.

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I know,

you got that job you've been wanting.

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It Iooks that way.

I'II teII you aII about it Iater.

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EIIen?

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Oh, EIIen, I think--

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EIIen. EIIen.

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-When do we take off, Mom?

-Oh, any minute now, dear.

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They've aImost finished

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